Playdate with Azalea

Saturday was one of the dreariest days we have had in awhile, it rained all day. Fortunately, we had a play date planned with the Azalea and her family. I would show you pictures of the rest of the family but our tunnel vision only allowed us to take pictures of the two girls and oh yeah, the cat.

I find this happens all to often. I go to put together pictures of an event and all I have are pictures of Gigi and her friends, rarely any adults or other children. This always leaves for an incomplete record so I need to remember this and take more pictures of everyone and everything else.

Anyway the girls and Desi had a lot of fun climbing on Gigi's Jungle Climber, playing with all her other other toys and eating pizza. Thank you Tula and Craig for driving all that way in the rain. :)





Tooty had a good time too.

The time has come...

To kick myself in the butt and get to the gym. I have so many excuses as to why I can't possibly fit going to the gym into my schedule such as I already set my alarm for 5:40 am, my workday is crazy busy, I am tired and very busy when I get home, going to the gym will interfere with my wine drinking hours, you know all the normal stuff. But really the only excuse is I haven't deemed it important enough to make it a priority.

In the meantime, I yo-yo on eating good then eating bad. I drink a good amount wine, you know for the antioxidants, diet coke, cappuccino and tea, and drink little or no water. Most parts of the day I feel like a blob with no energy and a bad attitude.

So what am I going to do about it? Well I checked out the class schedule at my gym, which I am paying for but not going, and found several classes that I like. Some are around lunch time so I can go in the middle of the day once or twice a week. Two are on the weekends about the normal time I get up, a couple are in the evening that I could hit straight from work if Paul picks up Gigi or right after dinner. And a few brutal ones at 5:30 am if I have nothing better to do, like sleep. So with this variety maybe I could fit in a few trips to the gym each week.

I used to love the gym, it's time to rekindle the relationship. In fact I took my first visit today at lunch. See ya at 5:30 tomorrow morning.

Panache

Last night was girls night out. Erica, Izzy and I went to Panache, a cute little restaurant downtown off 17th street. This is the second time we have done this and I am realizing it's a good thing for me to do. My schedule/routine is so busy and just keeps circling round and round without much diversion, so getting out and doing something that has nothing to with work, home, Paul or Gigi is refreshing. Not that I don't love all those things but stepping back gives me a break and renews my perspective on things.

Weekend Update

This weekend we settled some of our vacation plans, namely we booked a trip to Disney World at the end of February. Obviously this is a completely Gigi oriented trip and we hope she is going to have a really great time. We also booked a week at the beach to share with my parents.

This is Gigi watching Paul singing karaoke, really not good for my migrane type headaches I have had for the past week. Hopefully Gigi will get her singing voice from me and not from my monotone husband. Although it's hard to slight him, she was having a really good time watching him sing to her.







On Sunday we celebrated Izzy's birthday at the Latin American Folk Institute in Mt. Rainer. It was nice to see Izzy, Scott and Marina, plus our friends Tula and Craig with their kids and Erica.

Gigi had an especially good time because she got to see her buddy Azalea, who was also celebrating her birthday!

Happy Birthday Azalea!!!

A Robot for Venus

Well about a year ago I decided that it was time to hire a cleaning person to help keep our house in order. I was going back to work full time and keeping up with the house seemed impossible. Well it is, but the hubby won't give his blessing to hire someone. He keeps saying he'll "do more", but really he can't even close the flatware drawer all the way when he gets a spoon out for himself. Or the cabinet where the cereal is kept. Is this Venus vs Mars thing or what!? :)

Anyway, my mom really helped me out this Christmas by giving us a Roomba. This thing is so cool, I've been wanting one for a while now but they are a little pricey, especially if you want the deluxe model. She got us the base model and I have to say it does everything I need it to. At first the hubby was a bit dubious but now he really likes it too. I put it on today to work the first floor and about twenty minutes later I go up to get some tea and there he is entranced watching it, I don't think he gets the point that you put it on to do the work so you can go do something else more fun.

