Update via pictures

I figured since I really have nothing to write about I should go through my phone camera and post some of the stuff we've been up to, in NO particular order!

First and foremost, in case you don't make it all the way through this post, I'll post the most important thing first.

A couple weeks ago we took a bottle of Stoli vodka and a pineapple.  Cut up the pineapple placed it in a big drink dispenser poured the vodka in and let it sit for just over a week.  Now some just drink this on ice (called a Stoli Doli), but we had other plans for it.  There is a restaurant in Duluth that makes a drink (which name escapes me) - it's a muddled cucumber, a shot of pineapple infused vodka, sprite and a splash of soda.  Sounds odd, but it's seriously amazing, especially for summer - extremely refreshing!  My brother made a variation of it by putting soda with a splash of sprite (less sugar, great idea!).  He said it was probably the best drink he's ever had... and coming from my brother, that is saying a lot!

You should probably get off your ass and give it a shot.  You don't even know you're drinking, it's gold.

What else?  Have I told you that Steve and I celebrated 3 years together?  I think I mentioned it was coming, we'll it's come and gone.  On our anniversary (it was a Friday), I went downtown Minneapolis and we had food truck lunch, yum!  We went to Solera that night for dinner, a first for both of us, and delicious.  We also stopped by a little restaurant for a rhubarb dessert sampling - I'm a sucker for rhubarb anything.

We also tried a new burger at home - Steve is in love with Pizza Luce pizza's... so he wanted to see if we could make a burger to taste the same.  This burger has garlic mashed potatoes, tomatoes, scallions, and feta on it.  It was good, but the pizza is WAY better.  Yes, garlic mashed potato pizza.  I need a Pizza Luce fix!

This past weekend we spend a fortune on a number of things - we got the items pictured below - 2 floor lamps that look like the top pic, and 2 boxes of tiles (second pic) to make a backsplash in our kitchen.  Both items were normally very expensive - we got the lamps for $50/each (Tiffany lamps) and the tiles were normally $28/sheet, we got them for $5.00/sheet - SCORE.

We also purchased (not pictured) 7 sheets of Oak veneer - which will hopefully be enough to fix the oak table we have along with the newest item we've added to our collection of antique family pieces (the picture is when it was still at my aunts house with stuff all over it, but you get the point of what it is) - it's an Oak buffet, which may or may not go with out oak table, no one knows if they are a set - BUT these pieces were in the house my dad and aunts grew up in for their entire lives... and now I have them both.  The best part is hopefully we purchased enough veneer to restore them both to their original beauty!

The veneer is like 60 years old (both pieces are older than that), so we're hoping it will look right on theses pieces.  This stuff retails for upwards of $30/sheet... we got it for $10/sheet!

So we spent a lot this weekend, but saved a ton too!

Pam's shower and bachelorette party were a success - obviously, if I'm involved in planning, it's bound to be a success!  Here is the bride and her ladies:

Lastly, I'll leave you with a photo of my adorable kitty snoozing on the couch (yes, I'm aware he is overweight):

That's all for now people!

Happy V-Day

So this post is going to be more random than anything else... but being that it's Valentine's day, I will say I hope you have a great day, whatever you decide to do.  Steve is going to make me dinner - salt roasted salmon with my favorite broccoli side dish and sticky rice.

Second, some replies to the comments from yesterday.  To those who took the time to say anything at all, thank you.  It may not have helped my day fully, but I promise that I smiled at each of the comments.
@Krysten - I am excited for Baseball season, I'd be more excited if I had cable AND if we had a promising team.  That being said... I'm always excited to see Joe "Lips" Mauer in any form.
@Dana - I'm so glad you liked the wine!  I was able to try that same wine a couple of weeks ago and thought it was really good too!  The whole line of wine from Cupcake is pretty stellar (and inexpensive)!
@Gringa - I replied to you personally.  I am excited for New York and Chicago - I've been planning those trips hard core over the last few weeks.
@Lo - I'm jealous that you can walk to Target Field!  On top of that, I'm so sorry your place got broken into.  While I try hard not to be one of those 'woe is me, let's have a pitty party' - I do believe that no matter how positive a person tries to be, we all encounter bad days.  I'm thankful for so much in my life and I hope that I didn't come across as ungrateful.

