The Chocolate and The Cheese

Happy Friday y'all. Happy Halloween! I have to admit that Halloween usually is one of my favorite holidays, but I'm just not into it this year. We didn't get pumpkins, I took old milk jugs, filled them with orange colored water and drew on faces. No dealing with rotting pumpkins for me this year! LN has a bee costume, but isn't going Trick or Treating. Really, she wouldn't get it. And I wouldn't let her eat the candy yet anyway. Eighteen months is a bit young for a Snickers bar in my opinion. Call me a party pooper. So here's to a safe, warm, happy Halloween. Tonight I'm headed out to play some Bananagrams with my lovely lady friends. Should be a rockin' good time. Saturday morning the Mr. is running the Monster Dash Half Marathon and the little lady and I are walking the 5K. I'm going as a 80's prom queen. Princess cut, purple velvet prom queen. Should be fabulous. We may take LN up to grandma and grandpa's for a little ca...

Confession time folks. There are many, many things that the world doesn't know about me and here I am telling you one at a time. You may remember my first confession, the enormous pile of laundry on my floor. The pile is still there, but only because I'm doing laundry today. Interestingly enough the pile doesn't sit there for long any more. Every time I see the pile I see all of you shaking your finger collective fingers at me. You are all great motivators! So today I'm going to divulge just how much of a dork I am. Really. Many of you know me in real life and can probably attest to this fact, but I'm here to tell you today that I am a much, much bigger dork than you can imagine. Here's why: I've read MANY Star Wars books. We're not talking about just the six that the movies were made about. Oh no. We're talking about series and series of books that take place AFTER the movies are done. Shall I divulge more? Luke becomes a Jedi Master a...

LN and I had a morning at home this morning. Well, first we dropped the Mr. off at work and then went to Target...in our PJs. We weren't planning on stopping anywhere, I HATE to leave the house in my PJs, but I needed a last minute thing to finish a project I was working on and it was either go home, get dressed and go out again. OR. Just f-in' stop and pick up what we needed. So we did. Man, did we get some funny looks! I in my red, snowflake PJ bottoms and she in her teal with little birdie footie PJs. Not one of my finer moments. But I digress. I was putsin' around the house when I started to think about all the things I'd like to have. I was getting down to the nitty gritty stuff like more money, time, car... No my brain went a little more fantastical, here are the things that I would like to have or see happen. Please, if you have the ability to achieve any of these, this girl would be more than grateful. Martha Stewart reads my blog. I went off on a ...

Hello inter-friends! Why don't you head over to my friend Kate's blog and check out my guest post. A word of warning, it's a blog full of real, honest, blunt stories of parenting. Kate is a mom of adorable twin girls and has no problem telling it just like it is. Are you still reading this? Go check out my post !

It's sunny, it's Monday, my house is a mess and I have two weeks worth of laundry to do. Thanks flu bug for F-ing up my week. So I thought I would share a couple of quotes that I found appropriate. Enjoy and here's to having a fantabulous week! Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress. - Alfred A. Montapert We cannot be happy if we expect to live all the time at the highest peak of intensity. Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony. - Thomas Merton The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. - C.S. Lewis

I thought I would do something different on this snowy, October afternoon. A little video I took from my bedroom window. Those whiteish things you see going sailing past? Yep, those are big, wet clumps of snow. Luckily the ground is warm enough still that it melts as soon as it touches anything. Whew! I'm not mentally ready for a white ground cover yet. Talk to me around December 24th. Then we may be able to strike a deal. So this weekend is going to be a good one! Want the details? Well here they are: Hot date with the Mr. On the docket. Toys R Us, a movie and dinner. We should have been going to the theatre (but some airhead that writes this blog...not naming names...forgot the tickets were for the 21st, not the 23rd. Oops.) Movie suggestions? Driving to the country to visit my family! Sun and fifty degrees tomorrow! A walk and some coffee. A fire. Lots of good grandparent and auntie time. That's about it folks. We're still recovering over here and wil...

Today the Mr. and I have been married four years. Whew! We've both been fighting this nasty flu bug and have had barely even a second to think about it. Since I'm not one prone to sappy sentiments and overly long displays of love and affection I thought that I would offer you a quick list of four things about the Mr. and I: We've had four official addresses : Well five if you count the sh*t hole of an apartment the Mr. had before we moved in together officially. So we lived in the cute St. Cloud house that was conveniently located equidistant from campus and the bar (and both of our jobs). From there we moved to our swanky Chinese apartment on campus in Shaoxing. Two bedroom, two bath and complete with security guards and two Western toilets. Then we moved into his parents basement. Much nicer than you'd think and stayed while we figured out what the heck we were going to do. Pregnant, jobless and recently home from China. Five months later we moved into our ...

