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Thursday, August 25, 2011

it's ok :)

how about a link up? i think this one is super fun....so i am linking up with neely and amber for


Its Ok Thursdays
 
 so it's ok.....
 
that i cried when i dropped ben off at daycare this morning because he looked so cute sitting in the toy car jumperoo staring at me….

that i am sort of looking forward to hurricane irene on sunday because maybe i will be able to straighten up the house, get some laundry done and take a nap….

that i asked for nail polish for my birthday and BOY did i get a lot of gorgeous new shades, but that i still haven’t managed to paint more than my pinky nail with any of them….

that i thought the big East Coast Quake of 2011 was actually fun!

that i have had subway for lunch 2 days in a row and i just might go back today and make it a three-peat.

that i have an irrational resistance to getting excited for fall because i don’t want summer to end and in my head, getting excited for fall somehow means i have accepted that winter is coming again and i just can’t deal with that.

to be pissed off at myself for not allowing myself to get excited for fall because fall is awesome….if only it wasn’t followed by winter.

that secretly, i am really excited for fall but don’t tell anybody or else we’ll probably have a blizzard next weekend.

that, in all seriousness, i actually told my husband this morning that i wanted to get the disneyworld trip for ben’s 5th birthday  booked pretty soon so we could make payments and go all out….he’s not even 8 months old yet.

that i haven’t washed my hair since monday…wait…on second thought, maybe that’s not so ok…yikes.

that i am dreading my hair appointment on saturday morning because sitting in a salon full of snotty chicks gossiping, under fluorescent overhead lighting feeling insecure while i wait for my foils to take is my personal version of hell.

what’s ok with you this thursday? go link up and let it all out!






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it's ok to throw me a vote too  :)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

wordless wednesday...gymboree

this is how we spent my birthday last saturday and i can't imagine anyplace else i would rather have been. look at how much fun this sweet monkey had!








and then, she {snapped}
 
also linking up with jenni {from the} blog




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Friday, August 19, 2011

MY HOUSE IS CLEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

as my friend amanda said, IT'S A BIRTHDAY MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!

my husband. god am i ever a lucky girl. seriously. i know i have issues and i bitch and whine a LOT and i actually don't know why you guys continue to read my blog with all of the bitching and whining (all 6 of you. hi you guys. i love  you!) but i want to state for the record that the bitching and whining comes from a place that needs professional help, and i am aware of that, and i am almost ready to get soebody to help me so just be patient and pretty soon, i'll knock it off but in the meantime, my husband? is my perfect. "my" perfect. not PERFECT perfect. none of us are and if i said he was that would just be stupid and a lie....but for me? to me? he is my perfect because he knew that when i came home with a chip of happy on my shoulder for whatever reason and i walked into a house that had dust bunnies in the corners and a streaky microwave door, that chip of happy crumbled because i was exhausted. and i didn't have time to fix the streak or dust the bunnies because i work full time and i had bottles to wash and a precious, perfect baby boy to feed and cuddle and sometimes you have to prioritze but a clean house was important to me and the fact that a truly clean home has eluded me for so long was really weighing on me and he knew it. he saw it. god i love him. god. i am SO lucky....

seriously? i actually want to go take a picture of my shower nozzles and my stovetop so you can grasp the amazing that IS the maid brigade. i am beside myself with birthday thankfullness!!!!!!!!

scotty? i know you will read this eventually.....thank you for always knowing what i really need, deep down....maybe it is because i am such an annoying blabbermouth about my misery, but i like to believe it is actually because you get me....we always knew, right? that is what we meant when we said "when it's 'easy', that's when you know"? i'm sorry i haven't been as easy as you might have gambled on. i hope our son makes up for that. i want you to know i am thankful for you every day and even when i am struggling, i never forget that i am the luckiest. i love you with the whole of my heart.

(althought i am not too jazzed with you leaving me stuck watching the hockey game while you are out picking up the take-out because you are recording it. it's AUGUST. can i get a season off??)

