Happy Memorial Day! The unofficial start of summer, BBQ and beach weekend for everyone...but more importantly it is a day to remember those who have fought and died for our country so that we are able to enjoy the freedom that we have every day. Please participate in the National Moment of Remembrance at 3pm in your time zone to reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, and also for those who are serving our country now.
I read an article about the moment of remembrance this morning and was pleased to see that major league baseball and grocery stores will make announcements to observe the moment. We so often forget what the holiday is for, and I know that I am one of the many who just looks forward to it as a day off from work. so take a moment out of your day to think about those who selflessly gave their lives so we can have as the biggest concern in our day sometimes be, when is my next holiday?
On a totally unrelated note, how can one grown girl be so clumsy? I went walking at Memorial Park this morning, and managed to land my foot sideways and couldn't catch myself so I now have a banged up knee and elbow :( walking is supposed to be healthy but can be hazardous for me!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Home Alone
no, not the movie....score one for Smokey! He grabbed half of the sandwich I was making for my lunch off the counter this morning, so I had to start over....he really only wanted the turkey but will take bread when its in the way. We've had him almost 2 years and he still manages to get stuff sometimes when I'm not looking. I have gotten pretty good about keeping things away from the edge of the counter - he is tall enough he can get up to the edge of it but am not used to him being awake in the morning when I'm making my lunch. Usually he's curled up on the couch until Kevin gets up, but since Kevin is in Austin for work I had to roust up the dog so he could take care of business before he's stuck in the house all day. What we really need to do is work with Smokey more so that he knows he can't grab stuff off the counter, but we've been unsuccessful (read: inconsistent) in training him out of that.
Kevin is gone for a few days for work - found out Monday he had to be in Austin for training Tuesday- Thursday, and I am so boring when I'm home alone...yesterday I took S for a walk, made dinner, sorted out all of the paperwork we needed to file in the living room to get my backlog of filing done (I never want to do that when I can hang out with my husband instead), and had a marathon of episodes of "The Tudors"...not a bad evening. not sure what I'll do tonight....hmm......I am glad neither of us travels for work very much, I wouldn't like it, a few days here and there is ok - and usually its me thats gone and him thats home alone. Actually, I think this is the first business trip he's had that required him to stay overnight since we've been married.
My dog is a stinker, but he also so cute...last night he was making squeaking sounds and growling in his sleep, must've been one heck of a nightmare! He also makes it more fun to be home alone since I'm not really alone...have this little creature who loves to cuddle and give me slobbery kisses.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Something different
Why don’t microwave meals ever look as good as they do on the box? I don’t have a complete answer, but from a show I watched a while back about staging a photo shoot of food (for a cookbook cover) – it is because they use inedible things, or edible things but not fully cooked to make the food look good in the photo. Gross? Yes, and dangerous! The food in the photo could actually kill you. I kid you not, they worked on a full chicken and they stuffed it with paper towels to make it appear fuller, and only cooked it for a few minutes. Most of the color you would expect from it being cooked was from using food coloring and a small flame. They showed other tricks for other dishes, but I think you get the idea.
So, my microwave meals will never look as good as the photo, but I do want them to taste good. I’ve come to the conclusion that microwave meals are a gamble - some will be good, others will b
e bad or just have no taste. I try to keep mental notes of which ones I like and which ones I don’t, but have gotten burned more than once when I forgot that oh, that one was NOT good. I had one today that is more expensive than what I usually get (could be part of my problem - I buy the inexpensive Lean Cuisine/Weight Watchers meals usually), and it was actually really good! I only bought it because I had a coupon to get it for free and it was a brilliant marketing plan because now that I've had a good experience with this one, I will probably dish out the money to try another one sometime soon.
The good tasting microwave meal I had today: Kashi Southwest Style Chicken. Here is the description from the website: Chicken marinated in lime juice, cumin and olive oil, grilled then sliced. Served over our Kashi® 7 Whole Grains Pilaf, tossed with fire roasted onions and corn, green and red peppers and topped with southwestern sauce.
