Seeing all of my friends' kids dressed up for Halloween has made me think back to when I was a kid. Getting dressed up and heading out door to door. There are many things that I didn't like about living in a small town, but Halloween was awesome! There was only between 90 - 100 houses and by the time I was eight, I was out going to every participating house in town. Loved it.
I wish I had a scanner because I'm pretty sure I have a picture of my favorite costume of all time. Smurfette. I loved the Smurfs as a kid and I was Smurfette for two years. And I'm not talking store bought costume either. And yet my mom went all out on our costumes, just like with baking, there is no halfway. My mom painted my face blue and bought a yellow string mop for my hair, I wore white top like dress and blue pants. And blue gloves. Hilarious. I had to have been about four. What I want to know is how on earth I went for two hours without getting that make up everywhere.
This year, I'm going a bit more lowkey, I'm wearing some purple scrubs with a stethoscope, and I might pick up a surgical mask. I hope the scrubs fit, I bought them when I weighed a bit more. What was your favorite Halloween costume ever?
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Bacon Mac and a Kitchen Mishap
So last night I decided to make Bacon Mac. I'd been reading another blog online and this woman was talking about how fantastic this recipe from Cooking Light was for Mac and Cheese. I decided three things: I like Mac&Cheese, I like bacon, and I like Cooking Light. So in theory, this should be great.
If you're interested, the recipe is located here: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1918488
So, I bought the ingredients that I didn't have at home - green onion, bacon, cheddar cheese, hot sauce and got to work. I will tell you that it took forever for that milk to boil. I was getting hunnnnnngry.
So finally everythings ready to go into the broiler, which at my house is actually just my oven. The directions say, 'In a broiler safe dish..." I thought why wouldn't my cheapo set of pots be broiler safe? Seven minutes later, I open the oven door and pull out the dish, it looks fantastic by the way. Not quite as pretty as the picture in the link, but the handles are smoking. Yes, SMOKING!! And I can tell that they are warped and swollen for lack of a better term. Apparently they were not oven safe. I probably should of used a casserole dish. So, I'm guessing it's time to upgrade the pots and pans to something not so cheap.
On the upside, the Bacon Mac tasted delicious - bacon, cheesiness, little bit of cruchiness on top.
If you're interested, the recipe is located here: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1918488
So, I bought the ingredients that I didn't have at home - green onion, bacon, cheddar cheese, hot sauce and got to work. I will tell you that it took forever for that milk to boil. I was getting hunnnnnngry.
So finally everythings ready to go into the broiler, which at my house is actually just my oven. The directions say, 'In a broiler safe dish..." I thought why wouldn't my cheapo set of pots be broiler safe? Seven minutes later, I open the oven door and pull out the dish, it looks fantastic by the way. Not quite as pretty as the picture in the link, but the handles are smoking. Yes, SMOKING!! And I can tell that they are warped and swollen for lack of a better term. Apparently they were not oven safe. I probably should of used a casserole dish. So, I'm guessing it's time to upgrade the pots and pans to something not so cheap.
On the upside, the Bacon Mac tasted delicious - bacon, cheesiness, little bit of cruchiness on top.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Theta related
Last night, I hosted the monthly Theta Alumnae board meeting. I decided that since it was so close to Halloween it should be a Halloween themed event. I’m pretty certain this is due in large part because of the time I spent living with Nikki. So....I had Halloween plates, napkins and cups. Who knew that Solo now made orange (and black) cups? You may remember these as keg cups. I made some pumpkin bars, bought some cider, wine, candy corn, peanuts and M&Ms. I didn't say this was going to be a healthy party.
So the first SNAFU happens - nobody can find my apartment. I'd said on the evite that if people needed directions to let me know. Nobody asked - so I figured since everyone was a native Omahan (but me) they all knew where they were going. Negatory, everyone got lost, I'm getting calls. And to make matters worse the light right outside my building was out. Seriously?!?!
