7 Random Facts

Tuesday, September 30, 2008


I've been tagged by Control Freak over at A Life in Progress to share seven random and/or weird facts about myself.

Since I've never actually done one of these "random facts" posts, I figured--what the hell. So now I guess the challenge is to come up with the seven facts. Damn.

1. With the exception of college housing (where I pretty much had no choice), I have never rented. After graduating college, I moved back in with my mom and brothers. I started my first job three weeks later. In April of the following year, Michael and I started house hunting. I had done a lot of research on the things available in our price range, and we had pretty much pinpointed which neighborhood we wanted to live in. One Sunday, we went and looked at three different condos in the development, and when we saw our home, we knew it was the one. We put an offer on it the next day, and we closed in June 2005. I've been a homeowner since I was only 22 years old.

2. I am a picky eater. My husband eats anything and everything. But, he'll actually tell you I'm not that bad. I've come a long way since I was a child. When I was little, I didn't even like pizza. My mom would have to send me to birthday parties with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so that I'd have something to eat. These days, the list of things I *will* eat is much longer than the things I won't, but I do still have finicky tendencies.

3. Senior year of college, I had shingles. I was in the shower one morning when I ran my hands up my back, and noticed a patch of something bumpy. I couldn't see it, so when I got out of the shower, I made one of my roommates look at it for me. She told me it was weird looking, but could be poison ivy.

I have never had poison ivy. I'll go into the same woods as my mom and brothers, they'll come out covered in the rash, and I won't have any problems. (I've suspected that perhaps I'm not even allergic to poison ivy, but who knows. I'm certainly not going to go roll around in the stuff to prove it.) But the bumps were uncomfortable, so I decided to do the unthinkable--visit the college health center.

I went in, the woman took one look at me, and said, "Oh my, you have shingles." She asked me if I had ever had the chicken pox. Yes, when I was 6. She asked me if I had been around old people or small children. Um, no. I'm in college. The only people I've been around are drunk people and professors. The nurse made it out to be some emergency. She told me if we didn't act quickly, it was possible they'd spread over my whole body. I had to come back a couple of hours later to see the doctor and get a prescription for an anti-viral medication (VALTREX, people! The same thing they use for HERPES! I was horrified getting that filled at the pharmacy in a college town.)

The shingles never spread, and mine were not that serious, but they took a while to go away and were amazingly uncomfortable. Discomfort is the only way I can describe it--sort of a cross between itchy and painful. It was uncomfortable to even have a shirt touch it. Shingles also cause nerve damage. To this day, I still have bouts of "phantom shingle pain." Very weird.

4. When I was younger (probably middle school), I wanted to be a pediatrician. Among other things, of course. Let's see... careers I considered throughout my childhood: teacher, pediatrician, psychologist, journalist, lawyer. Funny how that happens, right?

5. Growing up, I spent my summers in Virginia. I was born in Seattle, where my parents lived when they were married. When I was 6 years old, my parents divorced, and my mom took us kids and moved back to where she grew up (New York), and my dad moved back to where he grew up (Virginia). Both had family and friends in their hometowns, so they went back to their roots. We would spend 8 weeks with my dad in the summer, and would also spend a week at Christmas and a week at Easter with him in Virginia.

We had cousins my age, and my dad's girlfriend had a son our age, too. So we always had quite the adventures in good ol' rural Virginia. There was always part of me that wanted to be home, though. All my friends were back in New York and I always wondered what it would be like to spend a summer with them instead.

Funny little subfact: When I was little, I would come back from Virginia with a wicked southern accent. My mom said it was completely bizarre. I would come back and drawl, "Maw-ma! Maw-ma! Mema and Granddad have the cutest little puppy dawg!"

6. I used to absolutely love the soap General Hospital. I started watching it when I was about 9 or 10 years old because my afterschool babysitter (a teenager named Dara) was into it. Once I was hooked, I watched it every day for YEARS. If I wasn't home, I would tape it. I started to fall out of it junior and senior years of college (watched more infrequently), and then it was in the year after college that I stopped watching completely. I don't think I have seen a single episode since.

