Guy, Paula, Memphis & more

Well, since I officially agreed to more side accounting work starting up again next week, I figured I better provide some details on all of the fun from the past 4 weekend rewards before I have to buckle down and get back to work.
So, here we go!

Bon Jovi came to town and rocked my socks off!

Dad and I got to meet one of my Food Network favorites!

An essential part of any 3 H weekend -- home of the best hoecakes!

Learning a few tricks of the trade from another one of my Food Network faves!

So it's not really Paula, but I was still really excited!

Me and the King -- Memphis is definitely one of my top spots for a road trip.

I'm extremely glad I let loose a bit and I enjoyed every second of my extra time off.  Now it's back down to business...at least for a few weeks.

Love & Best Dishes

My love of cooking has grown dramatically over the past year.  I feel comfortable and most at home when I'm in my teeny tiny kitchen or talking about ingredients, recipes, my restaurant dream or anything else food related.  Nearly 2 weeks ago, I was able to see Guy Fieri when he visited St. Louis and I thought I was in heaven getting to attend an event of someone pursuing their food dreams.
Soon after I purchased my tickets to see Guy, a notification on my popped up on my Facebook page that another one of my food icons was scheduling a visit to Harrah's in Tunica on June 11th.  Normally, I would wish to go but never follow through with a plan to actually make a trip to an event like that.  Until now...
 
After verifying with Broccoli that I was not crazy for wanting to take a 24 hour trip to a city 5 hours away for something as silly as seeing one of my favorite Food Network stars live and in person, I decided to ask Coco if she would be willing to tag along on my adventure.  And....she willingly agree to make the trip!  So tomorrow morning, these two girls are headed to Tunica to see one of the greatest home cooks/restaurateurs of all times, Paula Deen!

Photo credit: PaulaDeen.com

The Tunica/Memphis area is a great place to visit anyway and being able to make this whirlwind trip to see Paula is a once in a lifetime chance.  I am soooooooooo excited!!

One upped

Remember when I posted this?!? 

I didn't think there would be another chance to experience anything nearly as awesome as that weekend back in January, yet, this weekend totally surpassed it.  A weekend break away from home, away from the hustle and bustle of my job, away from my household responsibilities and away from my crazy workouts.  It was a chance to relax my mind, body and soul and enjoy some quality time with the person that loves me despite all of my idiosyncrasies.  I truly am one lucky girl.

I definitely had a hard time being thrown back into reality when I got home tonight and I'm not really ready to restart my routine but I am hoping that all of the fun weekend memories will make it easier.

That's Money

In the last few years my brother and I have shared the interest in cooking (him more so with grilling) and creating our own signature dishes.  Then, somehow I managed to get Broccoli involved in my love of cooking to the point where he is coming up with meals to wow me with.  He also doesn't complain when we watch hours and hours of Food Network.  Now, I've even gotten my Dad on board with the culinary craze!

Tomorrow, Dad and I are going to....

The Guy Fieri Food Tour presented by the National Pork Board will mix the best elements of a live cooking show, the fun of a variety revue, and the non-stop adrenaline rush of a rock concert.  Fieri will take center stage with an unscripted and wildly entertaining performance—complete with interactive cooking stations, secret tips and dishes from his forthcoming cookbook, as well as behind-the-scenes stories from the road, and much more.

We've made it a Dad and Daughter event and I'm really excited!  In fact, as Guy would say, it's "Off da Hook!"

It's all about balance

"Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices."  -Betsy Jacobson

I've started to push the Type-A Lindsay boundaries a bit but I'm really thrilled with the choices and fun things I've planned for the next 4 weekends.  After working my tail off for nearly 6 months with all of the extra accounting and tax projects I have taken on and finally giving the last completed project to its rightful owner on Friday afternoon, I decided to let loose and enjoy my new found free time to the fullest. 
Tonight starts the first of 4 weekend rewards.  From concerts to cooking to mini road trips and hanging out with some of the greatest people in my life and I'm looking forward to experiencing every minute.

If I remember my camera, I'll update and post pics of my adventures.  No promises though as my brain is enjoying the free time as well.

Very Impressive

I went to the gym this morning, like I do most mornings, and got into my zone so I could get my long Sunday workout in.  Saturdays and Sundays are usually my big workout days as I try to make up for the lack of gym time I have during the week.  I also try to work harder on the muscles that may not have gotten full attention during my early morning before-work workouts.
This morning, I finished my cardio and proceeded to pull out all of the items needed for my core workout.  I did my supermans with 12 lb weights, planks, crunches, bicycles and push-ups (boy-style, not girl) non-stop for 3 full reps.  Overall, it's about a 15-20 minute routine, nothing too out of the ordinary for me.  I've actually gotten pretty accustomed to this routine or a similar one at least once a week and it (along with the combo of all of my other workouts) has left me with a fairly flat mid-section.  I finished my routine this morning and went to put all of the equipment away and while doing so, someone else in the gym came up to me and asked if I was preparing for some sort of fitness competition.  I told him, "no, I'm just doing my regular workout." 
He about fell on the floor from shock that this was my normal workout.  He told me he was a trainer at another gym and had been observing me doing my workout and he couldn't believe how intense it was and it was highly impressive for someone my size.  He also told me that even though he's a trainer, he wouldn't have been able to go non-stop through my whole routine.
I had to smile.  I have worked my tail off to get to the point where I'm actually impressing other people in the gym.  Not so long ago, had you asked me to put together an intense workout, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea what to do for one and secondly, I probably would have given up because it was "too hard" on my body.  Now, I have other in-shape people watching me and seeing all of the hard-work I put into staying fit and healthy.
Needless to say, I was quite proud of myself and it made my arms, chest and back workout afterwards seem like a piece of cake.

