The cure-all

This week, I have been feeling... restless. I'm not sure if I should blame it on the cold winter weather (which seems to be lasting forever) and my current job situation or what exactly, but there is one thing I've been looking forward to all week.

Tomorrow, there is no school for the public schools in the district I work in. Which was perfect, because tomorrow I was needed to watch my niece and nephews (the loves of my life). There are never any dull moments with them, and their smiles, laughs, and ever-changing personalities and constant developmental milestones are so awesome. And the hugs they give and kisses they blow when I leave? Even better. No matter what mood I'm in (and I've been pretty crabby when I've gone to watch them because of this or that throughout the week), the moment I walk in the door and hear their happy screams and their little feet stampeding toward the front door when they hear me come, my heart melts and I'm entirely cured of any form of a sour mood I'm in.

Unfortunately, for the third week straight, they are sick! They've been battling colds for a few weeks now, and my brother just called and said it's re-emerged -- this time, accompanied by a high fever and sore throat : ( bummer. Which wouldn't be a big deal, but I have something starting next week that I need to be healthy for. So, alas, I will not be hanging out with the coolest 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 year old kiddos I know tomorrow. Which means I'll probably just be dark, dreary and depressed until I can hang out with them again.

Okay, so we all know that's not true. I just won't get to enjoy their hugs and mischievous adorableness that makes this winter "lull" so much better.

zits!

You know what's semi-frustrating (and by semi-, I mean completely) about insurance? The fact that the insurace I have will not cover the cost of a prescription I need because it was prescribed to me prior-to being enrolled in that particular insurance until I've been on that insurance for one year. Womp womp.

It totally sucks.

Especially when the prescription needed is for acne.

And especially when that particular prescription costs $189.00.

And especially when that particular prescription is a mere 30-day supply.

That's right, folks. If I pay out-of-pocket for it, that's a $200/month price-tag. Nearly $10/day to put some silly creme on my face in the morning.

It makes me terribly sad.

Can I grow out of my teenage acne phase yet? Please? Thanks.

Allow me to introduce the latest member of our teensy tiny apartment family...

As mentioned previously, my mom and I went shopping over President's/Valentine's weekend. We stopped by a favorite store of ours that has all these cute little homey things and spied a perfect little stand with three wicker baskets in it. Why 'perfect'? Because, you see, in our apartment, we have a very small space next to our front door where one could fit some piece of furniture that could serve as a place to put keys, mail, hats and gloves... so we've been searching for some time for a piece that would fit there. Unfortunately, in the six months of searching since we've moved in, we had yet to find something that would fit the dimensions we were bound to. That is, until we found this one. And, the lucky girl that I am, my sweet mother offered to get it for us : ) And I can't tell you how grateful we are!

Prior to having this little gem in our apartment, our kitchen table always had hats, gloves, keys, mail, and other odds 'n ends laying on it. It looked cluttered. And I hate clutter [yuck]. Now, however, we don't have that problem.

Now, hubby gets one drawer for his things.

And I get one drawer for my things...

And the bottom basket? Well, I suppose I can share. But this is somewhat of a secret stash... if you look very, very closely at the picture of the whole piece of furniture, you will notice that the bottom basket is where I keep something very important to me. Something I just bought the day after Valentine's...

My all-time, absolute favorite candy ever!! That's right, I am an addict. Whipped Creme Chocolate Hearts, baby. They also happen to sell them around Christmastime, only in Santa form (except it looks more like a blob than a Santa-shape). And around Easter, in the shape of an egg. However, these delicious little treats are nowhere to be found in the off-season... so why not stock up on them when they're 50% off at your local Fleet Farm on the day after their respective holiday?

So maybe you're wondering exactly how many of those little nummies I purchased.

Well.

I may [or may not] have purchased 48 of them.

Which should be enough to last me until the next wave of whipped cream deliciousness -- Easter.

Om nom nom.

Anyway, enough about special holiday goodies. The point is, I have heard my hubby comment on numerous occasions how much he loves our new piece of furniture. In the morning now, I don't go searching for my keys in the mess on the kitchen table (which no longer has to exist anyway!) because I know they'll be located on top of my new little stand. And junk mail is no longer piling up where we should be eating our supper at 6:00 p.m. each night.

