Friday Favorites

Well hey there, Friday. You certainly did take your time this week, huh? Go ahead, have a seat and get comfy. Can I offer you a drink? Oh no, don't mind that I'm tying you to this chair. I promise to take care of you while I hold you hostage here for a while...

Now that you're thoroughly creeped out by my kidnapping tendencies, let's proceed with the regular Friday routine, in which I share several things that redeemed my week and kept me smiling.

Bad pictures, good eats. This week has been especially yummy: (clockwise from top left) pasta with scallops, an artichoke(!), and a glass (or two) of my favorite wine on Sunday evening; delicious grilled chicken salad with sunflower seeds, cranberries, cheese, onion, and spinach for lunch one day this week; excellent cheeseburgers with a side of gourmet my hubby's favorite Velveeta mac & cheese (can't win them all); and a butternut squash/cranberry/maple syrup concoction that turned out to be the perfect oatmeal topping and a slightly-less-guilty dessert. I am really enjoying cooking more since Dan has been home -- we've mastered several excellent meals and for the first time in a while, I get as excited about a meal at home as I do going out these days. That said, I am pretty excited that tonight we are headed out to let someone else do the slaving-over-the-stove thing for a change.

Speaking of yummy food...

I honestly can't get enough of this stuff. I was never a huge fan of couscous, but this is a whole different (and highly delectable) beast. Honestly, I start to freak out if I don't have at least two boxes on reserve in my pantry at all times. So far the roasted garlic & olive oil is my favorite, but the  basil & herb is pretty fantastic too. I've added some wilted spinach and sauteed mushrooms to the mix before, but really it's perfect just the way it is.... right from the pot.... eating mouthfuls straight from the serving spoon. Don't judge until you've tried it.

It is taking every ounce of self-restraint I possess not to click "purchase" on this lovely item. Hard to tell from the picture, but it's 8.5 inches wide, so there's plenty of room for cash, cards, cell phone, keys, lip gloss, an emergency stash of benadryl... the list goes on. It's the perfect size to carry alone as a clutch or drop in a bag (preferably this one that I've been lusting after for forever). My current purse found itself at the mercy of a certain furball's claws last week, so I know it's only a matter of time before I cave in and replace it with one of these beauties. Thankfully I've been working a ton of overtime lately, so when I do eventually give in, maybe I can spin it as less "impulse buy" and more "hard-earned"....

I have to be honest... I did not want to go see this movie last night. I did not want to watch something that I knew would hit close to home. I did not want to sit there with every muscle in my body clenched tight for over two hours. I did not want to sit there with involuntary tears streaming down my face when it was over. All that said, I am so glad that we went: as hard as it was to watch, the movie was surprisingly well done and certainly enlightening. It's one of those that I think lots of Americans need to see, in hopes that they might learn a little respect for the incredible sacrifices our military servicemembers make every day. I've always been incredibly proud of my husband for choosing to do what he does, but this film brought that pride even more acutely into focus.

I know I've been on a some-ecards kick lately, but this has to be my favorite one ever -- I just can't help but laugh every time I read it.

Lastly but most importantly: I want to wish a very happy birthday to this beautiful lady! She is such an incredible girl and I am so very lucky to call her a friend. She has been an amazing life line through everything this past year (the wedding, Dan's deployment, my dad's death), I honestly am not sure what I would have done without her. Can't wait to celebrate this weekend!

Happy Friday everyone!

   Love,

    Meg

Leaping

Life today looks a little like this:

My department at work is going through a rather large, rather messy conversion, and we have piles and piles of work that absolutely has to be done by the end of today. Luckily, Dan and I have plans to go out with some wonderful friends tonight... plans which thankfully include a few glasses of wine. I am definitely going to need them.

For now, though, I leave you with a little humor that celebrates the "holiday" (anyone else think we should get today off work?):

 -- Information on the Leap Year-ly Internet Cleaning

 -- Confusion over the concept of leap years

[via]

And in case you feel the need to brush up on your leaping skills:

Happy Leap Day everyone -- hope your extra 24 hours is full of wonderful things!

   Love,

    Meg

In Which Tess Knocks At Least A Year Off Her Mother's Life

"I took Tess' leash off in the parking lot and she ran right down to the dog park and waited for me!"

Half asleep on the couch, I roused myself for long enough to muster what I hoped was a proud look before shuffling off to bed. Had my brain been truly functional Saturday night upon hearing this information, I might have had a more significant reaction. I might have thought to say to my husband "Don't you think that's a little risky?" or "Maybe the middle of the night isn't the best time to test this?" or "Are you crazy?! This is the dog that doesn't know 'come' and you're just letting her run free??" But Saturday night, I let it go. I curled up in bed while my night owl hubby made a snack and all was forgotten.

Fast forward to last night, when during a lull in the Oscar action I convinced Dan that we should both stand outside in the freezing cold wind while Tess wandered around, sniffed, chased shadows, and possibly (hopefully) used the bathroom. You know, there's nothing like bonding when you can't feel your face or toes. But sure enough, as we crossed the parking lot to the dog park (less than 50 yards away at that point), Dan unclipped Tess' leash and instructed her to "wait for us at the gate!" I could have sworn I heard the dog mutter something akin to "suckers" as she trotted off and disappeared down the hill. I fought the urge to chase her as Dan assured me that she had done so well the night before. When we got to the top of that same hill less than 15 seconds later, though, all we saw was a black blur traveling fast around the fence of the park... on the outside. Headed not towards the gate, but away from it and into the woods.

Both Dan and I started to yell her name, clap our hands, and generally make as many convincing noises as we could, struggling to keep an eye on her as she got further and further away. The one drawback to our lovely dog park, besides the fact that it turns into something like a mud wrestling pit when it rains, is that there is very little lighting in the area, so it is super dark by that time of night. Trying to track a black dog goes something like this...

Eventually we caught sight of her about 100 yards away and down a huge hill, running around in the parking lot of one of the other apartment blocks. We both jogged down the hill, but by the time we got down there she was, of course, gone. Dan headed in one direction and I walked in another, just in time to glimpse her headed down another steep hill and toward the road that leads out of our neighborhood. A road that is lined with trees and eventually leads another very dark, very forest-lined road where cars have a tendency to whip around corners and regularly hit 20 mph over the speed limit. I yelled for Dan and took off.

Of course by the time I got halfway to the spot I had last seen her, she was gone again. Luckily there are streetlights in that area, but even in the light she was nowhere to be found. As Dan headed down the hill on foot, I started back towards home to get in the car, visions of a night spent driving in circles, yelling Tess' name into the dark flashing through my head. I knew that the poor girl had not called our home "home" for long enough to find her way back from very far away, and I was terrified that she was gone forever. I could imagine the phone calls we would have to make: "no, she didn't slip her collar or jump the fence... no no, we let her go...." Worst dog parents in the world right here, ladies and gentlemen.

When I reached the top of the road, though, I happened to look up and across to our neighborhood's office (closed for the night), and who do I see loping towards me from the mail kiosk, just as happy as can be?

That's right, the dog who will remain on a leash any time she even thinks about the outdoors for the remainder of her life. 
I don't know about you, but I always prefer to end my weekends with a freezing cold, terrifying, late-night chase through the neighborhood.

   Love,

    Meg

Friday Favorites: Tiered

For reasons unknown to me (and largely unappreciated by my hips), my proverbial sweet tooth has been running rampant recently. Don't get me wrong, I've never been one to turn down dessert... I'm a firm believer that there are few problems which can't be solved with a cupcake. This week, though, it seems like every time I turn around there's a cookie or oversized muffin or pint of ice cream, and I just can't. say. no. I go through phases like this sometimes, so I am crossing my fingers that this one passes fairly quickly, because wedding dress shopping is rather high on the to-do list lately, and no one likes looking at a blimp, even if she is wrapped in satin.

In an effort to make a little use out of my latest cravings, I decided that there was no better time to start researching another wedding checklist item: the all-important wedding cake. When Dan and I got married in our small ceremony last April, we catered a small selection of hors d'oeuvres and, since I was super sensitive to the idea that the only thing we would repeat at both weddings was the "I do," we opted to save the cake for the big wedding and do cupcakes instead. 

unfortunately this was the only pic I have on my computer right now... they were on a great tiered platter and looked fantastic

Oh my goodness... these were less "cupcake" and more "little bite of heaven." We had chocolate with cream cheese frosting and yellow cake with lemon buttercream, and while the latter was pretty amazing, the chocolate ones are definitely on my list of Top Five Things I Have Ever Sunk My Teeth Into (and you know how I like to eat). I got compliments on those cupcakes for months after the big day, and we were lucky enough to have several extras left over... I may or may not have demolished two chocolate ones on the way down to the beach the next day.

All of this to say: now that it's time to pick the actual wedding cake... the pressure is on. To have any shot at living up to the crack cupcakes (disclaimer: I am 100% sure that they included no illicit substances, nor do I condone the use of such substances in any baked goods), this is going to have to be the best damn cake anyone has ever tasted. And it's going to have to look pretty amazing. So last night found me in bed with a box of girl scout cookies, searching "wedding cake" on Pinterest.

I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted: a basic, smooth, round cake with several simple tiers and colored ribbon around the base of each. I didn't want to overload with flowers or piping or too much frill. After two hours on Pinterest, though, I've found that in fact I have absolutely no clue what I want. More specifically: I want so many things that I have absolutely no clue how I'm going to narrow those ideas down into a single cake. 

Like I said, I'm not usually a fan of tons of flowers, but something about these is just perfect. I love the fact that they are tiny and delicate and the way that the color intensifies as the tiers get larger. I also love how they bunch at the top of each tier, but a few seem to escape and cascade down. If you look closely, you can see that the fondant on the base of each tier is somehow dotted (I'm sure that's the technical term for it)... a simple but adorable detail.

Again with the flowers... but I love that there are just a few for accents, not blooms plastered all over the cake. I also love the texture of the tiers -- I am definitely no longer sold on "smooth."

Again, the flowers are sparse enough that this one remains pretty simple, but also very seasonally appropriate. I looked at so many that were "fall-themed"... ie the entire autumnal season seemed to have thrown up and you could barely make out the cake underneath (sorry for that visual). As much as I am a huge fan of anything pumpkin, I don't want the tip of my wedding cake peeking out from inside a huge jack-o-lantern with fake orange leaves everywhere. This one represents probably the highest volume of "floral clutter" (another technical term, I'm sure) that I would be comfortable with -- somehow the bare sticks help to it simple.

Honestly, if you asked me why I like this one, I'd tell you I have no idea. That is quite a lot of flower up there, but something about it just works for me. I think the fact that the petals are large (a total contradiction from what I said on the first cake, I know) and that it's all white keeps it from going over the top. I also like how it sort of twists up the tiers... just barely, but I like the idea of a "swirl" (really, I am just a bottomless pit of knowledge regarding wedding cake terminology. I can't imagine why decorators aren't just pounding down my door to hire me...)

Caveat: too many flowers. Also, not very pretty flowers. Try to just focus on the delicate stripes here -- such a pretty idea!

This choice surprised me as well, but I kind of like the Missoni-esque zig-zags. I am definitely not a fan of the turquoise, but the cake on the right is actually very similar to the color scheme I am going to use -- although my green will be a bit closer to "sage" than that. I like both the round and square shapes for this concept, but I don't really like the fact that the tiers are such different heights on the left.

I am head over heels in love with this bow. It is big enough that it could only work on a cake that is otherwise completely plain (although I love the dots along the base again). I can't imagine this could be an easy thing to make, so I'm wondering how hard I'd have to look to find someone who could recreate this...

I know it's not elaborate, but I think this idea is brilliant. I just love the concept that those little colored dots (Dan asked "what are those things??" Answer: I have no idea) spilled onto the cake and left a fantastic little cascade of color.

I think we can file this last one away under: Dreams Which Are Unlikely to Come True. This is actually much better suited to a baby shower than a wedding, but it was just too cute not to share. I can't imagine how much time it took to make such perfectly detailed cake balls, and I love the two little tiers at the top. Maybe unrealistic, but still absolutely adorable!

And finally, one of the best cake toppers I've ever seen....

How cute are they??

So thanks a bunch, dear Pinterest, for leaving me much more indecisive and stressed over what I thought would be a pretty straightforward choice. I hope the potential decorators are not intimidated when I walk in to meet them with a folder full of pictures, place it in front of them, and ask them to use their magic talents to pick something and make it work. And I hope Dan is not intimidated when I start cordoning off the kitchen for hours at a time, inspired to hone my own multi-tiered decorating skills.....

Happy weekend, everyone!

   Love,

    Meg

Excitement

There is nothing better than waking up on a Monday morning and realizing that it is, in fact, Tuesday. I am a big fan of four day weeks! Somehow (perhaps it could be the extra day?) I feel shockingly rested and ready for the week... or maybe it's that I'm ready for it to be over already. Either way, it must be some sort of miracle that I am not dragging the ground today, because our weekend was actually full of excitement... both the wonderful kind and the kind that makes you want to kick yourself in the head. Nice to have a balance, I suppose.

 -- Friday our poor puppy started experiencing some... intestinal issues. For the sake of preserving your breakfast and mine, we won't get into the details, but suffice to say that our carpet will never be the same. A few weeks ago, our vet had let us know that she tested positive for exposure to lyme disease, but assured us that since she didn't seem to have any symptoms, she would probably be just fine. And she was... until things got bad in the middle of the night on Friday (proving that pets really do wait to do these things on holiday weekends), at which point two slightly overprotective parents decided that she needed to be seen by a vet right then. ("Couldn't have waited just a few hours?" taunts hindsight...) One entire sleepless night and an exorbitant emergency vet bill later, we learned that Tess' symptoms have really nothing in common with the symptoms for lyme disease. Lovely.

3 days later? She seems to be feeling much better... and hasn't pooped in almost 72 hours. Really lovely.

 -- On a happier note, Saturday morning (on less than two hours of sleep) I ran a 5k, which is the longest distance I've logged in far too long. Even better, that was the first of three 5k distances I ran this weekend -- I followed it up with a second on Sunday and then another this morning. My shin pain was much better until today, but I'm hoping some stretching and more quality time with the elliptical over the next few days will fix everything again.

 -- Also on Saturday, I was lucky enough to enjoy time with two wonderful friends -- I had a lunch date with one and the other was visiting our hometown university and met up with Dan and I for dinner. Lots of yummy food and fun catching up with lovely girls! Between lunch and dinner, I also took a fantastic nap. I honestly wish I had time for one of those every day... I swear I sleep better during a two hour afternoon nap than I do all night.

 -- In case you didn't see my pictures on Sunday... it snowed! It started in the afternoon and I watched it begin to stick from the treadmill. Tess loved it and we spend some quality time down at the dog park freezing our toes off and watching her play with friends. In the evening, Dan and I drove around town with two very different goals: I was hoping to see our pretty town blanketed in a gorgeous snow (success) and Dan wanted to spin out and get stuck and be a man in the snow (not terribly successful thanks to 4 wheel drive). Nice to get one good snow in before spring comes (hint hint, nudge nudge... anytime now, really).

 -- Undoubtedly the best part of our weekend was yesterday, though, when we took a little drive out to one of our favorite little vineyards to sign a little contract, write a little rather large check, and make a little decision:

Meg & Dan: I do, part deux

September 28, 2012

Hooray! I am so excited to finally have a date and venue locked in. Now we get to start working on all the details: photographer, cake, save-the-dates... it's an overwhelming list and I'm so ready to start checking things off! 

   Love,

    Meg

Silent Sundays: Snow Day!

love that I can walk to my gym!

Tess (left) playing in the snow with her friends

worn out puppy... and a perfect day for my snowman mug

nothing keeps toes warm like a fuzzy cat

   Love,

    Meg

Friday Favorites: In Brief

One heck of a Friday at work seems to have exhausted me of any inspiration or ingenuity I might normally be able to muster (a fact which does not bode well for the remaining 7 hours of my day), so here you have it: things I'm loving this week... in pictures.

[center picture via... I made the recipe this week but didn't take any pictures of my own!]

Clearly cookies were a major theme of the week... nothing wrong with that. Whoever decided that Valentine's Day and girl scout cookie delivery should happen in the same week should probably have a conversation with my waistline though. The middle left picture was taken on my first run outside in almost two months, so hopefully that counteracted a little bit of the cookie action. That sunset was definitely worth the resulting frostbitten fingers and sore shin. 

And finally...

There are exciting things on the horizon these days -- things that hopefully I can share in more detail soon. Even though I'm not normally a big fan of changes, these I am absolutely ready for.

Happy weekend, everyone!

   Love,

    Meg