Scrambled thoughts

I really wanted to post, but my thoughts are heading in different directions, so today you're left with more of my randomness.

- Last Sunday was the season finale of America's Next Great Restaurant and I was pleased with the outcome.  Congrats Jamawn "Soul Daddy" Woods!!

I've never really ever wanted to travel to Minneapolis, but now it may be fun to experience some of the food that landed Jamawn 3 fast-casual restaurants around the US.

- Last Thursday, Coco, TL and I went out to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and rather than trying to fight the crowds at every Mexican restaurant around town, we settled on a sports bar and billiards parlor.  Believe it or not, they had specials for the Mexican holiday as well.  I could totally eat my weight in chips and salsa.
 
- Speaking of weight, today is the 6 year anniversary of me taking the plunge and starting my weight-loss journey.  While the last year has been more maintenance than weight loss, I still must have the same drive and focus to make sure that all of my hard work continues to pay off.  There are some days that I still wonder how I was able to lose over 80 lbs, but I'm very proud of the healthy changes I've made in my life.  And for the record, I weighed exactly the same today as I did on this day last year.  Hoo-ha!!

- I'm working on my vacation for the summer and am having a few set-backs in the planning since the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers have decided that flooding is more important than me getting some much needed time away.  In years past, I've gone to Memphis for the Memphis in May BBQ championships along the Riverfront.  This year, the Mississippi has proven she's mightier than any plans I could have had, so I'm backing down for now.  I'm just hoping that by the time my official summer vacation rolls around the flooding will have subsided.  If not, a spur of the moment Plan B will be thrown together -- I'm thinking Vegas.

And finally, tomorrow is Mother's Day.  Happy Mother's Day to all of the women who are lucky enough to be called Mom.  May you have a wonderful day!

The Highlight of Fall

Earlier last week I found out that Scripps released a statement on the next season of The Next Iron Chef and I won't lie, I was a giddy little schoolgirl when I found out who was competing to be a part of the Chairman's culinary crew.  I was so giddy that when I met Broccoli for lunch on Wednesday that the first words out of my mouth after hello were, "you have got to read this press release!" and I handed him a copy of the info I found online.  And, I do believe he was nearly as excited as I was after reading it.
Perhaps the funniest thing comes down to the fact that we have so much invested in catching our favorite Food Network or food competition shows that we knew of nearly all of the chefs competing giving each other our opinions as to how the competition will play out.  We're even working on our own The Next Iron Chef fantasy team and of course, we've pegged who the other person will pick as the winner.

You may not be as excited as we were, but here's the release from Scripps:

Food Network Selects Roster of Ten Superstar Chefs for the Ultimate Culinary Battle - Each Looking to Become The Next Iron Chef

Elite Chefs Go Knife-to-Knife in High-Stakes Challenge to Become ‘The Next Iron Chef’ 
Hosted by Alton Brown, Season Four Set to Premiere Sunday, October 30^th at 9pm ET/PT

NEW YORK – April 18, 2011 - Food Network, the leader in food and lifestyle entertainment, today announced the all-star casting and start of production for the ultimate season of The Next Iron Chef.  Slated for premiere on Sunday, October 30^th at 9pm ET/PT, Alton Brown will again host this 8-episode, top-rated series, which will shoot in Los Angeles and New York. The elite cast includes ten renowned chefs:

 

• Anne Burrell – Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, Worst Cooks in America (Food Network)
• Michael Chiarello – Bottega Restaurant (Napa Valley), Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello (Cooking Channel)
• Elizabeth Falkner – Citizen Cake, Orson (San Francisco), Iron Chef America – challenger (Food Network)
• Alex Guarnaschelli – Butter, The Darby (New York), Alex’s Day Off, Chopped (Food Network)
• Chuck Hughes – Garde Manger (Montreal), Chuck’s Day Off (Cooking Channel), Iron Chef America – challenger (Food Network)
• Robert Irvine – Robert Irvine’s eat! (Hilton Head Island), Dinner: Impossible, Restaurant: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America (Food Network)
• Beau MacMillan – Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain (Phoenix), Challenge, Iron Chef America – challenger (Food Network)
• Spike Mendelsohn – Good Stuff Eatery (Washington D.C.), Kelsey & Spike Cook (Food2.com)
• Marcus Samuelsson –Red Rooster Harlem (New York), 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Chopped (Food Network)
• Geoffrey Zakarian – The National, The Lambs Club (New York),  24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Chopped (Food Network)

 

Judges include the original ‘Next Iron Chef’ Michael Symon, esteemed food journalist Simon Majumdar and UK Iron Chef Judy Joo.

 

In The Next Iron Chef, the contestants bet on their culinary skills and put their reputations on the line for the chance to compete in legendary Kitchen Stadium.  The winner will join the ranks of chefs including Bobby Flay, Marc Forgione, Jose Garces, Masaharu Morimoto and Symon as a member of the Chairman’s team on Iron Chef America.

 

I'm definitely not wishing the summer away but I can't wait to catch this series!