Big Girl Bed

I don't know who is more excited about this, Gigi or Paul and I. We have been eyeing this "Big Girl Bed" from Ikea for months. Each time we went to ikea, Gigi insisted on climbing in this bed to check it out. We decided about a month and a half ago to take the plunge and get it. But at that time it was out of stock. We have been checking the web page every few days and finally Friday it was back in stock. We went to Ikea and picked it up. First we had to figure out how to get the crib apart and now it's up for sale so if you know anybody in need a crib let me know. Then we put the bed together. Ms. G was quite excited. Last night bedtime went well, she told me she was ready to go get in her big girl bed and we went up and she got in and went to sleep. Naptime today was a bigger challenge since she can just get out. After a few tries and firm words she decided to take the nap.



We also had a play date today. Andrew came over and checked out all of Gigi's toys. Gigi and Andrew are about a week apart in age and his mom and I work together. They are also in the same day care and have known each other since about three months of age. They had a great time playing together.

Cake in the Crock Pot

I have a new "baking" obsession. It's making cake in the crock pot. Oh, I can make a cake in the oven just fine and actually faster, but this whole concept intrigues me. It started New Year's Eve. I found a recipe for for hot fudge sundae cake that you make in the crock pot and it was quite good. Strange but good. You mix up the batter then pour very watery chocolate sauce over it and let it cook then cool. What you get is cake that you scoop out of the crock pot, with thick chocolate sauce underneath that you spoon on top.

Here is the recipe.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake (Crockpot)
Serving Size : 6

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 Cup sugar

1. Spray inside of 2 - 3 1/2 quart crock with cooking spray. Mix flour,sugar, 2 TBS cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Stir in milk,oil and vanilla until smooth. Stir in nuts. Spread batter evenly in slowcooker. 2. Mix brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa in small bowl. Stir in hot water until smooth. Pour evenly over batter in crock. 3. Cover and cook on high 2 - 2 1/2 hours oruntil toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Turn off crock. Let cake stand uncovered 30 - 40 minutes* to cool slightly before serving. 4. Spoon warm cake into dessert dishes.Spoon sauce over top.
Shared for Jamie's 2000Holiday Swap byFaithNchls.Brought to you by Grassroots Recipes Mastercook Collections and JamieRahmhttp://www.grassrootsrecipes.com/

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 405 Calories; 12g Fat (26.2%calories from fat); 5g Protein; 72g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3mgCholesterol; 365mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat; 3 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : *If you let the cake cool in the crock before serving it, the sauce under the cake will thicken to a good consistency. If you eat it sooner, the sauce will be thinner, but still delicious. (Special Touch: Add 1/3 cup halved maraschino cherries in with the nuts.)


After that I started looking for other recipes and came across the next one. It is more like regular cake but still very creamy inside.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Gooey Triple Chocolate Cake - Crock pot
Serving Size : 12
18 1/4 ounces Chocolate Cake mix -- 1 box
16 ounces Sour Cream
1 1/3 Ounces chocolate pudding mix -- 1 box Instant style
6 ounces Chocolate chips
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 each eggs
1 Cup Water

Spray crock pot with non stick spray. Mix all ingredients until smooth and pour into crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. let cool for about an hour. loosen edges and invert to transfer to cake plate.

Per Serving: 487 Calories; 34g Fat (59.9%calories from fat); 6g Protein; 45g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 79mgCholesterol; 407mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 61/2 Fat; 3 Other Carbohydrates.

Both are very good although I am working on a version of the first one that has eggs in it. I think it will add to the cake part.

Mistaken Identity

So I am out at Panera picking up my lunch. Calculating what has less calories to compliment my half a Frontega Chicken Panini, the greek salad or the french onion soup. The soup is my first guess, but it's got a chunk of bread and huge gooey peice of cheese on top, yet the salad has dressing...Anyway I get up to place my order and I notice that the girl taking my order is wearing a bracelet identical to mine. This my current favorite, I wear it everyday.

So I say hey we are wearing the same bracelet and hold up my arm for her to see. And then I ask her if she got hers from QVC, also my current favorite place to shop. This is the funny/ stupid part, She looks at me and say no she got it from Tiffany's for her 16th birthday! Then, shocked, I reply, oh I must have the knock off, who knew! :).

