Snow, Snow, Go Away...Don't come again another day

It snowed.  Again.  Surprise, Surprise.

It had better be the last time, too.  My drive home took two and a half hours yesterday, which I expected, but it was quite unpleasant that I had to pee really bad the last hour of the drive.  As soon as I walked in the door, I ran to the restroom while M made me a martini.  Glorious.  We spent the evening finishing How To Train Your Dragon.  It was really cute!  I highly recommend it.  Then I took the online Jeopardy test (which was harder than I expected) and then we sledded.  While we were sledding, we watched morons attempt to drive up the icy road at the end of our street with their rear wheel drive.  It was amusing.  

When my alarm went off this morning, I assumed I would take it easy this morning and then head into work around 10. But as the morning went on, I decided I would take a personal day instead.  I was relatively productive.  I played the Sims for 2-3 hours and then burned some cds.  After that I purged my closet of clothes I never and will never wear to take to goodwill.

Following my closet purge, I got dressed and ran to Publix to buy stuff to make tiramisu for Valentine's day.  When my best friend got married in July, part of our Bridesmaids gift was a bottle of Arrington Vineyard's dessert wine.  They do free wine tastings at the vineyard and serve their Raspberry dessert wine with bits of truffles and it is positively divine.  I've been saving the wine for a special occasion because I didn't want to drink it any old day, and I've been craving tiramisu since New Years, so I thought the combo would be perfect after we go to Sunset Grill on Valentine's day.

After my grocery visit, I ran to Target to get something else to go with M's gift and a gift bag to put it all in.  

Then I came home and plopped myself in front of the TV and have been watching Friends the rest of the afternoon.

I'm so glad I decided to take a personal snow day.  Best decision ever.  I highly recommend you do it yourselves.  It's nice to have the house, and a day, to myself.

But spring better hurry up and get its ass here, I'm sick of winter.  Especially -293084928 degree weather and more importantly, snow.

Wee Bit Wednesdays

{one} ice: crushed or cubed?

Cubed.

{two} what is your worst traffic pet peeve?

Oh, wow, I have a lot, but I'll say people who cheat the system by going around and cutting people off.  Wait your turn, bitches.

{three} what room in your house best represents your personality?

None, because the painting of "my room" in our house is pending warmer weather.  The rest of the rooms represent M's personality since I moved into his house.

{four} do you save old birthday cards?

I do.

{five} when was the last time you went on a picnic?

M and I picnicked on the boat sometime last fall.

{six} do you regularly check your horoscope?

No.  I don't believe that I share the same fate as every other person born from Sept X-Oct X.

{seven} when you’re home, what do you wear on your feet?

Slippers.  Or my boots that I love, but only if I already had them on that day.

{eight} what’s your favorite gambling game?

Blackjack...or maybe Hold 'em.  I haven't played a lot.  I'll get back to you after we go to Vegas.

{nine} have you ever written (or started writing) a book?

Yes, err...I guess I failed at NaNoWriMo.

{ten} what is your favorite musical?

Hands down Les Miserables.  It's so amazing!  I'm seeing it at TPAC in May.  Can't wait!

Super weekend and a super bowl.

**Warning, this is a ridiculously long post.


The weekend can't come fast enough, and then once it's here, it seems to fly by.  What's up with that? 

Last week seemed to take forever.  With my job interview and the assessment they asked me to take, it seemed like the weekend would never get here.  And then it did, and I was happy.

But when M got home Friday night he was in a fairly bad mood.  His day at work had been pretty rotten and then on his way home he got a call from the Honda dealership in regards to a survey he had taken.  In the survey, he'd given his experience with the shop at the dealership mostly 4s and 5s.  No biggie, right?  That would be A's and B's or 80s and 100s.  Great!  And he had agreed to take an additional, but longer, more detailed survey.

Well, the guy on the phone was basically bribing M to take a $100 credit if he would give them all 5s when he took the next survey.  I won't go into how angry M was, but he hardly ever gets angry, so it was not so good.  It's not like he'd given them 2s and 3s initially.  Geez.

So I suggested we go get some dinner because he hadn't really eaten much lunch, and I though a drink would help cut his tension.  Mexican is our default Friday night dinner, so I immediately threw that out as an option.  He bought me a dress for Valentine's day and he asked if I'd wear it.  I told him it was a bit too fancy for Mexican, so he suggested we go somewhere else.  His suggestion was F Scotts.

He made a reservation for 7:45 and I hustled to get dressed up and touch up my hair and makeup. 