Not a Good Friday

A very scary evening here -- storms and tornadoes have pummeled us for days and tonight it was a little too close for comfort.
A tornado touched down at Lambert Airport tonight around 8:15.  You're probably saying, "So what?  The Midwest is known for their crazy springtime weather and chances for tornadoes."
And I would agree with you, of course when you live less than a mile from the airport, it starts to freak you out a bit.  Tonight was one of those nights when I was at a complete loss as for what to do and where to go.  I saw the circulation in the air and couldn't believe it.

Definitely don't think I could be a storm chaser.

Saturday morning update:
After all of the devastation last night, here's the latest from KMOV.com..

Now the fun begins -- figuring out which areas that I regularly travel were hit and avoiding them until all of the damage is assessed and cleanup begins.  Thank goodness most of my friends in the area were not seriously affected by the storms and are safe and sound!

Just like old times...

I took today off of work and decided to just have a day to enjoy the spring weather and recharge myself.  I was planning on meeting my Dad this afternoon for lunch and to hang out with him for a bit.  Come to find out, my brother was also going to be able to meet us.  We ended up having the best afternoon!!
 
It reminded me off all of our Thursdays nights growing up.  Thursdays used to be the night my Dad came to pick us up and we would bum around town for a few hours and grab dinner and just catch up.  Some nights we'd go to the park and play, other nights we'd go to the library and then other times we'd go shop for school supplies or clothes or whatever we were in need of at the time.

Today we grabbed lunch, all shopped for new tennis shoes at Kohls (yes...New Reebok Retones!!), stopped into Verizon for a new phone for my Bro (I was too chicken to upgrade my LG EnV2, which I'm still in love with), picked up a new spring skirt for me at Old Navy and browsed Best Buy.  It brought back many good memories of all the time we got to spend together as my Bro and I were growing up and it made me cherish the great relationship I still have with both my Dad and Ryan.  It's not all that often anymore that our schedules all work out to enjoy time together, but I'm so glad that I had the opportunity today. 

I may have to take days off and do this more often....

Afternoon surprise

Guess who gets to ditch work early tomorrow and go to the afternoon Cardinals game?!?

This girl does!  Woo hoo!!

My boss emailed me today and told me that an opportunity presented itself and if I was available, he would like for me to attend the baseball game with him and our bankers.  I was excited and after re-arranging a few things, I am all set for the game!

The bonus -- the weather is supposed to be a perfect spring day as well!!

The wildcard -- whether or not the Cards can pull off a win against the Pirates!  LET'S GO CARDS!!
 

How 'bout them apples?!?

The company worked for during college throws together an NCAA March Madness basketball pool every year and while I know next to nothing about college basketball, I still enter a bracket or two, just for the fun of it. 
 Most years, I end up middle of the pack and just donate my $3.00. 

This year, I will either finish tied for 2nd if UConn beats Butler or 4th if Butler wins.  Either way, I'm thrilled!  What's even funnier is that I offered one of my current co-workers a shot at entering a bracket into this pool as well and he's in the money as well.

I'm not sure if we'll be invited back into this pool next year, but you can bet, I'll be watching the game tonight!!

Experimental Baking

I decided to try making a somewhat healthy egg-less chocolate cake today.  Not sure how its going to taste but I figured it might be a nice complement to the dinner I'm hoping to whip up before America's Next Great Restaurant and the finale episode of Chopped All Stars.

On a semi-related note, I totally want this game.

USAopoly Scrabble Cooking Edition: 

The Cooking Edition of Scrabble includes classic Scrabble fun with a cooking twist allowing players to earn bonus points for words related to everyone's favorite past time. Recipe cards are the perfect mix as players double and triple their scores with directives for all new custom game play. Become the master chef as you spell your way to victory with tasty abbreviations and names of your favorite celebrity chefs. Can you spell D-E-L-I-S-H?

 I love playing Scrabble and cooking is one of my favorite hobbies, so why not combine the two? 
Sounds like a great idea to me!

Opening Day 2011

Today is an unofficial holiday throughout the city - Opening day of Baseball Season and all of Cardinal Nation is celebrating.  Some played hooky to attend the game or pep rally or in our case, our office threw a mini-BBQ, wore our Cardinal red and turned the game on this afternoon to support the team.
This season is sure to be an exciting, yet uncertain one -- Lance Berkman is playing right field for the first time in a few years, Albert Pujols is playing with the possibility of not being a Cardinal after the end of the season and Adam Wainwright is out with a season ending elbow injury.

As of right now the Cards are tied with the Padres, 3-3 in the top of the 11th.

I'm rooting for my Redbirds.

Music feeds the soul

Yesterday my Bro threw his Belated Birthday Shindig so I headed out to visit him and my Dad.  While I was there, the subject of music came up.  As you know, music is a big part of my life.  My Bro and my Dad are also big fans of music.  Ryan will listen to just about anything and will serenade you with Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Journey and then Eminem; whereas my Dad is a fan of mostly Classic Rock, but occasionally he'll surprise us and mention that he likes a song by Train or Uncle Kracker or Kid Rock.
As for me, well, I'm across the board as well.  Depending on my mood, I may listen to Classic Rock, Top 40, Modern Rock, Rap, Pop or Country.  Right now, I'm in the Country phase. 

