Stiletto Lawyer

Recipe Index

2012-01-22T16:12:00.000-08:00

Main Courses

Side Dishes

Salads

Appetizers

Easy Breezy Caprese Skewers

Breakfast

Hash Brown Frittata

Desserts

Rainbow Cake

Drinks

Red, White, and Blue

Easy Breezy Caprese Skewers

2012-01-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

This appetizer may look fancy, but it is so simple to make.

Ingredients:

Marinated Fresh Mozzarella (Trader Joe's)
Cherry Tomatoes
Wooden Skewers (I cut mine in half)

Directions:

Cut mozzarella and cherry tomatoes in half (keep the mozzarella container, you need it for step #2).
Toss the mozzarella and tomatoes in the container the mozzarella came in (with the marinade).
Skewera piece of mozzarella, a tomato, another mozzarella, and a final tomato.

Santa Fe Salad

2012-01-19T22:59:00.000-08:00

Santa Fe Salad could be a meal on its own (especially for lunch), or an easy way to sneak in veggies or extra protein to a meal. If usually make it when I a make quesadillas or when I pick up El Pollo Loco Chicken. I no longer add the cheese, but it's just as good without it. If I make it for lunch or a weekday dinner, I usually cook the corn in advance, so that all I have to do is cut an avocado, open things and dump them in the bowl. That's my kind of weekday cooking!

Ingredients:

Romaine Lettuce
Black Beans (I use the canned ones, but feel free to make your own)
Corn (I think its worth to use fresh corn, I cook it in a pan with a little olive oil, but you could use canned or frozen)
Avocado in one-inch cubes
Sliced Black Olives
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Ranch Dressing (I use Ken's Light Ranch)

Directions:

Toss ingredients together in large bowl, and serve.

Amazing Marinade

2012-01-15T00:25:00.000-08:00

Ever since I discovered this Easy Marinade, it has been the preferred marinade on my menu rotation - especially during the summer. It is one of the best marinades I have ever made, and I still can't believe how easy it is to make. I've used it for skirt steak, but I usually use it for boneless skinless chicken breast (I make it with red wine vinegar; I have not tried the balsamic vinegar variation).

When it's on the menu for a weekday meal, I prep the chicken and make the marinade in the morning before I leave for work. While I am at work, the chicken marinates in the fridge (gotta love passive cooking!). When I get home from work, my husband throws the chicken on the grill. He always makes some extra chicken so that we can easily add it to salads for lunch or dinner throughout the week. Best part is that my husband enjoys barbecuing (the same cannot be said for cooking), so he actually has fun while he's being productive.

Even though this is an easy weekday meal - it is also company worthy. It is great if you are having friends over for barbecue, because you can prep everything before your guests arrive (even the night before), and when your guests are ready to eat you just throw it on the grill, and cook as you entertain.

Great Hostess or Bridesmaid Gift

2012-01-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

When I got married, I gave my bridesmaids really comfortable robes with their first initials embroidered on one side. We used the robes when we got ready for my wedding, and we all still have them six years later! They made for a great bridesmaid gifts.

Although I started giving gift certificates for massages or pedicures as hostess gifts, I wanted to do something different to thank the hostesses of my work baby shower. So I recycled a great idea, and found each of them comfortable robes. They were a huge hit! I was surprised by how much the hostesses were excited for their robes.

Israeli Couscous with Zucchini

2012-01-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Israeli couscous
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or follow ratio of liquid to couscous on couscous box, may need 4 cups)
3-4 zucchini (Italian squash), thin half-moon slices
½ onion, diced

Directions:

1. Bringchicken broth to a boil

2. Heata medium sized pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and sauté onions for 2 minutes

3. Addzucchini to pan and stir occasionally until zucchini is tender

4. Afterthe chicken broth comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and heat a mediumsaucepan on medium-high heat

5. Addthe couscous to the saucepan with the 2 remaining tbsps of olive oil and cook,stirring occasionally until slightly browned and aromatic, about 3 to 5minutes.

6. Addthe boiled chicken broth to the saucepan and return to a boil.

7. Simmerfor 12 to 20 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated (check directions oncouscous box – as times may vary)

8. Transferthe zucchini mixture to the cooked couscous and stir to mix

Leftover Magic:

I usually make extra zucchini/onion mixture to use for other meals. I can make it last for three meals! The first night, I serve it as a side by itself. The next, I add it to couscous. The last night I use it as a base for Greek Orzo. One time prep, for three meal components. That's my kind of recipe.
If I have leftover Roasted Zucchini I will add it to the cooked couscous instead of making the zucchini/onion mixture.
I also like to make extra couscous to use for different recipes throughout the week. Sometimes if I make 2 cups of the couscous, I use half of it for this recipe and half of it for another recipe.

Best Bridal Shower Gift Ever!

2012-01-07T01:13:00.000-08:00

I appreciate and respect the concept of a wedding registry. I have a rule - when I buy gifts for a wedding, I always buy gifts from the bride and groom's registry. But when I heard about this gift idea, I had to rethink my rule.

It's quite simple. You buy four to six pairs of candles of any size/shape in different colors, and you wrap them pretty in a basket. And then, the most important part, you print this poem out on a card (making changes as necessary for the colors you bought), and you make the bride read the card out loud:

A basket of candles that come in a pair

In all different colors, for you two toshare

The white candles are the first pair tolight

Use them to celebrate your firstmarried night

Red candles set the mood and pave theway

For your first married Valentine’s Day

The lavender candles are for after yourfirst fight

Use them to burn while making up allnight

Now, when your first year of marriageis through

The light blue anniversary pair, willlight for you two.

By this time we hope, maybe, just maybe

You can light the dark green ones on thebirth of your baby

And just when you thought you would putthese away

Take the light green ones out for your fifthanniversary

Now just one pair left – for the big2-5,

The anniversary pair that will keepyour love alive.

Congratulations ____ & _____

On the start of your forever

May the two of you always be happytogether

And burn these candles

Just the way we said

But please don’t forget to blow themout before bed!

With Love,

________

I change the poem slightly every time, but I always leave in the candle for the first baby (it always gets the best reaction). Regardless of how many candles I choose to use, this is hands down the best bridal shower gift! It is incredibly sentimental and it gives the bride a chance to realize that she is about to get married! It always catches everyone by surprise.

Best part about this gift is that it can be budget friendly. If you want to spend more, you can always purchase candlesticks from the bride and groom's registry to go along with it (or just add a gift from the registry).

Hash Brown Frittata

2012-01-06T23:23:00.000-08:00

This is my go-to brunch dish (although sometimes this makes a nice main course for "breakfast for dinner"). I love it because I can make it the day before (so I don't have to wake up too early to set everything up), and it can easily be doubled for a large crowd.* I usually make this with egg whites. It tastes just as good, and my guests feel less guilty.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove,minced
2-3 medium russet potatoes,peeled and sliced like hash browns (or substitute 2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes,thawed and drained)
8 eggs (or substituteegg white equivalent, it is just as good!)
1/2 cup non fat milk
1/4 cup gratedParmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Two twists of ground pepper from a pepper grinder
2 cups shreddedcheddar cheese (or substitute with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 cupshredded Colby cheese)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350degrees Fahrenheit.
In large pan, heatolive oil over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic,and saute for 3 minutes.
Add potatoes to pan,and cook until heated through (about 4-5 minutes).
Remove pan from heat.
While the potatoes are cooking inthe pan, combine eggs, milk, parmesan, salt, and pepperin a large bowl and beat.
Spray a 9 x 13 bakingdish with cooking spray.
Add the potato mixtureto the baking dish, and spread evenly around.
Pour the eggs over thepotato mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutesor until it barely jiggles when shaken.
Remove from oven and sprinklewith cheese.
Bake for an additional10-15 minutes (or until cheese melts and begins to brown).

*If you make it in advance, wait until it cools, cut it into squares, and then refrigerate until it is ready to be reheated.

Rainbow Madness

2011-12-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

I first saw the rainbow cake on Omnomicon's blog. I am not sure why - but I needed to make this cake.

I made it for a Mother's Day brunch for our families (I wasn't a mother at the time). It's a great cake for a kid's birthday party or a party with an art or rainbow theme. Omnomicon uses a diet cake recipe to make her cake, but I try not to make anything "diet" for company unless I've tried it before. I ended up using two boxes of Betty Crocker French Vanilla cake. In order to avoid having to wash 6 extra dishes I opted to dye the cake mix in 6 plastic cups. This made for an easy cleanup - and it also made the transfer to the pan easier (I just poured the batter straight from the cup). I wasn't sure how difficult it would be to layer the colors, but it turned out to be quite simple. As you add a new color to the center of the pan, the rings push themselves outward. I did the rainbow (with pink instead of red), but you could do this with any color combination.

I may have had a little to much fun making this cake, and it was very well received.

I thought about dying the frosting blue (like a sky) and adding marzipan white clouds on the cake - for the whole sky/rainbow effect, but I figured there was enough food coloring in the cake, so I ended up going with white frosting. In the end I was happy with the white frosting as it added to the surprise. It was deceivingly boring from the outside - and it was initially "rejected" when my nieces and nephew pointed to the desserts they wanted to try.

But once I cut out a slice of the cake to reveal the inside: The kids . . . they came a running! The cake was a huge hit (my 7 year old nephew declared that I was "amazing" - if only he knew it came from a box), and the whole thing was finished quickly.

I would highly recommend checking it out the step by step "How to Make" on Omnomicon's blog for the full details.

It's All About Salmon

2011-09-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

One of my go-to to weekday meals is Roasted Salmon. Salmon is really good for you, and my husband (who never used to eat fish at all) is willing to eat it (and my son L-O-V-E-S it!). It is super easy to make, but worthy of serving for company.

It also is really easy to have on hand. We buy it in bulk at Costco, cut it up in portions, and then freeze each portion. We usually move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before we cook it, and it defrosts in time for dinner. But if we ever forget to defrost it (which is more often than not), it defrosts pretty quickly in a bowl of warm water.

Most important of all, it meets all five of my requirements for a great weekday meal: (1) healthy; (2) doesn't taste healthy; (3) very little hands-on time; (4) my husband's not afraid to make it ~~or I can make it in advance~~; and (5) I can have it on the table within 15 minutes of getting home (even if my husband didn't help). I rotate between four different seasonings/marinades (and have a fifth if I have more time), but all are based on the same formula.

Pick one of the twists on seasoning or marinades (see below).
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place salmon on baking dish and cook in oven for 12-15 min (increase time if cooking more than four pieces of salmon; when I cook the entire bulk package from Costco it takes 20-30 minutes).

Twists on seasoning and marinades:

The "OG" - Lemon Roasted Salmon: Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over each piece of salmon and rub to coat top. Sprinkle "Lemon Herb" McCormick seasoning over salmon.
Soyaki Salmon - Pour Soyaki (from Trader Joes) over the salmon. Can be marinated for 15 minutes or more, which does make a slight difference, but it's also fine without the pre-marinating.
Island Soyaki Salmon - Same as Soyaki Salmon, but use the Island Soyaki from Trader Joe's, and use that instead of the Soyaki
The Purist - Drizzle a little olive oil over the salmon and rub in, then sprinkle a little Lawry's seasoning (or Mrs. Dash alternative), and rub in a little minced garlic.
Fancy Mustard Salmon - Although you won't catch me making this one on a weekday (unless it is also a holiday), this is a great marinade as well (I sometimes cook this one at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, but 425 works too): Mix the juice and zest from half a lemon with 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of dijon mustard, then add 1 minced garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper. Then drizzle (and spread) over salmon, set salmon aside for 15 minutes before cooking.

Israeli Couscous with Apples and Dried Cherries

2011-08-24T23:13:00.001-07:00

(adapted from Israeli Couscous with Apples, Cranberries, and Herbs - by Giada De Laurentiis)

This is a staple on my monthly menu rotation every spring and summer. I love this as a side dish for barbeque, but I also love it as a main course for lunch (especially if you add grilled chicken). This dish is company worthy, and is one of my go-to dishes whenever we are invited to a pot luck. Every time, without fail, people ask for the recipe. This one is definitely a keeper, and it belongs in my hall of fame.

Couscous Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Israeli couscous
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or follow ratio of liquid to couscous on couscous box, may need 4 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 medium apples, diced (I usually use Gala apples)
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted or not (I never toasted them, but I googled how, and it turns out that all you have to do is preheat the oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit), arrange the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet, bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, and cool).

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

In a small pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
In the meantime, in a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat.
Add the couscous and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is slightly browned (about 3 to 5 minutes).
Pour the boiled chicken broth into the pot with the couscous, stir a couple times, and return the broth to a boil.
Cover the pot and simmer for 12 to 20 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated (check directions on couscous box – times may vary).
Transfer the cooked couscous to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Add the parsley (if using), rosemary, thyme, apple, dried cherries, and almonds to the cooled couscous.
Make the vinaigrette - in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper and whisk in the olive oil until smooth.
Pour the vinaigrette over the couscous and toss to coat evenly.

Leftover Magic:

Since you are making the couscous anyway, make some extra plain coucous and set it aside. Then, during the week, easily transform it to another dish. I like to add sauteed onions and zucchini or cooked lentils (which I buy pre-cooked at Trader Joes, yes, I know how easy it is to cook lentils, no I still don't think its worth doing myself).

Baby Bird Shower

2011-06-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

Yet another good friend is having a baby! Which means I get to share pictures from another beautiful baby shower.

Welcome Sign

A balloon tied to a chair, helped guests find the party.

Decor:

The grandma-to-be rented beautiful periwinkle tablecloths, white frilly napkins, and white chivari chairs. She also found mugs with baby birds and nets and filled them with cookies.

I made these centerpieces using white hydrangeas and roses:

I found this bird cage (which is actually a candle holder) at Micheal's and I made a sign that said: "Help fill [mom-to-be's] nest with good advise." Each guest then wrote down their best baby advise. We read some of the entertaining ones out loud, and the mom-to-be kept the notes of advise.

The cake was made to match the invitation.

Games: We did three games, which was perfect.

We started with a multiple choice quiz about the parents-to-be. The questions were all based on stories from their past, and as we read through the answers we learned all kinds of cute things the parents-to-be did when they were children. It was a great ice breaker game. It felt like everyone in the room was having one conversation.

After brunch was served, we played my new favorite baby shower game, Preg or Porn!

For an extra game, the guest with the birthday closest to the baby's due date won a small prize.

My Baby Boy is One!

2011-04-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

My husband claims I only wanted a baby so that I could have an excuse to throw more parties. Although that's not entirely true, I do love a good party, and I was so excited to put together this Sesame Street Themed Birthday Party to celebrate my son's first birthday.

Theme
I really wanted to pick a theme that my son would enjoy. He really loved Elmo and Sesame Street, and I thought he would respond well to the characters he loved so much.

Decor
One thing I didn't think about when I chose the theme, is that all the Sesame Street characters are licensed, and the costs for the stuffed animals and other decorations started to add up quickly. So I decided to stick mainly with bold colors: red, yellow, green, and blue, and I added touches of Sesame Street to remind people there was a theme. I also rented a large bounce house that came decorated with Sesame Street characters.

One of the best decorations I got was the these easy peel off wall stickers and these ones of different Sesame Street characters. I placed a couple on the front door to greet guests, and scattered the rest of them around the walls in my house. I even backed one of the Oscar stickers with a thick piece of foam board, and stuck it to the ice bucket to make it look like Oscar and his trash bin.

These were a very affordable way to decorate. I spent more on some of the stuffed animals then I spent on all the stickers. The best part is that after the party, I removed the stickers from the various places I put them, and I used them to decorate a wall in my son's playroom.

I got inexpensive large outdoor blankets in blue and green (which we still use all the time) and spread toys all around them, to create a large play area for the babies. I made a similar play area in our living room because the weather forecast was on the colder side (with a chance of rain), but the weather ended up being so nice, that we moved the entire play area outside. We also had the bouncy house. I was going to do an Elmo coloring station, but I ran out of time. We really didn't need it though.