So of course don't I look stupid. I go back the office and get online and find the bracelet at Tiffany's to see what it is made of and how much it costs. Well it is made of sterling silver just like mine, but it goes for a whopping $175.00. Well now I am not feeling so stupid, I paid less than half that. Although I am not thrilled about wearing a copy cat design.

Btw, I made the wrong choice and got the salad with twice as many calories as the soup.

love, Love, LOVE this stuff!

I am a products girl, I love trying out all kinds of haircare, skin care and makeup. Some stuff lives up to it's promise and other stuff doesn't. Some things work for some and not for others. My current new fave os Ojon. This stuff is so fabulous. I've been eyeing it for a few months now and finally decided to give it a try. I can't say how much I love this stuff, it truly lives up to it's promise.

First there is the hydrating shampoo and conditioner, this stuff alone will change the feel and condition of your hair. If you have thin limp hair also try the thickenen spray for styling. There is a deep conditioning product also. I have this but have not had time to put it to the test. Or even felt the need since the other stuff is working so well. I'll try it this weekend.

Top Places to Live

A friend of mine sent me this cool link to help analyze your top 24 places to live in the US. It's pretty cool. Here is my list. Funny, I was talking about moving to Portland earlier this year...

Portland, Oregon City of Roses
Eugene, Oregon
Salisbury, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland
Charleston, West Virginia
Santa Barbara, California
Corvallis, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Frederick, Maryland
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Santa Cruz, California
Ventura, California
Medford, Oregon
Honolulu, Hawaii
Milwaukie, Oregon
Little Rock, Arkansas
Providence, Rhode Island
Palo Alto, California
Boston, Massachusetts
Hartford, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Sacramento, California
Astoria, Oregon

Victor Vito

A true Laurie Berkner fan. Click on the play button below...



If that doesn't work try Movie1.wmv

Getting Organized

It's that time of year again where I try to get everything organized and in its place. Not that I don't try during the year but at the beginning of the new year I am always looking for a fresh start. I've given up on making "New Years Resolutions" as they are always bound to fail, but I do want to get my house organized.

The problem is there is never enough time to get it all done. Or I don't make enough time, whatever... Like now I am in the midst of putting stuff in all these great clear plastic bins that I picked up at Target this morning. First, I don't think I got enough bins. Second, I keep uncovering projects and other unfinished things while also coming up with tons of other cool ideas. Oh and third, I stopped to write this in my blog :)

I just spent the past week off from work, what did I accomplish? I cleaned the closet in my dressing room and uh... did some laundry. Most days revolved around keeping Gigi entertained which I don't think I even did good job at that. In retrospect I should have taken her to day care at least two days out of the last eight. She needs other two year olds to rough house with. I didn't take her because I thought it would be nice to spend time together which it was, but I can see she is bored with me and ready to bust loose and I am also feeling like I didn't get any of my projects done.

Anyway back to organizing. I am a very organized person but I have a hard time finishing stuff...

Udon Noodle Soup

I forgot one of things I wanted to do with this blog is share recipes. This one I create last night, I had a craving for some sort of Asian style noodle soup. This is good and fairly low in calories. I put eggs in it because I didn't have anything else in the house. But next time I will try using scallops. If you use uncooked seafood make sure you put it in before the bok choy step and give it time to cook through before continuing with the recipe. Also kick up the tabasco if you want more of a kick.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Udon SoupRecipe By: Laura Segal
Serving Size : 6

3 each egg, hard-boiled -- or shrimp, scallops, tofu, etc...
8 ounces Udon Noodles -- cooked as directed
1 cup shiitake mushrooms -- Sliced
2 cups mushroom -- sliced
2 cloves garlic -- crushed
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 tablespoon Ginger -- grated
32 ounces beef broth
1 cup water
2 teaspoons mirin
1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1 head Bok choy -- cut in 1" slices
2 tablespoons Cilantro -- chopped
5 each Green Onions -- chopped
1/4 teaspoon Sesame oil

Prepare eggs or other add in's for addition at the end. Saute Mushrooms, garlic and ginger in oil till slightly softened. Add beef broth, water, mirin and tabasco. Simmer about 10 minutes. When almost ready to serve, add bok choy, cilantro, green onions, sesame oil, udon and eggs or other. Simmer 1 or 2 minutes and serve


NOTES : serve with Baguette and butter

Christmas!

