perks

While like most, there are days where my job is just that, a job. But on those days I like to remember there are some perks.

One: The dress code. I love that I can wear whatever I want to work, I can put as much or little thought into my appearance as I want. Shorts, dresses, sweatpants, it all works.

Two: No shoes, no problem. I go most days running around our office barefoot.

Three: Hello, look at BSpears.



Four: The view. While yes, I am in cubeville I get to see one of my favorite views of the city whenever I fill up my water bottle.


Five: I am thankful I get to work with some pretty cool people.

project garden

the garden has been planted and all i have to say is it's a lot of work. i thought i would just plant the seeds, make sure it was watered and the rest would just happen. well it's not quite that easy.

i am looking forward to the delicious produce that it will supply us with all summer long but we have a long ways and a lot weeds to pull before we get there.

i received some gardening advice before i started, "start small and just plant a couple of things the first year out." well apparently i don't listen as you can tell by the list of what is planted below:

-red onions
-green onions
-green beans
-peas
-carrots
- spinach
-romaine lettuce
-green peppers
-red peppers
-jalapeno peppers
-garlic
-roma tomatoes
-early girl tomatoes
-big boy tomatoes
-thyme
-chives
-cilantro
-basil
-parsley

pink toenails

One of my favorite classes at Simpson was Gender, Race and Class in Media and it was taught by one of the most controversial professors on campus, Susanne Gubanc. At the time I had no clue how much this class would impact me and I still carry the lessons I learned with me today. I grew up like most people in Iowa in a small, middle-class, primarily white community. I was always aware that not everyone was just like me and to treat everyone the same and that was that, I didn't think of gender, class or race much past that.

In this class we spent countless hours going over case study after case study analyzing differences and how people are treated due to these factors. A couple examples that stick out to me. Have you ever thought about Band-Aids? Those were definitely made for Caucasians' skin tones. Then there were the parents who decided to raise their baby boy as a girl to break the culture gender stereotypes that exist today and not until the child was in his teens did they break the news to him, that he was a boy not a girl. Eek, I do think that is crossing the line.

I've been thinking back to this class due to the controversy being stirred up by Jenna Lyons, Creative Director at J. Crew. She was featured in an advertisement with her son with a quote, "Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink."

I immediately thought "what would I do if I had a son and his favorite color was pink?" I'll be honest, I don't know if I would encourage it. Not because of the sexuality aspect, a color is a color but I would be afraid of the scrutiny he would receive at school. There is a lot of pressure on boys and their masculinity. Girls have it much easier when it comes to these stereotypes. It is much easier for girls to get away with being a "tomboy" than if the roles were reversed.

Just something to ponder...

greatest week ever.

Restaurant week participants have been announced! Don't expect a menu that week, I'll be dining out as much as possible. I love a great restaurant and a good deal! For those of you who don't know how restaurant week works, you get a three-course dinner for $25 and at lunch two people can dine for $25. Now I just have to wait until August...

2011 Restaurant Week Participants:

801 Chophouse

Americana Restaurant and Lounge

Baratta's

Baru 66

Bistro Montage

BOS

Cafe di Scala

Centro

Cosi Cucina

Court Ave. Brewing Company

Django

Dos Rios

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Gateway Market

Gino's West Glen

Greenbriar

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse, Des Moines

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse, West Des Moines

Latin King

Luna

Maxie's

Mojo's

Open Sesame

Proof

Raccoon RiverBrewery

Rock River

Sbrocco

Splash

Tally's

The Q

Trostel's Dish

Waterfront Seafood, Ankeny

Waterfront Seafood, West Des Moines

Zingaro

801 Chophouse
Alba

Americana Restaurant and Lounge

Baratta's

Baru 66

Bistro Montage

BOS

Cafe di Scala

Centro

Cosi Cucina

Court Ave. Brewing Company

Django

Dos Rios

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Gateway Market

Gino's West Glen

Greenbriar

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse, Des Moines

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse, West Des Moines

Latin King
Lucca

Luna

Maxie's
Mezzodi's

Mojo's

Open Sesame

Proof

Raccoon RiverBrewery

Rock River

Sbrocco

Splash

Tally's

Waterfront Seafood, Ankeny

Waterfront Seafood, West Des Moines

Zingaro

keenan cahill

i love keenan cahill. period. end of story.

if i'm ever having a bad day at work or just need something to cheer me up, i just pull up youtube and watch a video of his.

you're a pretty big deal if 50 cent shows up in your room to do a video with you, if BSpears invites you to her latest video shoot and then makes a cameo in your latest posting and Miss Chelsea Handler invites you to her show. not bad for a fifteen-year-old from Chicago.

something borrowed

We had a Fandango tickets that were going to expire in the next couple of weeks that we bought for cheap through Living Social so this weekend we went to see Something Borrowed.

I didn't know much about the movie at all except that it had John Krasinski aka "Jim" in it, so I knew it would be good and it didn't disappoint. I'm sure it is no surprise to anyone but I am a sucker for romantic comedies and this movie definitely falls into that category but don't write it off quite yet.

