Fast Time at Home Sweet Haselton

I've been told it's been too long since my last posting. 17 days to be exact. Sometimes it's quite hard to summon the energy at the end of the day to be witty. It can be even harder to do so in the morning even after a few cups of coffee. Thus, bullet points with an occasional photo will bring the world up to speed on the goings on of the Haseltons.

• We had a new door installed on our rental side. No photo. It's a door and it looks nice and we even opted for a new screen door too. Hot diggity. We installed a mailbox too.
• I painted our laundry room before we received our third set of a washer/dryer. This one is nice, though my only gripe is that it does not sing to me like our LG set did. But that set also leaked which lead to the demise of Sears in my opinion. So now we have a Whirlpool set and if you don't like yours I don't want to know. Ignorance is bliss occasionally. Someday I'll do a photo tour of our home. Probably after I rip my kitchen apart.
  
• We put new house numbers on our side of the duplex. I feel like an instant upgrade in the neighborhood because the glass garden plates are now gone and people can actually pick out our home out among the rest. I need to make a trip to Home Depot (though a devout Lowe's girl) for a set on the other side so the cool factor raises another notch.
• Thanksgiving was great. Got to hang out with this kid:
• Then we had Thanksgiving Giada-style with my parents and sister.
• I bought new couches at Living Spaces after spending 3 hours with their design consultant. As I keep saying, it was easier picking out a wedding dress.
• The Thanksgiving weekend concluded with a booze cruise with these girls. Good times and mimosas had by all.
  

I will try to be better moving forward. It will be a year-end resolution.

Fancy Supper

I love trying new recipes and now that we have a DVR again I can soak up all the Giada and Ina for inspiration.

Most recently, Ms. DeLaurentiis took a traditional dish and gave it a new twist:

Mini Lasagna with Corn and Marscapone....um, YUM!

I made these on Tuesday night for Scott and I with another innovative recipe of hers, Brussels Sprouts Leaf Salad. (Both of which will likely make an appearance at the annual Cousin Christmas Party this year. Thank goodness for the cousins, we gave it a test drive. Two thumbs WAY up.)

Giada's recipe calls for making the lasagna in small ramekins:

...So when removed, look like presents on the plate:
So, I have to say yes the recipe is easy as Giada claims, BUT the prep time is about 40 minutes unless you move like a Cordon Blue-trained chef, which I do not. After baking another 40 minutes, it's definitely a special meal, but I would probably only make it again on a weekend or for entertaining...or a Veterans Day for the newest mom and dad in my life.

I also added sauteed mushrooms for some added heartiness in a few layers, and made the meal in a to-go pan for the new parents and it worked just fine.

Enjoy!

Bedside Reading

I'm always curious to know what other people read at night. Usually I am a one book girl, devoted to a single story because generally I like whatever I'm reading that much. (Sidenote-books get three chapters before I'm out. Never could get into "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.")

My tune is changing, possibly because the novel of the bunch has been read before and I'm in more anticipation for the movie.

At work, I'm asked to employ graphic design skills that I do not have, so I figured it was time to seek out some help. Enter the assistance of our go-to designers at work, the Decaro's, who have graciously let me borrow this book-Thinking with Type. It's great for my (remedial) skill level and written effectively, but unfortunately, has been the recipient of least attention.

Glamour. My monthly mail indulgence. I usually skim it all in one sitting, reading the short articles and Q&A, and then go back one more time for the editorials. Then it's round-filed. No magazine hoarded here, and why I buy magazine subscriptions on Amazon for $2 a year.

My newest addition comes through my thoughtful mother-in-law, the gardening guru. 52 Weeks in the California Garden will be my bible take two piles of dirt from drab to fab. Let's hope it can instill some holy works to get me seeing more green and less brown.

The book to the left is Scott's: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." I may start that once the aforementioned are complete.
What are you reading?

Meet Oliver

Atticus will always have a place in our hearts, and this little guy is no replacement. His predecessor left great boots to fill.

Saturday Thoughts

1. I better be earning some massive karma in my next life when it comes to waiting in line at stores. Today would be a double points kind of day, but then I mentally b-slapped the idiot.

2. I saw a woman out walking/running and smoking this morning. Really?

3. This last woman must be the girlfriend of the man with the leaf blower. One should know it's quite windy today.

Perhaps there is a full moon.

Red v. Blue

The good news is my hero Ed Royce won his race. He was probably the most certain vote I cast and one of the most genuine politicians who embodies the role of public servant--a voice of the people (or at least how I see it) and he's honest. Unlike others from the district to the upper right corner-a little to the left-and a right turn at Anaheim-Sanchez. Just saying, and I digress.

The bad news is that I really believe California is going to go further into the crapper with its decisions. Ugh, and we just bought a house. Fiji (or Colorado, Texas) are looking really good right now.

Ultimately, I truly believe politicians may start out at local levels with pure hearts and good intentions. Somewhere along the way the big checks come in, and those checks memos read "strings attached," and thus dirty politics are born.

There is no doubt that politics are polarized and I think, to a degree, cyclical. Four years ago Republicans were pissed at Bush and the Dems benefited. Now, Obama's promises are proving empty and we're seeing a Republican surge. I'm under no illusions that it will last. People will get fed up with something else and the pendulum will swing back to the Democrats. Believe you me I'll enjoy the Republican house while I can, mostly because I live in a blue state.

Politics and religion are two of the most taboo topics of conversation, but on Election Day, I'm throwing caution to the wind. I am a registered Libertarian but still err on the side of Republican, which I think is fairly obvious. This does not mean I support the likes of Sarah Palin-ohhh contraire. I didn't even like W. Obama seems like a nice guy with great charisma, but he's got a sorry thing coming with his health care "plan." Yes, that deserves quotes because I don't even think it's legitimate enough to be considered a course of action.

I realize this is a very opinionated and rather disjointed post, but that's what politics are and I'm pissed that Brown and Boxer won as I sit here watching CNN, Fox, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. My soapbox is most often taken in private, and on a monumental day of mudslinging, I figure I can throw my two cents into the ring.