We've been hit by a bug. All three of us. The Mr. went to work this morning but is on his way home now. I've been on the couch all day, which is fun with a toddler, let me tell you! LN was great all morning playing and watching Melmo, but then at nap threw a huge fit. I'm thinking ear infection. Poor babe. As I try and nurse our way back to health I thought that I would share some of the things I do when I'm sick. Some are for physical health, but mostly these are just ways to get me to sit down and relax; so let's say more for mental health. Drink lots and lots of flui ds. Duh, right? My drinks of choice are hot water with lemon/honey and lots of Emergen-C . In fact I swear by this stuff. I drink it nearly everyday, sick or not. It's refreshing and chock full of good stuff. Plus it tastes pretty yummy too. LN calls it 'Mommy Juice.' Eat whatever you wa nt. Whenever I'm not feeling well my appetite goes out the window, so I give mysel...

I'm not the type of person to face conflict easily. I would much rather let an issue die of it's own accord than try and remedy it on my own. Not to say that I'm completely spineless, but I would much rather choose my battles that try and take up every one that comes along. This is not a new motto for me. When I started working and had to deal with douchey co-workers/bosses my dad told me to, "Pick your battles, why extend all of your energy on something that doesn't mean that much to you?" It was just something that kind of stuck. It made sense to me. My time and energy is precious, I don't have enough to go around fighting for every little thing that bothers me. Really, it made me evaluate what I believed in, what I was willing to fight for and helped me define who I was as an adult. After I got married the "Pick your battles" mantra became even more important. Well, I should say after the Mr. and I moved in together. By that point we ...

Happy weekend everyone! Is it sunny where you are? If it is go and stand in it for a minute, for me. Maybe if all my readers stand in the sun for one minute for me I'll feel some kind of warmth on this gray, Fall day. So we had a busy week doing this and that and falling down and this morning we ran to Ikea. I have been wanting to pick LN up a step stool so that she can see what I'm doing at the kitchen counter and help me as much as she can. I also wanted to get her a little tent to play in; somewhere she can get away and read to her baby or just simply take some time away. Let me tell you, she is in love! She ran back and forth from the stool to the tent over and over...who knew a tent and a stool would make a toddler so happy? Why couldn't a tent and a stool make me that happy? There's not much on the docket for the weekend yet. That's ok by us! Let's see what we've got so far: Special Saturday morning breakfast tomorrow. I'm trying out q...

In hopes that what was my really wonderful day will return I am presenting for you all two jokes that I hope will brighten your day; whether you need it or not. Enjoy! "A woman was walking down the street. Without warning, she was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked her for a couple of dollars for dinner. The woman took out her bill fold, extracted ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy some wine with it instead of dinner?" "No, I had to stop drinking years ago," the homeless woman replied. "Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?" the woman asked. "No, I don't waste time shopping," the homeless woman said. "I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive." "Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?" the woman asked. "Are you NUTS!" replied the homeless woman. "I haven't had my hair done In 20 years!"...

So today's Duh! moment is brought to you by my own stupidity and my mother. So I was trying to get LN and I ready to head out to a play date this morning and I was walking around, quickly, in my brand new, black, kitten heels. I was thinking, "I can't wear these today, they are WAY too slippery." Well, famous last words because I hit a patch of water and down! I went. It was painful, it hurt like hell, I screamed, and may have squirted a few tears. Well I was talking to my mom and planning on going to buy an ankle brace. She told me to take one of my scarves and wrap up my ankle to stabilize it until I could get the brace on it. Duh! So if you find yourself groaning on the floor of your kitchen and your little lady crying for 'Melmo' crawl to your closet, grab a scarf and rig yourself up a makeshift ankle brace. Thanks mom!

There is a great discount food store not too far from where we live. I admit to going there weekly, mostly for their great produce. This summer I was getting farm grown red peppers four for a dollar, bags of spinach a dollar a piece and portobello mushrooms as big as a plate four for two dollars. They often times have organic milk/cheese/yogurt too, for a fraction of the price. Mike's Discount Foods on Central in Columbia Heights. Great place. Last week when I was in there perusing the produce section I noticed five pound bags of locally grown apples. One dollar a piece. I grabbed two. I had planned on breaking them down last week (peeling, coring and slicing) to put in the freezer but in the rush to leave and whatnot I never got around to it. Well that brings us to yesterday when I was perusing my usual favorite websites when I came across two delicious sounding recipes. Breakfast Apple Granola Crisp from Smitten Kitchen and All Day Apple Butter from All Recipes . So ...

So I'm back from sunny and warm Portland. What did you all do while I was gone? Did you go over and check out my guest post ? You really should, and leave a comment for Michelle over there, she's lovely. For those of you fortunate enough not to live in the northern regions of the US, we are getting snow. Yes, SNOW...lots of snow for this time of year. Upwards of two to four inches to be exact. Luckily the ground is still warm so the streets/sidewalks will clear themselves and the ground accumulation shouldn't last more than a day, if we're lucky. Being the hardy, normal Mid-Westerners that we are LN and I decided to run some errands this morning. (Plus I got to wear my brand new boots . They are warm, sturdy, cute and fantastic.) We headed to the grocery store to pick up some tea and a paper and then we headed over to Home Depot. I wanted to get some plastic to put on the porch windows and also get a new snow brush for the car. Snow brushes are one of those ...

