Monday, September 15, 2008
Thoughts Needed
Mr. P found out this evening that a couple weeks ago, his father had a(nother) heart attack. The details are all pretty fuzzy, but it's times like this that I know it's damn near impossible to be so far away from family (they're in Texas). Please keep Dad P and the rest of the P family in your thoughts and prayers.
Behind the Dream
Mr. P has been working hard on accounting (bean-counting, perhaps?). I wanted to go for a walk the other night, but couldn't because it was raining. I guess he just mixed the two and that's what he came up with?
Saturday, we headed over to the Jeff-Vander-Lou area to work on Habitat for Humanity's current build project. My office is helping sponsor one of the homes, so a group of us spent the day helping out. A bunch of folks laid the laminate floor, and I was working on painting baseboards and trim. The boards were in a pile in the basement, so while it was a little cooler down there, the pounding right above my head was a little annoying. Long day, lots of hard work, but pretty rewarding.
Sunday, Mr. P and I had brunch with Schmoogie, then drove her to a couple flooded areas for one of her photo assignments. It was bizarre to see roads and buildings we know almost completely submerged. I can't wait to see what she was able to capture, and I know she got some awesome shots.
So, time for another long week! Good thing Monday's already over - wasn't sure if I'd make it :)
Saturday, we headed over to the Jeff-Vander-Lou area to work on Habitat for Humanity's current build project. My office is helping sponsor one of the homes, so a group of us spent the day helping out. A bunch of folks laid the laminate floor, and I was working on painting baseboards and trim. The boards were in a pile in the basement, so while it was a little cooler down there, the pounding right above my head was a little annoying. Long day, lots of hard work, but pretty rewarding.
Sunday, Mr. P and I had brunch with Schmoogie, then drove her to a couple flooded areas for one of her photo assignments. It was bizarre to see roads and buildings we know almost completely submerged. I can't wait to see what she was able to capture, and I know she got some awesome shots.
So, time for another long week! Good thing Monday's already over - wasn't sure if I'd make it :)
Friday, September 12, 2008
Dreams are Funny Things...
I know, I know. It's been way too long since I last posted. It probably will be again, because life is crazy like that, but I had a awful doggy-mom/funny story to share...
We've been working really hard at teaching Bailey Bear to sleep on the floor or in her bed...but NOT in mom and dad's bed. She's gotten really good at it, and our sleep has improved immensely :) Not that we don't love puppy cuddle-time - we do! - but she likes to sleep in the VERY MIDDLE of the bed...HORIZONTALLY...like the cross-stroke of a capital H. Not so good for the REM sleep.
Anyway, around 5:00 AM today, she jumped up on our bed. It woke me up out of a deep sleep and I made her get OFF (I was very grumbly about it, too). All of a sudden, there was a huge flash of light and thunder almost immediately following. Bailey, standing in the middle of the room, tucked her tail between her legs and ran around the bed to Mr. P's side and CRAWLED UNDER THE BED!
(Guilty doggy-mom conscience enters HERE.)
So I get out of bed, walk around to Mr. P's side, get down on the floor in the dark, and try to coax Bailey out. This wakes Mr. P up, who rolls over to see me laying next to his side of the bed. He got up, helped get Bailey out, and up on the bed she went :) (Such pushovers, I know.)
Fast forward to about 6:00 AM, and we're both sleeping again. I hear a mumble, and ask, "Huh???" because I really couldn't believe what I had heard. So Mr. P repeated himself:
"If you put your bean-counting suit on, we can go for a walk."
Seriously? I nearly fell out of bed laughing. I know I've said some funny things in my sleep, but WHAT?! I'm hoping that this evening, he'll have remembered what he was dreaming about, becasue I certainly have no idea what it meant :)
Mr. P reminds me on occasion of my sleep-walking AND -talking episode that had something to do with red plastic cups. Apparently it was VERY important. Now, I'm excited that I can fire back :)
Enjoy the weekend!
We've been working really hard at teaching Bailey Bear to sleep on the floor or in her bed...but NOT in mom and dad's bed. She's gotten really good at it, and our sleep has improved immensely :) Not that we don't love puppy cuddle-time - we do! - but she likes to sleep in the VERY MIDDLE of the bed...HORIZONTALLY...like the cross-stroke of a capital H. Not so good for the REM sleep.
Anyway, around 5:00 AM today, she jumped up on our bed. It woke me up out of a deep sleep and I made her get OFF (I was very grumbly about it, too). All of a sudden, there was a huge flash of light and thunder almost immediately following. Bailey, standing in the middle of the room, tucked her tail between her legs and ran around the bed to Mr. P's side and CRAWLED UNDER THE BED!
(Guilty doggy-mom conscience enters HERE.)
So I get out of bed, walk around to Mr. P's side, get down on the floor in the dark, and try to coax Bailey out. This wakes Mr. P up, who rolls over to see me laying next to his side of the bed. He got up, helped get Bailey out, and up on the bed she went :) (Such pushovers, I know.)