I could do without some of the ingredients in the pilaf, but it had a good flavor overall and I could really taste the cumin and the corn. Also, right after eating it I'm not still hungry - the protein and fiber in it are working for me :)
I usually make my lunch, but like having something warm for lunch, and even more so – love when I can just grab and go in the morning (yes, I could make my lunch at night, but have only managed to do that if I’m bringing leftovers, not making my lunch) - so microwave meals occasionally make it into my shopping cart. This one gets a thumbs up from me, and I'd buy it again.
So, my microwave meals will never look as good as the photo, but I do want them to taste good. I’ve come to the conclusion that microwave meals are a gamble - some will be good, others will b
e bad or just have no taste. I try to keep mental notes of which ones I like and which ones I don’t, but have gotten burned more than once when I forgot that oh, that one was NOT good. I had one today that is more expensive than what I usually get (could be part of my problem - I buy the inexpensive Lean Cuisine/Weight Watchers meals usually), and it was actually really good! I only bought it because I had a coupon to get it for free and it was a brilliant marketing plan because now that I've had a good experience with this one, I will probably dish out the money to try another one sometime soon.The good tasting microwave meal I had today: Kashi Southwest Style Chicken. Here is the description from the website: Chicken marinated in lime juice, cumin and olive oil, grilled then sliced. Served over our Kashi® 7 Whole Grains Pilaf, tossed with fire roasted onions and corn, green and red peppers and topped with southwestern sauce.
I could do without some of the ingredients in the pilaf, but it had a good flavor overall and I could really taste the cumin and the corn. Also, right after eating it I'm not still hungry - the protein and fiber in it are working for me :)
I usually make my lunch, but like having something warm for lunch, and even more so – love when I can just grab and go in the morning (yes, I could make my lunch at night, but have only managed to do that if I’m bringing leftovers, not making my lunch) - so microwave meals occasionally make it into my shopping cart. This one gets a thumbs up from me, and I'd buy it again.
I'll try to look at the store next time I'm there for the ones I'd warn against and post them here as well. Anyone have any that they love or hate?
Monday, May 11, 2009
House Hunt
This was our busiest weekend in quite a while, and I am feeling it today.
We spent all day Saturday looking at houses with a realtor. We decided a while back that we wanted to move eventually but have been back and forth about when we want to move. This year we’ve been talking more and more about it and decided we wanted to move sooner than later, so this summer is our target. There are things we want that our current house just doesn’t have: a pool (or room for it), trees, larger guest bedroom for when we have guests, the list goes on and on. So, we want to move to a different house in a different area of town.
We had looked online at houses, but this was the first time we’ve looked in person so it was a learning experience. We saw 11 houses (7, then a break to eat, then 4 more), and ruled out most of them. Looking at them gave us a better idea of what we want and what are our must-haves. It is also interesting to see how different people’s tastes are when it comes to what they choose to have in a house and how they decorate. Some of the houses would need a TON of paint if we were to buy them, I shouldn’t say they are hideous but they are NOT my taste at all. One honestly looks like Texas is being held hostage in the house (Kevin’s phrase). We both love Texas, and have a few stars in our kitchen and on the patio but would never decorate the entire house in that all out Texas décor. Others were beautifully decorated, so much so that I’m envious of their abilities to know what colors go together well….I love watching those shows too but don’t think I have a designer bone in my body. We also walked into one with a brick floor, it looks beautiful but I wore sandals specifically so I could feel it under my bare feet, and I didn’t like it…too bumpy, and keeping it clean would be tough. I do keep in mind that much of what I see is cosmetic and could be changed, so I try to keep in mind not to let paint color sway me but look at the layout, size, shape of the rooms and the house and if it would work for me. We love watching all the house hunting shows on HGTV and it was fun to finally get to do that for ourselves. We haven’t found our house yet but are getting a better idea of what we want in our next house. Seeing how I react to other people’s houses makes me wonder what someone will think when they look at our house….
We were both so tired that night, who knew walking in and out of houses would be that tiring, and it was mentally draining too.
