Living in the Past

Can I just start by saying that I miss my friends?

Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of friends right here at home. . . friends that go to lunch with me and come and scrap with me. Friends that make me laugh and friends that love the same things I do.

But, I miss my Chicago friends.

I had a totally fabulous time with Em and Josie last weekend.

I've been reliving it all week. . .

There was NKOTB on Friday night.

Now, there were plenty of moments in this show that were totally ridiculous. (Think thousands of grown women screaming for more than two hours.)

Jordan with no shirt and air blowing on him. Beyond cheesy.



And, yes. That is Donnie's butt on the jumbo-tron. There were also several moments where he grabbed his crotch on the jumbo-tron. I did say totally ridiculous.



But, it was seriously totally fun. I never got to see them the first time around, and it was all I'd hoped it would be.






Saturday I got the grand tour of Josie's new house. It is so adorable, and I can't wait to see what it looks like with all the Josie-touches added on. I think I may start calling it my summer-home; I foresee many summer weeks at Josie's!



Saturday, we went to the city to see Jersey Boys. Which, surprisingly enough, was not all that different from NKOTB . . . boy band, singing, synchronized dancing.



We had an odd dinner at The Gage, enjoyed some Oberweiss, and had a Mario Kart tournament.

Sunday was filled with shopping. I've developed a new obsession with preparing for Thanksgiving (my new favorite holiday). I'm cooking dinner for my parents (I've never made Thanksgiving dinner) and have big plans for a tablescape and favors.

Anyway. It is most certainly time for me to get moving. I have a 10:15 massage (a little treat for myself) followed by some time helping Angie get ready for Little Man's baptism. My Fairy God Momma outfit is all set to go for tomorrow.

An 8th Day?

I need an eighth day in every single week. A day where I have to do nothing but exactly what I want to do.

There are a few things that I should mention.

I am wearing my furry boots today. Not with skinny jeans, though. I've opted to cuff my jeans up to keep the boots in full view.

And remember "Tigra and Bunny"? Apparently, that song is from like 1989. Where have I been since 1989? Check it out.

And speaking of blast from the past. . . New Kids on the Block were completely awesome!

More about the weekend soon!

Burning Questions

I don't have much extra time on my hands, but what little I do have I've been using to do some very philosophical wondering. . . .

Is there salt in Starbucks' salted caramel hot chocolate? I've watched it be made and have never actually seen salt being added. If there is not salt in the drink, why is the adjective "salted" used in its name? Does "salted" have some other meaning I'm not aware of?

At what time of year is it acceptable to take my furry boots out of the closet and begin wearing them again? Along the same lines, it is acceptable for someone my age to wear skinny jeans? The furry boots sure look better tucked into skinny jeans than tucked into boot cut jeans. I do not own skinny jeans, so I just wear my furry boots under my jeans, but I don't get the full effect of the furry boots when they aren't visible.

One last thing I'm wondering about. . .

"We're Tigra and Bunny and we love the boom"
What exactly is this song about? Is it really about two girls who love really loud car speakers? Or is it about more than that? And why is it so annoying? And who actually listens to such a song and thinks that it's cool?

These are just a few things that are occupying my mind lately.

Pumpkin. Yum.

I do love pumpkin.

I love pumpkin spice lattes.
I love pumpkin spice chai lattes.
I love pumpkin mousse.
I love pumpkin cheesecake.
I love pumpkin bread.

Turns out. . . I love Pumpkin Russians, too.





How to make a Pumpkin Russian. . .
1 and 1/2 parts pumpkin spice liqueur
1/2 part vodka
1/2 part Kahlua
1/2 part cream

Feeling Fall

The leaves are falling outside. Despite the fact that snow and cold and the dreaded w-word (winter) are imminent, I've really been loving the fall.

I'm loving sweaters.
I'm loving scarves.
I'm loving wearing boots and tights.
I'm loving coffee in the morning.
I'm loving candy corn.
I'm loving cuddling under the blankets at night.

I'm loving soup.

So, despite the fact that it's 80 degrees here today and, most decidedly, not feeling like fall, I'm sharing my favorite new soup recipe with you.



Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup
(From October / November Light and Tasty)

3 Italian Turkey Sausage links (4 oz. each), casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 3/4 C water
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package (9 oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 package (6 oz.) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 1/4 tsp. minced fresh basil or 3/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, water, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

2. Stir in tortellini; return toa boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until tortellini are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, basil, pepper, and pepper flakes; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese, if desired.

1 1/3 C (without cheese) = 203 calories, 8 g fat, 3 g fiber, 16 g protein

To the People Who Ruined My Day,

I will openly admit that I am not generally a glass-half-full kind of gal. I sweat the small stuff, but I've been trying. I've been trying to be optimistic and balanced and calm. I've been trying hard to do things that just don't come naturally.

I just have to say that people like you - people who seem to make it their mission to make my life unpleasant - do not help.

Now, I do think that I went out of my way for each and every one of you to demonstrate exactly how annoyed I was at your bad behavior. Nevertheless, there is a chance that you did not understand exactly what you did to annoy me.

So, I will tell you.

To the mechanic who took 85 minutes to change my oil. . . You most certainly should not have been drinking a coffee and shooting the breeze with the cashier instead of changing my oil. I saw you do that, and it made me very angry. . . VERY ANGRY.

But, mechanic, you are not off the hook quite yet. I am also VERY ANGRY that when you did finally decide to change my oil you put your dirty paws all over the cream-colored interior of my car and didn't bother to clean up after yourself. Now, I have a lingering reminder of exactly how angry I am with you all over the interior of my car.

To the mean, mean girl in my night class. . . You don't pay attention when other people are talking. You interrupt. You don't do the reading. You act like you are better than everyone else. And, it was not my fault that I was late to class because of the aforementioned mechanic and was forced to sit in the back row and work in your group. Mean Girl, I did not need to put up with you on top of everything else. Just try to be at least a little bit pleasant. Hell. You don't even have to be nice. I'd settle for respectful.

P.S. Mean Girl could you please let the guy next to you who texted through our entire class know that no one is forcing him to pursue a graduate degree and that texting through an entire class when there are only 30 students is VERY noticeable.

To my bank. Although your new location in the grocery store is very deluxe-o, you no longer have a night drop. Seriously, Bank. Realize that there are people like me who can't go to the bank at normal times and just need to deposit a check every now and then and need a night drop to be able to do our banking.

Rant Over,
Barb

A Little Scrap Action

It's been ages and ages and ages since I've made anything. I miss making things. I wish I was making things instead of reading and writing about organizational theory and school finance.

Here's a few goodies from Scrap-tastic's October kit.

I've scrapped this picture a million times, but it never gets old.


Snapped this while I was babysitting Luke.


Never did get around to scrapping pictures from last Halloween. . .


Have I mentioned lately just how many I am that it's fall.


I've had this picture of Noah and Chase forever. Finally made something with it. (It's an AE lift.)


And, because I love making minis. . .


If you want some more eye-candy, check out the family photo shoot Stephanie did for us.