In memory.

Craig's List Etiquette

A few weeks ago we sold our tv console because the tv was mounted on the wall. I communicated with a lovely girl via email about coming to see it and she ended up sending her husband, while I was away buying my own CL finds-dining room chairs.

Scott texted me that he had sold the stand-and for a higher price to boot! Like I have said many times before-he is a master negotiator.

Later that night I about died when I actually got an email thank you note from the girl who purchased it. She loved it when her husband brought it home and it's a perfect fit for their gigantic tv. Maybe she read this post?

I want my MTV

Or any television, more specifically.

We have been sans television for about 2 months. Within this time period I have realized that Netflix is awesome, but "Modern Family" is better. And Saturday mornings with "Giada at Home" feel like a long lost friend. Don't get me started on HGTV and the four-star programming I am missing. Or my favorite background to cooking dinner-"Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune." Yes, I am a tv junkie. Scott knew who he married.

(source)

Why are we without television but paying for it? Well we had our tv mounted on the wall and discovered the cable line was too short. Also, there was a miss-communication with DirecTV (the irony is not lost on me) and they neglected to send us the HD box and would not upgrade us despite Scott's masterful negotiating. After finally ordering a cable, and a new box, the company canceling the box order because I'm sure they realized it was a flawed price at the pennies they were selling it for, we are now just waiting to buy a new HD box and then for a free weekend to venture into the 99 degree attic to hook this all up. And by 'we' of course I mean Scott, and I will help by shouting encouraging words from the living room.

I am not very helpful with electronic home maintenance projects. Painting rooms-yes. Cooking dinner, cleaning--always on time, always spic and span. Trying to program the tv remote? I tend to give up. For the record though, I did almost call in support when putting on a slip cover, but felt like Eli Whitney when I engineered (hah) it to work despite the directions. And then the devil cat known as Atticus went to town biting it and clawing, but that's another story for another day.

I think Scott is waiting for the day I actually help when it comes to these tasks. Right now I'm just doing an effective job of keeping a Honey Do list.

The Other White Meat

On Sundays we tend to have dinner earlier since it's the first "school night" of the week, and that way we can ease into the evening. This past Sunday, Scott had quite a few projects to tie up so I started dinner on this:


This is the first time we've had pork chops in the two years we've been married. For some reason it's just never appealed to me to purchase. Pork tenderloin-yes. Something about those chops made me stray. While in Trader Joe's last week I smelled change in the air and threw them in my basket.

I researched a few rubs online and found a simple one that required under 5 ingredients, which is usually my cut off point: rosemary (one of the two remaining herbs in our failed herb garden), sea salt, and peppercorns. Grind together in a spice mill (or food processor, if you don't own every gadget under the sun) and rub. Then Scott bbq'd them. They were great!

But the real star (besides my overcooked garlic-roasted asparagus) were the tomato stacks. Granted it's just a caprese salad tower, but they are is a company-kind of tomato. Directions, if interested:

Reduce 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar with a dash of salt and pepper for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the bottom of the tomato so it stands upright, then into even sections. Drizzle each section with the reduced balsamic, salt and pepper then layer with slice of buffalo mozzarella and a basil leaf. Repeat with each layer. Artfully (or not so artfully) drizzle remaining balsamic over entire stack. Voila. You might even be asked to host Thanksgiving with that tomato stack.

(Tomato stack adapted from the Bride & Groom's First Cookbook-my favorite.)

Babies

When you get a new car, suddenly everyone on the road has the same one. I think it's the same idea with babies. One girl is preggo and suddenly you know 10 women with child. Don't drink the water!

Or, dip your toes in carefully, and get this:

Overjoyed.

My first friend to marry, first to have a baby. So happy for the newly expanded family :)

Weddings Make People Crazy

A friend of mine shared this email with me today--a wedding she is a bridesmaid in. Therapists could really find a niche market in weddings. I decided to highlight what I consider to be the real gems of the email. Grammar and punctuation have not been corrected even though it looks terrible. Names have been removed to protect the innocent bridesmaids.


Hello Bridesmaids 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6:

The Bride's bridal shower is around the corner, so here is a compose list of what everyone should be doing/ bringing the day of the shower. Under your names there will be duties for the bridal party, you can make it or buy it which ever you like, but please make enough for everyone since there will be approximately 50 guest at the Bride's bridal shower. If you don’t like the item(s) you are assigned, feel free to trade with someone else. You can bring all your food on a disposal tray and we will put it on nice platters when you get here. If you have stuff you want to drop by the night before, feel free to do so.

There will be a theme to the Bride's bridal shower, it's gonna be a tea party style shower, color theme will be mainly black and white with a hint of red. Please make your food to as close to the pictures as possible ( I will enclose pics) With that said, the bridal party will be wearing black and White, or Black and the Bride will be wearing white and the all the guest can wear whatever.