Okay, some of the reason why my day was poopy yesterday?
Not only am I sick and tired of dealing with the same shit day after day at work, it's even worse on a Monday. I try to wake up on Monday's and be fresh and new, ready to tackle a new week.  Yesterday I woke up the same way... but it was quickly turned around by the bullshit at my company.  My favorite co-worker, and one of only 2 people that I still like and enjoy at this place, told me a new way to think - while it may help for the time being, I'm still holding in all my true frustration.  He told me to do my job and not worry about the other stuff unless it directly and negatively affects my job.  It may sound like common sense but the 7 years I've worked here have been much different where everyone is involved in certain things.  Especially considering I know the office admin job better than the person that was given the position.  I don't know how you can plan for the future without knowing how things currently work.  It's extremely frustrating.

Also yesterday, Steve told me that he had some bad news - which is never good to hear.  As it turns out, his boss did some further research on our first class tickets and Hawaii is too expensive, so Continental US, Alaska, and Mexico are still options but Hawaii is off the table.  I'm super bummed about that.  I don't want to sound selfish, but I know I'm about to, so deal with it.  The thing that makes me the most upset is the fact that we went a month not knowing if Hawaii was included but would have understood if it weren't... then we are told it is, sowe get excited and I start looking into stuff and talking with my travel agent... and now it's not.  I just wish she would have looked into it BEFORE telling us we could go.  I'm super bummed and disappointed - we had our hopes beyond up.
Now to redeem my selfish thoughts - I know we're still getting a free first class ticket to somewhere, and I know we'll still have a great time... I just have to get over the bummed feelings and start thinking about something else.  The other part of that is we don't know where we want to go now... hard to get excited about something that we don't know.. ya know?

I went to the gym after work yesterday, thinking people always talk about how a good workout helps them feel better, maybe I can apply the same thought process - well... I don't think it worked because I was still bummed last night when I got home.  However, I have decided that the gym isn't so bad as long as I don't go there expecting to push myself to my death.  I always assume I can pickup where I left off 3 years ago, and I can't, and that's okay.  I have to start somewhere.  Yesterday I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the treadmill.  40 minutes of cardio at any pace is better than 40 minutes on my couch, right?

Steve and I made a Pinterest Recipe to take to my brother's house over the weekend, the pinterest link is no longer working, but I was able to find the same recipe here (the photos on this site are less exciting than what I pinned):

Bloomin' Onion Bread

1 unsliced loaf of (round is preferable) sourdough bread
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onion, including white part
2-3 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:
Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions.  Do not cut through the bottom crust.
Places slices of cheese between cuts. Mix together butter, onion, and poppy seeds.  Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire thing in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Lastly, As I sit here thinking about a new job and working on my resume, I'm forced to think about how to remove myself from searchable social media.  Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc.  I've decided that once my resume is out there, I'm going to deactivate my facebook.  I think it'll be good for me for many reasons - who couldn't use a break from facebook.  It'll also assure any potential employers not be able to find pictures of me with my boobs hanging out (not literally, just the cleave) and photos of me being bombed off my ass at any given point.
Twitter is less of a big deal to me, being that I don't post often and there are no photos of me on there.  I'm not sure if I can just disable the site for a time being or if I have to delete my account... if it's the latter, I'll probably just leave it.
My blog... I've worked extremely hard to remove my blog from any mention of my actual name.  Being that I work with family and I'm also friends with the same family on Facebook and Twitter... I don't have any of it linked.  I'm not an anonymous blogger, obviously, but unless we're friends on facebook, you won't know my full name by reading my blog.  Just the way I want it.  I really need to log out of my google account and do lots of different searches to make sure of this.
All of that being said... I still plan to make my blog private once I submit my resume.  Which means, I think, that if you want to keep reading, you'll need to make sure you a) let me know b) give me your email address and c) I think that email address will need to be the one you use to sign up for a google account.  I need to look a bit more into this, but I think that's how it'll work.  It's going to be a pain, but hopefully I'll get a job right away and it won't have much of an impact on you, the reader.  I do appreciate you reading and hope you'll continue to do so while I have to take some action to keep my privacy.