Dinner was amazing.  Even though fine dining is quite expensive, it is so worth it.  Our service was impeccable.  Our waitress recommended great options for both food and wine.  We ordered and appetizer, salads, main courses and dessert and we were there for two and a half hours.  They would let us finish a course and relax before the next course so we never got overly full throughout the whole evening.  We ordered some sparkling wine to start.  I have only really had korbel and andre (neither of which I've cared for unless it's just my goal to get drunk.)  He ordered Sofia by Francis Ford Coppola's vineyard and it was positively delicious!  The waitress brought it to our table with champagne flutes and when she poured it I realized it was in an aluminum can, about the size a can of pineapple juice comes in, with a straw stuck to the side.  Now, clearly we drank it out of the flutes, but I can only imagine drinking it out of the can with the straw.  Really classy.  Sounds like something I would've done in college. 

Sparkling wine, in an aluminum can, with a straw.

Besides that we ordered a nice bottle of Spanish red wine (can't remember what it was).  M had veal and I had grouper.  Both were so good, but the veal was absolutely to die for.  I hate eating it since I know how cruel it is, but I love eating it because Oh. My. God. 

Our waitress recommended a wonderful flan-type dessert with apples and then went out of her way to bring us a tasting of a wine she really liked, on the house.  It was so sweet of her. 

I just enjoyed that we weren't being rushed off (like most restaurants do these days) and that the food was good portion sizes, fresh and tasty.  I was rather shocked M wanted to go somewhere so fancy with Valentine's day looming around the corner.

By the time we got home it was 10:30, so being the old folks we are, we hit the hay.  Saturday we woke up and cooked breakfast like our traditional weekend schedule.  I had bought turkey bacon at the grocery store as an experiment.  I am a bacon junkie, but I'd had turkey bacon before and actually really liked it.  I was skeptical of how M would take this change, though.

When we sat down to eat he asked, "Turkey bacon?"

And I explained that it was healthier and was an experiment, and that if we didn't like it, I'd buy some good ole, artery clogging, deliciously greasy, bacon.  But....we liked it!  I think I'll still occasionally buy regular bacon because there's just something so wonderful about it, but I'll still alternate with the healthier option.

After breakfast, I got ready and took our recycling (the city picks up our paper, plastic and aluminum, but not glass) so that we'd have more room for people's beer cans and bottles during the party.  Then I headed to my parents house to pick up their spare crock-pot and get some of my kitchen stuff that's been sitting in their garage since I moved in with M in June.

We chatted for a while before I headed home to go to the grocery store.  I expected it to be whoa crazy crowded, but it wasn't that bad.  I do have one minor complaint.  Why do people go to the checkout line and then realize they forgot something and leave their cart sitting at the checkout while they run to get it.  Your spot isn't saved just because you forgot something on your list.  Take your cart with you so that other people don't have to wait on you.  Who knows where you could've gotten to.  It's just silly, inane things like this that rub me the wrong way.  Common decency, folks.

Saturday afternoon we cleaned (namely me, hardcore cleaned my bathroom) the tough stuff so Sunday wouldn't be as bad, and then we watched tv and cooked a frozen pizza for dinner.  Really thrilling.

Sunday I got up and started my batch of chili.  I made turkey chili from this recipe I saw last year in Southern Living.  It's delicious, and I feel a lot better after eating it than I do with beef chili.  Once I had mine going in the crock-pot, I browned some beef so M could make his crock-pot of chili (a tiny chili cook-off, if you will) and then I made breakfast.  We dusted and vacuumed the house, and I cleaned up the kitchen before making some brownies in case folks got a sweet tooth. 

We relaxed while we waited for time for people to come over and M decided to run buy some wood to make a fire.  We just had it going when some of our guests arrived.  The party ended up being much more intimate with just six of us, but it was still a lot of fun.  We ate pigs in a blanket, rotel dip (really the only reason I watch the super bowl), and chili.  It was great.

M suggested we do this bet where you buy squares and bet on the half-time score and the end of the game score.  Turns out M won the half time score and I won the end of game.  Looks like we rigged it, I guess.  My friends said "well, y'all did throw the party." 

I think in the end my chili won the cook-off, but we definitely will be eating chili for a couple days.  I guess that's good though because it's supposed to be painfully cold this week. 

I was going for the Packers (even though it wouldn't've mattered one bit to me if the Steelers had won) because on Friends Phoebe says she likes Green Bay because, "It's only like my favorite bay!"  At the end of the game in that episode, she says that even though Green Bay lost, it was "a valiant effort for the Green Bay...mermen."  I was excited to put that last bit as my facebook status after the game. 

I was generally disappointed with the commercials last night.  I don't think a single one stands out enough for me to consider it my favorite.  Oh well.  Maybe next year.

