sabbatical

i've spent the month of july on sabbatical. you might laugh at my use of that word, but that is exactly what sabbatical is, a rest from work. i wish it upon everyone, it was a great way to relax, reset and get focused.

not going to lie, tomorrow could be a rough adjustment back to reality. but i'm looking forward to getting into a routine and a new challenge.

here is how i spent some of my time:

-slept in
-hit up the YMCA
-spent quality time with my family, including a quick trip back to MP
-organized my closet (and j-rod's too, because i'm that nice)
-blogged
-treated myself to a mani/pedi
-gardened
-read two excellent books and started on a third
-tried new recipes
- deck party (a mister and margs included)
-shopped (maybe a little too much, i had to buy more hangers today)
-NKOTBSB
-got some sun
-spent some time in one of my favorite cities, LA
-golfed for the first time (and yes i actually golfed, not just rode around in a golf cart with a magazine)

urban decay's 15-year anniversary

i'm obsessed with the latest palette from urban decay. while this eye makeup is on the pricey side, it is so worth the money. the colors are vibrant and last all day. with this particular collection, urban decay is celebrating their 15th anniversary and they are debuting brand new, never seen before colors.

i had to run out and get it today, i didn't want to be left on a waiting list like i was for the naked palette. i love this collection more than all the others that i own because it is such a great mix of neutral and bold shades.

so happy birthday urban decay, keep up the good work!

menu posting

i love eating out but after doing it for a week straight, i'm ready for some home cooking.

here is this week's menu.

monday: BLT's and corn on the cob (easily one of my favorite meals)
tuesday: grilled chicken and corn salad with avocado and parmesan
wednesday: tortilla crusted tilapia with fresh green beans
thursday: dinner at K2's
friday: pizza at bordenaro's
saturday: taco salad (super easy and delicious, the picture is from the last time i made it)
sunday: grilled steak with scallion rice

season tix

i have loved going to theatrical productions since i was young child. the first show i ever remember attending was a high school production of wizard of oz and there i fell in love with the arts. i was probably six and as i watched the wicked witch fly down the aisle on a bicycle, i thought the whole thing was purely magical.

well this year i decided the line up was so good at the civic center, i just couldn't pass up season tickets. a season full of shows that i've heard such rave reviews. and of course i had to get the add-on of wicked, the music is just so fantastic.

now i just have to wait for the fall.

WILLIS BROADWAY SERIES 5-SHOW PACKAGE
	LA CAGE AUX FOLLES Oct. 11-16, 2011 LA CAGE tells the story of Georges, the owner of a glitzy nightclub in lovely Saint-Tropez, and his partner Albin, who moonlights as the glamorous chanteuse Zaza. When Georges' son brings his fiancée's conservative parents home to meet the flashy pair, the bonds of family are put to the test as the feather boas fly! LA CAGE is a tuneful and touching tale of one family's struggle to stay together... stay fabulous... and above all else, stay true to themselves! With a glorious score of hummable melodies and a dynamite cast featuring the "notorious and dangerous Cagelles," LA CAGE is an indisputable musical comedy classic... and this extraordinary new version shows you why!
	WEST SIDE STORY Feb. 7-12, 2012 The show that redefined Broadway for an entire generation is returns to the stage in a brand-new production. WEST SIDE STORY soars as the greatest love story of all time. The Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway’s finest and features such classics as “Tonight,” “America,” “Something’s Coming,” “I Feel Pretty,” and of course, “Somewhere.” Directed by David Saint, using Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’Broadway direction, West Side Story remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. You haven’t seen Broadway until you’ve seen WEST SIDE STORY!
	BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL Feb. 28- March 4, 2012 BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL is the explosive new musical comedy that raises the stakes on over-the-top high school rivalries. Set against the world of competitive cheerleading, this powerhouse new show hilariously proves that winning isn’t everything when it means losing something - or someone - you really care about. BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL has brought together some of the freshest and funniest creative minds on Broadway, including Tony Award-winning writer Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q); Tony Award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (In The Heights); Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and lyricist Amanda Green (High Fidelity); Tony Award-winning orchestrator Alex Lacamoire (Wicked); and Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (In The Heights). This entirely original musical comedy combines an exciting new sound, gravity-defying choreography, and a thrilling story to create a total theatrical event worth cheering for.
	MEMPHIS April 24-29, 2012 TURN UP THAT DIAL... From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes a hot new Broadway musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, MEMPHIS is about a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break. Come along on their incredible journey to the ends of the airwaves -- filled with laughter, soaring emotion and roof-raising rock 'n' roll. Winner of four 2010 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, MEMPHIS , which played pre-Broadway at the La Jolla Playhouse, features a Tony®-winning book by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) and a Tony®-winning original score with music by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan. Directing is Tony® nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu), and choreography is by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys). Get ready to experience Broadway’s most exciting new destination~ what AP calls “The very essence of what a Broadway musical should be.”
	BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL June 6-17, 2012 BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL is the joyous celebration of one boy's journey to make his dreams come true. Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising passion that inspires his family and his whole community. A big musical with an even bigger heart, BILLY ELLIOT will enchant the dreamer in all of us. Based on the international smash-hit film, BILLY ELLIOT is brought to life by a phenomenal cast of 45 and the Tony Award®-winning creative team -- director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling and writer Lee Hall -- along with music legend Elton John, who has written what the New York Post calls "HIS BEST SCORE YET!"
WILLIS BROADWAY SERIES OPTIONAL ADD-ONs
	WICKED Nov. 9-Dec. 4, 2011 Back by “Popular” demand. Entertainment Weekly calls WICKED "the best musical of the decade,” and when it first played the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines in 2009, it broke box office records and sold out in record time. Winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, WICKED is Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, a cultural phenomenon and was just named “the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times. Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for "the most complete and completely satisfying new musical in a long time" (USA Today).