As our conversation continued, I guess I got a bit excited and mentioned how I heard a Garth Brooks song when I went to lunch on Friday and the fact that I had no Garth Brooks on my Ipod and I really needed to get some on there ASAP!  Somehow my lack of Garth Brooks sounded like I had a major disaster on my hands and in true sibling fashion, my Bro ran with and had us laughing like crazy. 

I guess I'm a bit intense about my musical tastes.  But, you can bet the next time I buy any music, I'm getting some Garth Brooks.

3 Ingredients, Endless Possibilities

We've started a new Sunday tradition here. 

The work week has been extremely stressful for both Broccoli and myself  lately so for the past few weeks we've settled into a low-key Sunday night routine which involves watching two of our new favorite shows on TV --

This week we decided to throw a little competition together to spice up the evening.  It was Battle Dos of our version of Chopped.  Our basket included chicken breasts, balsamic vinegar and jalapeno peppers and we had 30 minutes to create an entree to impress the other person with.  Nothing like a friendly competition, right?  No, not really -- we take cooking competitions very seriously here but we had so much fun with it!! 

I pulled some inspiration from my Rachael Ray cookbook and Broccoli came up with something on the fly but both were equally delicious and fairly healthy as well.

Here are the results from our little battle --

Balsamic-orange glazed chicken and veggies over rice

Balsamic and cracker crusted chicken with homemade cheesy mashed potatoes

Can you guess who's dish is who's???

One difference in our Chopped battle -- neither of us would chop the other dish.  We both were so pleased with the outcome that we didn't mind sharing the title of Chopped Champion.  And I think it's safe to say, bring on the next basket!!

A green baby is what I wanted....

...and a green brother is what I got!

Happy Birthday Ryan!!! 

May you have the best birthday yet!!!

I still can't believe that 24 years ago today, I was throwing a fit and telling Mom and Dad to leave you at the hospital if I was getting a little brother because I only wanted a little sister or a green baby and lo and behold, you came into this world a green baby.  Now 24 years later, I'm glad I didn't let Mom and Dad leave you at the hospital.  You're the best brother any sister could ever ask for and a great friend!

Enjoy your day to the fullest!!

Shrove Tuesday

As a kid, we always had pancakes for dinner on Shrove Tuesday.  I never knew why, but I've kept that tradition as I entered adulthood.  Finally this year as I was contemplating what type of pancakes I wanted to make, I decided to look up why the heck I've continued to do this year after year. 

According to Wikipedia,
"In the United Kingdom and many other countries, the day is often known as Pancake Day. Making and eating such foods was considered a last feast with ingredients such as sugar, fat and eggs, whose consumption was traditionally restricted during the ritual fasting associated with Lent."


My family was English born and bred!  Now it makes plenty of sense!!  I did make my pancakes again tonight, but this time with a healthy twist -- oatmeal and vanilla protein powder.  Pretty good if I do say so and my Grandma would be proud I've had my pancakes! 
 

Tax Season

This is the time of year when I have friends come out of the woodwork.  People I barely keep up with through the rest of the year, find me and usually have all sorts of fun tax questions. 
No, I'm not a CPA, I'm a few hours short of sitting for the exam and no, right now, I'm not planning on going back to school and getting those hours.  But, like I tell most of them -- yes, I understand and can complete simple tax returns; yes, I'm up on many of the tax law changes (thanks to the info provided by our Company's auditors) and yes, because I actually do process payroll, I do have a decent knowledge of withholdings and pre and post-tax benefits.

Perhaps the funniest lines ever said to me came from one of our department heads this afternoon.  Now mind you, I have worked with this Director nearly every single day for 5+ years and today when he called me down to his office, he told me that some of my co-workers have mentioned that I know about taxes and that he may need my help.  Then, in all seriousness he states, "I had no idea you were an Accountant." 

I didn't know what to say so I just smiled and nodded.  But, I'm thinking, "dude, I've been with the company 5 years and I wear a badge with both my name and title on it.  A badge that your department created for me because it's a requirement for one of our certifications.  Not only that, we communicate regularly via email, in person and by phone.  I didn't just make up that cute little signature that is attached to all of my emails just for the fun of it."

If that were the case, I would have given me a title like Office Party Planner because it sounds so much more exciting and fun.

Pasta maker = AWESOME!!!

Friday night was date night here and while most women would prefer to be taken out and wined and dined, I asked if we could stay in and test out my pasta maker.  Being the good sport that he is and willing to put up with most of my silly ideas, Broccoli agreed and even helped me make the dough, run it through the pasta maker and cook a yummy and homemade fettuccine and red sauce dunner.  We laughed and joked and pretended that we actually knew what we were doing and just had a blast!  I forgot to take pictures, but it was hilarious trying to find spots to put all of this rolled and cut pasta in my teeny tiny kitchen.
Of course, I made enough fettuccine to feed an army, but it was delicious and I'm so glad I decided to use my birthday money for this.  It is definitely money well spent!  I am even making good on my promise to my co-workers and I'm bringing in a batch for them to try tomorrow!  Who knows, I may become the Mario Batali or Giada De Laurentiis of the office.  Think they'd let me transfer from Accountant to Office Chef??

A happy girl

It's been a LONG week and it's only Wednesday but nothing makes a week seem more bearable than when you get a gift.  The item today that totally made my day -- my new Kitchenaid Stand Mixer Pasta Roller and Cutter.

Yeah baby!!

It was delivered to work this afternoon and I was so giddy to finally have it that it made me dance around the office.  (Sometimes it's the little things!)