So once people finally found my apartment the next problem happened - only ten people had RSVP'd, I had seating for nine and figured I'd sit on the floor. My living room area is small. It's probably the smallest of any apartment that I've ever lived in. For as "big" as my apartment is, the space is very poorly proportioned. But then only nine people show up, problem solved, until the other three people come and we're now at 12. Um, hmm...
And then, when I'd been getting my wine glasses out, I discovered I only had seven. I knew my diswasher attacked one. But I thought I had 12. Did four of them run off? Eh, no one seemed to care.
Plus, we're changing up our silent auction this year (Thank God) to a raffle of stuff that people will actually want to buy. In the past, we've done a silent auction where people buy stuff (or get it donated), bring it to our event and then bid on it, starting at about half of what the item is worth. The organizer of this year's event was frustrated with how little we raised for CASA and our scholarship fund last year and decided maybe having a handful of bigger items would be better. People can put all their raffle tickets toward just the item that they want and we're opening up the purchasing of the tickets to the general public. I think it should turn out well, since ALL the items were donated this year. And they're all group together in categories - i.e. golf package, wine package, beauty/spa package, dining package, party package. Hopefully we'll raise more money than last year.
So the first SNAFU happens - nobody can find my apartment. I'd said on the evite that if people needed directions to let me know. Nobody asked - so I figured since everyone was a native Omahan (but me) they all knew where they were going. Negatory, everyone got lost, I'm getting calls. And to make matters worse the light right outside my building was out. Seriously?!?!
So once people finally found my apartment the next problem happened - only ten people had RSVP'd, I had seating for nine and figured I'd sit on the floor. My living room area is small. It's probably the smallest of any apartment that I've ever lived in. For as "big" as my apartment is, the space is very poorly proportioned. But then only nine people show up, problem solved, until the other three people come and we're now at 12. Um, hmm...
And then, when I'd been getting my wine glasses out, I discovered I only had seven. I knew my diswasher attacked one. But I thought I had 12. Did four of them run off? Eh, no one seemed to care.
Plus, we're changing up our silent auction this year (Thank God) to a raffle of stuff that people will actually want to buy. In the past, we've done a silent auction where people buy stuff (or get it donated), bring it to our event and then bid on it, starting at about half of what the item is worth. The organizer of this year's event was frustrated with how little we raised for CASA and our scholarship fund last year and decided maybe having a handful of bigger items would be better. People can put all their raffle tickets toward just the item that they want and we're opening up the purchasing of the tickets to the general public. I think it should turn out well, since ALL the items were donated this year. And they're all group together in categories - i.e. golf package, wine package, beauty/spa package, dining package, party package. Hopefully we'll raise more money than last year.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Four weddings...
As many people know, I come from a large extended family. My dad is the oldest of 12 children. All of his brothers and sisters got married and had 2 to 3 kids. I'm the third oldest grandkid. Growing up, many years of my childhood were filled with the annual family wedding of the year. It was an event. In 2010, there will be not 1, or 2, or even 3, I am now up to FOUR family weddings. OMG!!!1!! A wedding in May, June, July and October.
I'm just hoping that next year doesn't turn into the Hugh Grant movie, because I really don't like the flipside of that idea.
Back to happier topics, I was recently involved in a online discussion about getting the father's permission/blessing for marriage. Both times that my sister has been engaged, her fiance has asked my dad for his permission/blessing, so I guess I just naturally assumed that someday when I got married, the guy I would marry would ask my dad too. That said, I'm also now 30. And while I talk to my dad several times a week, it's not like I get to see my parents very much. It's not like my parents support me or have in about 10 years. I just think it would be a nice gesture. Is this an antinquated tradition or do people still do this? Thoughts?
I'm just hoping that next year doesn't turn into the Hugh Grant movie, because I really don't like the flipside of that idea.
Back to happier topics, I was recently involved in a online discussion about getting the father's permission/blessing for marriage. Both times that my sister has been engaged, her fiance has asked my dad for his permission/blessing, so I guess I just naturally assumed that someday when I got married, the guy I would marry would ask my dad too. That said, I'm also now 30. And while I talk to my dad several times a week, it's not like I get to see my parents very much. It's not like my parents support me or have in about 10 years. I just think it would be a nice gesture. Is this an antinquated tradition or do people still do this? Thoughts?