Oh my dear little stand. How blissful you have made our lives. Whee!

Dear Crockpot,

So far, you have not impressed me. In fact, every time I use you (which, I guess, has only been twice... but still), the delicious food I'm attempting to cook burns. The first time around when I made that nummy barbecue chicken, it was fine because just the sauce around the chicken burned -- so it still tasted great, and although the sauce went from red to black during to crock-potting process, it did not stick to the side and require a large amount of effort to clean. However, tonight's happening is nearly unforgivable. Don't expect to be taken out again for awhile... a long while.

You see, I found this recipe for barbecue ribs yesterday. It asked that I first put the ribs in the oven for an hour, and then transfer them to you for ten hours of slow-cooking, promising moist, tender, fall-off-the-bone, mouthwatering ribs (unlike the ones I ate last weekend... yuck!). So I mixed up the barbecue marinade last night so I wouldn't have to do it this morning, and set the alarm for 6:20 a.m. Yes, indeed, 6:20 a.m. That is an hour and a half earlier than I needed to get up for work today. But, I did it, because the ribs needed to be baked before meeting you for ten hours. And then the alarm was set again, for 7:20 a.m, 25 minutes before I needed to get up for work, in order to have the ribs hang out with you, their buddy, for the next ten hours.

And when my hubby texted me today at noon, letting me know how wonderful the house smelled, I so strongly believed that this time around, you would not burn me [literally]. Oh, how wrong I was.

I won't lie, I wasn't exactly surprised when I arrived home after my Body Blast exercise class to see that the sauce surrounding the ribs was black, like the time I made barbecued chicken. However, I was very dissatisfied when I realized that the black sauce was no longer sauce. Instead, you delivered a solid, caked on, dried out, charred black mess. And although the ribs were fall of the bone, some of the meat had fallen off and practically been eaten by the charred sauce. That's right -- some of the meat was stuck in it. And the meat that was able to extracted from the mess was, for the most part, dry. And the barbecue marinade I had mixed up? Terrible. Or, at least, it was terrible now that it had been burned onto the meat. Yuck.

My hubby was kind enough to eat some of it, but certainly not a large enough portion to make it through work tonight. So we also added a microwaved burrito from the frozen food aisle to his supper. I indulged in homemade macandcheese... which, I assure you, I do not mind. Except when I've been dreaming of perfectly crock-potted ribs all day.

And as if the crappy food wasn't bad enough, I had to clean you. Not to mention, figure out how to get the two inches of charred sauce stuck to you, off.

So you see, I can handle having a recipe not work out. What I'm not so keen on is the amount of time and elbow grease I needed to clean you. In fact, I spent 30 minutes trying to get the black stains off of your pretty red interior. I even let you soak in hot, soapy water for 15 minutes between cleaning efforts. And you still have some remnants left on you. But you know what? I don't care.

Yes, pretty red Crockpot -- I am indeed punishing you. You will remain a teensy bit dirty and in the cupboard for at least two months.

Unless I find another nummy recipe to try that calls for you.

While the hubby's away, the wifey will...

My hubby is at a meeting this evening, so what does a wifey do while her hubby's away?

Paint Curious George sun catchers while watching the Bachelor? (whoo Tenley!)

That's what this wifey does.

Thanks for the cute sun catchers, Target dollar bin!

Be my... LOSTentine?

Now, I do not take any credit for these beautiful creations... but they are just too awesome to not share! My oldest brother e-mailed me the link to these -- we happen to be huge LOST fans and go to his house every Tuesday evening to watch the new episode with him, my sister-in-law, her sister and her sister's husband (whoa, that's kind of confusing. Hope you got that... but if you didn't, it really doesn't matter).

Anyway, enjoy... heehee.

And my personal favorite...

Happy Happy Valentine's Day!

As mentioned previously, I love a holiday that gives me an excuse to make cute, nummy cut-out cookies! So as you can imagine, I was busy baking, icing, and sugaring some heart-shaped sugar cookies this week. They made perfect Valentine's for those we love! Best of all... they even got my mom's stamp of approval... she loved them! And she bakes so many delicious treats, so that's a monster complement!

