June 30th, 2009

Who likes car rides? Peanut does!

Mark thought it would be really funny to have Peanut drive.

And last but not least, my latest purchase. A clutch purse from Steve Madden. It was 10 bucks, I had a 20% off coupon, and there was free shipping.

June 29th, 2009

I'm hoping this will motivate my brother to clean the bathroom...it's his week!

June 27th, 2009

Just a couple pics I have snapped with my phone this weekend. The one above is my best friend's favorite type of beer.

This bird was just hanging out on the fence outside my work.

Mark and his team won both their softball games last night and they are now 8 and 10. Pretty good. They were on a 4 week winning streak... hopefully it continues!

June 26th, 2009

I wore these soles to work the other day. They are quite comfortable.

The low heel is great in case you have to spend some time one your toes.

I love how shiny they are and they make me feel like a real class act lady.

Yup, soles can make you feel great!

June 25th, 2009

Here's a pic I took last week. I think personally we have had enough rain. So far this week though, it's been nothing but sun.

June 24th, 2009

Bunnies!!!

These cute little guys were trying to keep cool one day outside my work by stretching out in the shady grass.

June 23rd, 2009

So I have been using this face wash for a month now, and I love it. I love how my skin feels after I use it, and my face in general.


Now then... I must remember to resist the temptation of milkshakes. I had one over two weeks ago and my face is still paying for it. Stoopid dairy allergy!

June 22nd, 2009

Hershey Park Fun Time!!

The Fahrenheit: Best Roller coaster ever!!

Lucia and Sean

Mark getting ready to ride the sidewinder. *It does backwards loops and make me very nauseous after.

Chocolate Tour

Lucia, her fiance Sean, and Mark

Chocolate Factory

That's a lot of kisses!

Mark and I (he always makes that face)

Lucia and I (terrible angle for me, but still a cute pic.)

Overall it was a fun day, even if we did get rained out.

Now I am off to finish work, go home walk Peanut, and then have dinner with Mark. I was going to go to the gym, but dinner with him is so much more fun. (Shame on me for skipping the gym... I will go tomorrow)

Tomorrow's post is gonna be about something I call my facial in a bottle.... well it's actually in a squeeze tube, but it's wonderful.

June 21st, 2009

I recently bought something new here. Pringles baked wheat snack sticks. I have yet to try them, but they looked really good.

Next in line was the One A Day VitaCraves. I'm sure you have seen the ad for them on tv. I know I have. It shows two people in a grocery store riding on the back of grocery carts. I thought they would be good to take, because the past year I have not been able to take vitamins in the for of pills because they make me nauseas. No fun. So I picked these up, and no nausea. The flavors are good, but I find myself being left with a weird after taste in my mouth after chewing up these. I'm not sure I like that....

I'm going to try and pics up from Hershey Park last week soon. It was so fun! Who doesn't like chocolate and rollercoasters!

June 20th, 2009

I have been very MIA recently.....frankly I have just been busy.

I will post something soon, I have tons to share!!

June 17th, 2009

There was a spider in the bathroom of my work yesterday......

Creepy...

Today I am off to Hershey Park for a day of fun.

June 16th, 2009

As promised the picture I took Sunday at Nissan Pavilion.



I was so far away, but it was still so much fun!!

I found this blog with a review and pics from Sunday's performance... go get your No Doubt fix there!!

June 15th, 2009

Last night was so much fun seeing No Doubt again, this time at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, VA. Unfortunately the traffic getting there was a nightmare and we didn't get to see Paramore or The Sounds. But thanks to Youtube... I can see some of what other saw at other shows so far.

Lucia and I decided to leave before the encore because we just did not want to deal with more traffic... so we missed this song.. check it out.



Gwen's interaction with the crowd was just great too. She gave out a hug to a guy who was holding up a sign that said hugs. She took the sign held it up next to her and said, "come and get it, come get your hug!" People also had things to give her and at one point she was like, "Is that a gift? Give it up..... " Gwen was really loving the gifts fans brought for her.

If you have never heard of The Sounds, it's ok. They are fairly new...



I kind of wanted to see Paramore live, but ah well.



