your daily (love) quote

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Lao Tzu

she & him

Love this band. I think I already told ya'll how much I adore Zooey Deschanel. Now I adore her a tad more. I really dig her voice and the style of this duet...think June Carter/1950s pop/jazzy and bluesy/Death Cab for Cutie. Love it. I highly recommend them! Oh and their Pandora station is aweeeesome!

lately...

I've been feeling a little out of sorts lately. Maybe its the 16 degree weather or the gale force winds or the fact that I've been a grandma and going to bed at 10:00 p.m. Who knows. But I apologize for the lack of posting this week, so here are a few thoughts:

1. Today is my baby sister's 20th birthday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!! I love that girl so much and she will be forever 3 years old in my head. I know I'm weird, but she's still a baby! I hope your day is wonderful even if you have to be in class until 9:00 pm!



2. I'm reading Little Women (for the first time) and it's awesome!

3. I appreciate my readers' comments on the Kindle, I'm leaning towards buying one! Thanks for the insight :)

4. Soba noodles=disgusting. I follow quite a few food blogs and all these people have been talking about soba noodles, so like a month ago I bought an "all in one soba noodle dinner" in a box at Trader Joe's. I made it last week and both John and I took one bite and threw it away. Nastay. If you like them, please let me know how you make them edible because I think they taste like c-r-a-p (oh yeah, I'm getting quite good at spelling out "bad" words, being around a 2 year old and all).

5. I'm officially a master at Just Dance 2. Except that "being a master" pretty much means I jam out and dance all by myself (wah wah) in my basement and have the time of my life. I also imagine that I'm performing for thousands of people. It makes the workout go by quicker. And yes, it's a workout.

6. Last week I finished True Blood season 2 in the matter of 2.5 days. I'm obsessed.

That's pretty much it except that Dixie has been extra crazy due to lack o' exercise because the sidewalks have large patches of ice on them. I'm just not willing to risk my life for a walk. Oh and btw, when is Spring getting here? I'm itching for it's arrival!

your daily quote

A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and a man cannot live without love.

Max Muller

belated birthday surprise

I came home to a lovely surprise today. So I decided that a photo shoot was most definitely in order.









I mean have I ever mentioned that I love things that are gold and glittery? Like ever? Or that I love shoes? Or organizations that give back? I know ya'll probably already know this but for every pair of TOMS that is bought, they give a pair to a needy child. I pray that there is a little girl in some country, somewhere, that will be sporting these same shoes soon. Please TOMS, please. Oh yeah, thanks to Mom and Dad for the wonderful new pair of shoes! I love them and both of you! Yippee! Snow, snow, go away so I can wear them, now!

just puttin it out there...

So I received some money for my birthday. And usually I deposit it and eventually spend it (for example, when I got shopping in like a month I may find a dress that I like but I don't need so then I justify that it is birthday money paying for it) but this year I'm thinking of something different. I'm thinking about maybe...just maybe...purchasing a Kindle. I know I have some friends and family that own one, so what are your thoughts out there readers?

Please take these things into consideration:
1. I am a nanny and when the kids are napping, I read.
2. I am a book worm, I would rather read than watch TV.
3. I have a large amount of actual books that I still haven't read yet.
4. I also have a long "wish list" on Amazon of books that I would like to buy/read and its cheaper to buy Kindle books than regular books, right?
5. Does it take all the fun away from getting a book from someone you love? For instance, I love when people give me a book as a gift and say "oh I just loved this and knew that you would too", would they still do that? Or just give me an Amazon gift card? Can you "purchase" a Kindle book for someone else?
6. I am hesitant to take one step closer towards this ridiculously technology driven world (I still don't own a smart phone and I'm kinda OK with that). I kind of fear that one day we will be taken over by robots (and no, the irony is not lost that hubs could very well be the one building the robots) but nonetheless they are robots! And we won't have paper or humans anymore, ahh!

Ok, so give me your thoughts. Really, let me know. Comment down there. Even if you've never commented before, ya'll are my blog readers and I would love to hear your opinions. OK, thanks!

super bowl...food

As we all know the Super Bowl is on as I type. Essentially this means 4 things to me: funny commercials, half-time show, guys running around on the field with a ball and an excuse to eat tasty dips and comfort foods! So I usually make a point to whip up something really tasty (even though John would be fine with a frozen pizza, thank God I'm a foodie otherwise we would never have a home cooked meal) and here's what I made tonight:

Buffalo Chicken Dip
(Very tasty, but quite spicy.)






Chicken Mac and Cheese
(I chose this because I've had about a month long craving for mac and cheese. This was pretty freaking good.)