Something cool, though. The summer after my freshman year of college, my friend Candice from New Jersey flew out to Los Angeles and actually interned with General Hospital. Two other friends and I flew out to visit her for a week or two during that time. It just so happened that our visit coincided with General Hospital's "fan weekend" (I think that's what it was called?), and Candice was required to work at it. They needed extra workers, so Candice volunteered us. We got to meet a TON of the cast members. Some were cool, others were not. Oh, and as much as I was into the show, I never realized how simply CUH-RAZY some people are about their soaps. Holy psycho fans. PSYCHO, I tell you.

7. I can recite all of the Presidents of the United States, in order, in under 20 seconds (using only their last names). Thank you to my third grade teacher, Mrs. Miller, for teaching us a song that became completely ingrained in my brain. Eventually, as time went on, I was able to drop the music and just say the presidents in their order. And as more time went on, I got faster and faster at it.

As an aside, I once had to prove this skill at an employee retreat at my old job. For a quiz show style game we were playing, we had to fill out a questionnaire before we went. They asked for a "hidden talent," and that's what I used. At the time, I claimed I could do it in under 60 seconds. Little did I know that I would completely SHATTER that time. That was when I learned I could do it in under 20. :)

Alrighty, that was kind of hard! So I now have to pass the challenge onto seven others.

I tag:
- My friend (I've known her since elementary school), Lesley
- The lovely Laura Jean at Superhero
- My fellow Obama lover, Jenn, over at Cooking (and Getting in Shape) in the Heartland
- Expectant mommy Rachel (Thoughts from the Mind of Maydaygirl)
- Babbs' Bites
- Saint Richard
- Debbie at A Day in the Life of a Crazy Mom

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Speechless

Monday, September 29, 2008

The Bills won. Again.

4-0. Holy crap, people. 4-0.

Each week, I am still afraid to be optimistic. I continually think that the team could make a turn for the worst every. damn. game. And they could. Any team can start the beginning of the end of their season at any time.

But it's hard not to have hope. We have hope at the beginning of every season, even though we probably shouldn't. Usually by week 4, we have a pretty good idea of what our beloved Buffalo Bills are going to look like this year. And it's usually not pretty.

This year? Well, I'm afraid to say it. Don't want to jinx anything. But they're 4-0. 4-0!!

Don't let me down now, boys.

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On the road again

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Little tess is wiped from our weekend in the mountains. Little nature girl got quite the workout on hikes and just exploring around the house. I can't wait to get home though. The drives home are always the worst.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Wet. Wetter. Wettest.

This was us this morning as we prepared to leave the Poconos. You can't tell in the photo, but it was raining buckets. Not exactly the ideal weather for packing up the cars. To make matters worse, my brothers had to load up their 4-wheelers. Luckily, my husband was generous enough to do most of our packing (for my mom and me), so I only got wet during the approximately 20-yard dash to the car.

Nobody wanted to take this photo, but my mom and Susan insisted since it is tradition. We normally take a photo in front of the sign that's at their farm (like last year). We have all these pictures of Nina, Doug, my brothers and me in front of the sign, starting out as really small children.

But this time, given that there is no cover by the sign and we were fresh out of umbrellas, we all agreed that there was no way that was happening.

Thanks to the G family for another fantastic weekend, despite the craptastic weather.

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Are you there, sun? It's me, Heather.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

No sign of the sun again today. What a disappointment.

The group woke up sporadically this morning. We finally got everyone together and went to breakfast at Spanky's. Man, I love going out to breakfast. Blueberry pancakes, homefries... yum.

When we got back to the house, Doug, Vinny, and my mom wanted to go to Skytop to sit in their lobby to use the wireless internet access. All of them were having a difficult time being away from work and needed to check in on some things. Susan, Nina, Michael and I decided to tag along with Tess to take a walk around the grounds. Skytop has a golf course, and a small lake with trails that go around it all.