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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

cure for the common IBD

Impending Birthday Doom.

we've touched on it a number of times in the last 6 weeks or so.

it blows.

i have been trying my hardest to avoid it and when it innevitably struck me anyway despite my valliant efforts and distractionary techniques (including straight up denial), i chose instead to try and CURE it by making list after list and post after post of glittery, gorgeous, delicious wonderful things that people could get for me...me! the birthday princess with the little black rain cloud following me around that maybe nobody would notice because my nails were so sparkly in the katy perry teenage dream nail polish that i had to have...

and i am humbled, because what i learned with that little exercise is that i have some really, really amazing people in my life who actually listen to me and who want to make me as happy as i can be and (i'm sitting here crying) i don't use this term often, but it really is so justified, i am SO blessed to be as loved as i am by these people whom i love right back more than any words could ever really explain. i really don't feel like i deserve it, but they just keep right on loving me. and i'm not saying this just because i've gotten most of the things on my 40 days of birthday ideas list which blows my mind anyway, but i'm saying it because there i was, listing all this material stuff that i wanted and these people who love me ran right out and got it for me hoping it would make me happy and it did on some level. i mean, it does. i am so happy about it and excited for it all but....i still felt like something wasn't right. how could i have all of the things i asked for and still have IBD? having my birthday wishes granted was supposed to be the cure dammitalltohell!!!!!

so i moped. and i claimed my very own rogue black raincloud. and i drank a lot of wine. and i'm going to continue to mope and drink wine and hide under my cloud from time to time but i have good news. really good news, in fact. i cured my IBD. do you want to know how i did it?

i signed ben and i up for a play & learn class at gymboree on saturday morning.

and just ike that, , i was happy. and i knew that i had planned the EXACTLY PERFECT way that i wanted to spend my birthday. after all, no gift i have ever gotten or will ever get for the rest of forever could compare to the gift i got on HIS birthday last december and really? i can't think of anywhere i would rather be. i am honestly SO excited for us to play and learn together!

would you look at this precious little face?!???




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remember my big winning streak?

anyone? anyone? when i won like 3 totally rad things in the span of like a week? starting with the tickets to see Maroon 5 at Jones Beach??

well, the show was last friday and we had a good old time, es expected!!! unfortch, i was not able to make magic happen for my sweet friend and get her into adam levine's pants, but there's always next year and steadfast determinationis the name of the game. we ARE getting closer, however....our seats were actually better this year than last, big props to walk 97.5 for the freebies!

however, while our seats were closer, we both agreed that last year's show was much better...there was just something missing this year...some energy or something, which was a real shame....BUT it was still a great show. train was awwwwweeeesome, which i never expected. we really enjoyed their set a lot and actually, my camera kicked the bucket about 2 minutes into maroon 5's set anyway, so all the (pretty crappy) concert pics i have are of train so pretty much i am just going with that i had a great time at the train show and next year, those M5 boys have a lot to make up to us....

also, gavin degraw was supposed to open but i guess he had an unfortunate accident earlier this month? i don't get to the news much these days....so that's a bummer for him cuz i really dig that guy, but i really dig matt nathanson even more (and if you ever get the chance to see him live, drop everything in the world and run there because he is another one of my imaginary boyfriends and you will be so entertained you will just want to kiss him and then shotgun some beers with him. he is the definition of bitchin'.) and, as it turns out, ole' matty-boy was the stand in for mr degraw at this show, but as previously touched upon, i never hear about anything till it's too late so we strolled into the theatre from our skinny girl margarita tailgate party just in time to hear him say his 'thank you and goodbye' and i am pretty upset about that still.....

but anyway, here's some pics!!! good times with a good friend. love this girl....



ok wait. i have to break up the collage party here for a second to talk about this kid with the spikey ponytails all over his head. have you ever seen anything more hilarious or ridiculous? we were in love with this guy and him and his buddy were seriously rocking OUT the whole show. they knew every word and were dancing and jumping and screaming...it was too cute! i think i might have watched the two of them almost as much as i watched the actual show. i want this kid in front of me at every concert from now on.


after the show, we got stuck in some horrendous mess on the expressway and poor michele was having a meltdown becasue that crazy girl had not one but TWO weddings the next day. "WEDDINGPALOOZA" she called it, can you even? and not only was she attending both, she was actually a bridesmaid in the first one so she had to be at her girlfriend's house at SIX-THIRTY-IN-THE-(you've got to be kidding me)-MORNING! somehow, we made it home and she survived weddingpalooza '11....next summer, adam levine will be thankful for that when we are flashing him fromt he front row :)

ahahahaha.....just kidding...(not kidding, actually).