just try and ruin my day

if you remember back to february when i started blogging again, i mentioned the blog i follow entitled "just try and ruin my day."

well it is worth mentioning again, if you don't follow it, you should.

brian's wife, stacey continues to blog about life as a twenty-something widow. she is honest, inspiring and an amazing woman. i don't know how she does it. i think it'd be hard to get out of bed every day, but somehow she finds the strength to continue on and even more impressive she shares her feelings in a very candid way.

this week she had me in tears again. so before you click through, make sure you have a tissue ready.

i hope to find myself going back to this post often as a reminder that we should all have the same motto in life, "just try and ruin my day."

homemade ice cream

i may be in trouble, i purchased a homemade ice cream maker. i've wanted one for years but i just couldn't justify the cost. well i found a cuisinart frozen yogurt, ice cream & sorbet maker at costco for $30 and i couldn't pass it up.

the reason i may be in trouble you ask? pretty sure a few extra pounds could be added to my waistline. i've had it for less than a week and have already made two different kinds. i just love ice cream and can't get enough of it.

the first one i attempted was salty caramel. it was good but i think i burnt the sugar, which i realize is how you make caramel sauce but i think it got a little too much heat. i really want to give it another try because the flavor combination works so great together.


the second one i created was strawberry. it doesn't feel any more than summer than enjoying a delicious bowl of strawberry ice cream on a hot day. it was rich and creamy and full of flavor.

i've decided the key to a good homemade ice cream is find a good base recipe and then you can pretty much alter it to whatever flavor you desire. looks like i'll need to complete some research to get to find the perfect base...

project garden : update

my garden is doing okay considering the scorching temperatures outside. it has been fun watching everything grow. i'm even thinking about planting another round of veggies for a fall harvest.


i have been able to use all my herbs with the exception of the cilantro which bolted and is now toast. i have loved making homemade pesto and using fresh herbs in all my dishes.


my chives and thyme are going strong. i've been looking for recipes that include chives so i can put them on something other than a baked potato.


my jalapeno and red pepper plants are looking great.

i've been able to harvest a couple of onions, the rest are about ready to go as well.


here are a couple of baby romas. it is hard to beat a fresh tomato, i'm probably most excited for these guys to be harvested.

here are the carrots that are left, i'm sure it is just a matter of time before the rabbits get to them.


here is a picture of the whole garden, when this picture was taken i had just plucked out every single weed. we'll see how long that lasts.

here is a pic of the flowers on the side of the house.

history of rap, part dos

most of the time sequels disappoint, but not this one. history of rap: part 2, yes please. and in case you didn't see the first one you can catch it here.

two of the funniest, most talented guys in the business.

enjoy.

holy hot

i sliced a jalapeno today for dinner and it turned into a disaster. for whatever reason the jalapeno did not react well with my skin and there was an instant burn.
my fingers still feel like they are on fire and it has been hours.

i turned to the world wide web for some home remedies to cure my pain and here is what i found to try:

sour cream
rubbing alcohol
salt
lime juice

combined they sound like a tainted margarita but none of it was consumed and i'm sad to report none of it worked at least for the long term. the sour cream probably provided the most relief but i'm sure that is just because it was cold.

happy to accept any advice if for some horrible reason this ever happens again. also, slightly worried when i have to take out my contacts this evening.

sha5ron

can you imagine having a number in the middle of your name? seems kind of strange, right?