Happy Friday y'all! As you sit here reading this I am off in Portland, OR visiting a dear, dear friend from college. She's due with her first baby (a girl!) in February and I am so excited to see her cute little bump. What are we going to do? Well, I don't know but I am pretty sure that it will include some or all of these things: Lots of eating of delicious food. Movies; at home and in the theatre Coffee and other warm, autumnal drinks Bookstores Baby shopping Chatting Laughing Generally having a good time. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! See you Monday! :)

Go and check out my guest post at one of my very favorite, inspiring blogs: Oh, Mishka . Michelle is a darling and hers is one of the few blogs that I read every morning while I drink my coffee. Hurry, add her to your Google Readers!

I have a list of things to do that is about a MILE long today. In order to keep tabs on myself I thought I would share the fun with you inter-friends. Words of encouragement, disbelief, amazement or praise are not only greatly appreciated, but needed! To Do Today: Pack for my upcoming trip! I leave tomorrow AM, early and have yet to pack a single thing. Check-in for flight and print boarding pass. Write a guest post for a dear friend who is lucky enough to also be going out of town. Write another quick, guest post for a lovely little site that loves lists as much as I do. Work on a sweet project for this here blog, you'll find out more details soon. It's exciting! Sweep kitchen and dining room floors. Kill flies. Unload and load dishwasher. Switch laundry. Fold/put away? Figure out what the heck to make for dinner. Pick up next month's book club book to read on the plane. Condition leather shoes. Write out list of possible activities for LN and the Mr. while I'm go...

So I guess I will come clean and fully admit to my vampire addiction. I read all four of the Twiligh t novels (and Midnight Sun , Twilight from Edward's point of view) in five days. My dear friend and I are headed to the midnight showing of New Moon. The Mr. and I just started watching HBO's ' True Blood '. I'll out him too...he's just as into it as I am. I have the theme song running through my head and I can't wait for the next disc to arrive from Netflix . The Mr. thinks it's because I'm part Romanian and have family that lived in Transylvania. He even tells a story about how my uncle So and So was turned into a vampire. Or was it he was Dracula? I can't remember, the story is always evolving. Then last night while we were watching 'True Blood' it occurred to me that if the Mr. was sleeping all night then LN and I would be left unprotected (From what? Details.) When I mentioned this to the Mr. he totally saw where I was goin...

Oh rainy day, how I heart thee. You make the days so warm and cozy. We like to bake cake and the art projects we make, but then we step into your pudd-lees. The babe likes to sing in the rain. But getting her in and out is a pain. She thinks it a laugh, when mom makes a gaff, and naughty words slip out again. Happy rain day everyone. Let's hope the sun shines tomorrow! What do you like to do on a rainy day?

During my recent foray up North my lovely lady friends couldn't believe how light I packed. I brought one reusable shopping bag for three days and two nights. I've been known to back pack around Europe for two weeks with little more than a school backpack. The Mr. and I travelled around China for three weeks in one small backpack. When we moved to China we had two suitcases a piece; and that included a suitcase mostly packed with books. When the three of us travel we share a suitcase; and that includes diapers and toys for LN. So when a friend of mine that's headed to Tokyo next week (I try not to be jealous) asked me for a packing list I jumped to the challenge. How to do it? Well, I've come to terms with not traveling with my entire wardrobe, learned how to layer and become secure in wearing clothes that most people would consider dirty. I've picked up a few other tricks along the way too. Now this is a good list if you are going somewhere for about a wee...

Hello folks, it's that time again. TGIF! I'm desperately trying to pump out a blog post while I hear LN thumping away in her crib...she hasn't slept...yet... Well lucky for me we've got a great play date to go to this afternoon with lots of yummy food, which will hopefully lead to an early bedtime. What's on the docket for the weekend? Well, let's see: The Big Cheese is running in the Medtronic Twin Cities 10K tomorrow morning. He'll be up and at 'em at six bells. LN and I will be sleeping. The rest of Saturday we have not a thing planned. What's that you say? No plan? Nope! Alright, we might hit up an indoor playground, such as Eagle's Nest. Sunday we have our family pictures that were rescheduled from last weekend. Cross your fingers that this rain stops! Since the Vikings aren't playing (they play Monday night) that means we have no plans for Sunday either. How can that be? No plans for Saturday AND Sunday. Yes kids, that...

Happy October 1st! So I think it's fair to say that the season's have changed. I look outside and the trees are waving wildly around in the grey light. In the house I reluctantly turned on the furnace and I have an odd twitch to bake--even more than normal. The strange thing about this time of year is how quick the temps move around. For example; this morning I was folding laundry (really! I was!) and I came across a sleeveless sun dress of LN's...that she wore last week. And this morning I was at Target buying her slippers. Crazy. So with the new change of season's means that I also change the stuff I carry with me. Well, some stuff changes and some I keep. Let's see: Reusable coffee mug : I bought my sweet twelve ounce coffee mug on a road trip to Cali years ago. The coffee shop no longer exists there, but the mug is the PERFECT size for a quick cup o' joe or some tea. It's either filled up at home or waiting in the car for when that Vitamin D d...