So, guess what I'm doing this weekend?!?!

Oh and somehow in all of the excitement, I promised an handful of my co-workers homemade pasta next week so I better get good at pasta making really fast!

It's that time!

Daytona 500 2011 -- are you ready?

I will be sitting here, in anticipation that my boy, McMurray will pull out all of the stops and win the race for a second year in a row.  Yes, I know I'm asking a lot, but I believe in him.

With new rules and a few good duels under their belts, this NASCAR season should be an exciting one!

Welcome to the team

Photo by Mark Buckner/NHLI via Getty Images

The final score between the Ducks and the Blues looked more like one you would see in baseball, not hockey, but it sure was an exciting game to watch!!!  And, for all those that though the Blues would be taking a hit by trading Erik Johnson and Jay McClement, you were sadly mistaken. 
Welcome to the Blues Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk!! 

I don't think I've jumped off the couch and yelled so much during a game all season -- definitely renewed my love of hockey!

Could it be true?

Not that I believe in this sort of thing, but my daily horoscope was emailed to me this morning and for once, I think it may hit the nail on the head.  Despite all that has happened in the last 20 hours, I feel like I know what I'm doing for once. 

You can't help but show off your independent streak today, and it certainly casts you in a positive light. It may also tick off your mate or family, but they have come to embrace your peculiarities.

Stay tuned....

Channeling Paula Deen

Ah, what a week!!  Last Saturday at this time the girls were strutting off of the Party Bus and we were headed for one more surprise for the night. 

From the very beginning, Coco couldn't believe that a Party Bus was pulling down her street when we picked her up for her afternoon and night of fun and she was completely surprised by all of our birthday antics.  As you can tell, I was also relieved and excited when we picked her up!

Overall, such a great time and so many awesome memories for all of us!

Sunday was a little rough though and while the Super Bowl party was fun, I wouldn't have minded staying home and watching the game in my jammies on the couch.  And after the week I experienced at work, those few hours of down time were greatly needed.

In spite of all of the craziness, I did throw an office party on Thursday to celebrate Coco's 50th birthday.  I couldn't let the actual day go uncelebrated and since we're co-workers as well as really good friends, I felt it necessary to decorate her desk and bring in snacks as well as make a homemade gooey butter cake (her favorite!).  I didn't make just any gooey butter cake though, I pulled out all of the stops and went with the Queen of Butter's recipe.

Delish!!!

 It got rave reviews and was gone in a heartbeat -- the two things I love to see when cooking and baking for others.  It was also decided that there are birthdays every day for the rest of the year and I'm supposed to provide the desserts for these celebrations....if I only had the hours in the day and endless capital for this venture! 

We joke that I should open a snack cart and run that from my desk too, especially since I wear so many hats there as it is.  Somehow, I'm thinking my bosses might not like that idea....just a hunch though.

Super Bowl XLV

Ben Roethlisberger totally resembles one of my co-workers.

With that being said, my money is on the Packers for the Super Bowl.  (Sorry Joel!!)

My Kinda Party

If you're singing Jason Aldean, we're on the same wavelength.  (Scary!)

In any case, I'm getting ready for another BIG party weekend.  We're surprising Ms. Coco today since her 50th birthday is Thursday.  She thinks Rosemary and I are taking her out for a low-key girls' dinner.  Little does she know, we've ordered a party bus and 15 of her girlfriends are picking her up for an afternoon on the town.
To top it off, the bus is dropping off us off tonight and one of her favorite places where the rest of her friends are surprising her with a massive birthday party.  It's been soooo hard keeping this a secret -- almost as hard as keeping the Bon Jovi trip a secret last year!  I can not wait to see her face, when we show up to pick her up in the bus!!

Tomorrow is Super Bowl and similar to years past, I've been invited to my boss' house.  He has a huge party with the perfect layout to watch the game and mingle with a bunch of fun people.  We always have such a great time and I expect this year to be no different.  And the bonus to the day would be if one of my squares paid off!!  Ha!

So...
"Lets get this thing started.  It’s my kind of party."

A birthday summary

Birthdays don't get much better than this one!  I had a great time celebrating with everyone and I'm so glad I agreed to all of the plans.
Here are a few pics from Friday night, aka Birthday Extravaganza Day 2:

Posing in the rock garden -- I was dared to do this by the girls! 
I think they just wanted me to show of my sexy shoes!!

One of my presents  -- LUSH: "Liquored Up Sister Hood"
I also got the new Paula Deen cookbook, cute measuring spoons,
a yummy candle, lottery tickets & a Victoria Secret swimsuit.

Success!  I caught a flying shrimp!!

I owned this shot!  And I impressed the tables sitting around us too!!

Dinner with my family on Saturday was also quite memorable albeit a little more low-key than the night out with the girls on Friday, but still so much fun!

And, I topped off my weekend with a date night on Sunday night.  Since the rest of the weekend was pretty busy, Broccoli and I decided on a low-key night in.  I think it's exactly what we needed and we were able to catch up with some must-see tv.

I wasn't sure what to expect turning 28, but I must say, it's been fairly good so far...let's keep it coming!

Today's news headlines...

