Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! We only had a few trick-or-treaters tonight and finally I turned our light out when I had two sets of kids come to the door back-to-back who were clearly too old to be going door-to-door for candy and they were NOT wearing costumes. I gave them the candy (hey, I didn't want them to come back and egg my house later) but it made me feel like a grinch so I turned the light out. Two of the kids were so old that Joe actually thought I was at the door talking to parents! Anyway, my mom sent pictures tonight so I wouldn't miss out on what was happening in Missouri.

Amber (one of my BFFs) with Baby Jacob and my sister, Cathy and Baby Brylea.

Adyson the little devil! ;)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Better late than never

The first year that Joe and I were married, I looked for Christmas stockings and couldn't find any that I liked. Last year, I found a couple of stockings that I loved and Joe actually agreed on (believe it or not, he actually cares what his stocking looks like) and when I went to order them they were sold out. I was crushed. So as Christmas number three is approaching, the search is finally over. I found two stockings that I liked which were also endorsed by Joe. They just arrived a couple days ago!!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Winner!

I always look forward to playing bunco once a month but am feeling guilty tonight. We give out prizes for the most wins, least wins and most buncos. We also do a little grab bag game (just for fun) with everyone. The rule is that you can't "steal" or have any more than 3 gifts from the grab bag game. I have left before completely empty handed...well I won a prize for most wins and three prizes from the swap. I just got home with:

  • a $10 iTunes gift card
  • a $10 Starbucks gift card
  • another $10 Starbucks gift card and Longaberger travel mug
  • Halloween cupcake stencils and decorating supplies from Williams Sonoma

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Wedding time!

This past weekend I traveled to the Kansas City-area to celebrate Meggan and Mark's wedding. It was a beautiful event and I enjoyed so much seeing my Missouri friends and my family along the way.

Me with the beautiful bride
 
All the girls (minus Meera who ended up in a group shot on someone else's camera) - Breanne, Amy, Meggan and Monica


Wednesday, October 13, 2010

My phone is a lemon

My phone is a lemon but I have known that for quite some time. Most commonly, when I miss a call, my phone has a habit of erasing the number of the call I missed. So I see that I have missed a call and when I go to look at the number (and person's name) all of that information has magically disappeared leaving me with no idea of who has tried to call me. Also, it erases emails out of my inbox on a regular basis. And now, apparently, I have not been getting text messages. I was supposed to meet someone for lunch today and turns out her kids have been sick. She texted me last night and again this morning. When I never replied, she finally called me. Never got any of the text messages. So the moral of this story is that if you text me and I don't respond, you may want to call or email me...I then may or may not get the message.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Mmm...good

I made a fantastic breakfast yesterday that will definitely be a favorite in our household. The recipe came from Food Network Magazine.

Sourdough Strata with Tomatoes and Greens
8 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups whole milk
8 large eggs
10 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1-pound loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
4 cups chopped greens, such as kale, spinash or arugula

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Toss the tomatoes with the thyme, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper in a bowl. Spread on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until the tomatoes are slightly dried and browned in spots, 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes. Cool completely.

2. Whisk the milk, eggs, fontina, 3/4 cup parmesan, the cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes and greens and toss to coat. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish, then top with the roasted tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. The next day, preheat the oven to 350. Sprinkle the strata with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and bake, uncovered, until golden brown and almost set, about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, but keep the strata inside 10 minutes before serving.

City fun

We had visitors this weekend - Joe's dad and stepmom. Friday night we enjoyed dinner at a local German restaurant. Saturday we went to Wheaton College to see their museum of artifacts from British authors including CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. Afterwards we visited the Museum of Contemporary Photography which I would highly recommend. It's a very high-caliber free museum and they change their exhibits quarterly. Next we walked over to Buckingham Fountain - my favorite spot in the city - and from there we went to Hyde Park. In Hyde Park we had pizza and visited a couple of bookstores. Today we spent a few hours at the arboretum taking in all the colors of fall before Mike and Lynn had to leave. What a fun and busy weekend!

Here I am at the Wade Center standing in front of CS Lewis' wardrobe which was the inspiration for The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe.

Mike and Lynn at Buckingham Fountain.

Joe and I pose at my favorite spot in the city.

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Three!

Today Miss Adyson turned three years old and my mom sent me this picture from her Hello Kitty party. She looks so excited to be three and celebrating!

Friday, October 01, 2010

Out of England 2

We saw Ricky Gervais perform tonight at The Chicago Theatre which was recorded for an upcoming HBO special; the air date is Dec 18. Very funny when I wasn't having a frequent deer-in-the-headlights-oh-my-goodness-did-he-really-just-say-that-moment. I think that might officially make me old. 

 
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