Play area mid-set-up

I ordered 100 balloons (for delivery!) and I spread them around the edge of our yard, and used them for centerpieces (I tied the balloons to fish bowls full of goldfish snacks and I tied little Elmo balloon weights to the tops of the bowls). I also left some loose balloons floating around inside our house and the kids were excited to play with them and be able to take one home.

Food

The party was in the afternoon, but I figured that a lot of the guests (especially the ones with babies of their own) would head to the party without having lunch, so I went ahead and did a lunch buffet, and I also had tables with snack foods (for adults and for kids).

I did a sandwich bar, so that everyone could maker their own sandwich. I had assorted breads, cheeses, condiments, cold cuts, and various toppings. I even put out a toaster for those that preferred their bread toasted. I decorated the buffet with Sesame Street characters (which now live in our playroom), and I also made special labels for the condiments that used a picture of my son sitting on Sesame Street with Big Bird and Elmo (I also used the image on the invitation):

Side Dishes - I also made a bunch of different salads, including Pasta Salad with Olives and Broccoli, Israeli Couscous Salad with Apples and Dried Cherries, Fruit Salad, Israeli Salad, Garden Salad, and Pear Pepita Salad.

I'm still not sure why, but we ran out of the fruit salad quick! (and I refilled it three times). It was just mango, strawberries, grapes, and blueberries.

For the kids snack table I filled plastic buckets in primary colors with puffs, mum-mums, string cheese, and goldfish. I also had a snack table for adults with my tomato lentil dip with crackers, assorted trail mixes, and other snacks that were easy to put together.

For dessert we had vanilla cupcakes and chocolate cake (and of course, there was a smashcake for the birthday boy!). I stayed away from food coloring for the cupcakes, so I used colorful paper for them instead. I never put the chocolate cake out, and I asked friends to start cutting it before we sang happy birthday, so that we could serve it right after.

Drinks

I filled large beverage containers with water and Arnold Palmer's. We also filled drink bins with sodas, milks, juices, and beers (our friends without children were grateful). I had hot water for tea and instant coffee in the kitchen (away from the children), and I had a small sign on the beverage table letting my guests know to check inside in the kitchen for hot beverages.

I had sippy cups for the kids, as well as straws and lids for the cups.

Favors

For the kids' favors, I packed red, green, and blue gift bags with sunglasses, bubbles, mum-mums, and mini bag of goldfish. Sort of a mini-version of our party in a to-go bag. For the adults, I had a Cookie Monster Cookie Bar. I got a pretty good assortment of different cookies (including girl scout cookies and cookies from a famous local cookie store). I found great inexpensive jars at Target, and I decorated them with ribbon and labels. The jars were a great find and I have already used them for other parties we have had.

Cute As a Button Baby Shower

2011-03-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

I wish I could take full credit for this shower, but it was very much a team effort. I admit, I was at first skeptical of the selected theme - "cute as a button." It would not necessarily have been my very first choice for a baby shower theme, especially for this particular mama-to-be. But all the details came together perfectly.

Decor:

The colors were the same as the baby's nursery (mint green and brown). We decided the best way to bring in the mint green was through linens. One of the hostesses found gorgeous linens, and they really set the tone for the entire party.

The same hostess also came up with the brilliant idea of going to the garment district downtown to buy buttons - tons and tons of buttons. We made napkin holders out of ribbons and buttons, we made a faux runner out of buttons, and we even tied buttons to the bottom of the champagne glasses (we tried to use different ones to help guests remember which glass was theirs). We also sprinkled buttons around the buffet table and the drinks table.

For the centerpieces, we used glass vases that I had on hand (accented with ribbons and buttons), and arranged white hydrangeas and mums in the vases. Both flowers were so easy to arrange.

The Menu

We served brunch (in case you haven't noticed, I am a big fan of brunch).

We had:

Bagels, Cream Cheese, and Lox
Pear Pepita Salad
Assorted Pastries from Sweet Lady Jane
Hash Brown Frittata
Israeli Couscous with Apples and Dried Cherries
Assorted juices and sodas and champagne
A beautiful cake by Sweet Lady Jane (clearly the big black oval in the middle of the cake is my way of respecting privacy - and not part of the decorations)

Games:

1. Guessing Kisses - We filled a jar full of kisses, and we put out a sign asking guests to guess how many kisses there were in the jar for the mama-to-be's baby. I think every shower should have at least one passive game (where no one has to do much, but someone wins a prize) - and this is a great one.

2. Quiz - One of the hostesses prepared a quiz about the parents-to-be. I usually am not a fan of quizzes because I feel they are antisocial. I like games that facilitate chatter. But, this was hands down the best quiz I ever played at a shower. The questions were so personal and hilarious. The hostess who put this together asked all of us (and the mama-to-be's sister) to share funny and touching stories about the parents-to-be. She took each funny story and turned it into a question. We were all laughing as we were reading the quiz, but the best part was reading the answers. Each question really enabled the mamma-to-be to reminisce about her own childhood and her relationship with her hubby. It really was the perfect quiz. Now whenever I do a quiz, I try to make it so that each question is really an opportunity to tell a cute or touching story about the mama-to-be.

3. Preg or Porn - Yup, that's right, there is a board with closeup pictures of women's faces, and the guests have to guess if the picture is of someone giving birth or someone in a porn.

Every time I play this game it is a huge hit!

This was the first time I made a preg or porn board, and I learned quickly that my pictures were too easy, and I have found much better pictures. (but for the record, it is much harder than you might think to find pictures that work well for this game, and I shudder to think about what my Google search history must have looked like that day).

4. Tray Game with a Twist - Shockingly, I am not a huge fan of the tray game (the game where you spread items for the guest of honor on a tray and guests have to remember as many items as they can). I get that it's a popular game, and maybe that is why I am not a fan.

However, I went to a shower a couple weeks before this one, where they played the game with a twist. The mama-to-be and hostesses walked around the room with a tray, as we all took turns trying to see what was on it to play the tray game - yet again. Only, they never actually told us what we were playing. They just handed out cards and pencils and told us to wait and see what we were playing. Then, after they waled the tray around the whole room and the tray was put away, the hostess said "OK, now everyone write down as many things as you can remember that the mama-to-be was wearing."

We didn't really have the time to properly play this game (so many guests came late that we were on such a delayed schedule). At the very least, the mama-to-be got some very useful things from the tray. If we had more time, I think this would have been a great game.

Favors
For the favors, one of the hostesses made these amazing button cookies from Martha Stewart's website. They were so cute, and they tasted great!

Pear Pepita Salad

2011-03-06T23:04:00.000-08:00

I am a HUGE fan of Brianna's Homemade Dressings. The Ginger Mandarin Dressing is one of our favorites. After we got a little sick of the citrus salad I kept making (baby spinach, oranges, apples, almonds, dried cherries, and Brianna's Ginger Mandarin Dressing), I tried a variation with pears. It has turned into a favorite of ours, and I often make it for brunches and showers.

Ingredients:
Bag of baby spinach
2 Pears, chopped in 1 inch cubes
1 Cup of raisins
1 Cup of pepitas (which are shelled pumpkin seeds)
Brianna's Homemade Ginger Mandarin Dressing

Directions:
Add spinach, pears, raisins, and pepitas to serving bowl.
Toss with dressing if serving right away, or serve with dressing on the side to avoid sogginess (and have a chance at leftovers).

Halloween Playdate

2010-10-31T01:51:00.000-07:00

I don't think there is anything cuter than a bunch of babies dressed in adorable Halloween costumes! So it seemed like a no-brainer that I should throw a Halloween Playdate. The challenge - maternity leave was over, and I didn't have much free time.

Decor:

I tried to keep it really simple and baby friendly - nothing too scary. I mainly stayed with black and orange, and happy pumpkins and such. I curled black, orange, and white ribbon and hung it from the ceiling at the edge of each room. I also hung ribbons and small pumpkins from the chandelier that was over the food table.

Menu:

The party was between meals in the afternoon. I decided to just do desserts to keep it simple. If I were to do it again, I would have had another table with snacks. I think a lot of people skipped lunch and having substantial snacks would have been better. Lesson learned!

Cupcakes
Worms in dirt (just chocolate pudding, crushed oreos, and a gummy worm)

Chocolate spiders
Fruit Kebabs
Halloween Oreos
Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips
Pumpkin Pie (from Costco)
Candy!

I also had a small spread out for the babies (who were mostly between 5 and 9 months):

I didn't have time to make any personalized labels for the soda bottles, but I found these premade labels from Party City for $1.99, and they worked great (it probably would have cost me more to make them).

My favorite part was the skull and bones ice that I made with these ice trays

Activities:
I spread blankets on the floor, and I spread my son' toys around the blankets for the babies to play with. I also set up a coloring station for the older siblings. I printed free Halloween coloring pages from the Internet and I put crayons in a pumpkin treak or treat pail. The best activity of all was seeing the kids all together in their costumes.

Twighlight Bachelorette Party

2010-06-28T23:39:00.000-07:00

The bachelorette of honor's only request for her Bachelorette Party, was that she wanted to be able to include her under-age-21 sisters in the festivities. That meant no bars, and a relatively tame evening. One of the hostesses figured out the perfect solution for the Twilight-loving bride-to-be.

I have to admit that I never read any of the Twilight books, and I had not seen all of the movies. Luckily, two of the other hostesses knew more than one ever needs to know about Twilight, and Google helped educate me as well.

Blood Inspired Drinks

When I came across this party featured on Hostess With the Mostess, I could not contain my excitement. My favorite part of the decor from the featured party was the drink and food signs, so I tried to design some. Then, out of nowhere, the wedding photographer sent me a copy of a beautiful picture she took (and edited) of the bachelorette with her soon-to-be-hubby, and I could not resist.

The picture screamed Twilight, so I found a way to include it in all of the labels. (Because I want to respect privacy, I covered the best part of the photo, which is their vampire eyes. You will just have to trust me that it looked amazing).

As an extra gift to the bachelorette, I had an 8x10 printed of the picture of the happy couple (without Twilight quotes or names of drinks).

We made a drink menu so that everyone could easily identify the drinks. We marked alcoholic drinks "positive" and non-alcoholic drinks "negative." We also used red font for the alcoholic drinks and white font for the non-alcoholic drinks. We made sure to tell each of the under-age guests about our system, so that they knew which drinks were off limits. Finally, we filled a large drink bucket with sodas and labeled the bucket "For the Humans."

We served blood shots after dinner (we made them by mixing punch, pomegranate juice, and vodka, but we also made a non-alcoholic version for the minors without the vodka), to toast the bride-to-be.

Menu

For dinner we served the Twilight-obvious: Italian food. We made the food ourselves, and it was two of my favorite things: cheap and easy.

We served bruchetta and olive tapanade (both from Trader Joe's) on premade crustini from Whole Foods as an appetizer
Salad
Dinner Rolls
Pizza (we made assorted frozen pizza from Trader Joe's)
Pasta
Cupcakes (one of the hostesses made three kids of cupcakes, one to represent each team: Edward (red velvet with white frosting and bloody red drips of blood), Jacob (chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and choclate sprinkles), and a final team named for the groom-to-be's first name (decorated in a theme that was very personal to the groom-to-be).

Decor

For the decor, we stuck to black and red. We set up a long table underneath some trees in the corner of my yard to feel like we were in Forks (where Twilight takes place). We strung white lights in the trees to evoke the white lights from Bella and Edward's wedding. We rented black tablecloths and black chairs. I then created a faux runner out of boas.

One of the guests owned this cut out of Edward (the bachelorette's favorite), and it was a true source of entertainment throughout the party.

Activities

The bachelorette made it very clear that she did not want a stripper, and that she didn't want to play any games that would be inappropriate for her sisters. We went back and forth about whether we should bother to play any games. We finally decided that we would have one game - "Pin the Penis Onto Edward." We would play the game towards the end of the night, but during the party we told guests to make and decorate a penis. Making the penises ended up being one of the best parts of the game.

The other great part of the game was the result of an awesome plan B. The hostess in charge of getting the Twilight poster for the game couldn't find a poster of Edward. She improvised and got a poster of Jacob, Bella, and Edward, with Bella front and center. Because Edward was off to the side, we changed the game a bit, and guests had to pin the penis to Bella's mouth. I think that actually made the game much better (we all got a lot of laughs out of it).

Not only was there a winner for the penis pinning game, but the bachelorette also picked out the top three penises, and the artists won prizes as well.

Breakfast at T's

2010-05-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

When it came time to decide on a theme for a bridal shower for a good friend whose favorite color is blue, who is an avid movie lover, and whose first name begins with a "T" - the decision seemed obvious - Breakfast at Tiffany's!

There are so many great ideas out there for Breakfast at Tiffany's weddings and showers, and I had so much fun putting this party together.

The theme was introduced with these invites made from folded cards I found at Paper Source. The "pool" color at Paper Source was a nice match for the Tiffany's theme.

The Menu

You can't have a breakfast at Tiffany's theme without serving breakfast, and who doesn't love brunch? We made most of the items ourselves, and everything came out great!

Bagels and Cream Cheese
Lox, Tomatoes, Red Onion (for Bagels)
Hash Brown Frittata
Baked French Toast
Cheese Blintzes
Mushroom Quiche and Spinach Quiche (from Costco)
Croissants with Butter and Jam (from Costco)
Scones (from a local bakery)
Yogurt and Granola
Israeli Couscous with Apples and Dried Cherries
Cucumber Salad (from Brent's Deli)
Whitefish Salad (from Brent's Deli)
Edible Fruit Arrangement

We also made sure to greet each guest with a Bellini. It was a great way to get everyone started in a good mood!

The Decor

I used linens to bring in the Tiffany Blue color, and kept things simple with white accents. I also used white linens on the cake table and present table for a bit of contrast.

For the centerpieces I used glass containers I found at a discount store, and filled them with Tiffany Blue glass stones. I then arranged white hydrangeas and roses in each vase.

I originally planned to purchase favor boxes that look like the Tiffany's boxes (they were filled with white Jordan almonds), but after a logistical detour, I found these boxes at a local Party City, and I filled each one with M&Ms that matched the party colors. They worked really nicely with the theme, and were a less obvious choice. I made Tiffany box themed signs out of folded cards from Paper Source and ribbon. Each item on the buffet was labeled so that guests did not have to wonder what they were putting on their plates.

For dessert we ordered cupcakes to match the party colors. We also filled martini glasses with different candies. One of the hostesses decorated a cupcake stand with white lace to evoke a wedding dress.

For games, of course we played my favorite game - the paddle game. Always a hit! We also set up an area for guests to write wedding advice to the bride, and the guests then placed their advice in a Tiffany's box. We read some of the funnier and more sentimental peices of advice out loud. Finally, we played the timer game. (Basically, you set a timer to go off, and whosever present the bride is opening when the timer goes off, wins a prize).

Baby Stiletto

2009-09-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

Looks like I am finally up for the challenge of becoming a working mom:

Tea Time for Baby - and a Shower for Mommy: A Tea Themed Baby Shower

2009-08-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest trends this year in showers (both bridal and baby) are tea parties. They are girly and fun, can be done on an extravagant or lean budget, and who doesn't love those cute little sandwiches.

When we first started planning a baby shower for a good friend who was an avid tea drinker, a tea party seemed like the perfect fit for the mama to be.

After a debate about whether the party should be an intimate garden tea party at a hostess' home or a more extravagant affair at a local hotel - the verdict was out - and the local hotel was the winner. Although the price tag was a little higher than the garden party alternative, we didn't have to worry about most of the details. Also, one important detail in a tea party is the china - which can be expensive to rent - so a home fete was not necessarily going to be that much more budget friendly.

When we split up the few tasks left to do, I was very excited to be on the centerpiece team. Because the tables would be crowded with beautiful china and tea trays, we decided to keep the centerpiece small-scale.