- Blizzard Warning for St. Louis Metro Area
- MODOT: I-70 Closed from Wentzville to Kansas City
- Schnuck's Markets Closing for Weather
- Tonight's Blues Game Canceled Due to Weather
- Missouri Road Conditions Deteriorate
- Hundreds of Flights Canceled
- May Not See Clear Pavement for Days
- Illinois National Guard Mobilized to Help Stranded Drivers

I made it to and from work today safe and sound with the help of SS, who was awesome enough to chauffeur me through this mess.  Thanks SS for being calm and cool while I was a nervous wreck in dealing with the weather!!  As I've told him numerous times and probably everyone else I've come into contact with lately, I hate winter!  I'll handle the summer humidity, no problem, but snow and ice have to go.
As for work tomorrow, well, I'm aiming to get there at some point.  We'll just have to see....definitely don't want to have to burn a day off for something like being snowed in, but I'm sure I can keep myself occupied here if necessary.

Seriously?!?

I'm done with winter!!  I can not handle one more inch of this stuff!!  Please tell Mother Nature to bring back those nice pleasant temperatures and forget about this stupid snow and sleet and most of all ICE!!!  

From KMOV.com:

4Warn Storm Team Forecast (Updated today at 6:41 PM)

This Evening: Near 30.  The freezing rain/sleet/rain mix will taper off to a some patchy freezing drizzle or just drizzle in some areas this evening.  Watch for icy areas on untreated surfaces or areas where chemicals were washed away and the damp pavement may freeze more easily.  Ice accumulation generally around .10" to 0.25".  Winds East-10 mph.

Tuesday: Low 25/High 28.  Blizzard warning for areas North and Northwest of St. Louis where winds and snow will create whiteout conditions.  Heavy snow and or ice in the St. Louis metro, especially from late morning and continuing all the way through the evening hours.  Snowfall will be determined by how much sleet mixes in for St. Louis as we could see 0.5" to 1" of sleet with 4-10" of snow.  If there is less sleet, snowfall totals in St. Louis may reach 15-20".  Areas Northwest of St. Louis will see 12-20" of snowfall as they will see less mix and mostly snow. Areas South and Southeast of St. Louis will see more of a mix with freezing rain accumulation of .25" to .75" and less snowfall ranging from 2-6". 

The parts in red have me most furious since it's for my area.  I guess I'll be surprised tomorrow -- snow, sleet, ice, or a combo of all three.  Yipee!!

All I can say is spring better get here fast!!!

Tired...

Birthday Extravaganza Day 2 was a blast!!!  Dinner was absolutely hilarious (my apologies to the sweet newlywed couple that had to spend their date night with us, although we did provide priceless entertainment for the evening!) and then we went to dance and listen to an awesome cover band at another local hot spot.  I haven't partied that hard in a long time.  I am realizing that I don't bounce back that quickly from a crazy night out.  My alarm went off this morning and I woke up in a huge state of confusion.  Of course, only I would plan a morning workout and an eye doctor appointment for my birthday.  

Tonight the festivities continue with dinner with my family at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants.  I'm thinking a short nap is in order before that.  In any case, I'll post pics of all of the birthday antics later.

Party Time!

Tonight the girls are taking me out to celebrate my birthday in true girlfriend style.  We're going to dinner at Kobe Steakhouse of Japan and then out for a night on the town.

The last time I dined at Kobe, I caught a shrimp in my mouth and was spit on by the owner of the company I work.  I thought that was pretty crazy but I can only imagine what the night will bring when I have dinner with my 5 favorite girls who have been given the aliases of Mi Mi, Di Di, Si Si, Wi Wi and Pi Pi for the night.  (Per the email invitation/instructions we were given this morning.)  I laughed my tail off from that alone.  One can only expect us to be a bit out of control at dinner.....but who knows for sure.

Oh and in case you're wondering, I'm Li Li for the night.

Have a great Friday!

What was I thinking?

In a mere 24 hours, I go from not wanting even one birthday celebration to now having a 4 day birthday extravaganza.  It's not the fact that I didn't want to recognize it because I look at each birthday as a milestone measurer and a stepping stone to bigger and better times in my life.  But, this year has been crazy since the drop of the ball and I just didn't feel like I had much energy left to plan a party/dinner/night out/etc.  Today, in spite of being pulled in many different directions, I gave my blessing to whatever ideas were mentioned and when the day ended, I realized my no birthday celebration turned into something else.  From a quiet, fancy schmancy dinner at home to a girls night out to dinner with my parents to a date night -- I think I'm in for a memorable 28th birthday.

Yet, somehow I think I'm going to regret that Monday is January 31st and I have month-end, a 401k census due and 1099s to get mailed.  Oh well, you only live once, right?!?

New Challenge

For Christmas I received Rachael Ray's new cookbook Look + Cook. 

I'm a huge Rachael Ray fan and when I was going to the gym after work during the week, I always made sure I was on the elliptical to catch the evening episode of 30 Minute Meals.  I've decided to take on a few of her new recipes and impress anyone and everyone with my version of her dishes.

First recipe I decided to try was the Bocconcini Stuffed Meatballs with Tomato-Pesto Sauce. 

I didn't get a picture of my masterpiece but I was happy with how much my version looked like the awesome photo in the book.  I made a few minor changes, using ground turkey and regular mozzarella cubes (do you know how hard it is to find bocconcini in my part of St. Louis?!?!?  Nearly impossible!) and dried herbs, but overall, the meatballs were delicious.  Broccoli gave it a thumbs up as well and we'll probably add this to the list of dinners I will make again.