well there's a lady at the downtown farmer's market that chose to add a number to her name, the first time i saw her, her name was sha5ron and now it is sha6ron. this lady seemed so kooky that i needed to do some research. as you can imagine it wasn't too difficult to find someone by the name of sha6ron, a simple google search and i found her and her story.

sha6ron grew up with a reading disability and letters confuse her, so she just threw a number in her name to confuse others.

so what number would you throw into your name? i personally like sta7cy for myself.

favorite dish

mediterranean baked cheese from simon's is easily one of my favorite dishes. it is quite simple, yet tastes so divine. it is a block of feta cheese drizzled with olive oil and baked golden brown. it is then topped with black olives and tomatoes served along side with toasted bread.

the feta is creamy and salty and pairs well with the crunch from the bread and it is all balanced out perfectly from the acidity in the tomatoes and olives.

whenever i mention how much i love this dish to the owner and wait staff their response is always the same, "really?!" it is just so good.

if you ever make it to simon's, it is definitely worth starting your meal with this perfect appetizer.

menu posting

we will be dining in all this week before we leave for LA on saturday.

sunday: english muffin pizzas with pepperoni and banana peppers

monday: linguine with avocado and arugula pesto

tuesday: ginger marinated steak & noodle salad
(repeat recipe alert: i couldn't wait to make it again, pictured on the left from last time)

wednesday: taco night at casa de NH

thursday: falafel (feeling brave, this recipe is pretty intensive)

friday: buffalo-style chicken fingers with mac & cheese (another repeat recipe, so delish and easy, pictured below from last time)

saturday/sunday: vacationing in the city of angels

NKOTBSB

growing up i was a huge NKOTB fan, i mean who wasn't? i had a sleeping bag, barbie dolls, the huge buttons, posters, a beach towel and wait for it...a sweater with their faces sewn into it. slightly obsessed, yes i know. my favorite was definitely jordan knight.

i was around six-years-old when my aunt wanted to take me a NKOTB concert at the state fair but my mom said i was way too young and it would not be happening. i have held it against her ever since, no i'm just kidding. love you mom.

the boy band craze intensified later on in my life with groups like n'sync, backstreet boys, 98 degrees, o-town and don't forget 2gether (u+me=us.) my mom took my friends and i to my first concert in 1998, 98 degrees at burlington steam boat days. i was a huge nick lachey fan even back then. but my favorite boy band of that era was backstreet boys.

you can imagine my excitement when i found out that NKOTBSB (New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys) had formed, talk about a boy band powerhouse. i just had to get tickets and my bff, cal said she'd love to go as well.

well tomorrow is the day, we are taking a road trip to minneapolis to make my childhood fantasy come true.

i'll leave you with my favorite songs from each of the groups....so excited cannot wait!



BSB is a toss up between these two:

Backstreet Boys - Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Backstreet Boys

container gardening failure

i was so excited to post a "how-to" on container gardening that is until i failed at it. so below are the steps on how i started and then at the end and you'll see how i messed it up. hopefully you can learn from my mistake.

i found this beautiful arrangement in a magazine so i went to the woodsmith store and asked for their assistance in picking out the flowers. the total for all four plants were around $40, i went home and got to work. the flowers i purchased were a yellow cape daisy, a couple dark pink geraniums, purple petunias and a white bacopa.

1. fill the container with plenty of potting soil. make sure to break up the roots of the plant before planting into the soil mix.



2. arrange all the plants giving them equal space.



3. when finished planting, top with mulch to help retain moisture. here is the finished product...beautiful!


4. and make sure to give it plenty of water.



here is where i messed up, apparently you need to drill holes in the bottom of your container to help with the drainage. this is what i ended up with, 3.5 of the flowers dead because it got way too much water.




complete failure.

80/35, better late than never

here is my quick recap of 80/35. it was a beautiful, hot, fun day with friends. cashes rivers put on a fantastic show and when thinking of the girl talk show, i just start jumping around fist-pumping.

the food is definitely worth mentioning also, not your typical festival food. i enjoyed the most delicious slice of pizza from gusto. it was called the john wayne, it had bacon, creamed corn, blue cheese and green onion. so delicious! and i love corn dogs, so nic and i shared one.

here are some of my favorite pics from the day.

menu posting

this week's menu is pathetic and probably not worth posting. but there are week's where a menu isn't possible so we have to make due, here it is:

monday: j-rod had a work meeting at django/i had a delicious frozen pizza from trader joe's, it had roasted red peppers and pearl mozzarella
tuesday: j-rod had leftovers/i had a dinner meeting at legends
wednesday: cosi cucina, one of my DSM favs!
thursday: i have to bartend so leftovers for both of us
friday/saturday/sunday: weekend with my bff in MN for NKOTBSB

cupcake tasting

i love cupcakes. i know they are super trendy right now but i have always had a love for them. even as a kid i never wanted a cake, always cupcakes. i had a pretty specific request for my mom to make for every birthday, funfetti cake with pink frosting and sprinkles. we all know how i feel about Sprinkles , 11 days until my next one, just in case you were wondering.