Because the mama to be was expecting a little girl, I thought it would be a great idea to find a kids tea set for her little girl, and use the tea set as the containers for the centerpiece. Call me sentimental, but I got a little teary eyed at the idea of the little girl playing with the tea set from the shower. Luckily, one of the girls on our centerpiece committee was an expert in tea sets. Apparently tea sets go like hot cakes in most of the tea specialty stores, but she was able to find this great set online:

We filled each of the pieces from the tea set with an assortment of pink flowers. We also had some additional bud vases filled with pink flowers to add some additional color throughout the room. The flower choices were a bit limited because of the small size of the tea set - but we were really happy with how they came out. The mother to be loved the tea set for her daughter, and the centerpiece was a real hit.

(I also think the tea set centerpiece would work for a bridal shower. If the bride to be registers for a tea pot or tea set you can purchase the item from the registry as a gift and also use it as the centerpiece. Using a bigger tea set would actually be easier because you would have more flower choices.)

Of course, the centerpieces were only heightened by the presentation of all of the amazing sandwiches and pastries that were laid out across the table by the hotel.

Hubby's 4th or 34th Birthday Bash?

2009-08-30T13:15:00.001-07:00

My husband was not looking forward to another 30-something birthday. I am a firm believer of celebrating life whenever you have the opportunity. My husband does not always share this philosophy. Until the very last minute, he was determined not to celebrate his birthday at all. That is, until three days before his birthday, when he had a change of heart and decided he should have a party after all.

Although there was not much time to plan the party, I wanted to do something special for my husband. Because he was feeling "old," I decided to throw him a kid's party. With less than 72 hours to go until showtime, I rented a spiderman moonbounce, a cotton candy machine, and a popcorn machine. I also ordered 100 balloons in red, yellow, and blue. The spiderman carnival theme was beginning to take shape, and I figured the remaining details could be handled the day of.
After making my rounds to a party store and several grocery stores the morning of the party, everything was set. I settled on a low maintenance menu of assorted snacks:

Cheese and crackers

Bruschetta
Veggie and chip platter with onion veggie dip
Pigs in a Blanket
Chips with salsa and guacamole
Trail mixes
Nuts
Pita chips

Of course, the biggest hit was the cotton candy machine. Everyone had fun making their own.

The popcorn machine was also a lot of fun. There was a miscommunication as to whether the rental came with popcorn bags - but some extra plastic cups served as a quick fix.

Although I am not typically a huge fan of balloons - I think they are a great decor element for birthday parties - especially kids birthday parties. We grouped balloons into bouquets and placed them around the party, and used them as centerpieces. We then let the rest hang inside a covered patio to create a festive feel.

In addition to using balloons as centerpieces, I also decorated the tables with some spidey confetti and spidey bubbles and paddle toys.

When it came to placing the loose balloons, I tried to place them around the tables so that when you were sitting down, you weren't trying to swim through a sea of ribbon.

The moonbounce got a lot of action and was also a big hit. It really brought out the kid in all of us, and I highly recommend it for an adult party! We also had a spiderman pinata - which I also highly recommend!

Lastly, we had a ping pong table - which also got a lot of play.

All in all it was a great night, and my husband did not regret celebrating another year. Mission accomplished.

Mother's Day Brunch

2009-05-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

Although the world has been spinning for a week now (thanks to a fun case of vertigo), I was really looking forward to preparing Mother's Day brunch for our families.

The Breakdown:

The Decor

I didn't have much time to plan the brunch, but I knew I wanted something "girly" - pinks, lavenders and green. I found orchid stems at Trader Joes, and they were the perfect color - and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them:

I had always wanted to submerge orchids in a large vase. I ran all over town looking for the perfect vase, and was delighted to find these on sale at Target.

Lesson learned: simply placing the orchid in water does not work. The orchids won't all face out in the glass, and when you go to adjust the flowers, the water overflows from the top. I filled the water part way (so I wouldn't damage the flowers later), and I placed each orchid so it was facing out. If there was a "bald spot" I would cut an orchid from the main stem and rearrange.

In the middle of the vases I placed wheat grass (raised on a box hidden under the tablecloth). I then sprinkled orchids on top of the grass. In a perfect world, I would have used flower tubes - but I couldn't find any and I didn't have time to order them online. Luckily orchids are pretty sturdy flowers, and they lasted the entire party.

I wanted to hang some orchids from the chandelier over the table, but it didn't end up looking right, so instead, I sprinkled some orchids around the buffet table.

I made some additional arrangements using spring flowers in shades of pink and lavender, and spread them around the room.

In order to add interest to the buffet table, I used cake stands and boxes to raise various dishes.

I wrapped silverware in white napkins, and stacked them on a plate. Instead of using napkin rings, I tied each napkin with ribbon. The entire spool cost me $3, which is about the price of one napkin ring - and I was pretty happy with the results:

I used a similar ribbon as an accent on the champagne glasses:

The Brunch Menu

I tried to come up with a menu that was true to brunch - part breakfast, part lunch. It was hard to come up with lunch items that flowed with the overall menu, but I eventually decided to go with more breakfast less lunch (with a couple items that could arguably double for both). I strongly believe that any brunch menu must have mimosas or Bellinis - but I also tried to come up with some options for the kids.

Bellinis
Mimosas
Champagne
Sparkling Apple Cider
Orange Juice
Orange Mango Peach Juice
Milk

Coffee
Tea
Hot Chocolate

Bagels with cream cheese and lox
Strawberry summer salad

Spinach quiche

Honey swirl yogurt

Fruit kabobs

Hash Brown Frittata

Candied french toast bites

Chocolate banana bread

The Dessert Menu

Ice Cream Bombe (alla Barefoot Contessa)

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Baklava (alla Trader Joe's)

Assorted chocolates and candy

and . . . drum roll please . . . Rainbow Cake (inspired by omnomicon)

One Last Idea

I was planning on adding pictures as an element of the decor (but, alas, I ran short on time and something had to go). The thought was to either use my digital frame to showcase pictures of the mothers being honored at the brunch or to place pictures of each of the mothers with their children in frames around the buffet and living room (and then give the frames to each mother as a gift).

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommas out there!

A Lesson In Optomism (and Faith in Nature)

2009-04-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

I'm embarrassed to admit how long I've been waiting to see the famed California poppies sprinkled across the Antelope Valley. Finally, this year, I convinced my husband (and some friends) that we should venture to Antelope Valley mid-April to see "flowers."

After all the hype and excitement - we finally reached the Antelope Valley.

It was not a good year for poppies.

But we did manage to find a poppy here and there . But, regardless, we still had a great time enjoying the vistas.

Finally we left the reserve, and on our way home, we noticed that on other non-protected land - the poppies were thriving.

We'll probably be back again - poppies or no poppies.

Not Quite My Fantasy

2009-03-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

You know you have a strong marriage when your marriage can survive fantasy baseball season. In fact, I have a feeling that fantasy baseball must be a contributor to the high divorce rate in America.

For those of you who have never been graced with the importance of a fantasy baseball draft, or the importance of creating the perfect lineup, you should be grateful.

I love my Hubby dearly...but it is at this time of year that I realize how much I truly love him. Because if I didn't love him so...we definitely wouldn't make it through this torturous season.

Club 30 - Trading Wine for Beer

2009-03-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

For my 30th birthday (yes, I'm 30 and I'm not going to lie about it), I wanted to do something "different." I had thought about throwing a big party (you know how I love to plan those) with a "Club 30" theme, but I was feeling a little birthday-ed out. We had celebrated one or more friend's birthdays every weekend since the beginning of the year, and had not had one weekend "off."

Because we haven't had much luck in the house searching department, I decided to splurge while I still could. Because I needed a vacation, I planned a day trip to Santa Ynez Valley. I reserved a Hummer limo to take us there and back so no one had to pay for a hotel or be a designated driver.

I called several wineries after doing a lot of research, but many of them did not want to accept our large party. I was, however, able to secure two wineries.

When the day finally came, we boarded the limo, and headed to our destination. Since it was morning (10 am), I served bagels and cream cheese and orange juice and mimosas after we settled in our seats. Although I am not usually a fan of paper plates, it was nice to be able to toss the plates and plastic knives away in the same bags we brought the plates and bagels in.

We hit some traffic on the way up, so we did make a brief stop for anyone who had to use the restroom. After everyone boarded the limo, we passed around trail mix and fruit leather strips to keep everyone full (we didn't want anyone getting sick from drinking all day).

We really enjoyed the breathtaking views as we headed north. The highlight was the 154. I have driven up this road several times, but it was amazing to be able to watch it with a front facing view to the windows.

Finally, we had arrived (although somewhat late) at our first stop - Bridlewood Winery.

We enjoyed a picnic on the beautiful grounds, and then took turns wine tasting. There was also plenty of time to take romantic strolls around the grounds. The property even offered a horse and carriage ride (although we didn't take advantage).

For the picnic, I placed tablecloths on each table (which I highly recommend). Then we spread out the food on a separate table, buffet style. The Picnic consisted of:

Mandarin Spinach Salad
Corn Salad (with avocado and mango)
Pesto Pasta Salad
Italian Pasta Salad
Potato Salad (mayo free)
Baguettes from Bay Cities
Assorted Cold Cuts
Assorted Condiments and Toppings (avocado, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, different kinds of mustards, etc.)
Potato Chips (assorted flavors)
Cheese Puffs
Pickles

I was having so much fun that I forgot to take pictures of all the food, so you will have to take my word for it that it was amazing. The best part was the bread. At first my friends teased me for making my husband drive all the way to Bay Cities for the bread, but once they tasted it, they all agreed that it was worth the drive.

The wine tasting was fun, but not at all what I expected. I had never gone wine tasting with a large group before, and I didn't realize that Bridlewood does private tastings for large groups. I was hoping the tasting would be casual, and that we could grab a glass of wine, head outside, and go back in for the next wine when we felt like it. That way, we could picnic and wine taste all at the same time. Apparently, you can ask to have the tasting outside, but I didn't know to ask for this option. In the end, Bridelwood was very patient with us and they let us do the tasting in 2 groups, so that half of us could watch the food and enjoy the scenery, and the other half could wine taste. The only problem was that they told us that a tasting would take 20 minutes. It didn't, and although we had a great time, we didn't have much time left to visit other wineries.

We called the next winery we planned to go to concerned that it might be too late, but they were really nice, and told us to come on over.

So, we packed everything up and headed over to Foley in the Santa Rita hills, enjoying the scenic drive.

When we arrived, everyone headed into the tasting room. I ordered my first wine, and then headed outside to set up the picnic area. I put out a cheese and crackers spread with muscat grapes and various fruit. I also sliced the extra bread we had left over from our picnic. Then everyone slowly gathered around the table, and enjoyed the beautiful views with wine and snacks.

We wandered a bit around the grounds, and I couldn't believe I was still in California. Some claimed we were in Tuscany, others in Ireland, but wherever it was, it was breathtaking.

We took a bunch of group pictures (which I wish I could post, but that would ruin the whole anonymous thing) and then headed back to the limo for our journey home.

On the way home I passed around plates, and then I served dessert. I bought various ready made cookies, mini cakes, and chocolates from Trader Joes and Wholefoods, and it was a real hit.

When we finally made it back home, some people stuck around and had leftovers from the picnic, and others headed home.

All and all it was the best way I could have spent my 30th birthday. Although it was a bit pricey (and we probably could have gone away for the weekend for the same amount), I figured that I would rather go on vacation for one day . . . and bring all my friends.

Migration: Child's Play

2009-02-24T23:44:00.000-08:00

A Road trip to Beach Town USA

Pismo Beach, California

We really enjoyed our weekend getaway to Pismo Beach, California. We only stayed one night, and we wished we had planned to stay for another (although one night is plenty if you don't have the time to stay longer).

Recap

Initial Draw

Why Pismo Beach? To my husband's dismay, I had to see the migration of the Monarch Butterflies.

Every year from October to February, the Monarch Butterflies find their way to the California coast line. Fleeing their winter homes, they travel 2,000 miles to the same trees every year. The strange thing is, the butterflies that find themselves in California, are the great grandchildren of the butterflies that found themselves there the year before. No one knows how the butterflies continue to find their way to the same trees as their ancestors, but rest assured, they are there every winter. We decided to plan a trip to Pismo Beach to see this amazing phenomenon.

When to Go

Since the butterflies only visit between October and February, it probably is best to visit during this time of year (unless you aren't into the butterflies). In December, you are likely to see the largest gathering of butterflies, but you (and the butterflies) are also likely to be really cold. Since the butterflies only open their wings in the sunshine, you may want to try for November. In November, enough butterflies have reached their final destination, but you have a better chance of enjoying nice weather. We were also told that in February the butterflies begin their mating season. The floors are covered with mating butterflies in a sea of orange - or what our nature guide preferred to call "a massive orgy." We opted for a quick getaway in November, but one day we hope to make the trip again in February.

The Highlights

We headed up the 101 and 154 to reach our destination, although the drive itself was part of the vacation. In a couple hours we saw a bustling city, rolling hills, vineyards, and miles and miles of beach. The drive up California's coast was breathtaking.

When we finally made it to the Pismo Beach Monarch Grove, we couldn't wait to see thousands of butterflies. The grove was much smaller than we anticipated, it only consisted of several trees in a small cluster.

When we first arrived, we made our way into the grove. We were a bit confused as to where all the butterflies were. We had checked the website for the butterfly count and had expected to find at least 12,000 butterflies. We couldn't see them at first, but then, we realized the thousands of leaves on each tree were not leaves at all.

We sat for hours watching the butterflies make their way from one branch to another,.
We were like little kids, entranced by the delicate butterflies gracing the branches of each tree. The stresses of city life melted away. We had found a dream like playground.

The trip had an educational aspect as well. We had made it in time to listen to a nature talk about monarch butterflies. There were many families with small children, and it was an entertaining lesson. However, if you have children I will warn you that the talk about butterflies revolves around their mating. Unless you are prepared to explain the birds and bees to your children or explain to them what an orgy is, you may want to pass on the nature talk.

Although the nature talk was a bit more risque than I expected, we did learn something fascinating about butterflies - apparently they are a rape culture. The male butterfly pounces on the female butterfly while she is flying in midair and brings her down to the ground where he proceeds to mate with her (hence the sea of orange that occurs each February). While it wasn't yet mating season, we did happen across some eager early starters, and managed to take a couple of crime scene shots: Yep, that's a rape in progress.

After enjoying our nature adventure, we decided to head into Pismo Beach. The town itself is quite small, but incredibly charming. But the best part is that it's full of candy stores! We stocked up on plenty of salt water taffy, before heading to our hotel.

We had a little too much fun in the candy stores. We laughed for hours at the different, and interesting, items for sale

And, yes, they did have a tamer version for those opposed to eating insects (or those who felt odd eating a butterfly after watching them playing in the trees all day).

Shelter

We stayed at the Kon Tiki Inn. Our friends picked it out after reading reviews on tripadvisor.com. The hotel was on a cliff over the beach, and the location was perfect. Although the Kon Tiki Inn is not the type of hotel I normally would stay at, it was very reasonably priced. It was clean, and you could not beat the location. We had a beautiful view from our balcony, and there was easy beach access (assuming you are not afraid to walk down two stories of steep stairs). All of the rooms on the first floor had a patch of grass instead of a balcony (see picture below), which looked very pleasant.

If you are used to staying at fancy hotels, or if you require a massage while vacationing, this may not be the right place for you. It is more like a motel than hotel. There are no amenities, and the decor is far from fancy. Although the room did come with free breakfast, the breakfast consisted of Sara Lee bagels and doughnuts. Don't expect an omelet bar.

Because our friends picked the hotel, I didn't do any research on places to stay, but after visiting Pismo Beach, I would be pretty surprised if they had any resort-style hotels (although if you know of one, please share).