Being extremely ambitious, I also decided while I was grocery shopping today to pick up ingredients to make a few more dishes next week.  Nothing too outrageous, but some items out of my normal range. 

Seems like this is going to be a fun project, one that will hopefully cure these winter blues!

Best Weekend Ever.

Ever have a span of 3 days that you have experienced so much fun and it was far greater than anything you could ever possibly have imagined it to be?

Yeah, that's what this weekend has been for me. 

I'm a bit bummed to be home but by request and for my own piece of mind, I'm currently working on a future plan to top it.  It's gonna take a lot of research and planning, but I'm definitely up for the challenge and it gives me something more to look forward to so I don't bawl the rest of the evening.

This really was the best weekend ever.

Just sayin'

Snow days are no fun when you're forced to get up and go to work anyway.  It stinks even more when you have to go clean inches of snow off of your car before you can even make the trek to work.

Of course, you're telling me I could call in and take a PTO day -- no can do, it's a double payroll day, if I don't go in, no one gets paid on Friday (including me!). 

Yeah, I'll find a way to make it in.

Exciting first day back to work

These are pictures from the lake behind the building I work in.  Focus on that little dot in the lake in this first picture.  The second picture is a closer shot.

Can't make out what that is in the water?  It's a car. 
The last picture is of two of my co-workers checking it.  We joked with them all morning saying these are the two guys that ran the car into the lake.  (I can assure you, they were not.)

Here's the story from KMOV.com: 

Two men safe after car crashes into water in Earth City

(KMOV) -- A car crashed into the water near the Earth City Expressway and Lakefront Drive.
This happened just before 7 a.m. Monday in Earth City.
Authorities said two men in a Honda approached slow moving traffic. The driver swerved off the road and into the pond.  Both men were able to get out the car safely.

What a way to start off a morning.

By the way, if you're prone to road rage, be sure you know what's around you before you try to swerve around slower drivers, you never know when you may end up in a lake.

Miss You Grandma

As promised,

Grandma -- the musician

Enjoying a St. Louis Cardinals Game with my Mom

Stopping by for a visit

Celebrating her 79th birthday

Visiting with the Grand kids

My Grandma came to this country from Bermuda in the late 1940s and raised a family while learning American culture and tradition.  Always one to love and care for her children and grand-children, there was never a day that went by that she wasn't excited to see us.  She loved going anywhere and experiencing all life had to offer -- from going to sporting events to para-sailing on a cruise last year to random road trips, she inspired us all to try new things.  She was a caring and giving lady and until her last day never complained about not feeling well or life being unfair.  After all of the treatment and hospitalization she struggled through, she still smiled and told us she was ok, even when we knew she just didn't want us to worry about her.  She was a true matriarch and the glue that kept us together.

Relaxing in our hotel room in Hawaii

Spoiling the Grand kids

Showing me a few things in the kitchen

Grandma, you will be truly missed, but your spirit will remain within me.  You taught me so much over the years and I hope I can someday pass on all of your knowledge and wisdom.  But for now, I'll just keep my promise to you.  Love you always!

Bring on 2011!

As a way to relax and enjoy a bit of downtime, my Mom and I spent a good part of the afternoon shopping.  Nothing says Happy 2011!!  like 6 new pairs of shoes, a new purse and some fun costume jewelry and that's just what I bought for myself.  Mom had a really successful shopping trip also.  Guess this is why we don't shop together all that often

I'm hoping the new stuff brings on the positive energy for the New Year.  If not, we'll at least I'll look fashionable while trying to take on the world. 

Hope you have a happy and prosperous New Year.  And be careful if you're going out to celebrate tonight.

One More Angel

I'm suffering from pure exhaustion from the last two days and while my brain is not thinking clearly at the moment, I just wanted to post this pic.  It's from my Grandma's birthday back on November 3rd.  It's one of the last pictures I have of just her and I.  Today at 3:06 pm, she lost her battle with cancer. 

I know she is looking down over me and everyone else and will continue to protect us as she's done over the last 79 years of her life.  It has been a horribly painful 48 hours.  Once I gain back some composure, I will dedicate another longer post to her.  Until then, I will just continue to remind myself that she is at peace.

Naughty or nice?!?!

I guess I was really good this year....

What's really funny is that out of all of these things on my wish list, I had only really asked for the knives and spice rack.  But, I have such an amazing family, that they all knew how excited and grateful I would be for the other gifts. 

I had been scoping out Kitchenaid Stand Mixers online for nearly a month but thought it was something too extraordinary for me and my cooking and baking abilities.  My mom, on the other hand, thought it would be fun to surprise me with such a gift.  I was definitely surprised and very thankful for her generosity.  I plan on baking many desserts and whipping up plenty of dinners to show off.

My dad gave me the Cuisinart Food Processor and thought that I could use it along with my spice rack to create my culinary masterpieces.  (Very good thinking Dad!)

Perhaps the craziest thing has to do with part of the gift I received from Broccoli.  While I was out at Bed, Bath and Beyond last Wednesday night picking up a few last minute gifts for my Mom, I happened to see a chef's jacket on sale.  I contemplated buying it for a few minutes, but figured I would wait until after Christmas to come back and pick it up.  There was no real reason I waited to buy it besides the fact that I just didn't want to carry more stuff upstairs to my apartment that evening. 
For the last few weeks, anytime I was stressing out or putting too much pressure on myself, Broccoli would joke with me about what I was getting for Christmas and without letting on to what I was getting would put me back into a better mood.
Thursday night, Broccoli and I exchanged our gifts and with mine was this awesome chef's jacket.  I was completely shocked and elated.  I told him the story about the night before and I think that relieved any uncertainty he had about whether or not I would like it.  (By the way, I love it!)