Peace out for now...

Day 28 of Birthday Month

Yep - it's been a few days, and I've yet to even post all the wonderful gifts we received!  In due time, my pretties.

I've been meaning to mention for like 2 months now this wonderful thing my aunt is doing for me, because I turned 30 this year.
In Minneapolis we have this placed called Kitchen Window - which is an amazing kitchen store that also offers cooking classes and things of the sort.  Well, she offered to take me to a class - with her - and pay for it all!  My aunt Jayne is a pretty special woman to me.  She's been my boss for the last 6 years and as of tomorrow will no longer be working at my company.

We've grown close over the years here together and we've discovered a passion for food together, mostly through leftovers and magazine recipes.

Anyhow - I was given my choice of classes and of many great sounding choices, this is the one I went with:
With Terry as your guide, you’ll create a menu of small plates and appetizers that is sure to inspire that lovin’ feeling this Valentine’s Day. We’ll start with DEEP-FRIED POACHED EGGS & BEARNAISE ON CRISPED PROSCIUTTO – an incredible, indulgent take on eggs benedict that’s perfect at cocktail hour or (ahem) breakfast. Next, we’ll make FILET MIGNON & GOAT CHEESE CANAPES WITH WATERCRESS – an elegant, mouthwatering pairing of flavors. We’ll make OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER GRATIN – a tried-and-true mood-setter made even better with the addition of spinach and cheese. SEAFOOD COCKTAIL SHOOTERS are next – mini seafood cocktails that are as adorable as your valentine. Next we’ll move on to GRISSINI BREADSTICKS WITH SOFT HERBED CHEESE – a snack that’s perfect for sharing with that special someone. And to end our evening, it’s PASTRY CUPS FILLED WITH LEMON CURD & WHITE CHOCOLATE CREME PATISSIERE – a lot of sweet and just a little bit of sour... just right for Valentine’s Day.

So we make all that stuff AND we get to eat it all!

It doesn't happen until February 2012, but I can't wait!!!

Day 2 of Birthday Month

I woke up expecting to paint today... but because of my burn, I decided to call my mom and cancel plans to paint.  I didn't get holes filled or primer purchased in prep for painting (I was supposed to do that last night, but I decided to grab a hot skillet instead).

So I woke up and made breakfast (Steve was kind enough to make me a pot of coffee before he left for work), and relaxed a bit.
I put some beef in the crock pot to make this:

Source: bakingbites.com via Angela on Pinterest

I had plans to meet Krysten for coffee at 11am.  Our 2 hour coffee date was super fun - we met in the middle (we live about an hour from each other) and talked about everything ranging from her boyfriend being a vampire to how it'd be wrong for me to snoop around my house to find my birthday present :)  A few things in-between as well.

I came home to a wonderful smelling house - YUM.

Steve came home from work with these:

Which are now sitting on our mantle (eek, it's a dark one):

Not sure if it's because I burnt my hand yesterday or if it was because he loves me so much... I'm pretty sure the reason doesn't matter, I love my flowers!

The dinner was a hit!  The french dips had great flavor and we have a ton of leftover meat - I can't wait to eat more!
I also made this:

Source: eatingwell.com via Angela on Pinterest

The tomatoes were not as exciting as I expected.  It was kind of like eating a little pizza or something, I suppose since it was baked tomato with parm, it tasted just like tomato based sauce.  It was alright... but not as good as the picture makes it look.