Fast forward to about 6:00 AM, and we're both sleeping again. I hear a mumble, and ask, "Huh???" because I really couldn't believe what I had heard. So Mr. P repeated himself:
"If you put your bean-counting suit on, we can go for a walk."
Seriously? I nearly fell out of bed laughing. I know I've said some funny things in my sleep, but WHAT?! I'm hoping that this evening, he'll have remembered what he was dreaming about, becasue I certainly have no idea what it meant :)
Mr. P reminds me on occasion of my sleep-walking AND -talking episode that had something to do with red plastic cups. Apparently it was VERY important. Now, I'm excited that I can fire back :)
Enjoy the weekend!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Last Weekend
Woohoo for lake time! Mr. P and I both took Friday off of work to head to my folks' lake house for a much-needed getaway. I'd call it relaxing, but that might be a lie - I'm more exhausted this week than I was before we left!
We got up early on Friday, packed up and headed out with Miss Bailey in tow. Arrived at the lake, started getting the house opened up, and then M&C met us there at about 11 Friday morning. We spent the afternoon hanging out down by the water, and then cleaned up and went into town for dinner. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants is a little hole in the wall in Litchfield, IL (seriously), and I always try to make it a point to go for dinner when I have the chance. The four of us shared in the El Rancherito experience, headed back to the house, and proceeded to drink more than our fair share, play with the pup, play card games and dominoes, and then crash hard for the night.
Mr. P and I got a lazy start to our Saturday. Well, sort of. Miss Bailey had an early morning, and Mr. P and I woke up with her, but ended up falling back asleep on the living room floor after she'd eaten and gone out. Floor = SOOO UNCOMFORTABLE. Why did we do that?!
Mr. P's cousin, C, and his girlfriend, K, came to meet us about mid-day on Saturday. So the six of us (and Miss Bailey!) headed down to the lake and lounged away the afternoon. Fabulous weather. Mr. P and I even managed to get Miss Bailey on a mesh raft and float her on the water for a while. I think she's starting to warm up to it, but I won't say that with too much confidence. I can, however, say that she's an amazing swimmer. She'll let us hold her in the water until she's ready to get out. Then, she LAUNCHES off of whatever body part she can find (lots of bruises in bizarre spots) and swims back to shore. Looks like a little leezard-dawg :) I wish I had some pics of that, but water + camera = not so much.
Saturday night, more silly debauchery, a campfire, and s'mores. YUM!
I've always made fun of my Pop for collecting hats, but they came in handy this weekend...
C flaps his wings...
Someone's got M' goose!
Love this one of K&C, because C looks like he's going moose hunting :)
Mr. and Mrs. P
Just a fun weekend with a few friends, but lots of outdoor-time, lots of playing hard, and possibly too much sun. (I forgot to put sunscreen on the top of my left foot - so I'm pretty sure I got my right foot twice. As a result, I have one REALLY red foot, and one that looks like it's still never seen the sun.)
Back to STL on Sunday, and back to the grindstone on Monday. Next time, I'm taking Friday and Monday off, coming back on Sunday, and spending Monday as a recuperation day!
I've also realized that my pictures from the weekend are lacking, and those that do exist aren't much to write home about, either...oh, well :)
We got up early on Friday, packed up and headed out with Miss Bailey in tow. Arrived at the lake, started getting the house opened up, and then M&C met us there at about 11 Friday morning. We spent the afternoon hanging out down by the water, and then cleaned up and went into town for dinner. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants is a little hole in the wall in Litchfield, IL (seriously), and I always try to make it a point to go for dinner when I have the chance. The four of us shared in the El Rancherito experience, headed back to the house, and proceeded to drink more than our fair share, play with the pup, play card games and dominoes, and then crash hard for the night.
Mr. P and I got a lazy start to our Saturday. Well, sort of. Miss Bailey had an early morning, and Mr. P and I woke up with her, but ended up falling back asleep on the living room floor after she'd eaten and gone out. Floor = SOOO UNCOMFORTABLE. Why did we do that?!
Mr. P's cousin, C, and his girlfriend, K, came to meet us about mid-day on Saturday. So the six of us (and Miss Bailey!) headed down to the lake and lounged away the afternoon. Fabulous weather. Mr. P and I even managed to get Miss Bailey on a mesh raft and float her on the water for a while. I think she's starting to warm up to it, but I won't say that with too much confidence. I can, however, say that she's an amazing swimmer. She'll let us hold her in the water until she's ready to get out. Then, she LAUNCHES off of whatever body part she can find (lots of bruises in bizarre spots) and swims back to shore. Looks like a little leezard-dawg :) I wish I had some pics of that, but water + camera = not so much.
Saturday night, more silly debauchery, a campfire, and s'mores. YUM!
I've always made fun of my Pop for collecting hats, but they came in handy this weekend...
C flaps his wings...
Someone's got M' goose!