Just a few cookies left after bagging some up for our Valentines!

And check out the adorable (not to mention incredibly delicious!) treats my mom and sister let us take back to munch on...

So cute! And so nummy.

So besides eat cute treats, what did we do for Valentine's Day? Well actually, not much. At least, not together anyway. I spent the day shopping in Maple Grove with my mom. We had an awesome day! Mild Minnesota winter weather for doing some outdoor mall shopping (I know, why would they create an outdoor mall in Minnesota? Weird. But it is perfect in spring/summer), Q'doba for lunch (nummy!) and just enjoying a girls day out. It was great : ) Probably one of the best days I've ever had.

On Saturday, we had quite an adventure-filled day as well! My mom loves to cross country ski, so she suggested we all go to a resort in the area, rent some skis, and enjoy the great outdoors. We had a blast. I can't believe how much I enjoyed it! And my hubby loved it too. It was so fun to get outside and do something like with my family. We laughed and had fun and enjoyed each other's company. It was awesome! Watching my hubby ski was hilarious. He has this weird confidence when he tries certain new things, and when he got on his skis, he just took off speeding down the trail. And I don't know why, but I almost fell over laughing. He is just so funny to watch! Of course, I gave my dad and sister a good laugh as well when I slid down while trying to go up a hill three times... but I did eventually conquer that hill. It was a great workout, and it felt good to use the muscles I've been weight training on (strong thigh muscles, thanks to squats! And biceps, thanks to curls and other exercises).

After we finished up with skiing, we decided to gain back all of the calories we had burned off by going to Dairy Queen (of course! Where else would my family go?) before going to Saturday evening mass. After, my grandparents joined my family and we went out to eat at a popular local restaurant that typically never disappoints. I say typically for a reason... five out of the seven people in our party decided to go with the restaurant's special for the night -- a pound of ribs with fries and coleslaw. It's a good thing my mom and I decided to share a pound, because they were awful. Terrible. They were ridiculously tough and so hard! You could hardly get your knife through to cut them. My grandpa said they were the worst ribs he'd ever had in his life -- my parents said the meal was quite possibly one of the worst meals they've ever had. I'd definitely agree -- what a disappointment!

We said goodbye to my grandparents and my sister and found ourselves at the movies to polish off our day! Mom and I wanted to see Valentine's Day and let the boys go to Avatar, but our [terrible] meal took a little too long (bummer!), and we missed the start time for Valentine's Day, so we all went to Avatar. Now, maybe Mom and I are just not as big of Sci-fi fans as we thought (Star Trek and Star Wars are as far as we go, I guess), but we though Avatar was terrible. It was long and boring and never-ending, and there were blue people wearing thongs and blue women wearing nothing on top but a strategically placed necklace (that sometimes shifted a bit...), and it was just weird. So what's the big draw? Why the big numbers at the box office? Blah. Regardless, we just added to those box office numbers... suckas! Dang. However, we did have an interesting discussion about some of the physical features of the blue people in the movie when we arrived home that left us laughing pretty hard... so maybe it was worth it. Maybe. Nah, we would have probably laughed that hard about something else without it.

Terrible movie or not, my Valentine's/President's Day weekend was easily one of the best I've ever had. So many fun memories were made, and you can't get much better than that. Cheesy, yes. True... indeed.

Anyway, now it's back to reality in our teeny-tiny one bedroom apartment. Hubby and I plan to celebrate Valentine's later this week by going out to eat at a delicious Italian restaurant in the area and by exchanging Valentine's cards. Not just any Valentine's cards, either -- we opted for a little contest. Whomever gives the "best" Valentine wins (though we have no prize. Just the sheer satisfaction of winning, I guess?)... interpret "best" as you may. HA! I'm so excited. I've so got my hubby beat. Don't worry, I'll share my card with you after this Friday when we go out to eat... but he's probably reading this blog as we speak, so I can't let my secret out just yet... : )

Hilarious!

My oldest brother e-mailed me the following picture earlier today...

Come on, that's funny... real funny! And I'm proud to say that billboard is in my fabulous home state of Minnesota. Beautiful!

Be mine, Valentine!