The weather was decent for us, thankfully. We actually got a little too warm for our sweatshirts and had to take them off halfway through our walk. It was nice to get out and get some good exercise, especially after the big breakfasts we all ate. And Tessa loved it. She was so exhausted that she slept in my lap on the car ride back to the house.


We spent the rest of the afternoon watching a few movies, then made another excellent dinner. The boys grilled up some hamburgers and hot dogs, and I made some oven-roasted red potatoes. Nina and I cut them up into small pieces, then I tossed them with olive oil, garlic powder, fresh oregano, some dried parsley, and salt and pepper. Everything was really good.

After dinner, we sat around the dining room table with beers and glasses of wine, reminiscing about old times. Hilarious memories from years past, when all of us kids were actually kids. So many good times together.

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Mountains. And rain.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Rain, rain, go away.

We were able to salvage a little bit of the day and spend some time outside. Thankfully.

We are in the Poconos to visit with some old family friends. My mom met her best friend, Susan, in middle school and they have remained close all of their lives. When us kids were growing up, we had annual trips with the "G" family, including long weekends in their mountain house in the Poconos (they live in Jersey normally). Susan and her husband, Vinny, have two kids that are right around the same age as my brothers and me, so we made perfect playmates (when we weren't all fighting).

As we all got into high school and college, the visits to see each other became more and more infrequent until we weren't doing them at all. Last year, Susan and my mom decided that we needed to start getting together again. And so the Poconos trips started up again. We had so much fun together last August that we are now aiming to do this every year. So this year was our second annual gathering. :)

We woke up pretty early and spent much of the morning lounging around the house. Finally, we decided that we had to get out for a bit, and the rain had let up enough so that we could.

My brother, Trevor, on his ATV.


Tessa, enjoying her time off of her leash. She doesn't get to do that at home. She loved it.

Doug (Susan's son) and Michael down by the lake. The lake is on the G family's property. You can also see their two standard poodles in this photo, Indy and Sashi. Tessa, too.

The fountain in the middle of the lake.

My other brother, Tyler, on his ATV.

Michael and me (and Tess)


Doug went out in the paddle boat to try to fish in the middle of the lake. Apparently, Indy and Sashi always HAVE to go with him. If he leaves them on the shore, they bark, whine, and cry the entire time he is out there. One of them will actually try to follow him out there, get scared, and then they have to get in the water to rescue her. Ha! Obviously easy to just give in and bring them to begin with.

Michael in the G family's gazebo next to their lake.

Pretty view of the lake and some of their property.

More property. We took a short hike through some of the trails with the dogs.

We spent some more time around the house, just hanging out and talking together. My brothers, their girlfriends, and Michael took a trip to the grocery store to pick up some more beer and a few things for dinner. We all watched a movie (Shooter), and then we started making a delicious dinner. Susan had some frozen stuffed shells, and we also made additional pasta with meat sauce. I put together some fabulous garlic bread, and we also had salad. Yum. And then Susan busted out an apple crisp that was pretty damn good as well.

Vinny and Nina (Susan and Vinny's daughter) arrived just in time for the majority of us to sit down and watch the presidential debate with a couple bottles of wine. :)

All in all, a good day, even though the weather has been less than cooperative.

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Road trip

Thursday, September 25, 2008

We are on our way to the pocono mountains with my family for a long weekend with some old family friends. Just took a pit stop for frosties. :)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Wilton Course II, Class 3

Last night, we worked on learning and practicing five new flowers. We were again working with royal icing. She also asked us to keep saving our flowers so that we can use them all to decorate our cakes in our final class next week. I'm excited to see how it's all going to come together.

Daisies


Victorian roses


Pansies, daffodils, and primroses

Close-up of pansy


Close-up of a primrose (Blogger turned it sideways for some reason, but you get the idea)

Daffodil

Final cake next week! We will be working with buttercream again to learn basketweave and rope borders. We're going to decorate the cakes with all of the royal icing flowers we have already made, and then fill in with buttercream leaves.