Since the bridal shower starts at 12noon, I would like everyone with their food no later than 8am that morning, so we can set up and put everything together.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks everyone, see you guys there early morning on the date of the shower.

Bridal Shower Food List

Bridesmaid 1:

• Beef/chicken lettuce cups
• Seafood bruchetta
• Dynamite w/seaweed
• Shrimp Cocktail
  
• Cake
• Materials for toilet paper dress game
• Materials for Playdo game
• Materials for clothes pin game
  

Bridesmaid 2:

• Turkey wraps on toothpicks
• Asian chicken salad
• Caprese Salad
  
• Plates, knives, spoons, cups, champagne/wine glasses, napkins
• Decorations(Banners, flowers)
• Scrapbook and materials
• Winners gifts
• Jungle juice
  

Bridesmaid 3:

• Egg salad sandwiches (half white/wheat)
• Mini tuna pita sandwiches
• Tomato w/crab mix
• Party favors

Bridesmaid 4:

• Croissants with toothpicks (can get mini ones at smart and final)(turkey/ham, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, (if use regular croissant, cut in thirds w/toothpicks)
• Chocolate(milk chocolate/white) covered strawberries
• Homemade Cresent rolls
  

Bridesmaid 5:

• Spinach strawberry walnut salad
• Creme puff (can buy frozen at costco)
  
• Champagne punch(champagne, fruit punch, sprite)
• Strawberry lemonade, bottled waters, sodas, ice
• Pick up cake at 9am ( will give info)
  

Bridesmaid 5:

• Spinach, guacamole, salsa dips and chips/bread
• Assortments of fruits (grapes, watermelon balls,strawberries, raspberries, cherry, etc). *bring it and we’ll put them in individual cups.
• Vegetable platter ( cucumber, cherry tomatoes, celery, carrots etc. If store bought platters, buy 2 of them..
• Balloons 12 white 12 black, 12 red

Bridesmaid 6:

• Red velvet cupcakes
• Assorted fruit tarts

Wow. And this is not the bride.

Tour of the Southwest

Or as I like to call it, dirt roads and desolate freeways. But, the trip was always worth the drive, especially coinciding with Dagny's narration for the 15 hours of cumulative driving.

The trip was awesome. We left OC about 2 p.m. on Friday and arrived in the Grand Canyon at 10 p.m. Our cells were not getting any service and my map decided to update itself going in an opposite direction, but thankfully we made it. The town shuts down at 10 p.m. so we had McDonalds for dinner-not ideal but no other options.

The first day of the trip we did an easy trail with about 150 French people. Not sure if they all traveled together but they loved the squirrels and feeding them as well. Those little buggers were like cats coming up to people. Lunch was awesome-El Tovar Hotel in the park, though we were dusty and in hiking gear, the servers wore bow ties and served $10 sandwiches. I felt very under-dressed and inappropriate, but we were not the only ones there in that manner.

That night, we started our dinner at around 5 p.m. at a cantina, watching futbol and enjoying margaritas, cerveza, and sangria. Truly, beyond the Indian festival there was not much going on if you aren't on a hike in the canyon. So we sat at that bar for about 3 hours...and were the only ones doing so.

Day two we had aspirations of getting up to see the sunrise but that was unsuccessful. We embarked on the epic hike of Bright Angel Trail and some of us barely made it out alive. After a mediocre lunch at a lodge in the park, we were off to Vegas...

Pit stop in Needles.

Filling up the trusty Honda.

I suppose Needles isn't high on the priority list for new branding.

First views...pictures never do it justice.

Rim Trail=easy. Bright Angel Trail=omg I was dying on the way up.

Love the illustrative signs.




I give you, the Grand Canyon.

As Scott would say, cheaters. I would say smart.

Panoramic shot

Elk crossing leaving the park. I was too slow to capture when it was right in front. Crazy. Also please excuse the bug cemetery also knows as my windshield.

Hollywood Bowl

For our second anniversary-cotton-I gifted Scott with this:


The cotton part being the napkins of course.

Along with the basket were tickets to the Hollywood Bowl to see the LA Philharmonic play Elgar, Wagner, and Beethoven. Now, Scott is the music afficionado. I've written about that before. I enjoy listening to classical pieces but generally keep my radio set to rock, country, or even NPR as of late. But sitting in the benches listening to these musical stylings was AH-MAZE-ING.

Perhaps it was the open amphitheater where enjoying your wine and other libations is encouraged. I made us pepornata roast beef sandwiches---YUM, brought some chips, semi-homemade chocolate chip cookies, and good ol' 3 Blind Moose cab.

The view from a dying Droid:

Glorious, even as far back as we were. The sound-well like everyone says, simply perfect no matter where your seat.

Like Scott's, Beethoven's 7th symphony was my favorite piece for the evening. As many before me have rightly proclaimed, that man was a genius.

I feel like one of the last people to enjoy the Hollywood Bowl in Southern California, but if anyone reading this has never been, absolutely go. It's remarkable.