Also, note that smoking is prohibited on the property - and they mean it. They threaten you with a fine (that is 3 times the cost of the room) if they catch you smoking in your room or on your balcony. That said, if you can't stand smokers this might be a great place for you.

All in all it was a sorda charming place, in a motel kinda way. The location was more than worth the cost of the room. As I sat on our balcony enjoying the view (not smoking, of course), I kept thinking that we paid seven times more for a room with an Oceanside view in Maui and didn't have as good of a view. Perhaps the no thrills motel style of the Kon Tikki Inn helps you focus on the beauty and quaintness that is Pismo Beach, California.
(Picture of Kon Tikki Inn from beach. Note the scary stairs on the left.)

After spending a relaxing night at the Kon Tikki In, and after watching the sunrise the next morning from our balcony, we decided to take a walk down to the beach (despite the scary stairs) and headed to the pier.
The weather was perfect, and the walk down the beach was divine.

Because the town is quite small, we had plenty of energy left at the end of the day to walk back to our hotel.

Dining:

We couldn't leave Pismo Beach without stopping at Cracked Crab (OK, twice - I fess up, we went there for dinner the day we got there and lunch the day we left). I am not much of a crab connoisseur, but the food was amazing. I had heard that the food was amazing, and the bucket of crab comes with several choices of crab legs, potatoes, corn, and sausage. I ordered mine sans sausage (I have my own version of keeping kosher: for some reason I have no problem with the crab, which is clearly shellfish, but I won't touch pork). I have to admit, I was a little taken a back when the waitress dumped a bucket full of crab, potatoes, and corn right on top of the butcher paper tablecloth that we just drew all over with crayons. I was very tempted to ask for a plate, but when in Pismo. . .

While the crab was amazing (especially the fresh King Crab), I ordered an amazing shrimp poorboy when we went back the next day for lunch.

Travel

The perfect end to our weekend getaway to childhood? After watching butterflies, stocking up on (and eating) tons of candy, walking on the beach, playing on the pier, drawing on a tablecloth, and eating with our hands right off a table, we headed back home for an enjoyable ride with good music (with some bad, but fun singing), and amazing views. Ah, the good old days :)

Valentine's Day Feast

2009-02-14T23:45:00.000-08:00

As much as I enjoy heading out to dinner on a fake holiday and waiting over an hour for a table (even though I have a reservation), this year we decided to spend Valentines Day with an economic-friendly night at home. For a quarter of the price of a fancy dinner, I made my husband a four course meal in the comfort of our home and pajamas.

The Menu:

Citrus Salad

This is a popular salad in our household. I usually just mix together baby spinach, apples, oranges, sliced almonds, and Brianna's Homemade Dressing, and it's a huge hit every time.

For Valentine's Day I tried to fancy things up by shedding the apple in a food processor.

Lentil Soup

I first came across the recipe for this soup when I wanted to make a lentil soup for New Year's Eve a couple of years ago. It is one of my favorite soups. I follow the recipe exactly as written, except: (1) Before I add in the pasta I puree two cups of the soup in a blender (and hopefully I remember to expose the whole in the blender top and cover it with a towel - trust me, you don't want to forget to do this); and (2) I throw in the pasta 10 minutes before I am ready to serve the soup (even if it is ready before then) because the pasta absorbs the liquid in the soup very quickly.

As an added bonus, this soup is great for leftovers. I either eat it later as a stew (I wasn't kidding about the pasta absorbing the liquid quickly), or when I reheat it, I add chicken broth to turn it back into soup.

If you didn't believe me about that pasta, above is proof of the stew leftovers.

Chicken Picatta

This is one of my husband's favorite dishes when we eat out, but I've never made this dish myself before. I thought I would give it a try, and it turned out great! I even made a "healthier" version by using margarine instead of butter, but you could not tell. Another bonus: It turns out chicken picatta takes about 9 minutes to make. This might end up on our weekly dinner menu rotation.

For a fun Valentine's Day touch the entree was heart shaped.

Mashed Potatoes

The grocery store didn't have the potatoes I usually use for making mashed potatoes, so I grabbed baby red potatoes instead. My secret to making them is that I heat the milk and butter before I add them to the potatoes, and I mash the potatoes with the skin still on the potatoes.

For a special touch, I packed the mashed potatoes into an egg ring (thanks to my bridal registry) and packed them down with a spoon. After I lifted the egg ring, I had perfect round patties of mashed potato.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Raspberries

It was probably just as fun making these as it was to eat them. Although the original plan was to sprinkle white chocolate stripes across each of them, the white chocolate did not cooperate.

I had some extra chocolate after dipping the strawberries, so I dipped a couple of raspberries in the chocolate (why should it go to waste?). The raspberries were great. I think I might make them again as a bite sized dessert.

Next time, I also might experiment with milk chocolate (and, I will do proper research about how to properly melt white chocolate).

Raspberry Tartlettes

I bought frozen filo dough tart shells, and I filled the shells with a mixture of vanilla pudding and fat free cool whip. I topped each tartlette with a raspberry. They were OK, but I would make some adjustments if I made these again. I probably would have spread melted chocolate on the bottom of each tart to fix the texture and to make them a little less bland.

Garden Themed Baby Shower

2009-01-25T13:49:00.001-08:00

I recently helped plan a baby shower with a spring garden theme (the baby is due . . . you guessed it . . . this spring).

The Breakdown

Decorations:

We knew we wanted to have gerbera daisies placed in wheat grass for the centerpieces, and it was just a matter of figuring out the colors and details from there. Since the momma-to-be was not into "girly-girl" things, we stayed clear of pink. The group decided on red flowers (as the momma-to-be used red flowers for her wedding). I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of how the red and green would look together, but I think the florist did a great job, and it was not Christmasy looking at all.

We also decided to order red butterflies to go with the flowers to add to the "spring" theme.

The Menu:

We set up a brunch buffet. To make things more personal, each of the hostesses made something from scratch to contribute to the brunch. The final menu included:

Bagels with four types of cream cheese

Croissants with butter and jam

Spinach quiche

Potato frittata

Cabbage salad

Blueberry muffins

Chocolate citrus muffins

Fruit salad

We also had a beverage station with coffee, tea, homemade hot chocolate, orange juice, water, and Pelligrino.

Although I am not a fan of all things paper and plastic when it comes to dishes and silverware, we thought it would be the most practical route. One of the girls found these plastic forks, knives, and spoons at Costco that look like silverware. She wrapped the silverware in napkins, and placed them in a square glass vase.

Activities:

Although the group consensus was no games, we set up a place for the guests to suggest baby names for the soon-to-be parents to consider.

Blueberry Bakeoff

2009-01-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

I am currently on a search for the best blueberry muffin recipe - ever. Although I love to cook, and I enjoy baking, I do not have a lot of experience in the muffin arena (OK, so I've never actually made a muffin before that didn't originate from a box). So, when I was tasked with bringing muffins, of all things, to a baby shower for a colleague at work, I wasn't sure where to start.

I have been searching the Internet for longer than I care to admit trying to hunt down the best muffin recipe. When I came across a recipe entitled Lawsuit Buttermilk Muffins, I thought I might not have to look much further. I figured if these muffins were worth fighting over in the legal arena, they must be worthy enough to bring to the shower.

While the recipe did result in a pretty great muffin, I have to say, I am not sure I would pay lawyer's billable rates to fight for them. They were light and fluffy, and the streusel topping is a keeper! The first time I made them, I don't think they were sweet enough. The second time I made them, I used half orange zest and half lemon zest, and they came out much better.
The best part, though, is the streusel topping...which must have been the source of the legal battle. Definitely worth litigating over! I may have to borrow this aspect, and place it on top of the winning muffin.
PS: If you have a recipe for a winning muffin that you want to share, please do!

Festival of Lights

2008-12-26T16:04:00.001-08:00

It is a well-known secret that I have been vying to host a holiday party. Unfortunately, I never have had the opportunity, as there are plenty of other "hosts" in our family. Is it a coincidence then, that I finally got to host a holiday party for the holiday that is all about miracles and never loosing hope? I think not!

The Breakdown:

Although my husband sometimes thinks I'm crazy, I love putting together a beautiful table, wonderful meal, and enjoyable atmosphere, and the smiles on my guests' faces is more than worth the effort!!!

The Decor

Since Hanukkah is the festival of lights, I decided to do a candlelit dinner for our 18 guests.

The Tablescape

I used blue tablecloths by Origins from Bed Bath & Beyond. These are actually my favorite table cloths (I own them in multiple colors) because they look great, they are stain resistant, and they are pretty reasonable (especially if you have BB&B coupons to spare).

Instead of using a table runner, I created a faux table runner with silver Hanukkah gelt, and I spread the candles down the middle of the "runner."

Since I didn't have enough napkin rings for all of our guests, I used garland I found at Crate & Barrel to create napkin holders. Then, I tucked a dreidel under each garland, so that every guest could spin their own dreidel at their leisure.

I took the left over garland from the napkin holders, and hung it from the chandelier.

Flowers
I had been eyeing these silver containers at Gelson's for some time now, and I finally broke down and treated myself to them. I placed floral foam on the bottom and arranged white hydrangeas and roses in each container.

Seating Cards

When I have a lot of guests, I prefer to make seating cards. My husband thinks it's too formal, but I personally think that when you have a lot of guests over for a sit down dinner, you really should use seating cards. First, everyone always asks you were they should sit anyway, and second, it allows you to strategically place your guests so that you can ensure that everyone is having a good time.

I made the seating cards using scrapbooking paper that I had on hand. I cut 4x4 pieces of white paper and folded them in half. Then I attached a 1x4 piece of silver paper to the center of one of the folded sides.

I found a great free dreidel font online by Artsylady. The first initial of every name is set inside a dreidel, but the best part was that the English letters resembled Hebrew letters. A lot of our guests know how to read Hebrew, and they got a real kick out of the font on the cards.
Additional Decor
I bought 4 napkins to match the tablecloths, so I could add a little color to the living room. I set two of them on an entry way table, where we were planning on lighting the channukiahs. I then set the other two on the coffee table. I placed a centerpiece over the napkins to hide the place where they overlapped. I then spread out mini dreidels and silver Hanukkah gelt.

I also repurposed a candle holder I bought from Bed Bath & Beyond for my husband's birthday. It originally came with sea shells, but ironically I've never used them. For my husband's birthday, I lined the inside with fragrance beads (also from BB&B), and I placed orchids on top of the beads.

This time, I left the beads in, but I placed mini dreidels on top of the beads.

The Menu
First Course: I like serving a first course because it allows me to have time to greet my guests. Then when they sit down to have the first course, I have plenty of time to heat the main course.

Israeli Salad

Winter Salad

Main Course: I found it was helpful to have two serving plates for each dish so my guests didn't have to wait until the serving plates went by 17 other people before they could enjoy.

Brisket

Moroccan Chicken

Schnitzel

Mashed Potatoes

Latkes

Zucchini and Corn in Tomato Sauce

Dessert: Everyone was so full after dinner, so I waited to serve dessert until after we opened presents. I cleared the dishes from a section of the table, and served dessert buffet style, so everyone could sit where ever they wanted.

Apple Cake

Sufganiyot

Fruit

I wish I could post pictures of the amazing family and friends that enjoyed the holiday with us...but, alas, I choose to stay anonymous.

On the Menu: Weekly Dinner Challenge #3

2008-11-17T22:44:00.001-08:00

Plans with friends and a road trip lead to a short cooking week.

I didn't want a busy work week to get in the way of the few nights I would be cooking, so I made the most of leftovers. The key was that on Monday I roasted eggplant and zucchini, which found its way into each meal (first in a cous cous, next as a side dish, and lastly in a pasta).

Monday:

Diced Onion Chicken

Israeli Cous Cous with Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant

Tuesday:

Left Over Onion Chicken
Roasted Zucchini and Roasted Eggplant in Tomato Sauce

Wednesday

Wheat Pasta with Roasted Zucchini and Roasted Eggplant (all I had to do was cook wheat pasta and stir it into the side dish I made the night before)

On the Menu: Weekly Dinner Challenge #2

2008-11-16T15:46:00.000-08:00

While I was off to a good start, a cold and plans with friends made for a pathetic cooking week (that is unless I get bonus points for baking six loaves of pumpkin bread and an apple tart).

Sunday:

Cesar Salad
Chicken Parmigiana
Wheat Pasta with Marinara Sauce

Monday:

Greek Salad
Schnitzel
Israeli CousCous
Roasted Zucchini

Tuesday:

Fall Salad
Arroz Con Pollo

Wednesday & Thursday: Out sick :(

Friday & Saturday: Plans with friends made for a short week of cooking.

Coffee or Tea?

2008-11-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

As the days are getting cooler, I am finding myself slipping into a tea phase. Caffeine, sadly, is a necessary evil for me these days. While I love coffee just as much as the next gal, coffee, unfortunately, doesn't always agree with me. I typically end up with jitters or an upset stomach. So, I've just had to deal with stares from coworkers as I sip away at a diet coke every morning.

However, as fall has been slowly approaching, I've switched out my morning cola for tea. It's been a nice substitute for coffee in some ways (apparently caffeine in tea form doesn't jolt my body like coffee; rather, it gives me a natural energy, and it's warmth is still soothing on a cold day), but it didn't feel like a true substitute for the aromatic coffee I was missing . . . that is, until I stumbled upon vanilla bean tea from Mightyleaf. It has the soothing aroma of a french vanilla latte, but the benefits and effects of tea. I think I found my new best friend for this fall.

On the Menu: Weekly Dinner Challenge #1

2008-11-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

OK, so here goes nothing, my first weekly dinner menu post:

On The Menu:

Sunday:

Fig Salad

Glazed Salmon

Zucchini in Tomato Sauce
Grilled Corn

Left over tip: Leftover fig salad made for a great lunch on Monday. The side dishes were turned into another dish for Tuesday.

Monday:

Organic Tomato Soup (from Trader Joe's)

Pan Grilled Cheese on Wheat Sourdough Bread (using soy cheese . . . but you couldn't tell the difference)

Inspiration: I knew I would be working late, so I decided to use a little help from the store. It took me about 7 minutes to make this dinner, and it will be back again (although I might try a different tomato soup next time).

Tuesday:

Fall Salad

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Zucchini and Corn in Tomato Sauce

Leftover Madness: I combined the side dishes I made on Monday to make the zucchini and corn in tomato sauce. The fall salad made for a great lunch on Wednesday!

Wednesday: Plans with friends translated into a night off from cooking.

Thursday:

Santa Fe Salad
Fajitas

Leftover Magic: When I made the fajitas, I made an extra batch with just onions, so I wouldn't have to cook a main course the next night.

Friday:

Challah
Caesar Salad
Onion Chicken
Asian Broccoli

Leftover Magic: Since the chicken was cooked the night before, I didn't have to spend any time on the main course.
Stretching Ingredients: I used the leftover romaine lettuce from the package we bought to make the Santa Fe Salad (for Thursday night) for the Cesar Salad. Since I am trying to minimize my time at the market, I used frozen broccoli. The Asian broccoli allowed me to use some of the ingredients I picked up for the glazed salmon.

Saturday: We went to a friend's house for a dinner party, so, sadly I only cooked a total of 5 nights this week.

Information Underload

2008-11-04T23:19:00.000-08:00

I was looking forward to staring at a map of the US all night, watching reporters talk about the same thing over and over for hours upon hours, as the states slowly would start turning from grey to blue or (dare I say it) red.

I figured the news casters would be cautious before coloring in each state (especially given the debacle of 2000, when I opened up a bottle of champagne right before they took Florida away), so I decided it would be safe to wait till I came home to follow the coverage . . . but nope, this time, they called it so fast, that I was still on the 405, headed home from work when history was made.

