Monday Matters

1. I spent the entire of last week (Sunday night through Friday afternoon) in Charlotte, North Carolina.  It's a nice place.  I liked it a lot.  It's always fun when you go away for training and actually get something out of it (and not just boredom).


2. While in Charlotte, I got to try a really awesome restaurant, Bad Daddy's Burger Bar.  It's a local place (with a few chains, all within NC), but it is SO good.  I highly recommend you trying it out if you're in the area!!!


3. We did a ton of work at the house this week:


1. The contractor finally started fixing the bathroom, and he got the vanity leveled (since the first contractor installed it with the entire right hand side 1/4" off the floor).  Because nothing can go smoothly for us, the back-splash cracked in half, so we have to buy a new one, but otherwise, that fix was successful.


2. He also installed the linen closet, which looks terrific.  I bet it will look even better once the doors are on it.  HAHA


3. He still has yet to fix the tub (it was installed incorrectly, with the side walls not meeting up correctly so there are spaces in between....Let's take a shower and get water inside the walls!!).  But hopefully that will be next on the list.


4. The painter came back yesterday and touched up all of the woodwork that needed to be addressed after the floors were done - and they look great!


5. We brought a few things over from the storage unit, and started thoroughly (again) scrubbing the kitchen.  I also picked up some contact paper and started lining the drawers and the shelves in the cabinets.  It's not a fun job!


6. I'm really hoping to be in before Christmas.  I really think it might happen.  My plan is to go to the house every day this week after work and finish lining the drawers and shelves.  Then we can move the kitchen in!!  Then all we need is our bedroom and the bathroom, and we'll be able to sleep there!


7. I do need to do research on blinds/window treatments, so if you have any suggestions about them, please let me know!!


4. Scott and I went to breakfast yesterday before heading to the house.  We have been to this place a number of times within the last few months (including yesterday, we've been probably 3 times total) and yesterday I finally ordered the Eggs Florentine.  I seriously love this for breakfast, and hadn't ordered it in SO long.  I was very disappointed to find that with the updates they made to their menu, they also updated this dish.  Instead of cooked spinach, they just stuffed handfuls of raw baby spinach underneath two very undercooked poached eggs.  So disappointing. 


5. My Christmas Cards are ready to go!!  I received them in the mail on Saturday, and I spent most of Saturday evening writing them out.  While they're not super exciting, they get the message of "Happy Holidays" and "We've moved" all in one card.  I was pretty happy.


6. Speaking of Happy Holidays, I'm determined to be in the house before Christmas.  I don't think I can make it through the Christmas season without baking...Cross your fingers that we'll have good luck and make the move soon!!!

Monday Matters

1. I feel like I have been living in a whirlwind for the last few weeks.  Maybe I'm living up in the twister.  Look for me the next time you watch 'The Wizard of Oz.'


2. I have missed blogging over the last few weeks, and while I often think 'this would be a great subject to blog about' throughout my adventures, I just haven't had the time. 


3. Since April, I've been telling you all about my house, and all of the work that we've been doing on it.  I would love to be able to tell you that we have finally moved in, but alas, I can't.  As you know, we've had tons of problems with our first contractor, and while we found another contractor to do the work, he's super busy all the time, which makes finishing a project somewhat difficult.  And stressful.


1. We had the floors refinished, and they look A-Mazing.  Seriously.  Amazing.  We decided not to stain the wood, and just finish it with a Latex Polyurethane.  The floors are light and beautiful, and look so amazing with the colors I picked out.


 


2. We bought new door jambs (the right size - curiously enough, the size I wanted to buy in the first place), and the contractor has replaced two of the four doors that were previously replaced by the hack.  Note:  When he removed the old wrong size jambs, he noted that not only were the the wrong size, and put in incorrectly, they also did not have any of the required insulation.  Note:  Do NOT hire the guy who we did the first time around.


3. We also have everything available so that the contractor can finish fixing the bathroom that the original contractor hacked up. 


4. I spent about 3 hours cleaning the kitchen on Saturday and I can't even begin to tell you the difference it made.  My dad introduced me to Fabuloso - and while it may be the cheapest stuff out there, it is an amazing cleaner.  I know I'll have to wash the kitchen at least one more time before we move our stuff in (I still have to do the inside of the drawers for the first time), but it did an amazing job cleaning the dirt and grime off of all the surfaces.
4. I'm travelling to Charlotte, North Carolina this week, and I am really hoping that when I get home on Friday night, that I can go to the house on Saturday and find that most of everything that is left (see above) is done.  That would be so awesome.  Either way, I think we'll be able to move our stuff in.  Maybe get a U-Haul next weekend and take all of the stuff that is currently at my mom's and dad's houses, and then call movers to move our stuff from storage to the house the weekend after.  That would mean that we're in by Christmas.  And that would be awesome.  Truly awesome.


5. In non-house-related stuff....I have been continuing to attend the gym at work, and have been continuing with a combination of Tae-Bo, treadmill, and the stationary bike.  I haven't really lost any weight, but changing my diet a bit more will definitely help.  I wrote off the Zumba class at work because I just really just didn't enjoy it. 


6. Thanksgiving was a fun event at my mom's this year, and I contributed by making Pecan Pie, Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, and Stuffed Mushrooms.  I also got up super early with my mom and she went through the process of making the turkey with me.  You can ask Scott, and he'll verify that it was the best turkey.  Ever.





7. Being that it's finally December, I have been in the Christmas Spirit.  Maybe it's because we've been staying at my mom's house, and growing up, my parents house always rang with Christmas.  But I'm excited to decorate and I truly hope that we're in our house and can celebrate Christmas there together.


8. I've been listening to Christmas music in my car (mostly just Straight No Chaser) and I've watched a few Christmas movies (Mainly because of the 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family).  I'm hoping to get in at least 1 view of my favorite Christmas movie, Santa Claus the Movie (not the Tim Allen movie), no matter how much my husband makes fun of me for liking it.


9. I've recently become obsessed with Dropbox.  If you don't have it, you should get it.  It's amazing.


10. I'm hoping to blog on a regular basis again.  Hopefully with the house finally coming together, I'll feel more like myself again.  Keep on the lookout for more posts!!!

Monday Matters

1. I have had a busy week!  There's so much to tell everyone....Although I think I already told most of you everything in previous posts.  Oh well, what's a little recap, right?


2. Yesterday Scott and I, my mom, and my cousin Tina sat down to a few healthy games of Mah Jong.  I won two games and Scott won two games.  We are the rulers!!!  Normal process dictates that when you get your first Mah Jong, you have to take a picture...And since last night was the first time Scott or I won, we took pictures!!!
   
   
   
   
   
3. Did you notice the beautiful curls in my hair?  I already blogged about it, but I made those curls with a straightening iron.  Yup.  It's probably the best iron I've ever used.  It's the One 'n Only Argan 1" Hair Straightener.  The ceramic pieces are infused with Moroccan oil and you don't need to put any kind of [stuff] in your hair prior to using the straightener.  It's amazing.  I love it.  I don't know if I'll use my hot rollers ever again.


4. I made Fried Rice in the crockpot on Friday.  It was so easy (you literally just dump everything in), and it was delicious.
   
   
   
5. Hurricane Sandy is currently barreling up the East Coast, and everyone is in a state of panic.  Including myself.  Sort of.  I didn't go in to work today (I'm working from home, because I can't justify trying to drive an hour each way in awful weather when I have the ability to do all of my work from the dining room table).  Rhode Island / Massachusetts is definitely going to get hit, but it seems as though New York and New Jersey are going to get it really bad!



photo from cbsnews.com



6. Since the hurricane is supposed to hit us pretty hard, I made sure to go to the market yesterday and stock up on some essentials.  Like bottled water, and snacks.  I was surprised that the Stop and Shop wasn't like a war zone.  Granted, there was barely any bread left (there was not a single loaf of white bread left on the shelves), but there was a TON of bottled water (they clearly stocked up before the storm).  I got some non-perishables, but also bought a few things like cold cuts so we could have sandwiches.  I also bought a massive bag of ice just in case we need to switch everything over to the cooler.


7. I'm hoping that Sandy doesn't interfere with Halloween.  I remember, as a kid, being so upset if it rained on Halloween.  Who wants to be all dressed up and get drenched while trying to hoard copious amounts of candy?  Not me!  We didn't eve celebrate this year - we were invited to a party but never made it.  Being that I was in New Jersey last week, I had no time to prepare costumes or anything.  I just wasn't feeling it.  We'll have to make up for our party poopishness next year!


8. House update:  The bathroom is plumbed, with the exception of the sink.  We're still waiting on the contractor to fix the vanity.  After that, it's the doors (which can be done when we move in) and the hardwood floors.  I'm projecting a move in prior to Thanksgiving!!!  I can't wait to be there.  I can't wait to have a <30 minute commute.  I can't wait to cook in my own kitchen, have my piano right in the next room (and play it whenever I want), and I can't wait to sleep in my own bed!  Keep your fingers crossed for us!!!


9. We had the gutters cleaned out at the house on Saturday, just in case we got a ridiculous amount of rain.  There is a [possibly diseased] pine tree in the front yard that has already shed a million needles, which were clogging up the gutters.  In an attempt to not have my basement flooded, we had the cleaned.  I guess we'll eventually have to take that tree out. Seriously, this house maintenance is never-ending.

Monday Matters

1. I bring you this week's Monday Matters from Morris Plaines, NJ.  I honestly haven't seen much of the area, as I took the train in yesterday afternoon, and the most glimpse I got was the drive from Newark Airport to the hotel. It was dark by the time I got off the train, so other than the highway and the TGI Fridays right next to my hotel, I didn't see a thing (except for the last 3 minutes of the Patriots win in OT)...I'm here for work (I detest travelling for work on a Sunday, but sometimes you have to suck it up - 8am Monday meetings require Sunday travel), and I'll be taking the train back up to Providence on Thursday evening.  I am planning, however, on meeting up with my sister and brother-in-law for dinner on Tuesday, so that's something to look forward to!


2. When I got to the hotel last night, the first thing I did was unpack my suitcase and IRON MY CLOTHES.  This is a point that needs to be shared because of two reasons.  1)  I never iron.  Like, never.  and 2)  My husband fondly calls me the Queen of Wrinkles.  But, I'm aiming to impress this week, so everything is ironed, hanging, and ready to go.  :o)


3. Bonuses of travelling on the train for work?  When booking through corporate travel, it automatically booked my ticket in "Business Class."  When I got on the train yesterday afternoon, I assumed that Business Class was just regular, but to my pleasant surprise, it's a whole separate car, that seemed quieter than the Quiet Car AND by showing my ticket in the Dining Car, I got free non-alcoholic beverages.  Yup, so those two mini cans of Diet Pepsi and the mini bottle of water were absolutely free.  I wouldn't call it the highlight of my day, but it's definitely fun.


4. So what's a gal to do with a shortened weekend?  My husband took me Pumpkin Picking on Sunday afternoon before I hauled off to the train station.  That was exciting.  We picked out a 25 pound pumpkin at Pippin Orchards Nurseries, got Donuts from Dunkin Donuts (not as exciting as getting caramel apples from the Sugar Shack, but as we didn't have enough cash, we opted for donuts instead), and took my picture with a cardboard cutout of Gronk for an entry to eat lunch with him.  The plan is to carve the pumpkin next weekend and roast the seeds.  Delicious.





5. I didn't do much in the way of cooking last week.  I did make some Potato Leek Soup for dinner one night, which was delicious....I couldn't find the chicken stock in the pantry (I found it after) so I improvised and used beef stock, which tasted just as good.  I do feel like I used too many potatoes, even though I used 2 pounds, which is what I used last time.  I'll have to make it again and try with some adjustments.


6. My cousin Carolyn starts a new job tomorrow at MOO.COM and I'm super excited for her.  I've actually ordered business cards from that website before, so I knew a little bit about what the company was when I found out she would be working there.  


7. I have been fiercely reading through the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books.  I found everything through Book 4 really good but I was really annoyed with Book 5 (A Dance with Dragons).  As I read through Book 4, I didn't realize that all of the characters that annoy me hadn't really been POV chapters, until the end, when the author mentioned that Book 5 would be filled with their stories (running concurrently with the stories of Book 4) until everything was at the same time period.  I must admit that I found myself skipping over entire chapters due to my dislike of the characters.  Who did I skip over?  Jon Snow, Tyrion, Stannis/Melisandre/Davos, Daenerys, all of the chapters about the Iron Islands (I read Reek/Theon's chapters), and chapters about the Dornish.  I know that they're all integral to the story, but I found myself hating their stories.  I would rather read the synopsis online to make sure that I follow what's going on, and then at some other point re-read the entire series.  


8. I posted during the week that I got new sneakers (that I love) and I got to wear them during a Personal Training Session.  They were awesome.  The next day (Thursday), I wore them during a Zumba Class and I almost threw them in the trash afterwards.  They hurt my feet SO much.  I think I'm going to have to use those shoes only for weight training, whereas I'll use my other runners for other classes.  I think part of the problem was that it was the worst Zumba Class I've ever taken.  The instructor had a TON of new dances, and she doesn't go through the moves at all before the song starts, she just dances and expect the people in class to follow along.  She also faces the class, which makes it super difficult to follow along because you're always trying to put everything on the other side.  At one point, she was facing us through a ridiculously complex foot dance, and we all just stood there and watched her until she took the hint and turned around.  Ahh well, I still burned 525 calories.


