Thursday, March 31, 2011

MONSTER BURGER

After hearing all about "the most amazing burger I have ever had" from Mallory. I thought I would try to reconstruct it home because as far as I know, there isn't a restaurant in Omaha that sells something like this. My ingredients are pictured in order that they were stacked on the bun...


Beef, fried egg, bacon, peanut butter bun. I didn't skimp on anything. Full fat, thick cut bacon and the fattiest beef that came in a tube. Ok.... so I used a whole wheat bun. It felt almost sinful making this. Grease, grease, grease! But boy, was it worth it.


Check that out! Nom, nom, nom!


It was fantastic, but I don't think it was as good as it could have been because it wasn't made by someone else. Food is always better when someone else makes is for me ;) I give it a 7 out of 10. Andrew thinks it deserves a 9 out of 10, and his face says it all!


Tonight I also: hit up Joann's, watched some Police Women on TLC, and read my book. Success!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

BAD/GOOD MORNING

+

After this morning, I thought today was going to be a dud.

I could only half-sleep after 5am.
I didn't have a towel when I got out of the shower.
I am worried about how we are going to pay for the wedding/honeymoon/my wedding dress.
I haven't lost any weight since last week.
I didn't know when I would be able to go to Ames/DM to do wedding stuff.
Not a good morning.

And then, I came to work! Before 9am, my day turned around!

I was asked to babysit this Friday night!
I found out my cousin, Tim, would be playing a show in Ames on April 22.
April 23 was one of the dates that was available for us to do a cake tasting!
Sarah was already planning on going to Ames that weekend!
And I decided that I want to start doing the Insanity workout.
Hot dog!

I brewed myself a cup of carmel coffee and felt a sense of relief. What a good day it is turning out to be!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks inall circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Friday, March 25, 2011

THOUGHTS



Thoughts for the week:
  • I really don't like Usher.
  • What is an appropriate number of mimosas to have before your wedding?
  • It is never too early for candy.
  • Why would you ever choose glossy over matte?
  • I kind of miss the nickname AJ.
  • I wish our mailmen of the church were cuter.
  • I hope we registered for a rolling pin.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

MARRIAGE PREP

Andrew and I are about halfway done with our marriage preparation class! Because Andrew is Agnostic and his friend is marrying us instead of a pastor, I found a counselor who is certified to do marriage preparation. How cool is that? I think Andrew was a little hesitant at first, but we are both really comfortable with our counselor, Bob.

On our scoring list, we scored the lowest on religion. We both had concerns about what the other person is comfortable with and how we will raise our children. Going through this section actually went pretty well. We agreed on everything after we had talked about it. Just how marriage counseling should go.

This week, we hit our first hiccup. We got so into the discussion that I can't even remember what the statement was! That's so awful.... Are you ready to hear about what we can't agree on? Vacations.

That's right. Not money, not children. Nope. It was about vacations! This is just silly. More specifically, Andrew likes to "fly by the seat of his pants" on vacations. I, on the other hand, want a plan. I have places to go, things to see, and food to eat. If I wanted to just lounge around, I would lock myself in my apartment. Now don't get me wrong, I want to kick back and relax too. But I feel like that is something you can plan to do too!

Our homework assignment (yes, it was so bad that he gave us homework!), is to try and come up with a plan for our honeymoon that both of us can agree on. Ugh, I think I'm going to need help on this one.

After asking my trusty friend Mal what pictures could go with a marriage prep blog, she suggested the movie "License to Wed". Has anyone else seen this? After hearing that John Krasinski was it in, Andrew might have to sit through this one.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

ST. PAT'S DAY & WEEKEND: MARCH 18-20, 2011


St. Pat's Day - Andrew and I met up with Trevor and his friends to celebrate his birthday at Fox & Hound. Why haven't we hung out with these people before! They were a lot of fun. Green beer doesn't hurt either. Later that night, we met up with Justin and friends at the Rusty Nail. Have you ever heard of this place before? Def. a hole in the wall, but I liked it. I might have to give it another try when I'm in party mode instead of being a D.D.


Weekend Highlights:
- Fish fry (finally!)
- Card games and adult beverages
- Bbq lunch at Red Zone: I give it a 75%
- A good episode of The Wire
- Breakfast for dinner
- Being super productive. Spring cleaning!
- Deakin's 1st birthday party
- Picking out a hotel in Vancouver

Weekend Lowlights:
- Lego Star Wars being very frustrating
- Not getting any baking done

CABBAGE & A RUN


Yesterday: Upon coming to work, I find a head of cabbage on my desk. Interesting. I learned that it was used as a decoration (?!?) for an event and they left one for me. I'm taking it on as a challenge. More on that later.