Sure, I made it home for one amazing speech from a future president that I helped elect. But, since this is one of the few times a year I enjoy the news, I am left feeling a bit cheated. Instead of the exciting night I had planned of watching the country turn it's true colors, there was no map on the TV screen; instead, the news was reporting on the Internet. They actually had a reporter searching the web for election coverage posted online by ordinary users and such. After watching the reporter take me to flickr, youtube, and the like, I finally had enough of watching the Internet on the news, and decided to get over my laziness and go straight to the source.

As a result, I've spent the greater part of the evening staring and clicking at maps online, examining the different percentages of each state, and learning random useless statistics that no one cares about, such as the fact that that biggest Obama loving state (although it's not technically a state) was Washington D.C., where Obama received 97% of the vote, and the biggest McCain loving state was Oklahoma (but McCain only took 61%). I was no longer a passive media watcher, I was interacting. True, at first I still felt like I was missing out on the excitement of a full night of news coverage, but the Internet was becoming a nice efficient consolation prize (that is until I got board and decided to blog).

So, thanks to being able to perform my very own Internet search, I've gotten my news fix, and, more importantly, now I remember why I stopped watching the news in the first place.

As an added bonus, Obama's victory has been a pleasant distraction from the disappointing fact that "No on Proposition 8" in California is not looking good . . . all in all it's been a great day to be an American and a computer owner (although I am not to sure how I feeling these days about California).

P.S. If you missed Obama's acceptance speech, I highly recommend youtubing it!

And the Winner Is . . .

2008-11-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

As a follow up to my search for the perfect couple's costume, and in case you are curious, the winner was: Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.

Not only did we take the prize for best couple's costume (taking down the reigning champs for the last 3 years in the process), but I managed to look girly while my husband's costume got the laughs he was searching for. Mission accomplished.

Weekly Dinner Menu Challenge

2008-11-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure what makes someone "ready" to be a parent. However, my husband and I have joked that we will be ready to have kids when we can make our own lunches and cook dinner every night (or at least, most nights) for a year. It turns out this challenge was harder than it sounded. Sure, there were times when we were on top of it, and were cooking healthy almost everyday . . . and then . . . not so much. What can I say, I have a demanding career, a very tempting couch, a need to veg out after a long day, and a long slew of other excuses that keep me from the kitchen. Let's just say it's a good thing that this challenge was more of a joke than a reality, or we would never have kids.

But, if the fifteen pounds I've gained since I graduated from college weren't motivation enough, my husbands newly discovered heart condition was the motivation I needed to cut down on the fast food, and start cooking. Sure, I haven't always excelled at meeting this goal, but if I've learned anything this year, it is that no matter how busy I feel, the only way for me to have the time to do something, is for me to make the time.

I'm proud to report that for some time now, I've been cooking again. The down side - I haven't really been taking the time to blog lately. So, I've decided it's time to multitask and post a weekly menu every Sunday. In order to share the successes, failures, and lessons learned, I will post the menu at the end of the week.

Now-a-days, many of us struggle to balance work and life. Hopefully others who are facing the same struggles, will find these posts helpful.

Stay tuned for the first weekly menu . . .

Healty-ish Mashed Potatoes

2008-10-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

Although some of my favorite mashed potato recipes call for butter milk or cream, I love this healthier version.

Ingredients:

1 package baby yukon potatoes

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tbsp. skim milk

1 tbsp. non-hydrogenated margarine

Salt to taste

(if you like your potatoes really creamy, use 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 tbsp of the margarine)

Directions:

Add potatoes and garlic cloves to pot, and cover with water

Bring to boil over medium high heat

Reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 35 minutes or until fork tender

Drain potatoes

Place potatoes in a large bowl
Mash the potatoes using a hand-held potato masher

Heat the milk and margarine in a small pan (optional, but worth the effort)

Add milk and margarine to potatoes

Continue to mash the potatoes mixing the ingredients together

10. Add salt to season to taste
11. Enjoy!

Quick and Easy: Onion Chicken

2008-10-26T15:38:00.001-07:00

Cooking dinner on a weekday can be a difficult task. Over time, I have accumulated recipes that are quick and easy, and never fail to please. One of the easiest chicken dishes I make is Onion Chicken. It takes about 10 minutes to make from start to finish, and is worth the effort! It goes well with almost any side dish, so the possibilities are endless. When I'm really tired, I pair it with couscous (another quick dish), and dinner is ready in about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken fryer breasts (thin) (or 10 chicken tenders)

1 onion, sliced into long slices (about 1/4 inch thick) or diced (use pre-diced onions to save time)

Lawry's seasoned salt

Canola Oil

Directions:

Heat pan
Add oil to coat pan (about 2 tbsp. or 4 sprays of Pam)
Add sliced or diced onions
Stir occasionally until onions are almost golden brown (about 3 minutes)
Push onions to one side of the pan
Season chicken with Lawry's
Place seasoned side down on pan
Season top side of chicken
As you add the chicken pieces, move the onions so that each piece touches the bottom of the pan (e.g., move the onion on top of the chicken)
Cook each piece about 3 minutes on each side (until cooked through)
Remove chicken from pan when cooked all the way through
Add a tbsp. of oil
Continue to stir and cook onions until golden brown, or if you prefer onions well done, continue to cook until onions are dark brown
Top the chicken with the onions and serve

If you have leftovers, you can slice the chicken into small pieces and serve as fajitas the next day with tortillas, sour cream, and salsa.

Moroccan Chicken Made Easy

2008-10-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

Moroccan Chicken is one of my favorite recipes. Unfortunately, it takes a really long time to make, so it's just not realistic for a weeknight meal. However, I decided to take a cue from Rachel Ray, and ventured to discover a 30 minute version (OK more like 45 minutes--but it's a start). I switched out the thick bone-in chicken breasts I usually use for thin skinless boneless chicken fryer breasts (although chicken tenders would have worked just as well). The result--a healthier version, that took less than half the time of the original dish. Ironically, I think my husband preferred this recipe to the longer version . . .

Ingredients:

6 thin chicken fryer breasts (boneless, skinless) (or 10 chicken tenders)
Salt and pepper
Pam
4-6 garlic cloves, chopped (depending on size of cloves)
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/8 tbsp. turmeric
1 can green Israeli olives
Juice from 1/2 lemon
A handful of parsley

Directions

Drain olives, and place in pot
Cover with water and bring to boil

Once boiled, reduce to a simmer

While the olives are cooking, rinse and pat-dry chicken breasts

If breasts are not all even in thickness, pound breasts so all pieces are thin and even

Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken

Heat pan, add 4 sprays of Pam (or 1 tbsp of canola or olive oil)

Lie seasoned side of chicken down in pan, and season top side with salt and pepper

Cook chicken on each side 1-2 minutes until golden brown (no need to cook all the way through, you are just sealing in the juices)

Remove chicken from pan

Add a bit more oil to the pan (approximately 2 more sprays of Pam, but may vary depending on how dry pan is)

Add the garlic and cook until light golden brown (about 2 minutes)

Add the chopped tomatoes

Season with salt and pepper

Stir occasionally until tomato mixture is reduced and liquid evaporates (approximately 6-8 minutes)
In a measuring cup, measure 2 cups of chicken broth, and add the turmeric

Mix the broth mixture together with a spoon

Add the chicken breasts back into the pan
Spread the tomato mixture over the breast pieces

Add the broth mixture to the pan (broth should cover the chicken, add more broth if necessary)

Cook on high heat until boiling, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes

While the chicken is cooking, remove the olives from the heat, and drain
Add olives and lemon juice to the pan with the chicken

Cook for another 5 minutes

Add parsley, recover

Cook until parsley is wilted (about 5 minutes)

Expanding the Pumpkin Pie

2008-10-17T00:30:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest challenges of being married is that you are expected to compromise. However, it turns out (from a negotiation perspective, anyway) that comprise is the worst alternative--as essentially, no one gets what they want. In fact, in college, when I took a negotiations class, I learned that the goal of negotiations should never be compromise; instead, you want to try to "expand the pie." That is: you have to think outside the box and try to find a solution that makes both people happy.

I've given it some thought, and I have decided to put my negotiation skills to the test for Halloween. The challenge is a simple one: . . . my husband wants to be dress up as something scary or funny, while I prefer to look cute or, if I can swing it, sexy. While this usually means that we end up picking our own costumes, and not doing the "couple thing," this year I was determined to find a couples costume that met both of our goals. While my first thought was to dress up as a sexy version of Marie Antoinette (yes, I am easily swayed by "The Girls Next Door"), I realize that my husband's idea of a good costume isn't dressing up like prince charming.

So, I have been spending most of my Internet time searching for a solution. Thankfully, now-a-days, almost anything comes in a "sexy" costume, so it turns out there are lots of choices out there.

We haven't decided yet which one we're going with, but I did get my husband to agree to the couples concept! Since I figured that others might be faced with the same issue, I thought I would share some of our findings:

Working Beer Keg and Beer Garden Girl (The keg costume actually pumps beer, though I have to admit, I am not sure what a Beer Garden Girl is):

Princes s & Super Mario:

Bong & Sexy DEA Agent (my husband's clear favorite, but due to the advances of facebook, I'm thinking....no):

Big Bad Wolf & Red Riding Hood (I've seen tons of red riding hoods, but I've never seen the hilarious wolf costume):

Scary Ghost and Sexy Ghost Buster:

Mummy King and Mummy Queen:

Stay tuned for the final decision . . .

8.8.8

2008-08-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

My husband's 33rd birthday fell on 8/8/08 this year, so I couldn't resist having a theme to highlight eights and threes. At first I wasn't sure how to pull off a theme about numbers without being too cheesy.

I ended up going with two separate themes, making use of two rooms in our apartment. Our living room was the triple eight lounge. I decorated the room with eight-balls and lots and lots of candles. The eight-balls actually were a big hit, and they served as a great conversation piece! They also served as favors.

We were having so much fun, that I didn't have a lot of time to take pictures of all the different aspects of the decor, but here are a few:

I also set up a buffet with appetizers (with more magic eight-balls).

The second room was set up as "Club 33," which is the secret club at Disneyland. I bought apartment door numbers (of course, I went with "33"), and placed them on the door to the room. Again, lots and lots of candles set the mood for a really relaxing evening.

For dessert, along with a large spread of goodies, I made red velvet cupcakes and decorated them as eight balls. I also made a large chocolate cake, which was also decorated like an eight ball.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Lucky me, my first Friday Floral Challenge fell on the 4th of July! True, I was tempted to skip it, but who can resist making a cheesy red, white and blue arrangement.

So without further ado, my patriotic concoction:

Have a safe and wonderful forth of July!!

It Only Took 3 Years

2008-07-03T02:30:00.000-07:00

After almost three years of marriage, we are finally going to pick up our wedding album tomorrow! Finally, my mom can stop nagging me :)

Hindsight

2008-07-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

For the past 3 years, my mother has told me on a daily basis that it was against the law to drive while talking on your cell phone. I assured her each time that no such law had been passed, and I was always right. However, as of today, she finally speaks the truth.

That's right, California has now prohibited the use of cell phones while driving. Yet, somehow, an ironic result has ensued. While, apparently, this law was passed to ensure safer roads for California drivers, if you saw me struggling (and swerving) the whole way home trying to figure out how to get my new blue tooth speaker to work, I assure you, you would have preferred that I was able to just talk on my phone, the old fashioned way, instead (that way at least one hand would have been on the wheel).

That's right, watch out California drivers: The car next to you might just be under the control of someone who, like me, cannot figure out their hands free kit for the life of them. Except worse than those pesky cell phone talkers, you won't be able to see the device in their hand to warn you to stay away.

Although, as an interesting side note, if you ask me, the strangest part of this new law is that you are still not prohibited from dialing while driving, and there is no express restriction against sending text messages (although the DMV does make an idle threat against such behavior in its FAQ section). Seriously? Aren't those the 2 biggest reasons to have created the law in the first place?

Well, I guess the bright side is that I no longer will have to decide whether I want to smoke a cigarette or place a call--now I can do both at the same time (that is once I figure out that blue tooth device); and, hey, as long as I can still check my e-mail while I'm driving...that's a bonus too (well, for me, anyway)! And since that's all still considered safe, I suppose it's acceptable behavior.

Time to Break Out the Red, White and Blue

2008-06-30T01:28:00.000-07:00

Every year for the 4th of July, I break out the red, white and blue.

While I no longer show my pride in my pedicure, one of my favorite ways to show the red, white and blue spirit is by making this patriotic frozen delight (pictured left). So, in the event you are looking for a fun drink to serve at your 4th of July party, I've decided to share the secret behind my USA spirit:

Ingredients:

1. Bottle of Rum

2. Bottle of Malibu Rum

3. Bottle of Blue Curacao

4. Two Bottles of Pina Colada Mix

5. Bottle of Strawberry Daiquiri Mix

6. Ice

Directions:

1. Prepare a blender full of Pina Coladas following the instructions on the Pina Colada bottle, but use Malibu Rum instead of regular rum.

2. Prepare a second blender full of Pina Coladas, and add about 3 shots of Blue Curacao, until desired shade of blue is achieved

3. Prepare a third blender full of Strawberry Daiquiris following the instructions on the Daiquiri bottle.

Serving:

You can either serve each drink in a separate pitcher and let your guests pick their favorite flavor or make their own blend, or you can pre-layer each glass as follows:

1. Pour the blue mix into a cup (fill a bit less than 1/3 of the glass with the blue mixture)

2. Pour the white mix into the cup (again less than 1/3 of the glass should be filled with the white mixture), to keep the white layer above the blue layer, pour the mixture over the back of a spoon.

3. Repeat step 2 for the red mix.

To ensure better layers (and not the messy one's pictured), you also may want to consider using more ice for the blue, and then lessening the ice in the mixture for the white and the red. (Sadly I don't have pictures from when I perfected the method).

A Whole New Challenge (and Entry)

2008-06-28T02:41:00.000-07:00

Arranging flowers has been a passion of mine for a long time. I blame my mother, for always filling our house with beautiful fresh flowers (which, of course, caused my constant urge to be surrounded by flowers). However, since I don't have the cash flow to constantly make my husband order flowers for me from fancy flower shops (like Mark's Garden), I tried to figure out to arrange flowers on my own.

Eventually, my husband caught on to my new interest, and one day he came home with a couple of bunches of flowers, and he "challenged" me to prepare an arrangement with the flowers he picked. After the first challenge proved to be a real hit (this was pre-farmers market days, after all), he continued to surprise me with sporadic challenges. Note that some challenges proved to be harder than others (leave it to my husband to pick out purple irises, orange roses and baby's breath), but it was always incredibly enjoyable (and as a special bonus for my husband, he quickly realized it was a cheap and easy way to have a very happy wife; it also granted him video game time as I am not very social while arranging--but I am sure the happy wife part is why he started the challenge).

While my husband always humored me (telling me that each arrangement was the most beautiful arrangement he had ever seen--yes, even the crazy one with the baby's breath), I always felt like I had no idea what I was doing (although I always did manage to have a great time regardless of my clueless-ness). For the past couple of years I've been searching for a flower arranging class, but for some reason these classes were always held at unrealistic hours for a person who worked like I did or across the country.

I had almost given up on my dreams of learning how to arrange flowers in a proper way, until today, that is. Today, I wandered into a bookstore (which is my version of a candy store), and came across a section of flower arranging books. I was in heaven, and for the next couple of hours I searched through all the books to determine which ones wanted to come home with me.

Which brings me to the point of this blog entry (queen of tangents that I am), I have decided it is time for a new challenge: From now on, once a week (or if more realistic, once every other week), I will challenge myself to pick out flowers from the local farmer's market by my work, and I will try to use a new skill or two to make an arrangement. From time to time, I will post my successes and failures on my blog, and you can be the judge as to which are which (I also openly invite you to help me name my challenge).

In the meantime, I have a lot of reading to do!

Inspiration Calls

2008-06-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

Today I had a little too much fun making a flower arrangement for my mother.

