Cheerful flowers.

I adore sunflowers. I've loved them since I was a little girl. My favorite shirt forever was this shirt with a huge, glittery sunflower on it. Behind gerber daisies, they are my favorite. There's just something cheerful about them. Roses are lovely-of course-but there's nothing like a bright, colorful sunflower or gerber daisy. There is just no comparison.

Anyway, I have these two empty plant stands on my deck and I planned to put two small potted mums there for the fall. BUT, yesterday, at Kroger they had these beautiful (too big for the plant stands!) potted sunflowers for $8.99. I resisted, but now I think I should've bought them.

What do you think? Is it ghetto to buy flowers at Kroger? And is it silly to spend $8.99 (which I know isn't much) for a pot of sunflowers that likely will die once the first frost hits?

Maybe I should just carry the sunflowers into work. Instant cheerful office...hmm.

Random Pictures of the week

I'm really trying hard to take more pictures! Here are some from this week.

Jabs and I were lucky enough to be invited to watch the pre-season Bengals' game last night in a suite no less! This was my first NFL experience, and I must say, this is the way to watch a game. I'll take a glass of Merlot over a warm Miller Lite anyday while watching football! Not to mention the Donatos set up at half time. Yum.

Here is pie #1. I am entering a pie contest (veeerrrry low level!) on September 26 and was working on my recipe. Don't judge my lattice work-I didn't have my pretty pastry cutter yet, and I didn't roll out the dough thin enough. The verdict on this one was that it was a bit too lemon-y. Suggestions noted! (Do you love my ghetto cooling rack? Yes, that is a muffin tin.)

Here is Steve with his true love. Notice how she is "sitting". She loves this position-weirdo!

Pie #2. The good old crumb topping. Delicious, but to me, maybe a bit sweet? This was the taster's choice; however. Don't judge the low crust-obviously I'd make it prettier for the judges! This was for taste only!! By the way, handmade crust is the way to go. It's not as hard as you think. The key-coooold water and coooold butter.

I couldn't leave this one out. I'm glad she's getting groomed this weekend-way too scruffy!

The twitch.

I have had an eye twitch for 9 hours straight now. Yep, since I woke up. It makes writing this motion I'm working on awfully tough. I keep squinting, but it doesn't get any better. I'm using it as my excuse to periodically (read: continually) peruse the onslaught of Kennedy-family pictures covering the internet. I seriously love looking at them and can't stop!

Completely unrelated, tonight I will have my first real sushi experience. I'm going more for the company than for the food. I've had one bite of sushi and was very less than thrilled. I just don't understand why you'd want all your meal rolled into one item? I like to savor my food, not eat it in 6 bites! I've been advised to stay away from the eel. The fact that it's even on the menu kind of grosses me out-and I love seafood!

Oh well. The restaurant has a great wine list, so if all else fails, I'll enjoy that!

Wish me luck.

Yikes.

Stop texting and driving. This video freaked me out.

2 years.

From this:

To this:

Ok, hmm, we look pretty much the same.

Happy Anniversary, Steve!

Lazy Blog Day

I received the following in an e-mail today from a friend and thought it was pretty funny. I've bolded and added my personal comments to the ones I found to be particularly true! Yes, I am a lazy blogger.

Random thoughts from people 25-35 years old..
-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-That's enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger. AMEN!

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know"feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we allknow how to fix the problem? There was no Internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it. Um, Dirty Dancing?? I had no idea there was an abortion in it until I was in college!

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,and you can wear them forever.

- I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year? Seriously!

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to. This happens to me with my briefs all the time!

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

Ok, so it's not Graeter's...

But, I made a delicious dessert last night that isn't so hard on the waistline like a delicious double scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip. And I bet you have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now!

I was watching an episode of Raechel Ray and was inspired by what she made, though I changed it a bit as she made it with different ingredients.

Ingredients
Bananas (however many you want! I made one per person)
Peanut butter
Honey
Cinnamon/Sugar (I used crystalized cinnamon/sugar mix I had on hand)
Optional toppings: crushed granola, drizzled melted chocolate, sprinkles, chopped peanuts

Directions
Cover serving plate with wax paper. Cut bananas into bite sized pieces. I cut one medium banana into 4 pieces. Stick tooth picks into center of banana. In a small bowl, place one cup of peanut butter and heat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until it's warm and easy to stir. Add 2 tablespoons of honey and mix together until completely blended together. Dip banana bites into peanut butter and cover with a coating of the peanut butter/honey mixture. Place on wax paper and top with cinnamon/sugar (or whatever you choose to top with-I think it'd be delicious with some streaks of melted chocolate). Place in fridge for one hour to set. ENJOY!