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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

eeyore.

back off, donkey, this one is mine...



the black cloud of funk, not the car. i took this picture on my way home yesterday (yes, going 75 in the HOV lane. i know.) but it really doesn't do that little sad cloud justice. it was so prominent against the rest of the huge, billowy white clouds out there and it was just so lonely and sad....like it wandered off from it's thunderstorm and got lost in a sky full of happy. that's how i kind of feel this week, so i'm claiming this poor little guy as my own.

after the IBD passes and we turn the page to day one of a brand new year, i'll have some happiness to toss to and fro around the internet...

till then, it's just me and this little guy...he just 'gets' me sometimes.


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Friday, August 12, 2011

lobster rolls....finally

it is a true story that i have been wanting to try my hand at homemade lobster rolls for well over 3 years now...that is just plain ridiculous. life is too short for that hogwash....

so last weekend we finally just threw all caution to the wind and went and bought 3 whole lobsters and went to town....

well...there's a problem....now i never want to eat anything else ever again for the rest of my life.
yeah folks, they were THAT good.....it was seriously criminal.



if you're going to do something you've been wanting to do for as long as i've been wanting to make these little lobbie rolls, then you might as well do it RIGHT, so i perused a ton of recipes and in the end i decided to take the best of what i found and kind of...make up my own thing! the one thing i knew i wasn't going to compromise on was the mayonaise. if you've never made home made mayonaise from scratch...and i know, most of you haven't cuz most of you aren't NUTS...you absolutely HAVE to do it. if you never trust another word i ever say, trust this...go forth, my people, and make mayo. the first time i did it, i was so excited i busted out into the cabbage patch in the middle of the kitchen. now the hubs calls that the "mayonaise dance" and he won't let me make mayonaise without it. *sigh*



the buns are key. i searched high and low for real, new england style, top split buns and they were NOT easy to find. as if all the angels and faries in the forest were shining down on me, i happened upon them in the regular grocery store....it was a christmas miracle....now you could certainly use a regular hot dog bun....a potato bun or even a ciabatta roll, but that is not what we are here today to talk about.

no ma'am....i'm sorry, but you're just going to have to track down the new england rolls. please trust me, again. it's worth it. i have eaten a glutoneous number of lobster rolls in my lifetime and nothing compares to biting into a bun that is crunchy and buttery on the outside like the toast of a perfect grilled cheese and then there's the soft bread underneath filled with lobster salad so amazing it will make you slap yo' momma.....



please don't actually slap yo' momma though.  that would be pretty rude.

so here's what you do....first, you find someplace that sells live maine lobsters. please do not try and go to costco and get warm water lobster tails. it's not the same and i will know you cheated. and so will you. you're just going to have to trust me again.

we had the fishmonger (fishmonger. it always kills me when they say that on the food network so i had to throw it in there) steam them for us cuz i am just too busy for that nonsense. we got three of these guys around 1 1/4 lb each. when you get them that little, the meat is so much sweeter and the shells are so soft you don't even need crackers....so the first step is getting all of the claw, knuckle and tail meat out of them and chopping it or ripping it up into bite size chunks. now on to the recipe....

Lobster Rolls
  • meat from three 1 1/4lb lobsters
  • 1/3 cup of homemade mayonaise* (or use hellman's or best foods if you must, but don't tell me about it)
  • 4 TBS melted unsalted butter
  • juice of half to one whole lemon (a couple of TBS or so)
  • 1 stalk of celery from the inside of the heart, including leaves
  • a few TBS chopped parley
  • chives
  • sea salt (coarse flakes. i used maldon, but just don't use morton's table salt, ok? thanks.)
  • celery salt

for buns:
  • 2 TBS unsalted butter
  • 1 clove of garlic, smashed
  • 4 new england style buns
now here is what you do....after you shell the lobster and rip it up,  put it back in the fridge to chill for a bit. nobody likes a stressed out lobster. meanwhile, in a pan, melt 2 TBS butter on low to medium heat with a smashed garlic clove. let that get all good and fragrant and then fish out the clove and dip each side of your buns in the butter. make sure you get butter all the way to the edges. no need to soak them either, you just want them barely dipped, but all the way covered to the edge.

god i am anal. why do you hang out with me?