How exciting it is for kids at Christmas. And how fabulous it is to be a parent at Christmas time. All week we told Gigi that Christmas was coming, not sure who was more excited about it, her or us. This shot is from Christmas Eve with the the presents all under the tree and ready to go for the morning.
The first thing Gigi saw when she came downstairs was the Disney princess vanity. She went right for it. This is one of the favorite gifts. I set it up in my dressing room next to my vanity so we can primp together.

Poor Gigi was actually sick although she didn't have any trouble finding the energy to open presents!

Later my parents came over with a whole new round of toys, including a sports car, just the thing every two year old needs to have!



They also got her a baby and all the accessories, Gigi was trying out the pack and play for size.

Later we lit the first candle for Hanukkah and Gigi got yet another present. We've got seven more nights of this, she is going to be so spoiled by next week.

The Kitchen is Finished - Finally!

Mark this week in history because after almost 6 months of dealing with this, our kitchen remodel is finished. Unbelievable!

Why did it take so long? Well in previous posts I talked about countertop mishaps and getting bumped on our contractors schedule because we needed more time to get all of our materials. But that wasn't a big deal, the biggest deal was painting the kitchen. It sounds simple enough so we decided to do that part ourselves instead of hiring someone. BIG MISTAKE. Working parents with toddlers should never try to do this themselves - hire someone.

Well it's all over so here are few before shots: Note the ugly countertop, old dishwasher and sink, the hideous floor...


Here are the final shots with new countertop, freshly painted cabinets and new hardware, the new cooktop and hood.

New sink, dishwasher and FLOOR! Obviously this has been here since September it was just the painting process that held us up.




Next we tackle the master bath. And yes I will hire a painter! :)

Garden of Lights

This evening we went to Brookside Gardens in Wheaton to see the Garden of Lights. It was quite spectacular. There was an unbelievable amount of lights in hundreds of trees, gazebos, animals, including the Lock Ness Monster blowing smoke every 2 minutes or so. We heard about this light show and decided to go over just as it was opening at 5:30. If you plan to go I would suggest getting there a few minutes before it starts. We were lucky with our timing because it was packed. We were able to get in, but when we left cars were backed up onto Randolph Rd. Well worth the $15 per carload.

Dinner at IndeBleu

Last night I did a new thing for me, I went out with the girls. I need to do this more often. We had a great time at a new lounge/restaurant downtown called indebleu a very nice place and really fabulous food. But the best part was the company. It's nice just having good girl talk.

I didn't have my camera with me so no pics but we did discuss this picture that Erica took of my band Mary Mary, many moons ago. This shot was taken in a lot behind her townhouse on 13th and U. First there is a building there now, second Erica should have bought the place when it was affordable and lastly this is a great shot. For those of you who haven't seen this shot before I'll explain. This was taken on a role of shots to promo the band. It's funny because a bird pooped on Annie (on the far right), so she is mortified. Mary beside Annie is grossed out and I think it is hilarious. The most telling part of this picture is the Other Mary climbing up the tires and the look of worship in her eyes for Mary. The Other Mary was quite unstable and had to be asked to leave the band. If I ever feel bad about that I look at this picture.

Great shot, Erica.

Here Come the Holidays

Well the holiday season has commenced. This weekend we put up our Christmas tree, shopped for gifts (the ones that I haven't already ordered online) and I attended my neighborhood Layhill Ladies Club Luncheon. And oh yeah I froze my butt off putting up more lights on our house. I should have done that last weekend - before the snow.





Putting the tree up was a lot of fun. Gigi liked helping out and she is very excited to have a Christmas tree of her own.

Finally, we had a chance to visit Erika and Tommy and see their new little girl, Molly. I would like to say we "met" her but since she was sleeping the whole time I'll say we "saw" her. I always forget how small new babies are...

Playing with Toys

 

Checking out the Christmas Lights