The entire weekend was fabulous.  I'm so glad I was able to spend 3 days with extremely exceptional people.   Today, I'm sitting at home playing with my new toys.  Who says Christmas is just for the kids!

Hope you had a fantastic Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!

From my family,

to yours...

We wish you peace, love and happiness this holiday season.

May you have a blessed Christmas wherever you may be.

3 Days...

...3 Christmases.
While I may not have any Christmas decorations out or a Christmas tree up, I have shopped or made all of my Christmas presents and even wrapped them and ultimately, I'm ready for what's next.

Tonight is Christmas with my main squeeze.  Since we both have family functions on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we're celebrating our Christmas a tad early.  I'm making a semi-fancy dinner (only because I'm using wine in my roast beef entree) and we're going to exchange our gifts.  We aimed for the hand-made, thought-provoking aspect this year.  Hopefully he'll find my gift to be a clever one.  :)  He hasn't given me any clues as to what he put together for me but I do know he's searched high and low for materials.  I'm sure it will be perfect.

Christmas Eve, I'm heading to spend the evening with my Mom's side of the family.  A bit of good news came Tuesday night as my Grandma was released from the hospital.  While she is still struggling, it is comforting to know that she will be spending the holiday at home with her family.

That leaves Christmas Day and as long as the weather cooperates, my Bro and I will be driving out to my Dad's and spending the afternoon with him, my aunt and uncle and cousins.  We're playing it by ear until the system comes through the region but we're all hoping that its nothing major and that our plans hold up.  Otherwise, we'll move our celebration around to combat the snow.

It will be a fun-filled weekend for sure and the best part is that its not all lumped into one day.  I wish holidays worked this well every year.

Very grateful

Yes, I'm gonna gloat a bit.  Right now, I'm sitting here enjoying a wonderful lunch prepared by the most awesome Broccoli.  Realizing that I've pretty much run myself ragged this week, he was nice enough to drop by a delicious, home-made meal while I'm trying to wrap Christmas presents and clean up some loose ends here at home.

This has been one of the hardest weeks I've ever faced.  My Grandma went back into the hospital after getting extremely sick from this last bout of chemo late Sunday night.  Luckily, I was able to work obscure hours in order to be able to spend time with her and help out as necessary.  My Bro came to spend the first part of the week with me so that he could also visit my Grandma and was met with an apartment with less than plentiful resources.  My plan was to grocery shop last Sunday when we had snow and I decided not to venture out since I knew the stores would be nuts.   Being the clever guy that he is, he was able to piece together a few meals from my cabinets when he was hungry and we were able to enjoy a great dinner with my Grandma and Mom at the hospital on Tuesday night.

To top it off, it was the busiest week of the year at work for me with preparing for our Christmas party, handling our employee appreciation for 5+ year employees (this is our first major milestone as a company since we were only formed in late 2004), completing the retro increases we were promised and then explaining the calculation to every employee that called for clarification and then dealing with other miscellaneous issues that popped up.  I was completely exhausted when I finally was able to make my way home at night.
In the back of my mind, I was also bothered the fact that I hadn't really started Christmas shopping and knew that this weekend was probably going to fill up fast with other priorities, so by Thursday, I was in full freak out/overload mode.  Somehow, Broccoli pulled me out of it and got my head straight so that I could "schedule" and plan for nearly everything that needed to get done.
Amazingly enough, I was able to run around like crazy yesterday and not only finish my Christmas shopping but also my Mom's (she's been at the hospital pretty much non-stop since Sunday night), re-stock my pantry and fridge and then spend the rest of the evening with my Grandma.  It didn't take long for me to fall asleep when I finally decided to go to bed.

Through all of this, I'm realizing how very grateful I am for the little things.  The idea that someone (or a few someones) is thinking about me and trying to lighten my load and ease my mind a bit is amazing.  In spite of how busy others are, it's nice to know that I have surrounded myself with people that do look out for me and are willing to do what they can to help out.  While the circumstances stink, this Christmas season is a special one.

Who called for snow?

All week, the meteorologists had been saying that the snow was gonna bypass us completely and we'd only be dealing with extremely cold temperatures.  Not sure what it would look like here if they had actually forecasted snow --

This is what I woke up this morning.  Perfect for a day when I'm supposed to be finishing up my Christmas shopping.  Most people would say, "oh that isn't too bad."  Yeah, here in STL, when it rains, we're in for great fun on the interstates, when it snows, you just better plan to stay put for most of the day.  It also doesn't help that the wind is blowing 20-45 mph.  Brrrrrrrrr!  I'm definitely not ready for winter.

Guess it's the perfect day to stay in and work on my homemade Christmas gifts.

Doesn't get much better than this

 
Nothing says Merry Christmas like an acoustic Shinedown show and tonight I'm headed out to see them perform live.  WOOO HOOO!!!  I've warned Broccoli that he just may have to save me from my heart exploding from all of the excitement tonight.  I believe he's prepared for just about anything with me.

To make this early Christmas gift to myself even better --
I have tomorrow off from work!
DOUBLE BONUS!!!