Here is what the meal ended up looking like:

After dinner I chilled for a bit and then went to my brothers new job to have a drink with my mom and a family friend who was in town.  I meant to take a picture, but forgot to make that happen.

Oh hey, by the way, in the month of November Steve took our white board wall and drew a nice Thanksgiving picture, I'm not sure if I ever shared it here:

Well, for the first half of December (since my birthday is on the 16th), we have this on the wall:

I can't wait to see what he comes up with for the second half of December!

A great second day of birthday month :)

Day 1 of Birthday Month

So, last night, the first day of my birthday month, was pretty much a rollercoaster.  The day at work was good, nothing super amazing, but not awful.  My mom won the 1st of the month game :(

I get home and I'm all excited to make dinner - on the menu was steaks that we got from my dad and a dish that I saw on Pinterest and was dying to make; it's an onion and potato skillet, yum, right?

Source: hizzoners.com via Angela on Pinterest

Have you ever seen the below pin on Pinterest?  What they're supposed to look like and what they actually look like when an average everyday person makes them... it makes me LOL, and feel like it's pretty much everything I try to make myself.  Never quite comes out right.

Source: pleated-jeans.com via Laura on Pinterest

Well, this is what my potato and onion skillet turned out like:

whoopsy.

It was still delish though, here was our finished dinner:

I sat and ate dinner in tears because I was a fucking idiot and touched grabbed the handle of the cast iron skillet about 3 minutes after it came out of a 400 degree oven.  Steve had to cut my steak for me :(
I also put took some skin off my knuckles grating cheese... :( band-aids on one hand, ice on the other.

I had ice on my hand for the rest of the night.. and sleeping was pretty meh.
I posted a status on facebook yesterday saying that it was my birthday month and I was planning to attack 30 like the rockstar I am... yesterday was not a good start.
Now, you'll notice the blog title here; am I planning to blog the entire month of my birthday?  I'm just not sure yet, you'll have to wait and see.  It would, however, be a pretty awesome way to document the month I turned 30 - imagine looking back on that 30 years from now!

Random v.11.6

• Want to hear something super awesome but super lame at the same time?  I deleted my account with myspace yesterday.  LOL.. yeah, I still had one.
  
• The smell of Cheetos reminds me of being little - on Sunday's we'd go bowling as a family.  I'd always beg my parents for the 10 or 15 cents it took to buy a bag of Cheetos from the vending machine... so ever since then, opening a bag and smelling them takes me back to the bowling alley.  It's one of my favorite smells, my favorite memories, and one of my favorite snacks.
  
• I've deleted the link to my bog from both Facebook and Twitter - the cons of working with family (who have both) and having many changes at work make you want to write angry blogs.
  
• I'm left handed.
  
• I love Mexican food; I want to travel {back} to Mexico and try the authentic stuff!
  
• I'm turning 30 in 37 days; on a Friday.  What should I do that won't break the bank?
  
• I want to marry Steve and spend the rest of my life with him (I think of this every time Beyonce comes on singing "Single Ladies").  I'm also head over heels in love with the guy!
  
• I don't want kids.
  
• I want to take a trip!
  
• I have a Type A personality
  
• I'm addicted to Facebook lately.
  
• The single most popular image on my blog is this one:
  because people Google the exact words "Fish with Arms"  What goes on in this world?
  
• I posted on facebook a couple weeks ago that I went to the ATM to deposit a rebate check and I didn't need an envelope, it just took the check, scanned it, and told ME how much it was for.  Neat.  Last night I went to Old Navy and was given the option to have a printed receipt or have it emailed to me.  I'm already on their mailing list (for coupons)... so why not?  The world is advancing... and I fear as I approach 30, I'm not ready for it.

That's all.

How often do you shave?

I just tried to post a blog from my blogger app on my  super awesome android phone... then the fucking app encounter and error and force closed on me.  Unbeknownst to me, the stupid blogger app doesn't save as I type, so it was all lost.  fuck that app.  It's coming off as soon as I'm finished here.