Yummy...a healthier alternative to dessert if you're like me and feel like dinner isn't complete without something sweet!

Draper is back.

The third season of AMC's hit show Mad Men begins this Sunday. Yes! I really don't know how I'm going to wait an entire week for the next episode considering I got my Don Draper fix via Netflix for the first two seasons.

No clue what I'm talking about? Read about this fantastic show (seriously, it is my favorite on tv right now) in this excellent Vanity Fair article found here. In the meantime, don't forget to set your DVR!

It's never too late, I suppose.

Last night I finished Julie & Julia, the memoir now made into a movie, by Julie Powell. Let me first say that I am biased-I absolutely adore memoirs. I think every person has a fascinating story-and I could read memoirs only for the rest of my life and be happy.

So-Yes, I enjoyed the book. But, I think I was more fascinated with Julia Child than I was with Julie Powell. But, that's ok. I mean the book was partly about Julia Child. At the end of the book, Julie Powell writes about how she was inspired by Julia Child, and I wish I had the book on me (here at work) to quote from it because it was exactly why I loved the book.

Essentially, Julia Child is an inspiring person not because she was a great chef or an entertaining person to watch on tv. She's inspiring because she took the time to figure out what she loved to do-and then she learned how to do it, and did it exceptionally well. When she and her husband were in Paris, she discovered food like she'd never tasted before and decided to go to culinary school to learn how to make it. And that lead to the rest.

And, most importantly to me(!), she was 37 when she started all this food business and became successful doing something she loved.

That's comforting to me. Some people know exactly what they are passionate about and easily find careers that match up. I think others of us aren't sure. We head down one path and it's ok. We might even have a modicum of success at it. But, we're still free to pursue and think and find that thing that we feel like we were meant to do or be a part of.

And it's ok if you don't have it figured out at 28. ;) If only I could find a job that encompasses the beach, wine, delicious food, oh, and dogs! Hmm.

hotties.

Happy Birthday to the hottest girl I know-Katy! And since we're twins, well I guess that makes me hot as well. The proof is in the picture. We may never look that good again.

Redo

I would like to rewind several hours and have a do-over this morning. The kind of do-over where whatever is dangling from my car is once again attached.

*sigh*

the long line at Kroger

I kid you not that when I walked into Kroger last night, there was one cart left in the cart corral in the front of the store. I quickly grabbed it up and thought to myself why in the heck is Kroger crowded on a Monday at 7:15PM? The cop standing watch remarked to me about how crowded it was and I nodded in agreement. A store worker trying to find spare carts added to our conversation, letting us know that "well it's food stamp Monday." Oh. Apparently the first Monday of the month is always quite crowded at Kroger because the federal government adds money to the now-debit-cards-that-were-once-food-stamps at the beginning of the month. And Monday is the day to cash in.

Of course, I should have known.

Normally, I would've been ok with a little crowd. There is almost always a long line at the Kroger I patronize, and I've come to expect it. But, this was truly something to behold. Carts FULL of groceries. This will sound bad-but as I walked the aisles, using my calculator to make sure I didn't go over my budgeted amount, I grew more and more politically conservative! I mean, c'mon, there were so many people in there-and certainly a large percentage of those groceries scanned were going home FOR FREE. Jealousy crept in.

There are all kinds of statistics out there about who pays (and who doesn't pay) income taxes. But, I know this-I pay a significant percentage of my paycheck to the USA. I am a single person who rents, thus I am screwed when it comes to income taxes. And I know this too-there are a ton of people in this country who work who pay zero taxes because they don't quite make enough to be taxed. And then there are the folks who don't work at all.

I've asked this before and I guess someone hasn't explained this to me in a way that makes sense, but why the heck don't we have a flat tax that applies to all working individuals. If you make $8,000 a year, well then you pay _% of tax like everyone else. Our government is always looking for more money-why not try a new taxing system instead of just increasing the percentage the wealthy pay? Just a thought.

In the meantime, I'm going to contemplate a new job at JCrew, or perhaps, the GAP. Just part-time of course. I'd be able to put my student loans in deferment-you know since I don't make enough money, skip out on income taxes, get free groceries and medical coverage, AND get a sweet discount at my favorite clothing store.