I've had fun, but I'm ready to be done with this class. Back in the summer, when we didn't have anything else going on, taking the Wilton course was no problem. Now that I am back into the swing of things with fall, am taking aerobics classes two nights a week, etc. it is just way too much to handle.

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Do not delay!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

McCain suspends campaign, wants to postpone debate.

Now I've heard it all.

Believe me, I am concerned about the economy, and think that our politicians should be, too.
I want solutions--both short-term and long-term--just as much as anyone.

But holy hell, this election is important. Really important.

I understand McCain's reasons for calling for the postponement, but I still don't think it's smart. I can understand cutting down on the traveling and spending more time in Washington, but the debate? We need this debate. We need all of the debates.

I think it's pretty obvious that McCain "suspending" his campaign is just another campaign tactic. He's not really suspending anything at all. Just trying to make himself look more concerned about the economy than Obama, and apparently trying to weasel his way out of actually having to discuss the issues in a debate.

Yes, the economic crisis is a big deal. Yes, something needs to be done about it. But we are talking about an election that will determine the fate of our country for the NEXT FOUR YEARS (at the very least). This is a big deal, too.

So suck it up, McCain. You can do your job as senator by dealing with the economy, and go to the debate. Figure it out. If you're as prepared to lead this country as you say you are, you should be able to multitask.

Ugh. I really hope they debate.

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Vegas, Baby! Vegas!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

On Friday, I received a Facebook message from our friend, Jason. It said that he and a few other friends were planning a trip to Vegas to celebrate his 30th birthday in February. The message was inviting us to come along... inviting EVERYONE to come along.

When Michael and I sat down at the dinner table on Friday night, I brought up the subject. A short time later, we had already decided that yes, we would indeed join everybody in Vegas.

On our honeymoon, we vowed to travel more while we can. We decided that spending the money to travel is worth it, and we should take advantage of the opportunities to travel before kids. We already have a trip booked to Charlotte to visit friends next month, and we're in the very early stages of planning an anniversary trip to Seattle/San Francisco next summer. So, Vegas... we figured, why the hell not?

So, on Sunday, after we checked with my brother and his fiancee to make sure they'd be able and willing to take care of Tessa for a long weekend, we went ahead and booked our flights. Yeahhh, Vegas!

Now we're collectively trying to decide where to stay. One of our friends had been working with a travel agent and they suggested New York New York, but we are also looking into Treasure Island since it seems to have a better location on the strip. Another option is possibly a condo rental, and of course we are open to other suggestions at this point. Budget is definitely a factor (nobody wants to spend a lot of money on a room we're not going to spend a lot of time in), but we also want it to be nice. No nasty Vegas hotel rooms for us. So we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, we are definitely booked for Vegas in February! The way it works out, we'll actually be there for Michael's birthday, so it'll be extra fun and special for us, too. Can't wait!

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Three months

Monday, September 22, 2008

I realized today that yesterday was our three month anniversary. Wow.

Dear Time,

Please stop passing so quickly. At this rate, my life will be over before I know it.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Heather

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3-0. Hell yes.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

We had my brothers and my brother's fiancee, Marie, over for the Bills game today. Cooked up some football snacks, and just had a good time. It was a good thing we were having fun, because the game? Well, the majority of it sucked. Big time. Our team that has played pretty well the last two weeks? They fell apart today.

I don't know what it was: Overconfidence? First taste of truly cool weather? Just a bad day? Hard to say. (I blame the throwback jerseys.)

Once the Raiders broke away for an 85-yard touchdown pass in the 4th quarter, we all sat, stunned, staring at the TV with jaws hanging open. That was it, we thought. They just lost the game. The score was 23-14, and they had to score twice to win. And well, if you have been a Bills fan the last few years, you know that the Bills don't do comeback victories. If they're losing, they lose.

They had a bit of a comeback last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it was nothing like what they would have to do here.

When the Bills got the ball back after the Raiders' touchdown, our excitement grew as they marched down the field and scored a touchdown. 23-21 with about four minutes remaining in the game. We turned our focus to the defense, screaming at them from our living room to not allow the Raiders a first down. And they came through.