I have never, ever been one of those people who hates Valentine's Day. All of that bunk about not needing a made-up holiday to show someone you love them? Bah, don't be a Valentine Scrooge! Although I agree that you shouldn't need a day to be nice to your significant other, isn't it true that sometimes we get caught up in the mundane, everyday life routines? And when this happens, we often just, well, forget to be appreciative of our spouses or significant others. So why not be grateful for Valentine's Day instead? It helps us be more mindful of our spouse and how much we love them. It brings us out of that daily "funk" we can too easily get into.

Not to mention, who doesn't love another reason to walk down the aisles of Target, loving up all of the seasonal decorations and candies? I'll admit, it didn't take long after Christmas for me to buy a sweet little red and pink Valentine's wreath to hang on the door of our apartment (which no one has stolen yet -- yahoo!). And I really enjoy baking -- so what better time than now to whip up a batch of sugar cookies, cutout in heart shapes and topped with pink sugar glitter? Yummy.

To be honest, I just love holidays. And I'm sort of going through a Christmas withdrawal because mine feels like it was cut semi-short this year.

So what are hubby and I doing for Valentine's this year? Well, I feel like we should be really making a big deal out of it, because it is our first ever MARRIED Valentine's together. But truthfully, I don't think we're even going to get each other gifts this year. Maybe it's our single (not to mention variable) income talking, but I'm kind of feeling like, why buy gifts for Valentine's anyway? I know what you're thinking right now -- Now who's the Valentine's Scrooge? But I'd rather just spend time together instead. Go out to eat somewhere nice -- not that there's anything wrong with our annual weekend trips to Qdoba or Culver's, but maybe (just maybe) for Valentine's, we could step it up a notch and go for some Johnny Carino's (maybe even with dessert for the special occasion!). After all, the holiday should be able slowing down and remembering why you love your Valentine and showing them that love and attention.

Personally, I think the current Hallmark commercial says it best -- the one where the little boy says, "Mommy, who's your Valentine?" and the mom replies, "Daddy, of course." The little boy responds, "No, no, no -- you know, your valentine is who you want to sit by; who you get in trouble with; who you tell your secrets to; who you play with every recess." The mom finishes up by saying, "Well, that's Daddy too."

Perfect. And that's exactly why the man I married is my Valentine this year, too. Plus a few other thousand reasons as well.

The way to a person's heart is through their stomach!

A few weeks ago, my hubby and I were invited to a friends' apartment for a board game night and some delicious supper. We were asked to bring something to share, so I whipped up some yummy brownie-marshmallow-chocolate-peanut butter-rice crispy bars (whew!). And to my delight, they were devoured by our friends (in other words, there were six or seven people there... my hubby and I each had just one bar after supper, and two or three hours later when we left, the 9" x 13" pan was almost entirely gone...) awesome!

I can't tell you how happy it makes me when I see my friends and family enjoy something I've made. I mean, I love to eat -- especially when it comes to a delicious dessert. So I love to share my favorite recipes and see people enjoy it too! It makes me happy to see others happy... and a nummy treat can definitely put a smile on someone's face. So please, make these super easy bars and enjoy! But be sure to pay the deliciousness forward and share the joy with others : )

Marshmallow Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Crispy Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon margarine
• 2 1/2 cups rice crispies
• 1 box brownie mix (you will prepare these as shown on the box)
• 2 1/2 cups mini-marshmallows

Directions:

1. Make brownies as directed on package. When almost finished, sprinkle marshmallows to cover the surface of brownies. Put back in oven for two minutes. Marshmallows should be nice and puffy! Let cool completely.
2. Combine margarine and chocolate chips in a bowl. Microwave one minute; stir.
3. Add peanut butter to chocolate chip/margarine mixture. Stir until well blended.
4. Add rice crispies to peanut butter/chocolate mixture and stir until all of the rice crispies are well coated.
5. Spread rice crispy mixture over marshmallow brownies.
6. Chill in refrigerator for at least one hour prior to serving.

Be sure to keep these in the refrigerator when not serving or the chocolate will melt!

Happy baking : )

You know what else is sweet?