Sunday, October 25, 2009
October weekends! :)
October has been a fantastic month for weekends! It really has - I had a great time down in KC hanging out with Kati, Stacy, Kim and Jenny and partying like I was in college the first weekend in October. Kati was such a trooper, even though she was uber pregnant. More than I will probably ever be. And I discovered just how much of a drinking amateur I was compared to Justin and his all of his Pike fraternity brothers. Yeesh! I finally made it to the Power & Light district. Caught up with Sara & Justin for a bit during some cold tailgating on Saturday. The sun forgot that it was invited as did ISU's kicker. But all in all a great weekend with lots of fantastic memories.
The next weekend, I went to a party where I again, forgot that I AM NOT IN COLLEGE ANYMORE. Jeez. Drinking games? Really? Up until like three or so? I had a great time, but needless to say, I was quite useless on Sunday. I think I slept until noon!
And the following weekend was Homecoming. I LOVE HOMECOMING! I always have, it's one of my favorite things. I mean, come on, I was Homecoming chair twice. You don't do that unless you're crazy or you really love something, or both. Probably both. My regular tailgating crew had gone AWOL, so I hooked up Salsa and Eric and their crew around 12:30 with plans to head over to Megan's around 3:00. It was cold. Despite having a tent and heaters, I was still cold. Yes, I'm a wimp. I don't care. I'm blaming the washers, and my poor ability to play washers despite a summer of practice. And ISU pulled off a big win, without much problem. And the next day was Nikki's baby shower. It was great to catch up with everyone I hadn't seen in forever.
And then this weekend, Salsa's cousin, Eric, was hosting a gamewatching party at his house for THE game. I'd been offered tickets on Thursday to go to Lincoln and even though Steph was coming to town, I decided I didn't need to witness what I figured would be a blood bath in person. I had easy access to a keg - and donuts and a turkey and a 60 inch TV. I'm going to stick with that and not be tormented, thanks though. The party started at 7:30 a.m., but we didn't get there until about 8:15 or so, which was great because the donuts were almost coming out of the fryer. We arrived and Kyle told us that Arnaud was out and so Robinson. Suddenly, having easy access to a keg seemed like a great idea. I was trying to remain optimistic, but really, the leading rusher in the Big 12 is out? YIKES!
For comedic relief, Eric and Kyle prepped the turkey. They weren't trying to be funny, but it was hilarious watching get the insides out and also cutting the handle off since it was going into the fryer. I'd never had fried turkey before, it was awesome! Plus, Couch brought buffalo chicken dip. If you've never had this stuff and you aren't lactose intolerant, I highly recommend making it sometime. (The recipe is on the foodnetwork.com) YUM!
The ratio of Cyclone fans to husker fans at the party ended up being about 4 to 1. AND then, it happened....ISU beat Nebraska in Lincoln for the first time in my life. It was unreal! I kept checking my phone to make sure it wasn't Christmas. :) I also realize more and more each game why I like Paul Rhoads. He seems like such a good person. Genuine. Real.
Yet another great weekend.
The next weekend, I went to a party where I again, forgot that I AM NOT IN COLLEGE ANYMORE. Jeez. Drinking games? Really? Up until like three or so? I had a great time, but needless to say, I was quite useless on Sunday. I think I slept until noon!
And the following weekend was Homecoming. I LOVE HOMECOMING! I always have, it's one of my favorite things. I mean, come on, I was Homecoming chair twice. You don't do that unless you're crazy or you really love something, or both. Probably both. My regular tailgating crew had gone AWOL, so I hooked up Salsa and Eric and their crew around 12:30 with plans to head over to Megan's around 3:00. It was cold. Despite having a tent and heaters, I was still cold. Yes, I'm a wimp. I don't care. I'm blaming the washers, and my poor ability to play washers despite a summer of practice. And ISU pulled off a big win, without much problem. And the next day was Nikki's baby shower. It was great to catch up with everyone I hadn't seen in forever.