Last night Steve and I made Beef Wellington, inspiration stemming from Chef Gordon Ramsay on Hell's Kitchen.  It was good.  I was blown away by how much flavor it had - so many different tastes and textures... I felt overwhelmed.  I'm glad we tried it; Steve is good not trying it again, but sometimes Steve is wrong.  I think one day, some time in our lives, we'll be giving this another go.

Looks good, huh?

The last thing here...
I woke up this morning because of a dream... the dream had Jamie Foxx in it... he was kissing me.  What the hell?!  I don't even think I like Jamie Foxx - but he sure did like me.  It was so rude of him to kiss me while Steve was in the same room too... ugh.  The nerve!

Oh, last question, I promise: Is chivalry dead?  You know, the days of men holding a door open for a lady (their lady or not)... following the "ladies first" rule... I could go on and on.  I'm just wondering if being a Gentleman is still 'cool'?

Weekend 10/1-2/11

On Friday - I kicked ass cleaning - I clean my gma's apartment, I cleaned our basement bathroom (top to bottom) and I cleaned our upstairs bathroom (top to bottomish).  We then went to Red Lobster with my grandma, my dad and his wifey.  We then came home and Steve took on another weekend of making homemade margaritas; this time using freshly muddled grapefruit and oranges.  They were not as good as the margaritas he made the weekend before.  Overall, it was a good night!

On Saturday, Steve and I went to Taste! which is an event put on my MSP Mag.  Basically food and wine tasting, held at TCF Bank Stadium (where the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team plays) - what a beautiful venue on a beautiful day.  They even had some of the Minneapolis food trucks outside giving away samples - which was fun for me as I don't work downtown, so I really have no way of trying these places!  I had high hopes for taking pictures of EVERYTHING, but it turns out most of the time I had wine in one hand and food in the other... so you're left with just these:

Food Trucks

Beautiful Stadium!

Gophers Locker room - it is HUGE!!

CELEBRITY SIGHTING - Eric Perkins - one of the strangest guys on TV, I threatened to ask for an autograph, but chickened out.  Imagine if I met a real celebrity!

all the people!

Sushi from Aji Sushi in Hopkins - delish! (couldn't find a website to link to)

We were given a glass (to keep, yay!) and a tasting notebook to write down all of our tasting notes - I think I wrote like 3 things down.

Saturday night there was a surprise 30th birthday party for my dear friend Abbie - I don't have any pictures with her, but I do have one of myself with my other dear friend, Amanda (with bunny ears, never gets old people!!):

On Sunday, Steve and I decided to partake in some of the Parade of Homes Remodeling Showcase on our way to Minnehaha Falls.  Not only did we see some stuff worth remembering, but we also added to our list of dreams - so many things we could do to our home.  In the midst of it all, we stopped at an antique store in St. Paul and purchased a nice Pyrex casserole dish (aka hotdish dish) that looks exactly like this and matches our antique Pyrex mixing bowls and we never actually made it to Minnehaha Falls.  It turned out to be a great day!  Tatertot Hotdish was waiting at home for dinner!  yum!
Oh, and the Vikings lost again... bringing them to an amazing low of 0-4.  That's zero games won and four games lost, for those who don't follow.  What the fuck Vikings - how am I supposed to have a blog with football in the title if you can't even give me something to write about?!  I'm still a fan and always will be (us Vikings fans never set our sights too high), but I'm already setting my sights on next year, as per normal. ;)  and here I thought it was just Childress holding us back....

So yep - that's the weekend, in a nutshell.
Tonight I'm meeting up with Krysten, Dana, Kristi, and Kim for dinner in St. Paul - it should prove to be a good time, right ladies?!


One last question to direct you in your commenting: if you ordered ~$50 worth of stuff from a website and received those items only to receive them again a few days later (aka double shipped)... what would you do?  No one has contacted me from the business saying they messed up...