But, since I traded blogging time for flower time (and because I am ashamed of how little I've blogged during my time off . . . let's face it, I have too many hobbies these days and even without working there just isn't enough time in the day), I figure . . . why not kill two hobbies with one stone:

Materials:
1. 1 block of floral foam (make sure it's the kind for real flowers)
2. Rectangular container
3. 6 Green Hydrangeas
4. 2 Green Mums (instead of using the mums, you can use 8 hydrangea stems or you can use 8 mums and forgo the hydrangeas)

4. 1 dozen pink, orange or other bright hue of roses (I used pink roses with an orange hue, pictured below)

Directions:

1. Prep the Foam. Soak the floral foam block in water for about 30 minutes (until there are no longer bubbles in the water). If you don't have a floral bucket (or any kind of bucket for that matter), you can close the drain in a bathroom sink, and use the sink to soak the floral foam. Note that floral foam has a tendency to want to float on top of the water, so I usually place something heavy on top of it to keep it under the water (when I'm being lazy about it, I use the actual container that I will but the flowers in to hold the foam down). When the floral foam is properly soaked through, place it securely in the rectangle container

2. Prep the Flowers. Cut the hydrangeas and mums, leaving about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches of stem. Cut and prep the roses, leaving only 2 inches of stem (make sure to remove all the leaves from the rose stems).

3. Arrange the Frame. In starting with the outer layer, place the hydrangeas around the edges of the container, on a 30 degree angle (as pictured below, the stems should be inserted into the sides of the floral foam towards the bottom of the foam). peel off the leaves that will be on the "top" side of the hydrangeas (leaves should only be at the bottom of the arrangement)

The shorter side of the rectangle should each have one hydrangea, and the longer, is arranged in the following order: hydrangeas, mum, hydrangea (of course, if you choose to use the same type of flower around the edges, any order will do).

4. Add Rows of Roses. Once the frame is complete, start arranging the roses in three rows (each row should have 4 roses). Try to keep the smaller roses in the center and the larger ones on end. Since the roses will not likely all be the same size, you may want to do some adjusting and trading places until it looks right.

5. Present. Find the perfect place for your arrangement, and if you are like me, take tons of pictures of the arrangement when the flowers are fresh...this way the flowers last forever:)

When Did I Get Old?

2008-06-26T01:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure when it happened, but I am officially an old person. That's right, I am now irritated by the little things that my mom used to complain about. I now ask my husband to turn down the TV volume, I generally think clubs are too loud, and (most recently) I don't appreciate it when people stand up during an entire concert in a section where everyone else is sitting down.

True, we could have just stood up behind them (although we no longer have the energy we once had), but given that everyone behind us was screaming "sit down" to the dancing couple in front of us, we thought it best to stay seated. While we could hear the music perfectly, unfortunately, for most of the concert (until the couple eventually also succumbed to peer pressure, after almost getting into a fight with those yelling at them), this was our view:

An All Time Low

2008-06-25T01:51:00.000-07:00

It's official, I've sunk to an all time TV-watching low: Yesterday, I actually watched "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" (and even worse, I liked it). True there are slim pickings these days for good TV (and let's not forget I am probably not alone in finding Japanese game shows to be strangely entertaining; after all, the Japanese Human Tetris Game Show did get a lot of Internet play), but that probably is no excuse. While I have a feeling it will get old soon, for now, it'll just have to be my guilty pleasure (that is, until Big Brother starts up again in July).

BTW, if you missed the human tetris video that floated around, check it out:

My Husband is 5

2008-06-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

When I told my hubby about the little egg experiment my brother and I conducted, he didn't seem that excited. So, you can imagine my delight, when hours later, I found him trying to get an egg to stand on it's end. When it didn't work, I pointed out that it was already dark outside and the longest day of the year was now over.

Defeated by the fact that he would not get to witness first hand the way and egg and stand on its end, he decided that he would just have to succeed at another experiment. So, the poor egg that wouldn't stand on its end for my hubby was placed into a bowl filled with vinegar. The next day, my hubby proudly showed off the now rubbery egg. He tossed it like a ball, squished it and played with it for about 10 minutes, until, crack, egg and yolk pierced through the rubbery shell all over our white carpet.

Stained carpet aside, it is moments like these that I see the charm I fell for over five years ago.

A Little Eggie Told Me: Summer is Here

2008-06-21T19:23:00.001-07:00

Just in case the 112 degree temperature didn't tip anyone off--I now have proof that summer is officially here:

That's right, it's officially the summer solstice! And today, my brother and I finally tested out the old myth that you can stand an egg on it's end during the summer solstice (something about special gravitational pulls).

I am happy to report that we were able to confirm, that, yes, the egg will stand on June 21st (and we took plenty of pictures to prove it; and, yes, I know, I am easily entertained).

Fear and Pride: The Consequence (and Benefits) of Aging (aka It Might as Well Have Square Wheels, but I'll Be Proud of It Anyway)

2008-06-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

I first met P when, by some stroke of fate, we both ended up in an LSAT prep course in California. It was during a class break, when I slipped outside for some fresh
first hand smoke
air that P approached me and asked me if he could bum ~~a cigarette~~ some fresh air. We started talking, when he mentioned that no one really ~~smokes~~ enjoys fresh air in California, but that back where he goes to college everyone ~~smokes~~ enjoys fresh air. I empathised. I then asked him where he went to school, and, small world, it turned out we went to the same school (on the other side of the country).

We got to talking and realized that we had a lot in common: we studied at the same coffee shop, we knew all of the same people, we lived on the same hall freshman year, and yet, it wasn't until the summer before our senior year in college that we met on the other side of the country, sharing
a cigarette break
fresh air.

P and I have been friends now for almost 8 years, but it was only recently that P learned one of my deepest, darkest secrets: that I cannot ride a bike. However, unlike others who only poked fun and teased at my ineptitude, or questioned how it was possible to go through childhood without learning how to ride a bike, P decided to take action. His mind was set on the fact that it was finally time for me to learn.

After a couple of hours (and a couple of glasses of wine later), he convinced me to just feel out the pedals, and sit on the bike. You would think I was about to jump off a cliff. But, I did it, I sat on the bike and gripped the ground with my feet; however, when P tried to take me for a spin by holding the handlebars, I couldn't go through with it.

P is still determined to teach me how to ride a bike one day, but, sadly, I think I have reached an age where that is no longer possible. There is something about fear and aging, where the older you get, the more you become aware of the dangers that surround a given activity.

I originally learned this lesson when I was 15, and I decided it was time to learn how to ski. I watched 3 year olds whiz down the bunny slopes with no poles (and no fear), and figured "how hard could it be." When I got to the top of the hill ready to master a new skill, I learned that unlike the 3 year olds, I had fear on my side. It's true, I did eventually learn how to ski that weekend, but I was still relatively young, and regardless, I never learned to sky with the freedom of a 3 year old.

Perhaps, like skiing, I will one day be able to conquer my fear of riding a bike. However, the way I have chosen to judge my fear has changed since I was 15: while I still recognize that aging has brought on fear, I also realize that it has also brought on a sense of independence and pride (including a sense of pride in one's own quirkiness), so while I may not be on a bike without training wheels any time soon, at least I no longer harbor any shame for the fact that I can't ride a bike. That's right, "I can't ride a bike" and I can now shout it out with pride!

Photo pictured above is not my own brilliance, but was found on here on flickr and is by Vroogy, which I am required to tell you - if you want to borrow this picture like I did, see for the rules for sharing.

Global Warming (and Brianna's) Inspired Salad

2008-06-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

If you believed Bush when he said that there was no such thing as global warming, and if you have yet to see Gore's now-famous movie, head to my neck of the woods for the proof (that's right, it's only June and the temperature has already soared to an unlivable 112 degrees). While the heat wave has forced me to be home bound for the most part (and to be grateful to the woman or man who invented air conditioning), it has inspired a new creation:

I have been a huge fan of the Brianna's Homestyle dressings since I discovered her Saucy Ginger Mandarin Dressing at our local Whole Foods Market (which has inspired a whole slew of salad recipes). Each bottle of dressing features a picture of an ingredient that Brianna recommends will pair well with the dressing, and hence, each time I try a new flavor, I start with 2 inspirations: 1) the dressing itself and 2) the pictured ingredient.

So on this way too hot day, I was motivated to create a new Brianna-inspired salad. Inspiration:

Brianna's Rich Poppy Seed Dressing (delicious on peaches). There were many contenders, but in the end, I settled for the following salad. Since my husband and I both agree "Global Warming Salad" doesn't quite have the right ring to it, unfortunately, the salad is still nameless (but I would gratefully appreciate any suggestions):

Ingredients

1. 1 bag baby spinach, rinsed

2. 1 whole peach

3. 1 mango

4. 1 avocado

5. 1/4 cup of pistachio nuts (de-shelled)
6. Brianna's Rich Poppy Seed Dressing (delicious on peaches)

Tools/Equipment

1. knife/cutting board

2. large serving bowl

3. Tossing utensils (if need be)

3. separate small serving dish for dressing (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut (or dice) peaches, mango and avocado into desired size pieces

2. Chop pistachios into course pieces

3. In a large bowl, place the baby spinach, then the peaches and mango, then the avocado, then the pistachios (if desired, toss with dressing right before serving, or serve with dressing on the side) (tip: if you prefer to toss the salad but want to maintain a beautiful presentation, simply toss each element separately in the dressing before layering the ingredients per above).

4. Enjoy!

By the way, I have now purchased my next inspiration from the Brianna line of dressings, and the wheels are already turning:

Hmm...ripe avocados...this one could go in a lot of directions.

Laker Leftovers

2008-06-21T04:05:00.000-07:00

To support my husband, I made a Laker-inspired floral arrangement a couple of weeks ago. While the Lakers didn't survive the championship round, my flowers did. I can't bring myself to throw out flowers that are still alive, but every time my husband walks by the arrangement, he feels a deep sense of loss. What is a girl to do?

Fat Compliment

2008-06-21T03:15:00.000-07:00

Just to set the record straight, "looks like you lost weight" is not a compliment. The person who uses this "compliment" is actually conveying one of 2 things: (1) You were fat before; or (2) even though you probably didn't loose weight, the person handing you this "compliment" thinks you might like to hear that it looks like you did loose some poundage, fatty.

While I can save my many thoughts of proper small talk and conversation, let's just agree that it is never a good idea to bring up someone's weight. If you feel the urge to acknowledge someones body makeover, try "you look fabulous" or something to that effect.

Stomping Desire

2008-06-20T02:54:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to a mini-wine country, I was very disappointed to find out that there wasn't a winery in town where you could stomp grapes. Stomping grapes is definitely on my list of things to do within my lifetime (even if the urge was inspired by an "I Love Lucy" episode).

But then I saw this...

And it might just be time for a career change...except my petite feet could never get the job :( Damn discrimination!

But I hear there are grapes to stomp in October, so I will be back! And if all else fails, I may just have to recreate the experience in my living room (don't worry honey, I will make sure to lay a plastic sheet down on the white carpets before the stomping fun begins).

One Creative Urge at a Time

2008-06-19T01:53:00.000-07:00

So, I've been meaning to blog, but it turns out I can only handle one creative urge at a time.

It's been six years since I've had any free time. Three years of law school were followed by three years at an intense law firm. Since it's been a long time since I've tasted freedom, and since I only have two weeks of unemployment until it's back to the grind, my husband and I decided that we had to make these two weeks count.

For me, that meant sleeping as much as I could, finally getting around to blogging, and indulging some of my other creative urges.

For my husband, that meant planning many trips. We discussed Greece, Paris, New York, Disney World, Hawaii, etc., but in the end, we decided on our favorite place of all...the couch in our living room. While we did take a short road trip up north, I have to say, as enjoyable as our quick getaway was, I much prefer the cushions on my own couch.

It was there that I was able to sit and brainstorm about how I should spend my brief moments of freedom. Then a plan ensued: I decided I was going to blog, finish up a couple of old scrapbooks, try some new recipes, organize my flickr photos, make a couple tablecloths, organize our apartment and relax.

But then I saw this...
and I got sidetracked. After a quick trip to Whole Foods (and a large bill thereafter), I set my sights on recreating this recipe from epicurious.com.
I had never worked with beets before (and hence was not aware of their staining power), but despite the challenge of the price of pistachio oil and not being able to find mâche or the right type of cookie cutter, my husband's compliments were well worth the struggle (and the consequence of the red cuticles I will proudly boast for the next week).
While I didn't perfectly recreate the masterpiece I found online, you'll have to trust me on this one, it tasted better than it looked (although, I will be working on the pretty factor)!
So without further ado . . .

Don't Believe the Hype!

2008-06-02T01:34:00.000-07:00

I recently had to put my ~~google~~ investigative skills to good use when I received the following ~~spam~~ e-mail from my mother:

Subject: Companies filing Bankruptcy...

The following companies just filed for Bankruptcy: Hollywood Video, Levitz, Sharper Image, Performance Team Freight, Linens n Things, Circuit City and Bed, Bath and Beyond If you have gift cards from the above list use them ASAP, they will not be valid for much longer. PASS THE WORD.

No offense to the other stores exposed in the e-mail, but all I saw was "Bed, Bath and Beyond" (or as we affectionately call it, BB&B). BB&B going bankrupt? What is this world coming to? How could this be true? And more importantly, what would happen to all my unused 20% off coupons?

I refused to believe the news. It must be a joke, right? I mean how can a store with unlimited discounts and amazing return policies possibly be going out of business?

The security I often feel in being an American was threatened by this e-mail, and I decided I had to find out the truth. True ridiculous gas prices and all over increases to the cost of living have caused most Americans to cut back on luxuries...but BB&B is clearly a necessity!

Thus began my diligent search on the Internet for confirmation that this was nothing but a bitter lie. While the outlook for Linens N Things wasn't looking good (it's true that the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, sorry Linens N Things) (click here for the full story), there was nothing to confirm the news about BB&B; however, there was a lot of Internet buzz that the rumors about BB&B were just that . . . rumors.

Just to make sure that I wasn't missing anything (and because some might say the Internet is not always a credible source), I decided to attack the situation the old fashioned way: I picked up the phone and called my local BB&B to get to the bottom of the story. The nice woman who answered the phone said that BB&B was not going out of business, and that I might be confusing them with Linens N Things. However, when I asked if she was sure that my gift cards were safe, she put me on hold to confirm. Although the silent pause made me nervous, a nice gentleman soon answered the phone and further assured me that it was not BB&B that was going south.

So it turns out the good news is that BB&B is here to stay (at least for the time being); the bad news, on the other hand, . . . yeah, it's our economy.

Photo pictured above is not my own brilliance, but was found on here on flickr and is by Billy Hunt, which I am required to tell you - if you want to borrow this picture like I did, see this link for the rules for sharing.

Time To Break Out the Boas!

2008-05-31T04:38:00.000-07:00

My father never understood the concept of saving the good china for a fancy holiday. He felt that one should enjoy china on a daily basis. So, he bought my mother a second set of china, and every day was china special.

My father's wisdom was not wasted on me, and, as such, I always celebrate each new day (and every moment) as if it was a special occasion. Between this adopted philosophy and my unending urge to party plan when ever possible, I will never hesitate to go all out when planning any event, small or large.

Tonight, was (in my book) a very special night indeed. Sex & the City, the Movie, was finally hitting the big screen, and therefore, it was time for a girls' night out! Time to break out the Cosmos and Manolos and have a good time with great friends!!

. . . And so the planning began. After a day full of errands, I set to decorate our apartment--to give it a "Sex & the City" feel. As my husband watched me slowly tackle the task at hand, he tried to restrain his confusion. Then, right as I was standing on a stepladder attempting to hang boas from the chandelier, he cracked: "What are you doing, you guys are just going out to a movie?"