And now for some recipes:

Turkey Chili (Care of Southern Living)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 6 hours

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 (1.25 oz) envelope chili seasoning mix

1 (12 oz) can beer

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Cook first 4 ingredients in a large skilled over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 minutes or until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink.  Stir in beer, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Spoon mixture into a 5.5 quart slow cooker; stir in corn and next 6 ingredients until well blended.  Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours.  Serve with desired toppings.

I love this recipe for various reasons.  1) it's a healthier option with the lean ground turkey.  2) I like recipes that require beer because, I love beer.  3) It's so colorful.  With the corn, red and green bell peppers and black beans, it's got a lot more variety than the usual red and brown.  and 4) It's delicious!  I didn't use all 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes because a) I'm not a huge tomato person and b) my crock pot wasn't big enough, so I only used half.  I also used slightly less than the whole bag of corn, also because my crock pot wasn't big enough.  For the 12 oz can of beer I reckon you can use whatever, but I didn't want to buy cheap beer just to cook with, so I used what I had purchased for the game, Sierra Nevada Tumbler (their fall brew) and the flavor was great!

I would give you a recipe for M's chili, but I'm fairly certain even he doesn't remember what all he put in it.  I know for sure there was ground beef, two cans of chili beans (with chili gravy), the other can of crushed tomatoes I didn't use, chili powder, celery seed, cloves, cinnamon, hot sauce, tabasco, jalapenos, slap-yo-mama (some sort of hot spice he has), and god knows what else.  I'm pretty sure he just went through our spice cabinet and added a little bit of everything in there.  It was good, but a bit too spicy for me, and the cloves and cinnamon made it taste like chili cider-y-ish-ness.  It was weird.

For the brownies, I didn't want to buy a mix because I just don't love brownies made from a mix.  Instead, I found a recipe in this cookbook I have called Cotton Country Cooking, which was published by the Decatur Junior Service League in Decatur, Alabama in 1972.  I have my mom's copy because she has my grandmother's.  I decided brownies from scratch would be tastier, and I was right.  These were absolutely delicious!  And easy (because I already had all the ingredients on hand.)

Quick Delicious Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter 

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa

2 eggs

1 cup flour

 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup nuts, if desired

Directions:

Melt butter in medium saucepan.  Add sugar and cocoa.  Mix thoroughly.  Remove pan from heat, then add remaining ingredients, spread batter in a greased and floured 9 x 9 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Makes 2 dozen 1 1/2 inch squares.

Turned out to be a great and relaxing weekend with the one I love and some of our great friends!  Hope y'all had a great one, too.  Here's wishing for a fast week so we can celebrate the next weekend!

Evidently my ears are misshapen...

I had just put dinner in the oven and settled down on the couch to watch Big Band Theory last night (I was pumped because we missed almost all the new episodes before Christmas and had been stuck watching reruns, but yay! a new episode) when M moseyed into his office and peered out the window.

 

"There's two fire trucks in front of our house."

 

"Umm what?"

 

We went out the front door and gawked at the fire trucks and firemen who were currently walking back and forth from our neighbor's door to the truck.  We stood there longer than I would've liked (considering I was wearing a sleeveless dress, tights and boots and it was approximately -564261 degrees outside) because M wouldn't just ask what was going on.  We came back in, he put on shoes and went back out to check on the situation.  I was nervous because I hadn't voiced that about 30 minutes before that I thought I'd smelt something burning.

 

M returned and said "It must not be too bad, Becky and her daughter were sitting in the kitchen directing the firemen."

 

After we'd eaten and one of the trucks had left, M went back outside and found out their carbon monoxide detector had gone off, which is linked to ADT, which immediately called the fire department.  Whew.  So who knows what I smelled burning.

 

M tested our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors' batteries (ya know, for good measure.)

 

You'd think this was the point of the story.

 

I was peacefully asleep when I was suddenly woken at 5:15 am.  I couldn't figure out what had disturbed me, but then I finally honed in on a sound.  I got up and looked out the window thinking maybe it was the carbon monoxide alarm going off at Keith and Becky's again.  Since it was the dead of night, I thought maybe it was more audible than while we had our TV blaring and such.  I went in to see if M had heard it as well, but he was passed out (like I wished I was.)  As I went to go back to bed, I decided I should probably use the restroom so I wouldn't be disturbed again by my incessant bladder.

 

Evidently this woke M, which was good because he was having a horrifying nightmare that he just couldn't seem to escape.  Yay!  I saved him.  But since he was awake, I asked, "Do you hear that?"

 

"Yeah, it's a bird or something."

 

"That's a bird?!  It sounds like an alarm to me."

 

"No, it's a bird, or maybe a tree frog.  I hear it a lot of times when I'm in the shower, but not usually this early"

 

"Well it woke me up."