Yesterday was much more relaxed, my parents came over to celebrate Mother’s Day. We grilled burgers and had ice cream with angel food cake, yum! We even played some doubles ping pong.
We spent all day Saturday looking at houses with a realtor. We decided a while back that we wanted to move eventually but have been back and forth about when we want to move. This year we’ve been talking more and more about it and decided we wanted to move sooner than later, so this summer is our target. There are things we want that our current house just doesn’t have: a pool (or room for it), trees, larger guest bedroom for when we have guests, the list goes on and on. So, we want to move to a different house in a different area of town.
We had looked online at houses, but this was the first time we’ve looked in person so it was a learning experience. We saw 11 houses (7, then a break to eat, then 4 more), and ruled out most of them. Looking at them gave us a better idea of what we want and what are our must-haves. It is also interesting to see how different people’s tastes are when it comes to what they choose to have in a house and how they decorate. Some of the houses would need a TON of paint if we were to buy them, I shouldn’t say they are hideous but they are NOT my taste at all. One honestly looks like Texas is being held hostage in the house (Kevin’s phrase). We both love Texas, and have a few stars in our kitchen and on the patio but would never decorate the entire house in that all out Texas décor. Others were beautifully decorated, so much so that I’m envious of their abilities to know what colors go together well….I love watching those shows too but don’t think I have a designer bone in my body. We also walked into one with a brick floor, it looks beautiful but I wore sandals specifically so I could feel it under my bare feet, and I didn’t like it…too bumpy, and keeping it clean would be tough. I do keep in mind that much of what I see is cosmetic and could be changed, so I try to keep in mind not to let paint color sway me but look at the layout, size, shape of the rooms and the house and if it would work for me. We love watching all the house hunting shows on HGTV and it was fun to finally get to do that for ourselves. We haven’t found our house yet but are getting a better idea of what we want in our next house. Seeing how I react to other people’s houses makes me wonder what someone will think when they look at our house….
We were both so tired that night, who knew walking in and out of houses would be that tiring, and it was mentally draining too.
Yesterday was much more relaxed, my parents came over to celebrate Mother’s Day. We grilled burgers and had ice cream with angel food cake, yum! We even played some doubles ping pong.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Big Apple recap
We had a great vacation. I can really see why people fall in love with this city. We were there for 5 days and already plan to go back, but not for a while because it was EXPENSIVE. We didn't do some of the things that other tourists do, but we did what we wanted to do, which is what a vacation is all about. When we first got there I could not get over how fast New Yorkers are! They walk fast and they are fast when they order food to go. We got breakfast each day at a place around the corner from the hotel and the first day I had to just stand back and watch for a while. It felt sort of like jumping into a dance, you have to get the steps down and find an opening big enough before you launch in. New Yorkers were much nicer than the stereotypes I’ve heard, but don't get in their way on their commute!We walked all over and took the subway. We only took a cab twice, and a shuttle to/from the airport. The subway system is more complicated then I’ve seen before – and I never did figure out which ones were local and which were express trains except for when they ran on different tracks, but we got everywhere we wanted to go.
We saw a lot of sites and also had a great time just wandering around. Probably the strangest thing we saw was while we were walking around in Chinatown. We walked by a market -first fruits and veggies, then the fish area. Some of the fish were still alive, others were filleted. A woman was reaching into a large bucket, and we thought she was getting crabs, lobsters, or maybe some sort of live fish that was in the bucket to have enough water …nope, she pulled up her arm and it was a huge FROG! She put it into a plastic bag and went in for a second one. The look on my face had to be horrible when I first saw the giant frog. I don’t even want to know what she was going to make with it, and one of her frogs got loose and she had to pick it up off the sidewalk. To each his own..frogs may be quite tasty, but I will never know..and NO I don’t think I’d like frog legs either, my grandfather got them one time when I was a kid but I do not think I even tasted them. Luckily we’d eaten a while earlier (in Little Italy), because I don’t think I’d have wanted to eat for a while after that, it was memorable though. That and the stereotypical New York accent we overheard say “How’s your mother?” are going to be talked about for quite a while.