Last Night: I did my first trial 5k. Here is my inner monologue:
"What the f- am I doing? What the f- did I sign up for? F- you! (directed to the person grilling burgers) Will this ever end? Lindsey Lohan, you have no idea what I'm going through. (she was the current song on my ipod) Are we sure this f- thing is accurate? I can't do this anymore."

It was tough, but I finished. I will keep doing the trial 5k weekly. Hopefully, it will get easier and the inner monologue will get nicer. Also, during and after the workout my mouth tasted like blood and my teeth hurt! Weird. I couldn't find anything online about it. Ideas? If you guys don't help me out, I will probably just have to self-diagnose, and it won't be pretty.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

THE WORST DAY OF HER LIFE

Erin and Calypso did not have a good day. Both had to take a trip in the car, in their carriers to go see a vet eye specialist. I think I should start from the beginning...

Erin and Calypso were born in a cat colony at Iowa State University. They were breed for glaucoma research and because their glaucoma gene was dormant, they were available for adoption. Andrew's roommate Luke who was helping with the study brought home Calypso and not long after Erin came home too. Because Luke couldn't take them to med school, I took them in.

graphic myspace at Gickr.com



Not long ago, Andrew noticed a dark spot in Erin's eye. After it didn't go away, I started to get concerned. A short time later, we noticed that Calypson also had a spot in her eye. It was then that I made an appointment with the vet. After taking a look, the vet didn't want to take any chances and set us up with an appointment with a vet eye specialist.

By this point Erin and Calypso hate us. We have them in the back seat on their way to the eye appointment when Erin makes the sadest meow I have ever heard. I turned around to find that Erin had gotten sick at the front of her cage and it wasn't too long after that we realized that Erin had also made a mess in the back of her cage.


They were poked and prodded in the nicest way possible so we could get a better understanding of what was going on with their eyes. Today we learned that the spots in Erin and Calypso's spots are just that...spots. But just like moles on skin, they need to be monitored for changes and growth. Because the depth of these spots can't be seen with our eyes, Erin and Calypso will need to take regular trips to the eye doctor. If the spots grow or change, it could potentially turn into melanoma. If this happens, we start to look into treatments such as lasers or eye removal. Additionally, Erin has a significant amount of pressure in her eyes. If this continues, she could potentially have glaucoma. This is not the news I wanted to hear. It made me sick to my stomach to think about the awful things that could happen.

To make Erin's day worse, she had to have a bath. Luckily, she didn't take it too bad. Poor cat! I think these two will be getting the royal treatment for the next couple of days.

Monday, March 14, 2011

RECIPE: UGLIES

So this recipe is very similar to another recipe that I have blogged about before. The good part about this one is that it's easier (if that's even possible). Just follow the instructions and my awesome pictures.

Uglies


Ingredients 
 1 pound ground beef chuck 
1/2 cup chopped onion 
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce 
1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough 
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 

Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 8 muffin cups. 

In a large skillet or frying pan, cook ground chuck with onion and garlic powder until evenly brown; drain off the grease. Stir in the barbeque sauce and simmer for another 3 minutes. 

As usual, I sub ground turkey.

Roll out each biscuit on a floured surface so that each biscuit is 6 inches across. Put the biscuit in the muffin tin and fold up sides to create a cup shape. 



Fill each biscuit fill almost to the top with the meat mixture; top with cheddar cheese. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are baked, cheese is melted and tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.


Ok, here are some additional names that Andrew provided:
- Cuties
- Meat Muffins
- Poor Man's Meatloaf
- Grossies

Call it what you want, it was good! I promise to start being more original. Sorry! I really want to try my hand at Cinnamon Raisin bread soon... That could be interesting.

TWO WEEKENDS! MARCH 4-6 & 11-13

Because I was lazy and didn't do it last week, you get two updates this week! Yah!

March 4-6, 2011



Highlights:
- Jenny's birthday!
- Seeing Andrew's family
- Shots
- Cuddle time with Peter
- Sarah knowing all of the words to Salt n' Peppa
- Being introduced to the show Bored As Hell

Lowlights:
- The long, long drive to Davenport
- Andrew tweeting about our "surprise" trip (That boy can't keep a secret!)