anyway, then you proceed to toast the buns till they are golden and toasty and just slightly crunchy looking and perfect. seriously, i could probably just eat 4 of these crunchy buttery buns all by themselves with nothing in them....but i have issues with carbs, which is another reason i am still wearing maternity pants.....

onwards and upwards!

so, now you have your buns all toasted and set off to the side on the plates ready to be stuffed....aren't they cute?

now take a bowl and whisk the 1/3 cup of mayo, the lemon juice (might not need all of it!!!!!!! start with 2 TBS and go from there!) and the 4 TBS of melted butter. get the lobster out of the fridge and add this mixture to the lobster pieces, i did not use all of my mayo mixture! seriously, i only used about half, so don't go dumping the whole bowl in there with reckless abandon, use discretion. you want the lobster to be coated. just coated. not soggy and dripping. that is very important.

now, to that bowl, i tossed in the finely diced rib of celery and it's chopped leaves with some chopped parsley, a pinch of maldon sea salt and  maybe a 1/8 of a tsp of celery salt. you might like more or less celery and parsley. as digital underground says, do whatcha like....

then, with all the love in your heart, you just scoop that gorgeous lobster salad into those crunchy, buttery buns and then you take a bite and, well....life will never be the same for you. i apologize for that.

  



*you can just go ahead and google for a mayonaise recipe. i use emeril lagasse's cuz he's never let me down.

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ok mystery birthday gifter.....

who are you????

yesterday, i came home to a cute little box on my front porch, which, in hindsight, i definitely should have taken a picture of, sitting there all cute but i was SO excited, i just grabbed it up in one fell swoop and ripped into it right then and there and inside i found....

THE NAKED PALLETTE FROM URBAN DECAY!!!!!!


and no note. no invoice. no NOTHIN'! obviously, the wonderful and generous love who sent me this reads this blog or else how would they know i wanted it so desperately? that shizz is hard to find too!!

whoever you are, please step forward so i can give you a great big kiss!!! i am a happy girl!

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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

love.


    
me & my mom, 1974                                                                           me & ben, 2011

 I love lilacs and avocados
Ukuleles and fireworks
And Woody Allen and walking in the snow
But you've got to know that

You're the love of my life
You are the love of my life
You are the love of my life
You are the love of my life
From the moment I first saw you
The second that you were born
I knew that you were the love of my life
Quite simply the love of my life

I love Lucy and pumpernickel bread
The Statue Of Liberty and standing ovations
And falling into bed
But get it through your head that

You're the love of my life
You are the love of my life
You are the love of my life
You are the love of my life
From the moment I first saw you
The second that you were born
I knew that you were the love of my life
Quite simply the love of my life

You can drive me crazy
You can drive me anywhere
Here are the keys
Just do as you please
It may not always be easy

But you're the love of my life
My heart is riding on a runaway train
You are the love of my life
through all the pleasure and pain
From the moment I first saw you
I knew it right away
I knew that you were the love of my life
Simply the love of my life
You are the love
The great love of my life.

~carly simon

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40 days of birthday ideas....just a quickie.........

why i am still filing this under '40 days of birthday ideas' when i dropped the ball so many days ago is a mystery BUT this thing i just found is too cool not to share...



it's the little lover charmer from the love touch collection by tina steinberg and i am dead for it....
wouldn't benny's little thumb print look cuter than anything on there??



Monday, August 8, 2011

block party blast!

block parties.

i had never heard of them before i moved here.
we don't get to have one on our street because it's a main road but all of the surrounding side streets have them and those big jerks never invite us, we just have to sit alone in our backyard like red-headed step children and listen enviously to the faint sounds of a bad mc corralling kids into doing the cotton-eyed joe for the 11th time in an hour, fireworks, dance music and summertime merriment.

not this year, suckas!!

this year, we packed up our loot and headed out to scott's good friend brian's house for the ultimate  block party! let me tell you something, brian does it right! we didn't wander too far from his yard to see what the rest of the block was up to, but we didn't need to! brian's house was the center of all the action! and not just because of the ridiculously awesome ice flume that the whole neighborhood was doing shots from...benny even got in on the action!

oh calm it down and get off the phone with CPS! he wasn't doing jaeger bombs or anything....just a little bottle fake-out ;)

good times...good food...good beer...good friends

(and a barrage of collage! whoopieeeeeeeeeee!!!!)












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