We saw a lot of sites and also had a great time just wandering around. Probably the strangest thing we saw was while we were walking around in Chinatown. We walked by a market -first fruits and veggies, then the fish area. Some of the fish were still alive, others were filleted. A woman was reaching into a large bucket, and we thought she was getting crabs, lobsters, or maybe some sort of live fish that was in the bucket to have enough water …nope, she pulled up her arm and it was a huge FROG! She put it into a plastic bag and went in for a second one. The look on my face had to be horrible when I first saw the giant frog. I don’t even want to know what she was going to make with it, and one of her frogs got loose and she had to pick it up off the sidewalk. To each his own..frogs may be quite tasty, but I will never know..and NO I don’t think I’d like frog legs either, my grandfather got them one time when I was a kid but I do not think I even tasted them. Luckily we’d eaten a while earlier (in Little Italy), because I don’t think I’d have wanted to eat for a while after that, it was memorable though. That and the stereotypical New York accent we overheard say “How’s your mother?” are going to be talked about for quite a while.
We’d planned out our trip ahead of time (I’m a planner, what can I say) so that we would see things that were located in the same part of town at the same time, both to maximize our viewing and save our feet from all the walking. We were in Manhattan the entire time except for the time it took us to get off a ferry and walk around to get right back on.
On Wednesday we went to the southern tip of Manhattan to see Battery Park and Lady Liberty. We chose not to go to the Statue of Liberty but simply rode the Staten Island Ferry across to see her. I’ve seen it on TV my whole life, but loved seeing her in person! We walked through the financial district and then went over to see Little Italy and Chinatown. We had lunch in Little Italy; oh wow the pasta….mmmm.
Later in the day, we went to Washington Square Park, and almost missed the chess area because we thought it was blocked off – a large part of the park was blocked for construction, but as we were leaving the park we saw it and went over to watch the people play. While there a guy asked if we wanted to play, so Kevin was able to play two games of chess (and win!) in the park he’s wanted to play in since seeing the movie “Searching for Bobby Fisher” years ago.
Thursday we rode the subway over to see the UN, and when we got off the subway we were at the Grand Central terminal station, so we had to go and see it. The place is huge, and it is marble as far as the eye can see. I couldn’t help but think of Harry Potter and the train station when I was there, yes wrong country….oh well.
We walked over to the UN. We weren’t able to take a tour, but did see the exhibit on land mines.
I love the sculpture of the gun tied into a knot. After we left there, we found a place to have a slice of genuine NY pizza. It was so good. After lunch we went to Rockefeller Center, and went to the “Top of the Rock” so we could see NYC from above. My favorite site from the top: Central Park, it is a sea of green in the middle of the city. We also saw the Empire State Building, Chrysler building, the new year’s eve ball, and lots of other sites. Once we came back down, we went to see the statue in front of where the ice skating rink would be (it is already closed for the season).
On Wednesday we went to the southern tip of Manhattan to see Battery Park and Lady Liberty. We chose not to go to the Statue of Liberty but simply rode the Staten Island Ferry across to see her. I’ve seen it on TV my whole life, but loved seeing her in person! We walked through the financial district and then went over to see Little Italy and Chinatown. We had lunch in Little Italy; oh wow the pasta….mmmm.
Later in the day, we went to Washington Square Park, and almost missed the chess area because we thought it was blocked off – a large part of the park was blocked for construction, but as we were leaving the park we saw it and went over to watch the people play. While there a guy asked if we wanted to play, so Kevin was able to play two games of chess (and win!) in the park he’s wanted to play in since seeing the movie “Searching for Bobby Fisher” years ago.
Thursday we rode the subway over to see the UN, and when we got off the subway we were at the Grand Central terminal station, so we had to go and see it. The place is huge, and it is marble as far as the eye can see. I couldn’t help but think of Harry Potter and the train station when I was there, yes wrong country….oh well.
We walked over to the UN. We weren’t able to take a tour, but did see the exhibit on land mines.