John Krasinski and Kate Hudson gave solid performances, but Kate Hudson needs to stop playing characters that are in their twenty-somethings, it's getting harder to believe. And if you're looking for a movie with product placement, Heineken beer makes it into every other scene.

Even though the storyline is similar to movies we've all seen before, it was charming, entertaining and kept you guessing.

Can't wait to check out the book by Emily Griffin.

RENTED

We officially have renters! They scheduled a showing for last Saturday and I reluctantly accepted to show them, as I didn't want to leave the Duck Derby early but figured we needed renters sooner than later - as of June 5th, we were going to have two house payments.

They showed up early, were polite and appeared to be normal and they seemed interested, which was the most important. The following day they had their applications in and everything checked out.

And yesterday, they moved in and signed a year lease!

Thank you to everyone who kept us in your thoughts and prayers, this is a huge weight lifted off our shoulders and now I can finally enjoy our new house. Even though I was beginning to get use to the idea of having a vacation home on the Waukee side of WDM.

menu posting

monday: shrimp & avocado salad with crispy tortillas

tuesday: leftover night. j-rod insists we needed this since we have a surplus of food in our fridge, i am not thrilled about it but hate throwing good food away, so here it is leftover night.

wednesday: grilled steak with caper sauce & spinach pea risotto

thursday: garden veggie linguine with cilantro pesto

friday/saturday: my whole family is in town for the weekend including my grandparents, i am so excited but the menu hasn't been decided yet!

sunday: hot 'n cheesy chicken casserole

i didn't have to buy proteins for this week's menu (thanks to the deep freeze) & i utilized my pantry when planning so i spent $36.00 at the grocery store yesterday.

cafe monarch

Cafe Monarch in Scottsdale, AZ is hands down the best dining experience I've ever had. The food was amazing and full of flavor and different textures. The atmosphere was so unique. There were about six tables outside and inside was an eat-in kitchen where you could watch the chef prepare your food right in front of you. We chose to eat outside because I rarely pass that opportunity up because there are only a few months when we can do that in DSM.

Chef Christopher is a one-man show, he greets you at the door, pours your drinks, cooks your meal, serves your food and is your cashier when you're all done.

Another one of my favorite features about this place is that the menu changes daily and he writes it with chalk on the outside of his door. You're in for a surprise every time you visit.

J-rod had a pork lion with a red chilli sauce over a corn polenta. I chose the prosciutto pesto bruschetta, say that 5x fast. It was served over a green salad, with a variety of tomatoes with a honey lemon vinaigrette.

This restaurant definitely deserves the 5-star rating on yelp. I would go back to Scottsdale just to eat here. If you're planning on dining at Cafe Monarch, I would recommend a reservation, it currently has at least a month wait for dinner.

And after a short conversation with the chef I found he is from Iowa, no wonder I liked him and his restaurant so much.

menu posting

Menu posting for the week, just a few days late:

Monday: We didn't get to the beef and noodle toss from Sunday because we had so many leftovers from eating out on the weekend, so it got moved to Monday.
Tuesday: Los Tres Amigos in Waukee (it's half-price marg night!)
Wednesday: BBQ pulled pork, baked beans and broccoli slaw
Thursday: Pizza pizzaz salad and pesto brushetta
Friday: Buffalo-style chicken fingers with mac & cheese
Saturday: Chicken jambalaya with white/brown rice mix
Sunday: Leftovers

I did my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart which I am not a huge fan of, but came in way under budget just over $40.00.

happy hour

It's the little things in life I treasure most, like Starbucks Happy Hour. Once again this year they are offering half-price frappuccinos from 3pm-5pm.

I can't think of anything much better than a Starbucks treat and a deal, all in one! Better go take advantage, you only have until May 15th!

menu posting

Back to reality and back to a budget. The past few weeks with moving and vacation, it's been hard to stick to a plan and I actually missed doing it. But tomorrow, we'll be back on track. My grocery total came in just under $45 this week.

Below you'll find this week's menu. Enjoy!

Monday: Grilled ham steak with spicy pineapple sauce, baked potatoes and lemon pepper broccoli
Tuesday: Ginger marinated steak and noodle salad
Wednesday: Chipotle-honey-glazed chicken wings and LW's famous mac-n-cheese corn casserole
Thursday: Cinco De Mayo (probably won't be the same as last year's celebration as we were in Mexico but at least we'll eat like we are there.) Chicken fajitas, homemade gauc, Mexican rice and black beans
Friday: Dining out with the 'rents (location TBA.)
Saturday: 801 Steak and Chophouse - Jared promised me he'd take me there on our 23rd wedding anniversary (don't ask me why the 23rd, he was probably hoping I'd forget about it by then but thanks to Groupon we don't have to wait so long!) *Blog review to follow
Sunday: Beef and noodle lasagna toss with fresh garlic green beans

Let me know if you'd like any of the recipes.