With a little over two minutes left in the game, the Bills had a chance. And then they did it. First down, first down, first down. Once they got into field goal range, they let the clock wind down to three seconds before they called their final timeout.

Our kicker, Rian Lindell, ran out onto the field to attempt to win the game with a 38-yard field goal. Scary, considering he missed a field goal attempt earlier in the game.

Next thing we knew, it was up... and it was good. Lindell nailed it. NAILED it. Bills win!! 24-23, with no time left on the clock. A last-second victory.

These are the things that usually happen to other teams. These are the ways in which we're used to LOSING games, not winning them. So this is very exciting. And the Bills? 3-0 for the first time since 1992. We are cautiously optimistic.

GO BILLS!

A few side notes about the game:

  • The turnovers. Ugh, they killed me with the turnovers. Edwards' fumble (SECOND WEEK IN A ROW, BUDDY! HOLD ONTO THE DAMN BALL!) and interception, along with Lee Evans' fumble. Ugh.


  • The penalties. Seriously, what the hell. The Bills are usually one of the least penalized teams in the league, and today, they were morons. Evans' offensive pass interference call... he shouldn't be doing that sort of thing! Get it together, Lee!


  • Speaking of penalties. We had a pass interference call go in our favor, and it was clear from the replay that it was going to be controversial. The ball had been deflected off a Raider's helmet, which negates pass interference. The smart thing would have been to quickly run a play before the Raiders' coach could do anything about it. What did the Bills do? Edwards seemed disoriented and confused, and gave the Raiders all damn day to look at replay after replay after replay. And then the red flag came out. Idiots. That was a free pass interference call you could have had there.


  • What the hell was with the Raider punching Josh Reed in the face in the endzone? What an ass. Leave it to a Raider to get ejected from the game. Just sayin'.


  • Did I mention the Bills are in FIRST PLACE in the AFC East? :)

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Lovely Saturday

Saturday, September 20, 2008

"Actually a pretty nice little Saturday. We're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time!" - Frank, Old School

Today, we went apple picking again. We were running low on apples and needed to stock up. Not only that, but I learned yesterday from looking at the apple farm's website that this weekend was going to be special. Why? Well, they were picking the holy grail of apples: the coveted honeycrisp.

We were there around noon, and the apple farm was busy. It's still a bit warm for true apple picking weather, but how can you resist going out to the farm and picking fresh apples? Especially honeycrisps??

The funny thing was that they just started picking honeycrisps this morning. By the time we got there, many of the trees were already totally picked over. We had to go toward the back of the rows to find apples. So I'm sure that they'll be sold out (picked out? haha) of apples by the end of this weekend. No more honeycrisps to be had, unless you want to pay $2.49+ per lb. at the grocery store. No thanks, there are plenty of other delicious apple varieties.

After that, we headed over to my in-laws to visit with Michael's sister and her family, who drove in from out of town. Little Brendan was adorable as usual. I haven't uploaded the pictures from our visit there (they are on our SLR camera, not the point-and-shoot), but I will update this post with a picture of him when I get the chance. We can't believe how big he is getting.

Everything there was pretty low-key. We just did what we normally do. Just hung out together and chatted. And ate, of course. Lots of eating always involved.

Pretty normal and relaxing Saturday.

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Blueberry Crumb Cake

Friday, September 19, 2008

Tonight, I planned to make apple squares from a recipe given to me by a friend. The plan was to make them to take to my in-laws tomorrow. My sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and nephew are coming into town and I always like to bring something to share.

But when Michael talked to his sister tonight, she mentioned that she was bringing a homemade apple pie. Even though it's fall and it's apple season, I didn't want to overdo it with the apple desserts. I suspected my apple squares might have been too similar to the apple pie, so I had to scramble to find something new to make. And quickly. It was already 8:00 p.m. To further complicate things, I had to find something to make that only used ingredients we had in the house. Neither one of us felt like running out to the grocery store.