My husband reads my blog! And he read it today when I was in the room (which I don't really like. That's kind of awkward... like opening a card or a gift from someone when they're standing there watching you)... and when he say my post about him stocking the fridge with my favorite pop whenever it runs out, he exclaimed, "you wrote a blog about why you love me?!" and had a smile as wide as I've ever seen.

It was pretty sweet : )

Wedding Planner Nostalgia?

One year ago at this time, wedding planning was in full swing. Flowers, dresses, centerpieces, cake, photographers, menus... it's all I talked about with anyone. It was like an inevitable topic -- not that I minded, of course. Women love talking weddings, and it was kind of fun to be the center of attention at some point throughout the day. But by the time July came around, I was ready for the planning part to be over and the big day to just be here already (sorry for sounding the Scrooge, the Grinch, the black cloud, of all brides)! But before I knew it, that "big day" was here. And then it was gone. And I was, well, relieved. Our wedding day, and the days leading up to it, were some of the best in my whole life. I would love to relive all of those over again -- but only if it meant I didn't have to do any planning over again.

But strangely, when I was wondering around the sewing section at Wal-Mart earlier this week, I stumbled upon the wedding aisle. And I suddenly got all queezily nostalgic about wedding planning. I forgot all about those annoying teeny tiny details that you forget about until it's three weeks before your wedding, 3:00 a.m. and you're trying to sleep because you have some lame grad school class at 9:00 the following morning. Instead, I missed having this huge party to plan. I missed dreaming about how cute my cupcake table would look and how yummy they would taste for all of our friends and family. I missed wondering what my bouquet would look like (beautiful, by the way). I missed dreaming about what it would be like to walk down the aisle to the Lori Line song Hymne.

And when I got home, I looked back at pictures. And I remembered all of the good memories I shared with the people I loved in the days leading up to it. The bridal shower my sister and sister-in-laws threw me and the family boccie ball tournament that followed that evening in the warm summer air. The surprise bachelorette party from my new friends in the Counseling program. Putting together centerpieces, getting manicures, eating lunch at Bennigan's with my mom, sister, grandma, aunt and cousins. Playing night games after our rehearsal dinner.

And that day. And everyone gathered together to celebrate one thing -- us. I think that was one of the most incredible parts. All of those people -- traveling from near and far, even if it wasn't the most convenient thing in the world for them to do. The presence of those people, to me, was enough of a gift in itself. As if marrying my best friend wasn't enough, being surrounded by all of the best family and friends we could have ever asked for. I don't think I stopped smiling all day.

Sometimes I'm disappointed that I don't remember more details about the day. It went so fast. But I guess that's all it really was -- a day. A day that produced something that will last forever: a marriage.

I'm a big sap-bucket lately, sorry. I've been overly emotional [i.e., crying my eyes out at a recent Grey's Anatomy episode -- but it was the train wreck episode where those two people had a pole through their stomachs, so I did have reason to break down over it] lately. Now, for both your viewing pleasure and for letting me flash back to those days [almost six months ago now]... some of my favorites...

Reason #81,409 why I love my husband...

[WARNING: sappy post ahead!]

He always refills the refrigerator with [my favorite!] Cherry Coke Zero when the current 12-pack runs out. To me, there's nothing worse (okay, there's a lot of things worse... but I like being dramatic sometimes) than having to drink warm pop. But hubby always notices when the box is empty (even when I don't!) and puts a new pack in its place. It's a simple, delightful, thoughtful, loving gesture that reminds me that he loves me. Which sounds silly, but I think it's true.

I once read an article in one of my mom's magazines (confession -- guilty pleasure: reading her magazines, i.e., Ladies Home Journal, Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens...) where, for a while, a woman went on and on about how her husband didn't show her that he loved her very often. However, eventually she realized that it wasn't that he wasn't showing his love -- he was, but just in little ways that she was overlooking. One example she gave was that he always put gas in her car. She didn't ever ask him to -- he just did it. It's those little things that let a spouse know that the other cares and is thinking of them.

And come to think of it, not only does my hubby keep the fridge stocked with my favorite pop -- he also always pumps the gas. Which isn't something I ask for, but is something I so appreciate. Especially when we live in the arctic tundra. So scratch "81,409"... we're now up to "81,410" and counting.