Love this one of K&C, because C looks like he's going moose hunting :)
Mr. and Mrs. P
Just a fun weekend with a few friends, but lots of outdoor-time, lots of playing hard, and possibly too much sun. (I forgot to put sunscreen on the top of my left foot - so I'm pretty sure I got my right foot twice. As a result, I have one REALLY red foot, and one that looks like it's still never seen the sun.)
Back to STL on Sunday, and back to the grindstone on Monday. Next time, I'm taking Friday and Monday off, coming back on Sunday, and spending Monday as a recuperation day!
I've also realized that my pictures from the weekend are lacking, and those that do exist aren't much to write home about, either...oh, well :)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Two Weekends Ago!
It's been so long I honestly can't remember Friday. But last Saturday we had Mom P over for dinner, and I decided to whip up a new (to me) vegetarian dish in her honor. (Mr. P, born and [mostly] Texas raised, rarely eats a meal without meat. And I don't do much cooking to begin with...)
Mom P's visit merited a fun meal. I decided to go for stuffed portabella mushrooms! My original plan was to grill them, but in order to spend more time with Mom P we baked them instead.
RECIPE: Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
(Ingredients below make enough filling for 8 mushrooms - we saved half to stuff chicken breasts for another meal)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 orange bell pepper (chopped)
3 green onions, sliced
3 tsp. balsamic vinegar
4 tsp. olive oil
10 oz. blue cheese crumbles
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 tsp. basil/parsley/italian seasoning (your pick)
garlic, salt, pepper (to taste)
bread crumbs
Saute peppers in a pan with oil for about 5 minutes. Add onion and balsamic. Cook just long enough for the peppers to remain slightly crunchy. Lower heat and add remaining ingredients (blue cheese, ricotta, spices) and stir until smooth.
Spoon mixture into mushroom caps, sprinkle the top with bread crumbs, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. (((YUM)))
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the cooked product. I just don't have enough willpower to stop the ravenous feeling and actually take decent photos before inhaling...at least I'm honest, though! We paired the mushrooms with a white wine (pinot grigio, I think?), a salad, and a dark honey-wheat baguette.
Things I'd change: I'd add a little more onion, and leave some of the bell peppers out to sprinkle on top. I love food with a little extra color, though these were absolutely divine, if I do say so myself :)
Mom P's visit merited a fun meal. I decided to go for stuffed portabella mushrooms! My original plan was to grill them, but in order to spend more time with Mom P we baked them instead.
RECIPE: Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
(Ingredients below make enough filling for 8 mushrooms - we saved half to stuff chicken breasts for another meal)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 orange bell pepper (chopped)
3 green onions, sliced
3 tsp. balsamic vinegar
4 tsp. olive oil
10 oz. blue cheese crumbles
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 tsp. basil/parsley/italian seasoning (your pick)
garlic, salt, pepper (to taste)
bread crumbs
Saute peppers in a pan with oil for about 5 minutes. Add onion and balsamic. Cook just long enough for the peppers to remain slightly crunchy. Lower heat and add remaining ingredients (blue cheese, ricotta, spices) and stir until smooth.
Spoon mixture into mushroom caps, sprinkle the top with bread crumbs, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. (((YUM)))
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the cooked product. I just don't have enough willpower to stop the ravenous feeling and actually take decent photos before inhaling...at least I'm honest, though! We paired the mushrooms with a white wine (pinot grigio, I think?), a salad, and a dark honey-wheat baguette.
Things I'd change: I'd add a little more onion, and leave some of the bell peppers out to sprinkle on top. I love food with a little extra color, though these were absolutely divine, if I do say so myself :)
Wow. I've been MIA. I think I need to welcome myself back to the world of blogging, eh? Lots of days are starting to blend into each other, which makes it the closest thing to summer I've experienced in at least four years, and I'm loving it :) I'm going to attempt some real updates in the next couple of days.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Life
With the prospect of Mr. P's internship ending when summer's over (rather than continuing into fall, which was a possibility), I've spent my day on an emotional roller coaster.
You'll probably have to click on the image to get a better view, but it's a nice representation of the lovely ride I'm on...
I admit to being scared, and not knowing what our future holds. We don't have the stability I always thought would just naturally be there, and I work in a nonprofit organization - I'm certainly not rolling in the lifestyle I assumed would just happen! But you know what? We're still young. We're still fabulous. And EFF IT. Life's not supposed to be easy when you're starting out :)
I'm spending the afternoon having faith that things will work out for the best. Somehow, they always do, and we've certainly been through some doozies.
You'll probably have to click on the image to get a better view, but it's a nice representation of the lovely ride I'm on...
I admit to being scared, and not knowing what our future holds. We don't have the stability I always thought would just naturally be there, and I work in a nonprofit organization - I'm certainly not rolling in the lifestyle I assumed would just happen! But you know what? We're still young. We're still fabulous. And EFF IT. Life's not supposed to be easy when you're starting out :)
I'm spending the afternoon having faith that things will work out for the best. Somehow, they always do, and we've certainly been through some doozies.
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