but since Sprinkles isn't something i can always have, i had to find a substitute to get me by. Carefree Patisserie, is located in this tiny building in valley junction. their cupcake selection is incredible, they have a menu of 101 flavors to choose from.

my friends and i have developed a fun tradition that we do for special occasions. we get one cupcake per person, divide it into quarters and then we each get to sample all the flavors. after trying all of the different varieties we rank our favorites in order from least to most.

the flavors featured below are: raspberry malt, margarita, muddy farmer, triple chocolate and summer melon. as you can see they have a good mix of traditional and fun flavors to choose from.







here is my breakdown of least to most favorite from our last cupcake tasting:

5. summer melon
4. margarita
3. triple chocolate
2. raspberry malt
1. muddy farmer

heaven is for real

while in scottsdale i read an article in the usa today on a book entitled Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back. the article immediately peaked my interest and i knew i needed to read the book for myself.

this morning i finished the book and would highly recommend checking it out. it is a very quick read and gives you a glimpse into what heaven may be like from the perspective of a four-year-old.

it also encouraged me to have more of a childlike faith.

“Let the children come to Me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14-15, NLT)

squinnies update

i was finally coming to terms with the squinnies. i realized they weren't doing any harm so i should learn to get over my fear. then last week i found one nestled up in my tarragon, not once but twice and after pounding on the patio door, it wasn't even phased by me. that was it, WAR.

we went back online to do some research and while everyone suggests just shooting them, i still don't think a gun will be in my future. instead i went to the store and bought rat poisoning. while i do feel extremely guilty about killing these guys off, i am ready for them to stop making a mess and to leave my herbs alone.

j-rod set out the poisoning and the next day it was gone. i then saw a squinny running around on the deck like a crazy person, so maybe it worked? i am sure there are more just lurking around the yard, but i am determined to get rid of them one by one.

gold card

just in case you need photographic evidence, this beauty arrived today.

can't wait to start flashing my gold card.

thank you starbucks, you made my day!

menu posting

here is the menu posting for the week, hope to post another recipe recap soon.

monday: grilled ham steak, creamed peas with bacon, roasted herb sliced potatoes & grilled bread
tuesday: BBQ feta and hot banana pepper turkey burgers & corn black bean salad
wednesday: creamy baked fettuccine with asiago and thyme with a romaine salad & garlic bread
thursday: honey soy grilled salmon with edamame
friday/saturday: dining out - locations TBA
sunday: family birthday celebration

golden birthday

It's no secret, I love birthdays! Last week we got to celebrate J-rod's birthday. Typically we take the day off but this year it didn't work out with our crazy schedules so we extended the party throughout the week, here are some highlights:

Tuesday (his actual birthday) - He spent the day at the I-Cubs with his team from work and then we went to dinner at Jethro's. K2, J-rod and myself split 40 wings, they were 2-for-1, so we didn't mess around. We came close to finishing but only made it through 32 of them.

Thursday - I finally got around to making his favorite birthday cake, a lemon cake with white frosting with sprinkles. In years past I've tried to fancy it up with different recipes I've found but he wasn't interested.

Friday - Dinner at Sbrocco. It was fantastic. We had a Living Social deal that was hard to beat, 4 drinks and 4 small plates. To start things off we split the frites with truffle oil and parmesan. We've had these before and they didn't disappoint again, much better than any french fry I've ever had. Then we ordered the spicy ratatouille with goat cheese and toasted bread and the pork belly with bacon sautéed slaw. The ratatouille was perfectly cooked but I wanted some more goat cheese to mix in. The pork belly was fantastic but in my mind I was thinking it was going to be a lot more like bacon but instead it was a super tender and reminded me of pulled pork and the slaw was superb. We ended the evening with two more small plates, pan seared scallops with a cauliflower purée and caramelized onions with an apple cider syrup and swedish meatballs. The scallops were delightful, the cauliflower puree was outstanding. I don't really care for swedish meatballs but they are one of Jared's favorites. While I enjoyed the sauce that was on them, I thought the meatball was on the dry side.

As for the presents, J-rod insisted on no gifts other than a new phone. I'm not very good at following the rules and you have to have something to open on the special day so I picked up a new Raygun shirt and a road id bracelet. His new phone, the Sprint EVO 3D wasn't available for order until Monday. It arrived just in time for the weekend, so we had a great time trying it out. And we are now an EVO family.