 

"Do you want some ear-plugs?"

 

"Yes, please!"

 

Those stupid foam ear plugs are a joke.  I tried to put them in my ears and they just fell right out. 

 

"M, how do I get these to stay?"

 

"You squeeze them and twist them into your ear."

 

It still didn't work.  Probably because my ears are misshapen.  Coving my head with a pillow didn't work either.

 

Now mind you, I'm a grumpy person when I have to wake up before 9 o'clock.  Which is almost every day.  I'm an even grumpier person when I have to wake up before the sun is up.  Like this particular morning.

 

We determined that it was two tree frogs who were trying to mate and couldn't find each other.  One frog sounded like it was in the room with us while the other sounded like it might be across the street and down a few doors.  The reason I thought a bird was a good assumption was because it sounded like a damn woodpecker.  That constant, consistent pecking it does.  You know what I'm talking about?  I felt like Kit in Failure to Launch when she bought a gun to kill the mockingbird outside her window.  Except I didn't buy a gun.  And I would never kill a mockingbird.  Harper Lee told me I can't.

 

Instead, as I lay there suffering both from the horrible, atrocious noise outside, but also from suffocation with the pillow smothering my face, I had a genius idea!

 

M bought me those earbuds that stick into your ear for a better fit and to keep others from having to hear your music.  I thought that surely, with those in my ear and my classical music playing, I'd both drown out the noise and get another hour of sleep.

 

Well those awesome earbuds that I love so much because they actually fit well into my ears rather than those other stupid ones that just plain hurt, and don't stay put when you work-out, typically fit when I'm sitting at my desk listening to my ipod, but evidently don't fit whatsoever when your pillow pushes them into your eardrum.

 

On top of that, the damn music didn't drown out asshole frog 1 or asshole frog 2, and I had to turn it up so loud to even somewhat lessen the mating call, that the music kept me from being able to fall back asleep.  And it was classical music.  From a CD called "Classical Music for Yoga and Meditation."  Hellloooo, it's supposed to be calming and peaceful and put me to sleep! 

 

I even smothered the pillow back on top of my head in addition to my earbuds playing classical music and could still hear the bitches.  And I'm not even exaggerating.  By 6:15 I gave up, got up and got in the shower.

 

Guess what?  Because my bathroom is the only room in the house without an outer wall, with the water running I couldn't hear the damn frogs at all!  Hooray.  Why didn't I think to get up and sleep in the shower with the water running for the last hour and a half of my slumber?

 

Positives of this catastrophe: I wasn't rushed trying to get ready.  I had time to sit and massage M's head while he semi-slept, ensuring he was starting off his Friday with a bang.  I got to work 10 minutes early, traffic wasn't as stressful as usual and I'll get to leave 10 minutes early.

 

Negatives: If those frogs do this again tomorrow, Saturday, the wonderful day known for sleeping in, I'll have to bust a cap in their ass.

Wee Bit Wednesdays and rodents predict the weather?

{one} what was your favorite sitcom growing up?Hmm...probably Boy Meets World 
{two} what song always makes you happy when you hear it?wow, this is a long list, probably anything by Coldplay or Snow Patrol.
{three} do you still have your wisdom teeth?I don't still have them because I never got them.  Win!
{four} what is your go to way to relax?pajamas, wine, tv.  Or laying in bed for hours on a Saturday morning.
{five} do you play any instruments? I know how to play the piano and the flute, but it's been ages, so I'm sure it wouldn't be pleasant to hear.
{six} nude beaches: yes or no?It's on my to-do list, but I'm not looking forward to what I might see.
{seven} do you chew your pens/pencils?chew, no.  but I do put the end of pens in my mouth.
 {eight} can you change the oil in your car?yes, I get behind the wheel, drive to firestone and ask for an oil change.
{nine} can you curl your tongue?sure can
{ten} can you knit or crochet?I learned to knit my freshman year of college, but I couldn't ever get anything started.  I should probably try again.  I made a scarf for myself and had left over yarn and made one for my best friend's cat, but his mom threw it away.

Have you ever wondered who first thought, "hmm, it's February 2nd and that groundhog just ran back in his hole because he saw his shadow.  I bet we'll have 6 more weeks of winter."  It's frankly absurd.
The custom is strange and it amazes me that a town in Pennsylvania has an actual holiday for it.
Even though it's stupid, and even though there's no way in this world that a rodent could determine whether spring  will come early, I'm quite grateful that this year he didn't see his shadow.  Spring will supposedly come early this year.  And I'm freakin' stoked.  This snowy, miserably cold winter has absolutely sucked.  I'm so excited to see some warmer weather come our way.