And then this weekend, Salsa's cousin, Eric, was hosting a gamewatching party at his house for THE game. I'd been offered tickets on Thursday to go to Lincoln and even though Steph was coming to town, I decided I didn't need to witness what I figured would be a blood bath in person. I had easy access to a keg - and donuts and a turkey and a 60 inch TV. I'm going to stick with that and not be tormented, thanks though. The party started at 7:30 a.m., but we didn't get there until about 8:15 or so, which was great because the donuts were almost coming out of the fryer. We arrived and Kyle told us that Arnaud was out and so Robinson. Suddenly, having easy access to a keg seemed like a great idea. I was trying to remain optimistic, but really, the leading rusher in the Big 12 is out? YIKES!
For comedic relief, Eric and Kyle prepped the turkey. They weren't trying to be funny, but it was hilarious watching get the insides out and also cutting the handle off since it was going into the fryer. I'd never had fried turkey before, it was awesome! Plus, Couch brought buffalo chicken dip. If you've never had this stuff and you aren't lactose intolerant, I highly recommend making it sometime. (The recipe is on the foodnetwork.com) YUM!
The ratio of Cyclone fans to husker fans at the party ended up being about 4 to 1. AND then, it happened....ISU beat Nebraska in Lincoln for the first time in my life. It was unreal! I kept checking my phone to make sure it wasn't Christmas. :) I also realize more and more each game why I like Paul Rhoads. He seems like such a good person. Genuine. Real.
Yet another great weekend.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Reusable bags
So, since I live in an apartment, I can't do a whole lot of recycling which annoys the daylights out of me. I heard that the average American uses between 250 and 300 plastic bags a year. That statistic about makes me want to throw up. Sometime last year, I started using recyclable bags and made it my goal this year to end up with less than 20 plastic sacks from the store. I admit that I periodically use them as trash sacks in my bathroom, but I have such a stockpile already that I really don't need more. AND as a bonus Hy-Vee gives me five cents per bag. I've gotten into the habit of just keeping a few in the car. For months, I'd almost always ended up being checked out at Target by this little old lady who said, "We love green
people. I wish we gave a discount."
And then, the first week of October, I was at Target picking up a few items and the guy checking me out said, "And now, you get five cents off because of your bag!" Wahoo! While I appreciate the positive reinforcement and the extra savings, part of me wonders, would people be more apt to switch to reusable bags, if they were going to be charged for plastic sacks? I think Ikea charges for plastic bags, and i doubt it's hurting their business.
PC party
I made a last minute decision yesterday to attend a Pampered Chef party at my friend, Jessica's house. She's in the alumnae group with me. I say last minute because she posted that she was having one on FB and I thought, what the heck, I can always use something. So I figured I'd go and get the pineapple slicer. It's similar to the apple slicer, just a lot bigger. I didn't end up getting this item. Instead as a group we ended up making three chicken recipes (which were all fantastic) and a dessert. I ended up getting some new measuring items (spoons and cups) and the most awesome knife ever!!!! I'm such a dork. Seriously I never realized how awful my knives were until I used this knife!
In related news, I'm trying to figure out what to make for the ISU-Nebraska gamewatching party on Saturday. It will either be Stuffed French Toast from Cooking Light.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=521691
Or, Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole from Cooking Light
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1723431
In related news, I'm trying to figure out what to make for the ISU-Nebraska gamewatching party on Saturday. It will either be Stuffed French Toast from Cooking Light.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=521691
Or, Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole from Cooking Light
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1723431
Monday, October 5, 2009
I'm almost a Homeowner....
So, my realtor and I got back together today to go over the counter offer. The owner of the construction company agreed to everything except the internal warranty. My realtor found a warranty to cover all that stuff through Service One for a decent price, so I'm good to go. I accepted the counter offer and signed the purchase agreement. And on November 12th, I will be a homeowner!!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
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