It's a win-win.

Legacy

Beware-this is a bit "jumbly."

My mom's mother died on Sunday morning. We grandchildren called her Granny Mom, which was invented by my brother (the first grandchild) because he kept calling her "mom".  And, well, it stuck. She has suffered dementia for the last few years and was in a lot of pain, so part of me is glad she doesn't have to experience feeling confused and frightened most of the time. 

I felt rather nostalgic all day. I kept thinking back to childhood memories of eating pop-tarts and Mikesell's puffcorn in her kitchen-which were always on hand. And those mashed potatoes...often imitated, never replicated. I was thinking on my drive home from Toledo (and my 10 year high school reunion) today how our days in this world really are quite short. And as I get older, time goes by faster and faster. I was struck with the thought, wow, I really don't want to waste time because this is my life. Not to be morbid, but funerals (and reunions) have a way of forcing you to put your own life in perspective. Am I doing what I'm really passionate about? Am I living life or just surviving it?

Anyway, my grandparents (my grandfather died in late February of this year) definitely lived life. While they certainly experienced tragedy (three of their children died before they did-two of them quite tragically), they didn't wallow in self-pity or spend their lives longing for the next best thing. They loved, and were devoted to, their family. And ultimately, this is their legacy. 

 As I looked around the filled church at my grandfather's funeral, I kept thinking: this is their legacy-this huge family. My grandparents had 9 children, 6 of whom are living today. There are countless grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Before they had to be transferred to a nursing home, my grandparents' house was filled with pictures of their family. Even their Christmas tree was decorated with pictures-old pictures of relatives who had passed away, and new pictures of the grandkids and great grandkids. In their home they were always surrounded by family.

And now, we are blessed to be surrounded by each other. A big, close family devoted to each other because of two simple people who chose to share their lives together. And while we will certainly grieve together at their passing, even more we will celebrate together two lives that were truly lived. A life actually lived-now that is an inspiring legacy.

Lizzy is...

1. Shocked that after 15 minutes of barking, Fi slept through the storms last night in her old crate from puppyhood. It worked! Miracle.

2. Excited for her 10 year high school reunion this Saturday night. I always have fun in Toledo, and it will be even better to spend a night with old friends. Extra bonus-I get to meet my parents' new puppy, Dingo! I am crossing my fingers (and toes) that Fi doesn't want to eat Dingo and they will be fast friends.

3. Hoping today goes fast. This has been an extremely stressful and slooooow week. I cannot wait until the whistle blows at 5PM to be done for the day. Ok, there is no whistle. But, you know.

4. Debating between wearing a dress Saturday night or a skirt/tank top duo. I really cannot decide and I WILL NOT buy something new! Cash budget-how fun.

5. Amazed that her birthday is one week from today! What the heck? I am old.

6. So happy that she found her favorite birthday card at Hallmark that had apparently been MIA for several months. (yes, that's right, the card with the terrier's head out the window of the car and the caption "another year flew by".) I will be buying it in bulk. Expect one on your birthday.

7. Contemplating making herself a birthday cake next week. I aboslutely adore the Barefoot Contessa's chocolate cake (I made it earlier this year) and do not think I can handle a substitute!

8. Definitely buying a new set of headphones for her iPod this weekend. Training for the Columbus half marathon with no tunes is not working out so well!

Fun, right? What are you up to this lovely Friday?

Suggestions?

My Netflix queue needs some work. I need to add some stuff, but I'm not sure what to add. So, any recommendations of movies, documentaries, television series and the like are very much appreciated! No need for them to be new releases-I think I've seen most of those!

Seen anything good lately? Please share.

My two cents.

I will say this about Michael Vick being reinstated and then I promise to be done with it.

People should take advantage of second chances. We're all human and make mistakes. I can come to terms with the fact that unfortunately, our laws don't provide much protection for animals and crimes against animals don't (apparently) warrant much punishment. I understand the argument that he's served his time and should be allowed to resume his life-and career. I will never argue that a human life is less valuable than an animal's life. (If I had to choose between rescuing Fi or Steve from a burning building, of course I'd pick F...oh wait, I mean...kidding ;) )

Here's what I don't understand: If I were to apply for a job at the GAP, making minimum wage, I would not get hired if I were a convicted felon. In a similar fashion, I would be kicked out of the military if I committed a felony. However, in the world of professional sports, the almighty dollar reigns supreme. Just look at nearly any team in football as an example and you will find a plethora of convicted criminals. But we don't mind-as long as they can run fast, catch a ball, or stop the offense.