So, I picked up my new baking book and started thumbing through it. Many of the recipes that looked good were eliminated immediately due to time constraints or the contents of our cupboards. However, I eventually landed on this recipe for blueberry crumb cake. I asked my husband if he thought this might be good to bring, and he agreed. Into the kitchen I went.


Blueberry Crumb Cake
(Recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

For the Crumbs:
5 tbsp unsalted butter at room temp
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts*

For the Cake:
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)**
2 cups plus 2 tsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
grated zest of 1/2 lemon or 1/4 orange
3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter at room temp
2 large eggs, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8-inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface. Refrigerate until needed. (Covered well the crumb mix can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

To make the cake: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 tsp of the flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don’t be concerned if the batter looks curdled — it will soon smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients.) You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.

Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the fridge and, with your fingertips, break it into pieces. There’s no need to try to get even pieces — these are crumbs, they’re supposed to be lumpy and bumpy and every shape and size. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down ever so slightly.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool just until it is warm or until it reaches room temperature.

*We used peanuts instead of walnuts.
**I would use more blueberries next time.

Close-up of the crumb topping:


Update and review: This came out very well. Perfect for a breakfast or brunch treat, but also sufficient for a snack or dessert. The crumb topping is really flavorful and sweet, and is a nice offset to the cake. I would have enjoyed having more blueberries in the cake, so the next time I make this, I will include at least another handful of blueberries. Since I was using frozen berries, I think they didn't measure correctly because of a little ice build-up on some of the berries. And as always, I'm sure fresh berries would be even better.

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Wilton Course II, Class 2

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Last night, we worked with color flow and royal icings for the first time. We made little blue birds out of color flow, and then made two different flowers (apple blossoms and violets) and violet leaves out of the royal.

We've been instructed to save all of the flowers and stuff that we make for the final class (in two weeks), when we make our Course II cake. We'll be using all of this stuff to decorate it.

So for now, all of this stuff is hanging out in a Gladware container in my kitchen. Check it out:







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The Bible

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Not The Bible Bible... the baking Bible.

It has arrived.


Really, the only question that remains: What do I make first??

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Always a Bride

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

You know what they say: Always a bride, never a bridesmaid.

Oh, wait.

OK, well, that's definitely not what they usually say, but it's what is true for me. I was a bride, but have never been a bridesmaid.

Until now.

On Friday night, my brother's fiancee had a few girls over for a nice dinner as her way of asking everyone to be in the wedding. We enjoyed good food and wine, and Marie gave all of us cards, and a book.

They are not getting married until October 2010, so I guess I get to enjoy my bridesmaid status for quite some time, eh? It'll be interesting to experience a wedding from the "other side" of the bridal party.

Other than that news, not too much else going on lately. Just keeping busy and enjoying ourselves. We have a couple of little weekend and day trips planned over these next few weeks, so that'll add a little excitement to our lives. Looking forward to getting away a little bit. We haven't been anywhere since the honeymoon (haven't taken any days off of work, either!). So stay tuned for all of that...

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Let's go, Buffalo!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Yesterday was my first Bills game of the season. Last week, I wasn't able to watch them play, so this was really the "season opener" for me. And Tess, too.

We got all decked out in our Bills gear.


We were both really tired, and for a while there, the game got boring. So we relaxed.

After losing their lead, the Bills ended up coming back in the 4th quarter for a win. Woohoo!

2-0 heading into a game against the Raiders next Sunday. We like it. The Bills haven't been 3-0 since 1992, so let's hope they don't do anything to screw it up.

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Oh, Tina Fey

Sunday, September 14, 2008

How I love you so.

In case you missed it, Tina Fey returned to Saturday Night Live last night to play Sarah Palin. I never watch SNL anymore, but since Obama was scheduled to appear (I didn't realize he had cancelled due to Hurricane Ike), and there were rumors swirling that Tina Fey would be back for Palin, I knew we had to tune in.

I was not disappointed.

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin: They resemble each other as it is, so it was pretty uncanny to see her with clothes, makeup and hair like Palin. And the accent and mannerisms--she did them so well! And of course, a practically 9-months-pregnant Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton... always gotta love that as well.