I have one picture I took. I was up on the lawn and was really far away, which you will be able to see. But Lucia and I were part of 23,000 people who rocked out to No Doubt.

I will have the pic up later, I forgot my camera adapter at home.

June 14th, 2009

No Doubt today.... I'm so excited.

June 13th, 2009

We have had some wicked thunder storms this week.  Here are some snapshots I took with my phone.

 

I was absolutely mesmerized by the clouds.  Some of them seemed so low you could touch them.

 

 

The rain was coming down so hard and the wind was blowing so hard that it came in through the door at work.  I thought it was kind of funny.

Tomorrow I will be at Nissan Pavilion with Lucia seeing No Doubt.  It’s gonna be so much fun.  I really can’t wait!  I will take as many pics as I can, maybe even some video.

June 12th, 2009

Earlier this week (Tuesday) Mark stopped by and brought me lunch and some flowers. The flowers were Peonies and they look and smell so lovely.

Lunch was a super yummy and really fresh salad from Whole Foods, some fruit (raspberries, strawberries, black berries, blue berries, and mango), and a Elephant Ear cookie.

June 11th, 2009

Sometimes you just need to get away…

This is the current picture on my desktop that I took on my Bahamas cruise with Mark last December. One thing I love about going back through pictures I took while on vacation, they are little gems like this one. Instant transportation back to paradise.

In other news I just wanted to tell you about Mark's trip to Atlantic City to play poker at the Borgata. He did good. He made it to 8th place out of over 300 people. Here are a couple links for you to look at.

This one is titled Unlucky Level 13? You get to see Mark sitting at the poker table and they quoted him. (They misspelled his last name... kind of irks me. LOL)

This one is titled 20 Minute Workout You get another quote from Mark and you get to see how much he won. Keep in mind he paid $400 to play...

I'm proud of him. He did really well. 8th place is pretty damn good. He still has dreams of going back to Vegas to play in the World Series of Poker again, and I'm sure he will totally make it there.

June 10th, 2009

What happens when your mom goes to a strawberry festival?  You end up with a fridge full of Strawberries!!!

Yum!!!

June 9th, 2009

Ok so I love ginger ale.  I do, I drink it all the time.  People sometimes ask me if my stomach is bothering me because I drink it so often.  No not quite, I just like it.  

Imagine my surprise when I opened the fridge to find Ginger Ale with Green Tea.  Really?  Yea!

It’s very light and refreshing.  I like it.

June 8th, 2009

I tried something new this week. Yogurt made with Coconut Milk. It was really good, and had a really smooth texture. I originally went to get soy yogurt, but for some reason the grocery store by my house stopped carry soy yogurt. I'm a little upset because I do have a dairy allergy. While it's not as severe as others, I still would like other alternatives to dairy.

June 7th, 2009

Mark and I went on an adventure for sushi one night. Sadly the wait time in Annapolis, MD was so long we decided to head home. But we did get to see some sailboats through this draw bridge.

June 6th, 2009

I went to get my wine yesterday and the clerk at the store was really funny. She said, "Ma'am, there is something wrong with this tote. You need two more bottles."

So summer is definately coming... I had a tomoato sandwhich yesterday as well. Mmmmm

Wheat bread, a little mayo, salt, pepper and tomato is all you need to enjoy this tastee treat!

June 5th, 2009

Yesterday I ran late for work. I hate when I run late for work... I end up having to pack my make up and bring it with me. And although this cute little make up bag is a perfect size, the zipper doesn't close all the way.

In other news, I forgot to mention last week that I got a hair cut. I took a full 4 inches off my head. I would have gone shorter but I have to keep my hair long enough for an up do for Lucia's wedding. Which isn't until October....right now my best friend rules my hair! LOL

Well off to locate my wine tote... I'm feeling the urge to purchase some wine. And that wine tote will carry my selection perfectly.

P.S. Sephora has a blog! I'll never be behind in beauty news again..... http://blog.sephora.com/

June 4th, 2009

I don't know what this plant is, but it's very prickly.

I cannot park my car next to it, or else I get stuck. It does have some pretty flowers though.