Umm...this was not just any movie, and more importantly, it was a rare treat to hang out with some of the most fabulous friends a girl could ask for--and as such, no-brainer, a special occasion. And besides, I had an urge to decorate, and once that urge is born there is just no stopping me (and if you need further confirmation of this fact, check out what I did for a dinner for 6 on New Years):

Rather than use our full bar, I set up a martini making station. The girls had a choice of: apple, pomegranate, mango...and of course, cosmos.

I hung black and pink feathered boas (that I picked up at Joann Fabric at the last minute) from the chandelier.

Blessed with a loving husband whose only fault is that he can't help but break any glass he touches, I needed to restock our martini glasses for the event. Luckily, I found the Viv Martini Glass at Crate & Barrel. Hard to break (trust me, my husband tried), and only $4.95 per glass; it was a real steal!

The above arrangement was the result of a last minute decision to hide a flaw. Our side table had some pretty bad scratches on it, so I laid down some pink pre-cut sheets of felt that I picked up at Joann Fabric, and placed a vase on top of the spot where the four pieces met. I then filled the vase with a black and pink boa (also from Joann's).

The spread included an assortment of desserts (all courtesy of Trader Joes, of course). Our coffee table also had some scratches on it, so felt squares were strategically placed, and a boa added the final touch.

And while the cosmos were a huge hit, the apple martinis were a'flowin'. My secret tip: adding pineapple juice into the mix (takes away the sour aftertaste).

The best part of the night, however, was at the end of the night when my husband went out of his way to let me know he was proud of my creative use of boas. He really knows how to make a gal feel loved :)

And if you're wondering...yes, the movie was fabulous!!!

Do Rude People Grow On Trees?

2008-05-30T18:41:00.001-07:00

I must say that it may just be a side effect of my chosen career path, or the city I call home, but I tend to meet a lot of rude people. What's worse, lately, I have been meeting a lot of passive aggressive rude people--which oddly, is worse.

I've decided that since life is all about perspective; when I have an encounter with a passive aggressive rudey, I will choose to be amused instead of being offended. In that spirit, I would like to share the following amusing back-handed compliment I received the other day (to understand the full context, please note that I was wearing adorable round-toed high heels):

Rude person: Wow, I really like your shoes!

Me: Tha--

Rude person: --I mean, I know that round-toed shoes have been out of style for a really long time, but I really wish they would come back in style.

(Hmmm....how does one respond to a passive aggressive rudey?)

In my defense, later in the conversation she revealed that she hates peep-toe shoes, so clearly, her opinion doesn't matter.

Buyer Beware: Lessons Learned From Browsing the Home Section

2008-05-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that writing housing descriptions for houses on the market requires an optimistic personality.

Looking for a home has been an exhausting and sometimes frustrating experience, but I have learned a few lessons along the way:

Cozy means small

Charming means small

Great Neighborhood means horrible house that doesn't compare at all to the others on the block.

Fixer upper means bottomless moneysucking pit

Move in ready means fixer upper

Reduced means either one of two things (1) this house can't sell; or (2) liars!

[name of city]-adjacent means horrible area

No pictures provided of kitchen or bathrooms, means that's the deal breaker

People who use the word "gorgeous" don't have good taste.

In the 600s, 700s, 800s, etc. means 699, 799, 899, respectively.

Everyone secretly thinks they are an entertainer when they are shopping for a house, and the sellers know this (hence the entertainer's backyards and the entertainer's kitchens - although I've never seen an entertainer's kitchen); however, the seller's version of entertaining is not often the same as mine.

Minty Fresh Calla Lilies?

2008-05-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

It turns out that calla lilies don't enjoy mouthwash, or at least, they don't enjoy my husband's new mouthwash.

Before you jump to conclusions and think I must be conversing with flowers, let me elaborate:

Every time I buy flowers from this particular stand in the farmer's market by my office, I walk away, not only with flowers to arrange, but also with a free tip. It's true that most of the tips are not always practicable (e.g., sautéing the end of the hydrangea stem to seal in the juices; or if the hydrangeas start to go limp, drowning them in a bucket of water so they come back to life; etc.). Regardless, I always politely thank the flower guy for sharing his wisdom (though I never actually test the theories).

This week, however, was different, because this week, I was intrigued. After hesitating that they might be a bit too pricey for farmer's market standards, I decided to splurge and buy these gorgeous calla lilies:
As I handed over the cash, the flower guy leaned over to share his tip of the week with me, but this time, he started by saying that he doesn't share this particular tip with everyone (perhaps I was special...or perhaps only those that buy the overpriced flowers receive the tip).

Then, the tip followed, as he whispered to me that: the secret to keeping calla lilies fresh is mouthwash (something about killing bacteria on the flowers). He told me to just put these beauties in an inch and a half of water + mouth wash, change the water every 2 days and cut the stems every 5 days, the result: flowers that last for a whole 2 weeks.

I sat all day in my office staring at the callas in the corner, and counting down the hours until I could rush home and test his theory. Finally, the work day was done, and it was time. As soon as I walked in the door, I headed straight for my husband's new mouthwash, then grabbed a simple vase, and set out at arranging.

My husband stared as he saw me pour a splash of his mouthwash into the vase, and he even questioned whether I was feeling alright. I explained the top secret tip I had received, and reasoned "besides, what could mouthwash really do to flowers; I mean we put it in our mouths every day?"

Two days later, I stuck to the plan, and proudly switched the water and added another splash of mouthwash. So far, a complete success.

Then, sadly, I came home two days later to switch the water (yes, count that, four days after my purchase), and my callas were gone--they just disappeared. It turns out my husband found them sad and wilty, and decided to spare me from the pain. Unfortunately, I have no evidence to show you (or the flower guy) of the effects of mouthwash on calla lilies, but...alas...I will always have these pictures to remember how they once were minty fresh!

However, I must share this one caveat. Before jumping to conclusions that the flower guy makes up his tips figuring no one will ever bother to follow them, or that one should beware of unsolicited tips from the farmer's market flower guy, I feel I must disclose the following information that I just learned: Right before I sat down to write this post, someone informed me that their dentist told them that the brand of mouthwash my husband has been using has been known to turn teeth brown.

So, if I can brave it, I may have to try this again with a different brand, or at the very least, we will be switching mouthwash brands.

You May Be Seated

2008-05-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

One of the most torturous events of planning a wedding, bar or bat mitzvah or any other large scale event is the dreaded seating chart. Keeping certain people a part, making sure others sit together can be a stressful undertaking. Not to mention, some guests may be "offended" by the location of their table (although this is up for debate, as my mom would argue the tables closest to the band and the tables closest to the back (by the bar) are the worst tables, but arguably these are the best!)

Luckily, this task can be simplified by letting software do all the work for you! Check out this amazing program that Mitzvah-licious found.

Tales from LA Grocery Stores

2008-05-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

I've never been one for celebrity sightings. I wouldn't recognize Julia Roberts if she slapped me in the face. That said, my hubby is a master celebrity sighter. He can recognize anyone who's ever been in anything--even the biggest flop (yet another example of how we each make up for each other's weaknesses). Tonight, after he told me a story about his most recent celebrity sighting, I noticed an interesting dichotomy between Ralphs and Whole Foods:

A month ago, while my husband was shopping at Ralphs, in the corner of his eye he saw a hoard of people rushing down the aisle will flashing light bulbs. Chaos. It turned out Britney Spears was shopping inside, and she was being chased down by the paparazzi. Ergo, Ralphs does not equal safe haven for celebrities.

Contrast the foregoing experience with the following: my hubby saw Sheila from Big Brother fame at Whole Foods. Not one person bothered her as she loaded her cart and headed to pay for her groceries. Not one light bulb. Whole Foods is truly a sanctuary for the celebrity as not one annoying person swarmed her. Why is this so? Could it be that Whole Food shoppers don't care about celebrity? Is reality TV dying?

Or is the more important question, why was Britney Spears shopping at Ralphs and Sheila shopping at Whole Foods?

David Announced as Winner, but DVR Wouldn't Tell Me Which One

2008-05-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

I take my duty as an American Idol voter very seriously. And so after voting several times (ok, a bit more than several) for David Cook, I eagerly was awaiting tonight's results episode. And then, this happened:

I didn't have a video camera on hand, but lucky for me (and you) a youtube user out there suffered from the same catastrophe (although his stemmed from a Tivo). The sad thing is that we normally record the show that follows American Idol for just this reason, but tonight...not so. Luckily enough yet another youtube user saved the day by posting a video containing the full results. What did we do before we had Internet?

Pathetic Chocolate

2008-05-21T01:35:00.000-07:00

In a moment of weakness, I wasted time on the Internet tonight trying to find out if it was possible for people to actually find my blog, or if I was destined to be its only visitor.

In researching how one might draw readership to a blog, I came across all kinds of interesting tips, although often contradictory. I was just about to give up when I found Wordtracker, a website that has a free keyword suggestion tool. The site helps you increase your search optimization by helping you identify common search terms relating to a particular topic, so that you can find a way to organically integrate said term to boost your searchability on Google. I am not sure whether I am that dedicated (or together), but, who knows it might be a useful resource one day (and besides it seems to like chocolate).

Regardless of whether I will ever use said tool for useful purposes, I was entertained by the following statistics:

The best keyword for the topic of "stiletto" is not "stiletto lawyer." In fact it is "stilettos." Although surprisingly "climbing mountains in stilettos" fell within he top 10.

A lot of people search for the word "lawyer" on it's own. More people search for "personal injury lawyer" than "criminal lawyer." The next most sought after lawyer on Google is "divorce lawyer." I am none of these. Although, I do find it interesting that more people search for "lawyer jokes" than a "divorce lawyer."

The number one search involving the term "doctor" (which came in fifth place) interestingly enough has nothing to do with locating one. Believe it or not, it's "doctors excuses." "Printable doctors excuse" came in second, with "Doctor excuse" (singular) trailing in at forth. Guess that is one hot topic I will have to consider writing about. Also intriguing, more people search for a love doctor, sex doctor or a which doctor than an actual PHD certified doctor. Of the PHD breed, the clear leader is a "doctor gyno."

If you look for a keyword suggestion for the word "blog" number three on the list (behind the obvious "blog" and "blogs" search), is "pregnancy countdown for myspace blog." Enlightening, no?

And on a topic I have recently written about (for which I could have used the wisdom of the keyword finder): the number one keyword suggestion for the topic of "gas" (with or without using the website's offensive entry filter) is "gas prices." So the bottom line is, I might have to edit this previous post to include several references to the phrase...but that will have to wait until I write a legitimate post about chocolate.

Put Your Money Where Your Politics Are

2008-05-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

Leave it to the Internet. Now adays you can bet on just about anything, including: who will be the next US president, when the recession will hit and when mad cow disease will hit the US, and you don't have to head to the Vegas strip. From the comfort of your home, you can head to this site for a wide array of choice investments. Instead of placing actual bets, you purchase shares in the outcome you think is more likely to occur, and you can sell your share at any point and make money on your investment.

For those interested in the presidential candidates: currently, Obama comes at a price of $92.80 per share; but Hillary is a steal at $6.20 per share.

High Definition

2008-05-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

The world as I know it has just changed. I got a flier in the mail today from our local ~~monopoly~~ cable company that it is about to add new HD channels. Among the new line up: Food Network. My dreams have just come true!

Mommy Would Be Proud (Warning: Very Disturbing Images Ahead)

2008-05-20T01:50:00.000-07:00

My mother may sometimes have her opinions about my choices, but the one thing my mother never had to worry about was me ever getting a tattoo. True, it was mostly because I don't really understand why someone would voluntarily choose to be poked by a needle (and pay a fortune for it to boot), but in the end it really came down to one simple fact: I am indecisive--in manic proportions. I go in and out of phases quicker than tmz can blog about Britney Spears' latest mishap, so I just couldn't make the commitment.

Though I am thankful that I don't have a butterfly tattoo on my ankle (I went through a butterfly phase in the late nineties), it turns out it could have been worse. I couldn't believe my eyes (nor could I understand what this guy was thinking) when I stumbled upon this beauty that Mighty Girl discovered and posted on her blog:

It turns out, that this cat-astrophe is not in a league of it's own (oh how my mother would be proud of the google image searching skills I have acquired as a lawyer; and, no, this is not how I usually spend my time):

On a side note: two interesting observations about the belly centered tat (in case you are contemplating such a mistake): it seems to require an innie for the proper effect, and it also seems to only be a
mistake
choice men make.

And if using the belly button for artistic expression is not bad enough, what was this guy thinking?

Although, he clearly wasn't as dedicated as this guy:

So the next time your mother questions your judgment, you might want to point her in the direction of this post :)

Mission Impossible: 12 Things for $20 Bucks, You Do the Math

2008-05-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

I (and therefore my blog) have been drawing a blank lately. I don't know if it's the recent heat wave coupled with my broken A/C, but I have been lacking in the inspiration department.

Thus, I was intrigued when I saw a link to this website that helps one jolt the creative juices by suggesting various writing prompts (thanks to Two Write Hands for posting the link on her blog). It was there that I was challenged by the following question: "What are the 12 things you would buy with your last $20." Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a "writing prompt," because, let's face it, can one really buy 12 things for 20 bucks these days?

One thing's for sure: I can't use it for 12 gallons of gas. (Although, I will point out that I was a bit too quick to complain about recent gas prices. As it turns out that it was actually a good thing that I filled my gas tank up last week with $4.29/gallon gas. I drove by a gas station today and it's already up to $4.35. Yikes!! Guess I'm going to have to learn how to ride a bike pretty soon.)

A Tsp. of Apple Cider Vinegar A Day Keeps the Doctor (and Cellulite) Away

2008-05-16T03:36:00.000-07:00

I recently learned that Apple Cider Vinegar has very important health benefits, including: strengthening the immune system, balancing cholesterol, but more importantly, promoting weight loss and fighting bad breath, cellulite and acne.

I have to give my mother credit for this one. Ever since she discovered how to use the Internet, I often get these random tips from her via e-mail. The Apple Cider Vinegar e-mail, however, was particularly intriguing:

"a friend told me about this. Take 1 tbsp. in a glass of water before meals. It tastes awful, but if it works why not."

For some reason, shockingly, I was slow to jump on the bandwagon. Until I realized...hmmm...just the excuse I needed to make a Strawberry Summer Salad. Added health benefit without the yuck factor!

Hindsight

2008-05-15T01:07:00.000-07:00

$4.29: That's how much I just paid for a gallon of gas...17 times over. If you don't have a car and are wondering if I am exaggerating, here is the proof:

I remember when I thought $2.00 per gallon was ridiculous (it was less than $1 when I started driving, and I'm not even that old)...guess that's just another example of how hindsight is always 20/20.

Lost in Translation

2008-05-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

One thing I learned from my recent trip to Brazil is that it is a country full of amusing signs. Blame it on the poor translation or how easily amused I am...you be the judge:

So you tell me, how does one overtake a banister?

Strawberry Summer Salad

2008-05-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

As hints of summer are approaching (or, at least, it is in California), I thought I would share the recipe for one of my favorite summer salads (and one of the few salads I make that doesn't use a store bought dressing). I learned this one from a good friend, and it is a keeper:

Ingredients:

Salad Ingredients:

1 bag of spinach, rinsed

1/2 cup of sliced toasted almonds

3/4 cup of sliced strawberries

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of Sugar

2 tablespoons of poppy seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons red onion

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Equipment/Utensils:

Knife/Cutting Board

Whisk, Mincer and Large Mixing Bowl (or Blender)

1 large serving bowl

Tossing utensils (or a fork and a spoon will do)
Small serving dish for dressing (optional)

Directions:

Mince the red onions (if you don't have a mincing tool or crazy knife skills, a few swirls in a food processor does the trick)

Place the minced red onions and the sugar in a bowl, and whisk together

Add the poppy seeds to the mixture and continue to whisk all ingredients together

Combine the veggie and the apple cider oil in one measuring cup, and slowly pour the oil into the dry ingredients and whisk together (so a slow and steady stream is being added as you whisk, but feel free to take as many breaks as your wrists need). (If you find whisks intimidating or aren't sure what mincing is, instead of following steps 1-4, you can also place all of the ingredients for the Salad Dressing in a blender and liquefy).