(Ugh. I had a YouTube video embedded here, but no sooner did I have it up that it was taken down at YouTube. Damn you, NBC, and your copyright claims. But you can watch the video here at NBC.com: Sarah Palin & Hillary Clinton Opening)

I'd like to think that this stuff is funny, regardless of your political beliefs. I mean, even if you love Sarah Palin--"I can see Russia from my house"--that's still funny, right? I hope so. I'd hate to think people take this stuff too seriously.

I'm looking forward to more SNL. Well, political skits anyway. I'll likely be DVRing so I can fast-forward through all the crap to get to the good stuff. I hope Tina Fey comes back a few more times as Palin. It was too good to not do again!

I was a freshman in college during the 2000 election, but I recorded (on VHS!) SNL every Saturday night just so I could see the political skits. Will Ferrell as George Bush and Darrell Hammond as Al Gore. Those were the days.

Remember when SNL was actually funny? I barely even know any of the actors that are on there now. It's a bummer.

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Peanut Butter Blondies

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Tomorrow night, we're bringing pizza over to our new-parent friends, Theresa and Greg. We're going to have dinner with them, and also meet the baby (10 days old!). I decided that I should bake something to bring for dessert as well.

A few weeks ago, I saw this recipe over at BakingBlonde. I knew that I had to put this in my queue of recipes to try... I just needed an occasion. And here it is!

I also saw that Katie over at Good Things Catered made them recently as well. I ended up using Katie's suggestion of adding peanuts to the recipe, so I followed Katie's recipe more closely than the original at BakingBlonde.

Since I followed the same recipe and used the same size pan, I'm not really sure why mine turned out so differently from both BakingBlonde's and Katie's. But regardless... Michael and I sampled one after they cooled, and they are delicious! So sweet and peanut-buttery and just good.

Peanut Butter Blondies

Ingredients:

- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, almost melted
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
- 1/3 cup honey roasted peanuts (I chopped them up before adding to the batter)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8x8" pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter for 20-30 seconds until almost/all melted. Allow to cool for five minutes.

3. Combine butter, oil, and peanut butter. Mix until creamy and smooth.

4. Add brown sugar to the mixture and continue to mix until smooth.

5. Add the egg and mix to combine thoroughly.

6. Add milk and vanilla, and again mix to combine.

7. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined (the batter will be thick).

8. Gently fold in chocolate chips and chopped peanuts.

9. Place mixture into prepared pan. Spread mixture evenly and level the top.

10. Bake 20-30 minutes, until set in the middle. Cool completely before cutting.

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Chicken & Vegetable Pasta

Friday, September 12, 2008

This is actually a meal Michael and I have been making for years. We used to throw this one together when we were still in college.

It's a nice pasta meal, and it's light. Very good for you. Some people might think it's a little bit bland, but give it a try and see what you think... we obviously like it!

We lost our recipe (it was actually a card that came for free in the mail one month), so we just wing it. Tonight, I paid closer attention to how much stuff I was putting in it so I could share it with all of you. This is a very simple meal to make on a weeknight. Fast and easy!

Chicken & Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. angel hair or thin spaghetti (I use Barilla Whole Grain)
- Approx. 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4-1/2 large onion
- 1 (16 oz.) bag of frozen sliced carrots
- 3 good size broccoli crowns, cut into bite-size florets
- Olive oil
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 (16 oz.) can of chicken broth (I use fat free, low sodium)
- 1/2 tbsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Drizzle olive oil into large skillet. Throw in 1 clove of minced garlic. Add chicken and onion, and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is lightly browned. Remove contents to a plate covered with paper towel to drain. Set aside.

2. Begin to boil water for pasta.

3. In skillet, drizzle a little more olive oil and add remaining clove of minced garlic. Add frozen carrots and stir fry for 6-8 minutes. Add broccoli florets and stir fry for an additional 2-3 minutes.

4. Add chicken broth, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper (to taste). Add chicken and onion pieces back into the skillet. Stir to combine all ingredients. Cook pasta in boiling water. Continue to cook chicken mixture until carrots and broccoli are tender, spooning broth over them as they cook through.