So few individuals are naturally gifted to play professional sports. And we bless their talent by showering them with millions of dollars. And here, we have an individual gifted with such talent who squandered away more money than most anyone makes in a lifetime, violently tortured and killed animals, and was convicted of a felony. But, sure, he's learned his lesson. Money beats out honor every time in professional sports. It is a business after all.

I hope Michael Vick shocks us naysayers. I hope he grabs hold of this second chance and proves that reform and rehabilitation (the *goals* of our justice system) are achievable.

I also hope that he donates his fat paycheck he'll soon be receiving to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ah, the irony). But, I won't be holding my breath.

Being elle woods is hard work.

Yesterday was a less than wonderful day. Work stress made me feel like I was losing my sanity (or what sanity I have left). I think my heartrate was actually in my "maximum" zone for much of the day-all without working out! Yay. And to top it off, I came home and realized I had no wine.

But, today is a new day. Yesterday is over. I woke up, gave myself a bit of a pep talk, and am ready to put a positive spin on anything stressful that comes my way today (which it surely will).

It also doesn't hurt that I know and am anticipating the delicious selection of wine a certain someone will be bringing over to my place tonight. Just saying.

Easy Chicken Meatballs

Last week I had some lean ground chicken and wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I wasn't in the mood for burgers, so I decided to make meatballs and toss together with some jar sauce and whole wheat spaghetti. You could also use them in a meatball sub. It was delicious and super easy. I thought I'd share the meatball recipe because it was so incredibly easy and also very healthful!

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground chicken
1/2 Cup italian style bread crumbs
1/4 Cup Grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Directions
Mix all ingredients except olive oil in bowl and stir together or use your hand to mix. Form into 1 inch meatballs. I used my pampered chef ice cream scoop and it made the perfect size, uniform balls. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat about 30 seconds. Add meatballs and brown on all sides. Once browned, place in saucepan with sauce you are using (homemade or from a jar), simmer over low heat for approximately 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Guess where I'll be this weekend?

Yep, in Pittsburgh to visit family. Gets me all excited for football season.

It's just around the corner!

Discipline.

When my alarm went off this morning at 5:20AM I immediately heard the rain. I then went into this back and forth debate (with myself) as to whether I should wake up and rush around and try to get to the gym before work, or just take the day off from working out, since obviously I would not be running outside. I finally dragged myself out of my bed and made it to the gym.

Here's the thing-I am so extremely disciplined about working out. Granted, I'm not some ultra marathoner or body builder, but 6 days a week I work out for a minimum of 30 minutes-usually it's much longer. In fact, up until this past January when I was unable to exercise because of some medical reasons, I hadn't taken more than one day off a week for years. Usually it's just a run around Clifton, but I am so committed to exercising every day. It's important to me to be physically healthy. No, I'm not a model and am far from having a perfect body, but my heart is in good shape-and I definitely can't attribute that to genetics.

Why is it so easy for me to commit to my physical health, but not so much when it comes to my spiritual "health" if you will? Plain and simple, I am just not as disciplined. It's been over 2 months since I've been involved in any kind of structured community and/or fellowship. And I am definitely starting to feel the effects of that void in my life. Sure, I read my Bible and pray, but I just haven't been commiting to setting aside time to really be alone with God the way that I do when I'm encouraged by others around me doing the same thing. Does that make sense? It's like I lose my discipline...and obviously, the effects of that kind of disconnect are far greater than an expanding waistline.

I was thinking about this today and happened to read this by Henri Nouwen this very morning. I don't think it's a coincidence!

Discipline is the other side of discipleship. Discipleship without discipline is like waiting to run in the marathon without ever practicing. Discipline without discipleship is like always practicing for the marathon but never participating. It is important, however, to realize that discipline in the spiritual life is not the same as discipline in sports. Discipline in sports is the concentrated effort to master the body so that it can obey the mind better. Discipline in the spiritual life is the concetrated effort to create the space and time where God can become our master and where we can respond freely to God's guidance.

Thus, discipline is the creation of boundries that keep time and space open for God. Solitude requires discipline, worship requires discipline, caring for others requires discipline. They all ask us to set apart a time an a place where God's gracious presence can be acknowledged and responded to.
-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey