Friday, December 31, 2010

An Inwood send-off

Before stepping into 2011, I took a quick look back to Inwood, our previous New York City neighborhood.

(Cue nostalgic music of your choice... mine is the theme song to Forrest Gump.)

Our apartment building ($1,000 for a first floor 1br- what a steal!)


An open hydrant one summer's day  (which Charlie and I also enjoyed a bit later)

The awesome A train:  Like LOTR, its entrance is carved into a mountain
The church we attended:  I met such wonderful ladies here when I helped out at their thrift store

To honor our favorite Inwood restaurant, Alberto's Mofongo House, hubby made this Dominican inspired supper.

Que delicioso!  I do love me some beans, pork, and rice.

Adios New York!  Holland, we're here to stay and ready to make some new happy memories.

He's baack

Charlie's back from his stay at the Pet Hotel.  We're so glad to have him home.  Though we trusted the employees to care for him, we worried he would have a terrible time. 
  
Perhaps my fears were a bit exaggerated.

Hubby's fears seem a bit more realistic


Luckily, we were both wrong.  He did great.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

PinkSocks: LOL

Isn't it funny how written communication between friends has changed over time?  Before, we used to write lovely letters in beautiful cursive.




Now we speedily IM or G-chat.

GApeachez:  yo so you are i cherry hill with fam?

Sweetbea:  yaeap lol sucks lol haha
i'm drunk girl!  u?
hahahha

GApeachez:  hah no
  
Sweetbea: lol hahahha
wat did u do todayyy

GApeachez:  haahah

Sweetbea:  so u did hahahha today hahahhaha

GApeachez: haahha
i did
i just stayed in wit my sister
she leaves twomorrow

Sweetbea:  aww2bad  :(    brb


Similar message, faster speed, and yet something seems lacking....

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

It's the most de-li-cious...

time of the year...

One certainly cannot celebrate the holidays without feasting!  Below are some highlights from our aunt's holiday meal:

VIEWER BEWARE:  Looking at these photos will cause your salivary glands to become overly excited.  Drooling will probably occur.    

Welcome to the holiday table!


Let's take a closer look at some dishes:

Shrimp baked in butter and garlic, then sprinkled with salty parmigiano reggiano


Roasted prime rib covered in a delicious coating of garlic cloves, mustard, and crushed black pepper


Apple, walnut, and craisen salad with mustard and maple dressing:  a wonderful mixture of textures 

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Color me Christmas

Sadly, Christmas has come and gone.  Luckily for me, our aunt's decorated house helps carry holiday cheer into the New Year.

Five little snowmen send their season's greetings.


This tiny tree puts me in a wonderfully sweet and girlie mood.


Somewhere a tiny Santa Clause is running around naked.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Bested by the beast

When driving back east, Hubby and I drove through Pennsylvania and visited this fine establishment:

They're famous for their large and meaty burgers.  Feeling quite hungry (and wanting to experience our own Man vs. Food challenge) we opted for the 3lb burger.  Larger than the 2 pounder, but smaller than the 6 pounder, it seemed like a challenge worthy of tackling: 

(Water bottle included for comparison purposes)

After 45 minutes of wrestling with the beast, we were only able to finish two-thirds.  Here's what was left:
Not even the Kobayashi shake could help me chug this baby down.
Question:  Can you have too much of a good thing?
My answer:  Yes, yes, oh goodness yes. 

You've won this time, beast burger!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Holiday message

Here's a photo taken from a local Antique store.

Can you see the (not-so) hidden holiday message?

Hope you have a happy and restful holiday season.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Twas the night before Christmas

and all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...

or a dog.  We miss Charlie!

I bet if he were here, he would comfort us like this:
dog tissue box costume for Halloween
Aww, I feel better already.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

On the road

Today hubby and I are driving back east to celebrate Christmas with family and friends.  Sadly, Charlie won't be coming with us. 
He's going to stay at a doggie hotel.

We will miss him dearly.  
I will miss his special corn chip smell,

his tendency to follow us around,
his tongue tickling my toes,
and his snuggles at night.

But not to worry, we'll soon see him again in a week!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Holiday attire

Wondering what to wear for those special meals this holiday season?  Look no further, here are a couple of suggestions:
 
How about a bow tie for breakfast?


Perhaps a quirky tie for lunch?


Tweed for dinner?


Or velvet for Christmas cocktails?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Taco infomertial

Do you ever eat tacos and find yourself with this problem?
Oh no! The tilted taco!  The outpouring of my delicious fillings.... 

Well, that problem is a thing of the past!
A flat bottom- simple change in design... awesome benefits

All my fillings are now safely secured.  Now that's some great engineering!

note:  first taco image taken from here

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Local lunch

Today hubby and I had lunch at Russ' restaurant, a joint frequented by west Michigan locals.  I ordered a "Reuben Soup" in a bread bowl.

Mmmmmm... tasted just like a melted Reuben sandwich.

Hubby ordered a smothered roast beef sandwich.
Oooh ooh, just look at that dark beefy gravy.

It's a nice restaurant.  Very kid friendly too.
These crayons are clearly ready for some Dutch Dancing.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Evolution of a bird feeder

As many of you already know from my "flighty visitors" post, we've recently put up a bird feeder.

Here, I hung the feeder on a random nail.

Worried that our birds didn't have enough space to stand, hubby created this contraption to encourage maximum feeding:

 
The "trapeze" feeder

Then, reading somewhere that bird feeders should be about 4 feet off the ground, hubby reworked the contraption to look like this:

The "damsel tied to the railroad tracks" feeder
Are we encouraging more birds to visit our feeder?   Unsure.
Do I smile at hubby's ingenuity?  You betcha.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Two magical ingredients

Nothing tastes better than a steamy bowl of soup on a cold winter's night.

Slurp me

This chicken and potato soup was particularly yummy because of two star ingredients:
(1)  Cilantro- The tastiest herb ever

(2)  Better than Bouillon- Chicken flavoring in a jar

With temperatures dropping, I hope you all stay warm and full-bellied.

note:  cilantro photo taken from here

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Pill no more

I'd like to introduce you to a new friend.
Moo.

This little guy eats pilling on clothes.  So sweaters like this one
(Ew.  Don't you just want to pull those suckers off?)

are transformed back to their pre-pill state
Ah.  Smooth and soft

The results are amazing. 
 What will they think of next?

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Sweet dreams

Nothing says family fun like gingerbread, icing, and candy.  

Last year's family fun

I can't wait till this Christmas. 
Oh the icing we'll squeeze!
Oh the candy we'll eat! 
Oh the memories we'll make.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Bow ties done three ways

Here are photos from Hubby's wardrobe.  Who knew that polka dot bow ties could be so versatile?

The Nutty Professor

Indiana Jones


That's Bond, James Bond