5. Serve chicken and vegetable mixture over hot pasta. Spoon some broth over pasta when serving. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

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9/11/01

Thursday, September 11, 2008

At this exact minute, seven years ago, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. It gives me chills to remember that morning.

Seven years ago. I can't believe it has been seven years.

I was a sophomore in college, living in a dorm, in a suite with seven of my closest girlfriends. It was a Tuesday, and I didn't have my first class until 12:30 p.m. So at 8:45 a.m., when that first plane hit, I was sleeping. My roommate and most (if not all) of my suitemates were at class or elsewhere, so all was quiet where I was. When the second plane hit at 9:03 a.m., and it became clear that these crashes were not accidents... I was still sleeping.

I think I must have stirred between 9:15 and 9:30 a.m. I had no intention of getting out of bed yet, but I think I had to pee. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, for whatever reason, before I collapsed back into bed, I touched the mouse for my computer, "waking it up" from its screensaver. I would never have known anything was happening if it had not been for an instant message.

A friend, Christy, who lives out in Seattle, had sent me an IM saying something along the lines of, "I hope your mom is not traveling today, and that everyone you know is safe." My mom travels all of the time for work. I live in Upstate NY. Six hours from NYC, but still close enough to know several people who live there.

I didn't know what she was talking about. I'm not sure how long I stared at that message before it occurred to me that something big must've happened. I immediately turned on the TV.

We all know what I saw.

I don't remember ever being worried about my mom. I'm not sure if I called her, or if I just knew, after hearing the details--planes from Boston, Newark, and Washington--that it could not possibly be her. I also did not know anybody who worked at the World Trade Center (thankfully).

From then on, I was transfixed by the television. I could not turn away.

I was watching when news broke that a third plane had hit the Pentagon. It was difficult not to be scared. Our country was under attack. I was in a podunk college town, so I was not necessarily worried about my own personal safety... but I was scared for the American citizens I knew had already perished, and for those that still possibly could. And scared for what this would mean for our country.

Who could do this? Who would do this?

I was watching when the south tower fell. Watched again as the north tower collapsed a mere 23 minutes later. Just watched. In horror.

Then the news of a fourth plane crashing in Pennsylvania. All I could think was, What the hell is going on??

There was complete and utter confusion. What was happening? Who was doing this? Are they done crashing planes? How many people were in those buildings? (I remember reports that there could have been something like 20,000 in each. Holy crap.) What is going to happen next?

Sporadically, my suitemates started to return from classes. All of them clueless as to what was going on. Some of them had heard rumors, but didn't believe them to be true until I said that it was, and pointed them to the television.

I couldn't even leave my room. I just had to watch everything as it unfolded. I was desperate to learn all I could about what was happening. I'm not sure I ever even showered. All classes were cancelled for the remainder of the day, which was a relief since I never planned on going anyway.

Throughout the later morning and early afternoon, we started to hear things about friends at college... many of whom were from the New York City area. Erin says her family and friends are all safe. Tyler has a brother who works in one of the buildings--he doesn't know where he is.

At the time, I had yet to meet Michael. That would come in early 2002. But I knew some of his suitemates because they were friends with some of mine. I remember hearing that Vince's mother worked in the Pentagon. I don't remember how or when I heard that she was actually in the area that was hit. And I don't remember how or when I learned this, but she did survive.

In fact, she was the only one from her department/office who did. Badly injured and burned, but alive. (Subsequently, she was featured on Oprah several months later.)

Eventually, I remember we all just decided we couldn't handle it anymore. We had to get out and just go somewhere. Where do you go in a small college town when you want to run errands to "get away from it all"? Oh yeah, you know it... Walmart.

Except that there were TVs in Walmart and we really hadn't escaped anything at all. There really was no running away from this one.

Still, every year, I am sucked into the 9/11 specials that are played on Discovery. I don't really want to relive it; but I certainly don't want to forget.

I don't ever want to forget.

Where were you?

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