Thinly slice strawberries.

Toss strawberries, almonds and spinach in a salad bowl and set aside.

When ready to serve, toss with salad with dressing or serve dressing on the side (spinach will become soggy if dressing sits for too long).

Enjoy!

He Just Can't Look At Them The Same Way

2008-04-29T22:53:00.001-07:00

While we were away on our South American adventure last month, we decided to leave our fish in the care of my brother. Since my brother's vacation overlapped with part of our vacation, the plan was that my hubby was going to drop a special self-feeder in the tank that would automatically feed them for 3 days (gotta love technology), and then my bro would take over from there.

There was only one problem with the full-proof plan...while we were scrambling to finish our packing and catch our ride to the airport, my hubby forgot to drop the self-feeder in the tank.

Three days later, my brother came back from vacation and straight to the fishies rescue. Before I had a chance to check in with my brother to see how they were doing, I got the following e-mail from my mom:

[Brother's] home. Fed the fish. They are OK if you have 2 of them.

Ummm...we have 3. Was she trying to be funny? I couldn't tell (it's times like these I wish e-mail had inflections or some sign of tone).

It turned out that when my brother went to feed our fish, and he only saw 2 of them, as in, only 2. The third fish, our dear pac-man (I know, strange name, but my hubby named him--and he was yellow and ate a lot so it kinda made sense), was nowhere to be found...at all.

Here I was having a fabulous time on vacation with the hubby, when I was faced with the difficult task of having to find a way to break the news to my hubby that his beloved pac-man was missing.

I decided I would keep the news to myself until it was official (my brother promised to check the tank again to make sure he wasn't hiding). Then, it was official.

At first, I asked my brother if he could go to the pet store to get a fish that looked like pac-man. I thought it was a brilliant idea. My hubby would never know...and his heart wouldn't be broken by the bad news. My brother felt otherwise (he never watched as many sit-coms as I did). There would be no replacement fish.

Eventually my hubby learned the bad news, and he was convinced that the 2 surviving fish had eaten the third fish. Then I lied. I told him that that couldn't be true because my brother had given pac-man a proper burial.

My husband didn't believe me.

The saddest part is that ever since pac-man went missing, my hubby just hasn't been able to look at the other fish the same way.

Springtime

2008-04-29T22:32:00.001-07:00

I had to travel across the country last weekend to find out the news...but apparently, it's springtime (as evidenced by these amazing tulips):

I miss spring!

Spa Themed Bridal Shower

2008-04-19T00:37:00.000-07:00

Because I secretly wish I was a party planner...from time to time, I plan to blog about events I've thrown or helped plan. First up...a bridal shower with a spa theme.

A friend of mine was recently tasked with planning a bridal shower. The bride to be decided that she really wanted a theme for her shower, and my friend wasn't sure where to start. Because she knew how much I love to plan a good party, (and because she's awesome!) she asked me to help her come up with a theme and decorations.

Excited by the prospect of planning a party (especially one I didn't have to pay for), I quickly brainstormed different ideas for the shower. My friend was torn between 2 of the ideas, but eventually decided on the spa theme.

The Breakdown:

The Decor

When it came time to discuss centerpieces, my friend mentioned that she really didn't want to use flowers since she figured they were expensive and they eventually die. Instead, she wanted a centerpiece that either could be reused at a later date, or was otherwise functional. So the centerpieces consisted of candles and stones (no flowers, inexpensive, and reusable--all three goals met--and to boot, the bride to be liked them so much that they are going to reuse them at the rehearsal dinner):

To add to the theme, small spa themed baskets were placed on the bar and on the food table:

Games

The bride wanted to make sure there were plenty of fun games at her shower. My friend had decided she wanted to do a quiz where you had to match up famous couples throughout time, but she wasn't sure what other games to use. I enjoy interactive games, so I suggested a game (affectionately referred to as the paddle game for now, but I will come up with a better name at some point) that I often use at showers.

The game tests how well the bride to be knows her future groom, while allowing guests to participate. Basically, you ask the groom a bunch of questions before the shower. At the shower, each guest receives a green paddle and a red paddle. The hostess reads the question she asked the groom, and then the guests raise a green paddle if they think the bride to be will get it right, and a red paddle if they think she will get it wrong. The bride then answers. Of course, the fun is intensified by the hostess who cracks jokes at both the guests' and the bride to be's expense (e.g., "no pressure" if all guests raise green...etc.). Usually the game works on a point system, where the guest with the most right wins, but in this case, the hostess decided to play the game in an elimination style, which also worked well (if you guessed wrong, you were out)!

I made the paddles by cutting red and green construction paper in wide strips and then gluing them around a plastic red/green knife. They have traveled to many a shower...and somehow have managed not to fall apart yet.

All of the prizes were spa themed (bags full of lotions, nail files, etc., and the grand prize for one game was a plush robe).

The Splurge

Since the party had a spa theme, guests were able to get hand and foot massages during the party. The massage table was placed under a tree in the backyard, and there were wind chimes hung from the branches of the tree. It was a huge hit that everyone enjoyed! As a special treat the hostess treated the bride to be to a full hour massage before the party as a shower gift.

The Food

To go with the spa theme, a light spread, included Chinese Chicken Salad, Strawberry Summer Salad and a Cranberry Salad (and of course there were plenty of mimosas too!):

The Favors

Personalized bath salts and a loofah were given away as favors to go with the spa theme (they also doubled as part of the settings for the tables). (The white blobs are me censoring for privacy)

Make My Day!

2008-04-18T00:11:00.000-07:00

My husband thinks that the only reason I want children is so that I can throw parties for them. He might be right. I enjoy having a challenging intellectual career...but there is nothing like planning (and throwing) a party! So though I am a lawyer by trade, I pretend I am a party planner on the side.

I have recently been given the exciting task of helping my sister-in-law plan my niece's Bat-Mitzvah. I am not sure if my sister-in-law realizes the monster she is about to unleash (though I will try to keep myself under control), but I cannot wait to help her plan this big event. I've only had the assignment for a couple days, and already, I have helped my niece choose a theme she is excited about, sketched sample centerpiece choices, and sketched ideas for the room design, seating cards, cocktail decor and more! My niece's Bat-Mitzvah isn't until fall 2009...but I am almost done with all the details.

Stay tuned for developments.

Weekend Getaways and Day Trips - My Saviors

2008-04-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

Once in a while, I feel the urge to get away. Perhaps I am a natural born traveler (although I somehow doubt that given my fear of planes), but no matter the source, a quick daytrip or weekend getaway is the best medicine when I feel overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, I don't quite have the capital (or the vacation days) to constantly travel. But, my husband and I made a deal that we would try to leave the city at least once every other month (or every month if we could be so lucky), even for a day trip. As we are in the process of looking for a house (and anticipating the house poor days ahead of us), we decided to tour our own state of California.

Below is a growing list of our trips with links to the recaps of each trip (hopefully I will remember to update it):

Weekend Getaways:

Laguna Beach, CA

Los Olivos, CA

Newport Beach, CA

Pismo Beach, California
Santa Ynez, CA

Solvang, CA

Day Trips:

Antelope Valley, CA
Malibu, CA
Montecito, CA
San Diego, CA
Santa Ynez, California
Temecula, CA
Tehachipi, CA
Venice, CA
Santa Monica, CA

Security?

2008-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Before we headed on our South American adventure, I tried to brush up on my Spanish skills. To that end, I found a free podcast on itunes for Coffee Break Spanish by the Radio Lingua Network. To my surprise, after a fun introductory song, Mark and Kara began the lesson with thick Scottish accents. It is true, I learned how to say "I am from Scotland" in Spanish, but they also address their US base with their lessons.

When I reached the Lima airport, I realized my Spanish was not as good as I thought it was. While we were only in Lima for a layover, we had to pass through security before we could reach our gate. After my bag went through the conveyor belt, I was stumped when they kept asking me if I had a "sombrilla" in my bag. This word was not covered by my Coffee Break lessons.

The security guards started making several gestures so as to explain what a sombrilla was, but apparently there is no good universal hand signal for an umbrella. Eventually after 10 minutes or so, I figured it out, and let the security officer know, that yes, I had an umbrella in my bag. They took my word for it, and let me move on toward the gate. I started to question whether the security in the airports in South America were as strict as North America, I mean not only did they take my word for it when I clearly didn't understand the question, but our shoes stayed on our feet and no liquids were confiscated - we almost felt human when we traveled. But then, I saw this. . .

Quite the collection!

Do My Fish Know We're Leaving on Vacation?

2008-03-19T02:17:00.001-07:00

I may not be blessed with adorable children yet, but my husband currently fills that void in my life. Thus, from time to time he may inspire an "I-have-to-share-this-adorable-moment-post."

Today, our fish were being a bit aggressive with each other (and the rocks at the bottom of the tank), and they seemed to be going a bit crazy. My husband thinks they are anxious because they know we are going on vacation. Adorable, no?

Almost 100 Things About Me...and Growing

2008-03-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

OK . . . more like a little more than 1/3 of 100, but if you count all my run-ons and tangents, there might just be 100 things yet (then again, if you subtract for repetitiveness. . . I may be worse off then I started):

I am a mommy
I work full time as an attorney
I do not think that makes be a bad person (or mommy)
I am starting to learn that the secret of the woman who does it all (the woman I always strive to be), is that she delegates!
I also found out the woman who does it all shops online, so that she doesn't have to run errands on her days off
I do not know how to ride a bike (yes, it's true: http://stilettolawyer.blogspot.com/2008/06/fear-and-pride-consequence-and-benefits.html)
I have never broken a bone (knock on wood)
I am superstitious
I am a horrible speller (and am very grateful for spell check)
I've been proven psychic in a laboratory (as part of a class I took in college)
I am not judgmental, or at least, not most of the time
I am naturally a pessimist, but have grown into an optimist
I believe that killing with kindness is always the way to go, but I admit that can sometimes be exhausting
I was a vegetarian for 10 years
I love to cook and find it therapeutic
I try to plan our meals for each month ahead of time, so that there is no guesswork to dinner each night
My favorite activity is throwing any type of party
I also love taking pictures, and scrapbooking
I have no artistic skills, and am not even capable of coloring between the lines
I am scared to fly, but I love to travel, and try not to let my fears interfere with enjoying life (if you need proof of this fact: I flew on 14 different planes in 2008)
I have been south of the equator
I am scared of needles (but, as you can see, I apparently I won't let that stop me from seeing the world either)
I am married to my soulmate
I am cheesy, but happy
I am sometimes naive
I am often indecisive
I am overly analytical, and must do extensive research before making any decision (which means I am also a lawyer)
Sometimes I flip a coin, just to see how I react; then I know what I really want to do
The idea of writing 100 things about me, was an idea that was ~~stolen from~~inspired by other bloggers
I enjoy reading, but rarely find the time to read anymore (unless other people's blogs count)
I failed my driver's license eye exam
I write a lot of blog entries that I end up not posting
Which is silly because I think I am the only one who reads my blog
Well, at the very least, I am pretty sure that I am the only one who read this far without skipping
But, if you've made it this far, you are my new favorite friend
I am easy to please

You Can Call Me Four Eyes--My License Now Does

2008-03-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's official, I need glasses. Sure, I've worn them since law school first stole my vision, but now, there is a special line on my license that boldly says "RESTRICTION." It's true, I failed the driver's license eye test (which I am told is a feat in and of itself).

Ah...the joys of aging.

Babies on the Brain

2008-03-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

Talk of children has become less scary lately. But tonight, I had to wonder: are we really ready for children? My mother-in-law thinks we are, but you be the judge:

Exhibit "A":
My husband says the darnedest things when he is half a sleep. Check out this dialogue:

Me (while squishing his cheeks, in a soft and loving voice, I said): "What am I going to do if we have a little boy one day that looks like you?"

Hubby (half asleep, he opens his eyes and with a determined voice he says): "Tell it, 'No!'"

Exhibit "B":
After playing a violent and graphic video game for over an hour where heads were exploding and guts were a flyin' at the hand of a virtual machine gun, and after watching countless horror movies and Dr. shows without the slightest twitch, my husband was finally disgusted by "Lost." It's true: when they showed Jin's baby all covered with afterbirth he couldn't handle it. The afterbirth--did it, I finally saw my husband squirm and cover his eyes the way I do through all the horror movies and Dr. shows.

On the other end of the couch, I couldn't help tearing up at the sweetness of the moment. Damn you biological clock, where do I hit snooze?

My Very First Meme

2008-03-10T23:58:00.001-07:00

I'm still not sure what a meme is (my guess is that it's like a myspace bulletin survey, but less boring and more insightful than what color panties I am wearing). I can't say I have much of a presence here yet so I haven't been fortunate enough to have been specifically called out to play along, but luckily, Two Right Hands has tagged me to play (OK, so she really tagged anyone who wanted to play...but that counts, right?).

Here's the setup:
1) Look up page 123 in the nearest book to you.
2) Find the fifth sentence and write it down. Then write down the three sentences that follow.
3) Tag other bloggers to do the same.

Unfortunately, I am blogging in the wrong room for this meme. But, hesitating all temptation to cheat and wander into the room where the books live, I shall settle for the small pile of books within my reach.

So, without further ado, my very first meme:

1) Technically, the nearest book to me is White Noise by Don DeLillo.

2) "He sat slouched in the camouflage jacket with Velcro closures, steeped happily in disaster. He talked about the snow, the traffic, the trudging people. He speculated on how far we were from the abandoned camp, what sort of primitive accommodations might be available there. I'd never heard him go on about something with such spirited enjoyment."

3) And finally, in the spirit of sharing: Tag! You're it.

P.S. If it wasn't exciting enough to complete my first meme, I also learned how to tag links in html today! OK, maybe I'm a bit too proud of myself, but it's a start.

"And" Is So A Letter AKA Gotta Love Natalie

2008-03-10T23:58:00.000-07:00

Some might find Natalie, the Bikini Barista from Big Brother 9 a bit annoying or, dare I say it, desperate, at times, but I find her absolutely adorable (which means I also happen to think Matt is a [insert expletive here]). . . but it turns out she is a bit . . . slow.

If you missed Natalie's shining moment from last Sunday's episode, be sure to check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHI00QGA7uo
(fast forward to 4:31 if you want to get right to the good stuff)

Gotta love reality TV...where do they find these people?

Help Make My Birthday (I Mean St. Patty's Day) a National Holiday!

2008-03-10T00:20:00.000-07:00

Check it out . . .

http://www.proposition317.com/

Despite the fact that I am Jewish, and not of Irish descent, I say: who needs a reason to support the creation of another national holiday? . . . even if a beer company is responsible for the campaign.

I've Been Robbed By Daylight Savings

2008-03-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

It sneaks up on you, and before you know it, a whole hour disappears! While my DVR, cell phone and computer somehow magically all automatically adjust to the time shift caused by daylight savings, I am not so fortunate, and it can take me over a month to recover from the loss.

Personally I think daylight savings was created to torture those of us that aren't morning people and often don't get enough sleep. I hear fictional stories that this concept was invented to "conserve energy" or "save oil" or it has something to do with farmers' preferences or "reducing car crashes" and "safety" for trick-or-treaters. Not that I'm egocentric or anything, but I see through the lies, and I'm pretty sure that daylight savings was created just to f%#$ with my sleep schedule.

Now fall backwards . . . that's something I can understand (and enjoy)! Here's to November 2nd, when normality will return . . .

Photo pictured above is not my own brilliance, but was found on http://www.flickr.com/ and is entitled "Squared Circles - Clocks" by Leo Reynolds, which I am required to tell you - if you want to borrow this picture like I did, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en for the rules for sharing.