March 11-13, 2011



Highlights:
- Hanging with Jesse, Kelsey, & Deakin (I may have taught him how to make fart noises with his mouth)
- Sleeping in & naps!
- Sushi lunch dates
- Babysitting
- Beers at Draft House
- LEGO Star Wars - Level 5

Lowlights:
- Deakin being scared of Andrew and I (I hope he grows out of it soon)
- Missing fish fry: the line was WAY too long

Now let's talk about the coolest part of my weekend. RED MANGO! What? You have not heard of it? After hearing a good review from a volunteer at work, I was eager to try it out. Andrew just went with it. So get this, it's a frozen yogurt place with a toppings buffet! Are you kidding me? That's awesome! I got original and black cherry fro-yo with pineapple, Fruity Pebbles, Captain Crunch, cookie dough and gummy bears! Andrew kept it simple with vanilla and chocolate with Butterfinger and Captain Crunch. Ohhh man, I want some more!


Friday, March 11, 2011

WEDDING DRESSES

I got the call this week! My wedding dress is in! Ahhhh! So excited!

The other day, I was talking to a friend about the disgusting amount of money we spent on our wedding dresses. I originally budgeted for $600, and I blew it. I should have known better. If you go into a bridal store with a budget like that, it just won't work. Sure they have dresses that fit into a $600 budget, but if you even think about putting on a more expensive dress to "just try it out" you won't be going back.

In favor of all of my friends that have been getting engaged lately (congrats ladies!), I thought I would share some affordable, quality wedding dresses. Don't roll your eyes just yet. These dresses are awesome!

JCrew $495
BCBG $328
The Limited $398
Alfred Angelo

So these are just a few ideas and all of them are under $500! There are so many options out there! You don't always have to pay an arm and a leg to get a fantastic dress. Maybe I should have taken my own advice. C'est la vie!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

LENT

Last night marked the first time that I went to church by myself. Although I was apprehensive about going to a new church by myself, I knew that if it was something I really wanted to do, I just had to do it. I can't keep making excuses. Although the seating arrangement for the service was awkward (we were in a circle...weird), the people were friendly and there were even a few people my age! Maybe I will try them out on a Sunday.

Now on to the important part, what to give up for lent. Ummm. I really enjoy things like facebook, social drinking, candy/junk food, and reality tv. I usually tell myself that I will give those things up next year. Well, this year was no exception.

Although I probably should have put more thought and preparation into this, here is my list that has been narrowed down:

- No complaining: Mallory usually hears most of this, and she is a good sport, but enough is enough.

- Less time on the computer: I can't even begin to list the numerous things I could do if I wasn't on the computer so much. Is it wrong that one of the things I plan on doing instead is conquering Lego Star Wars?

- More home cooking: Please don't look in my freezer. You will find enough frozen dinners to feed a small army.

So, that's my list. Did you give anything up? Do tell!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

5 MOVIES IN MY NETFLIX QUEUE

My Netflix Queue runneth over! I thought I would share five movies in my queue that I'm really looking forward to watching. After these though, I feel like there isn't much out there (mostly its me not wanting to spend the time sifting through the bad stuff). Quick rant: Why don't they have a section of "recent" movies? Not the ones that have just been added from 1986, but current films. Or did I miss it somewhere?

1. Exit Through the Gift Shop

2. Babies


3. Precious


4. An Education


5. Two Lovers


What are some movies on your queue? I'm looking for some recommendations people! ps. We are only on the Watch Instantly plan.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

COME ON JUDGES!

If you missed the performance last night, you are in luck! Although the judges didn't think this song did him justice, I think he performed very well. Tim is a very amazing performer, and he has the energy, experience, and talent to be the next American Idol. I hope you got your votes in and encouraged others to do the same. Let's cross our fingers that he will make it through on Thursday.



5K - NOT MONEY

Don't adjust your screen. The title this post is correct. On Sunday, I signed up for my first 5k in May. I feel like a crazy person. Even typing this out makes my palms sweat. I have never run more than .5 mile in a race.

I signed up for the race to help motivate myself to workout, to push myself beyond my comfort zone, and to work towards a healthier lifestyle. I think it's important to take baby steps and set reasonable goals, so this is a good start.

Also, I want new workout shoes. I guess I have a reason now! Yippee! Feel free to cheer me on. May 5th is going to be here before I know it.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

MARCH 2011 GOALS

1. Watch all of the Harry Potter films - This is getting a little ridiculous. I am a huge fan of the books, but I keep putting of watching the movies.

2. Exercise 3 or more times a week - To help motivate me, I am going to start a couple of countdowns. The first one, Jenny's wedding on April 9! Ahhh!

3. Write 2 letters a week - My letter writing has fallen by the wayside. I didn't even send out Valentine's cards.... Check your mail for good things to come!

Although I want to make a list of 5 goals, I know that would be asking too much of myself. I have a lot going on, and I don't want other things to fall behind because I'm trying to reach my goals. Last month, I declared February the month of awesome, and I was right! So this month is officially labeled the month of productivity! Go me!