I love the sculpture of the gun tied into a knot. After we left there, we found a place to have a slice of genuine NY pizza. It was so good. After lunch we went to Rockefeller Center, and went to the “Top of the Rock” so we could see NYC from above. My favorite site from the top: Central Park, it is a sea of green in the middle of the city. We also saw the Empire State Building, Chrysler building, the new year’s eve ball, and lots of other sites. Once we came back down, we went to see the statue in front of where the ice skating rink would be (it is already closed for the season). We went to see Times Square – sensory overload is the only way to describe it. Everywhere you look there are lights and signs, and we saw a girl shooting what we assume was a music video. The poor girl had to be cold – in a light dress and barefoot, and she had to run into the street when the crosswalk was on so that she could then walk and strum her guitar while the cameras rolled. An
yone recognize her?
Friday was devoted to Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History. We also stopped to see the Dakota building, where John Lennon lived and, sadly, where he was killed. We walked through the area of the park that Yoko Ono funded to be “Strawberry Fields”, complete with an “imagine” mosaic on the ground. We walked and walked in Central Park and only saw a very small part of it. In the park you really can forget you’re in a big city. I love all the parks on Manhattan, and know that the people living there must crave the greenery and break from the buildings and concrete. We spent several hours in the museum, especially the sections on the dinosaurs and the animal displays. Did you know that cinnamon is bark? I probably should’ve known that, but can’t say that I did. The most astounding exhibit – a full-size model of a blue whale. Outside of the museum, Kevin got his NYC hot dog…I had a pretzel. This is the only day we had rain, and a doorman on the Upper East Side was nice enough to let us wait it out in the entry way of the building.
yone recognize her?Friday was devoted to Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History. We also stopped to see the Dakota building, where John Lennon lived and, sadly, where he was killed. We walked through the area of the park that Yoko Ono funded to be “Strawberry Fields”, complete with an “imagine” mosaic on the ground. We walked and walked in Central Park and only saw a very small part of it. In the park you really can forget you’re in a big city. I love all the parks on Manhattan, and know that the people living there must crave the greenery and break from the buildings and concrete. We spent several hours in the museum, especially the sections on the dinosaurs and the animal displays. Did you know that cinnamon is bark? I probably should’ve known that, but can’t say that I did. The most astounding exhibit – a full-size model of a blue whale. Outside of the museum, Kevin got his NYC hot dog…I had a pretzel. This is the only day we had rain, and a doorman on the Upper East Side was nice enough to let us wait it out in the entry way of the building.
Friday night we went to a comedy club (a better option for us then a play or musical). It is called Comic Strip Live and is where Jerry Seinfeld and many others got their start. We had a great time, there were FIVE comedians who performed and they were all funny. The 
fact that they were VERY New Yorky made it even more entertaining to us.
fact that they were VERY New Yorky made it even more entertaining to us. On Saturday, we met up with my friend Chris who lives there now. We met at the Strand bookstore (18 miles of books!) and then went to get a walking tour of the Financial District. He showed us Wall Street, and the NY Stock Exchange. We also went to see Ground Zero, we’d tried to see it on our own the first day, but weren’t sure how to see it. We did find a memorial to the firefighters and others who lost their lives that day. There isn’t much to see, it’s a construction zone right now. But being near it and seeing how huge the buildings must’ve been I cannot imagine what it must have been like in NYC that day. That night we went to eat Korean BBQ with Chris. We were skeptical because we'd looked at menus of some of the other Korean restaurants near out hotel and scared ourselves, but it was really very good.
It was a great trip. We got a much needed break from work, and enjoyed spending time together. We saw a lot, but also had a chance to relax; a week with no alarm clock (and no doggie alarm) is a good one. There is a lot to do there that we didn’t have time to do, but we saw what we’d slated out for ourselves and had the classic NY food that we wanted to have, in addition to the pizza and hot dog, we ate at a family-run diner, complete with a kid working the cash register. We never ate at one, but I saw soup shops everywhere. That is a kind of restaurant that wouldn’t make it too well in Houston, it’s just not that cold for very long, but I’m sure it’d be great in NYC and now I understand why Seinfeld had whole episodes about a soup stand.
If you want to see more pictures from our trip, go here.
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