June 3rd, 2009

Summer is almost here! How do I know this? I got a mosquito bite on my leg....while at work!

WTF was my first reaction too.

Speaking of bug bites, this morning at 3 AM we had a wicked thunderstorm roll through. At first Peanut was ok with the storm, and we continued to snooze away. Then there was this huge crack of thunder that startled me so much I sat straight up in bed. Peanut was pretty startled as well, and started to shake. I turned on the lights and the tv and he started to calm down...that's when I noticed the tick on his leg I had missed from his adventure on Saturday.

Saturday I took Peanut with me to Mark's Cambridge pool remodel project. Rain has really pushed back the completion date, but it's getting there. Mark decided to let Peanut roam free, and took his leash off. Peanut decided to romp through really tall grass. I had checked him for ticks when we got back to the truck, but I apparently missed this one. So at 330 am I was removing the tick...then I dropped it. I found it later at 4 AM, but couldn't see the head. I called the emergency vet at about 430 AM to ask about "if the head was left in the bite area" and was told not to worry because it won't live without the body and will eventually fall out. I don't know how accurate this is, because the internet says it can cause infection if left in. But they are the professionals......

So the tick has been on Peanut since Saturday and removed at 330 AM Wednesday. This bothers me. A tick can transmit lyme disease within 48-72 hours. Peanut has had his lyme disease vaccine September of 08, and is due this September of 09. I plan on calling my vet and seeing what they have to say about if I should be worried.

I got back to bed about 5 am, after scouring the internet on facts about lyme disease in dogs.

It's gonna be a long day.

June 2nd, 2009

These are the epitome of ballet flats......


I bought them from ALDO a few years back and I still love them!

June 1st, 2009

I had quite the weekend.....

I have been pushed into a situation, I don't really want to be in. One of my friends, who is 23 and still trying to find her path in life, has been using me as an excuse. This has happened once before, where she accidently sent me a text message ment for her mom. I asked that if she uses me as an excuse again that she let me know. Well that didn't happen... Friday I got this from her mom sent to my myspace:

"Marie:

I know you don't know me, but I am Jennifer's Mom. I ask that you not let her know I have contacted you, please. She claims she is getting together with you tonight and going to Mark's softball game and then you are going out to dinner. Just want to check her story out. She has gotten involved with a young man, that so far no one has cared for -- or I should say -- feels comfortable around. He is married, but supposedly getting a divorce. I just am worried about her. She sometimes doesn't use the greatest of judgement.

So please just let me know because we had made plans with a bunch of friends to have a game night at our house and she is using you as the excuse now for not coming.

Again, I ask you please keep my confidence."

I was in shock...I called my two closest friends, Cindy and Lucia, and my older brother. What do you do?

Right now my resolve is to ignore this and say nothing to either one... this is something the two of them need to work out on their own! Yes I did use friends as excuses when I was in my teenage years and really early 20's (I'm 28 now), but never without checking to make sure it was ok, or to let them know I had used them. If her mom persists, I will have to sit them both down at the same time, and then tell them to sort it out on their own with each other. Keep me outta this! I have enough going on in my own world, I don't need extra help from the drama llama!!

After telling Mark about the situation, we headed off to the Cheesecake Factory. This would be my first time eating there, and I have a new love...food wise.

While waiting at the bar for a table to open up, we ordered an appetizer. I was starving and frankly, I had already drank half of my Sangria and was feeling good...but hungry. So we ordered Avocado Egg Rolls. OMG! It was so good! So good I hunted down a copy cat recipe to share with you!

Cheesecake Factory Avocado Egg Rolls

1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, & diced
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1/2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pinch salt
3 egg roll wraps
1 egg, beaten

Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and salt. Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.

Position a wrapper so that a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up, 1/4 of the way over the filling. Brush remaining corners and edges of the wrapper with egg, roll up from side to side, fold top corner over all and press to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Continue by deep-frying the egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on brown paper bags.

Slice egg rolls diagonally across middle and serve with the Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce.

dipping sauce

• 3-4 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 pinch powdered saffron
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 green onions
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Or from what I understand the dipping sauce is made and sold at the Cheesecake Factory. So you may not have to make it...if you don't want to.