9. On Saturday, we went up to my aunt's house because she's moving at the end of November and I had a few boxes of stuff in her basement from when my parent's moved about 8 years ago.  We went through my stuff and took the stuff I was planning to keep up to our house and stored it in the garage. It was a little upsetting, because some of the boxes were moved throughout the year and got ruined when the basement flooded.  I found a Portfolio that I made in my Italian Classes in highschool (it has about 4 years worth of work), and most of the stuff in the portfolio is ruined.  It was in a box with a bunch of books, and just about everything needed to be thrown away.  I saved the Portfolio, because it had a lot of projects that were a lot of fun to work on.  I even wrote a book about When I was Young, "Quando Ero Giovane" and included a book that I made in Kindergarten entitled, "We all Like Food"....From a quick glance, it looks like even that book is completely covered in black mold, but we put everything aside.  I'm hoping that it can somehow be salvaged.

Monday Matters

1. So I had a jam packed week last week/weekend.  Not lying.  


1. I worked about 50 hours in 4 1/2 days trying to catch up after vacation.  It wasn't pretty.  I was working on a project that was put to me by someone who understood nothing about the scope of the project he needed me to do.  So yea, that was fun.


2. Friday night, we went to Wrights Farm Restaurant (which I like to call Wrights Chicken Farm) for dinner.  Scott's brother had been in town and we went there with a few people from the family.  It was delicious.  All you can eat Salad, Chicken, Macaroni, and French Fries?  Thank you!


3. Saturday morning, I went to the house and FINALLY mowed the lawn.  Seriously.  I say finally because I hadn't done it since SEPTEMBER.  Like, early September.  Like 6 weeks ago.  It took me about a good 3 hours and I had to do everything twice.  No lie.  The grass kept clogging the chute and I had to stop a million times.  So frustrating.  Never again will I wait that long!  The plan this weekend is to mow again (and pick up the clippings I left behind this weekend), and fertilize.



That's 10 lawn bags.  Completely full.  

4. Once I finished mowing, Scott's brother, mom, and aunt came over and we walked them through the house - Scott's brother hadn't seen the inside yet and it had been months since his mom had seen it.  They were pleasantly surprised with all of the updates, thus far.


5. We then jetted back to Cranston (I had to make a pit-stop at the storage unit to pick up some shoes) and got showered and changed for a wedding.  We went casual to the wedding, and then came back home and changed up for the reception.  It was a beautiful night at the Squantum Association in East Providence.


6. Yesterday was the only non-busy day.  And it was glorious.  I seriously sat at home ALL day in my pajamas and read a book.  I did run out to the market (in said pajamas) and I also baked some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.  But other than that, I woke up and went to bed without every changing my clothes.  AWE-SOME!!


2. Speaking of Macaroni (see point 2 above)...My husband and I have been having a friendly debate forever now, and I found out that my mom sides with ME:  When I make macaroni, I like to mix all of the sauce/gravy into the macaroni so that everything is deliciously covered.  My husband prefers that you just put macaroni in a bowl and put a scoop of sauce on top.  His way is how they do it at Wrights Farm.  I find it frustrating because it allows people to take all the macaroni with the sauce and leave the last person to get gluey macaroni with no sauce.  No.  My way is the right way.  :o)


3. Those Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins I made yesterday??  Delicious.  Although I have to admit that the first batch of muffins came a bit flat.  I think it's because I put some chocolate chips on top.  So I don't know.  But they were still delicious.  And check out the recipe....I wrote it out in 2nd grade!  :o) The funniest part?  My sister texted me today and said she made the same thing yesterday.  How weird is that??





Check out that recipe.  Wrote it in 2nd grade!!!  I love the note about how all my papers should be that neat.  






Deliciousness!

4. So at the wedding we went to on Saturday I discovered that my camera is even more amazing than I originally though.  I can change pictures to black and white and sepia and it saves a copy!  How cool is that???
 


5. This weekend, I spent most of the weekend reading the third book in the Game of Thrones series.  I don't think I need to tell you that I"m obsessed.  I am.  I have found that I enjoy certain people's stories much more than others (I honestly can't stand Daenerys - she annoys the crap out of me), but I'm really enjoying it.  I'm going to have to go back and re-read all of the books once I finish, though.  I know there's a lot of stuff I'm missing.


6. And my final point for today's Monday Matters....Someone recently tried to put me on a huge guilt trip and spelled "loose" instead of "lose."  The spelling error was nothing, but it infuriated me on accounts of the attempted guilt trip.  So I leave you today with a list of my biggest pet-peeves...It's a short list.  But it'll do for now :o)


1. Loose - If your pants are too loose, then you should buy a belt.
2. Lose - If you don't buy a belt, you're probably going to lose your pants.


3. There - Go over there and get me a cookie.
4. Their - Go pick up their dirty plates.  They just had cookies.
5. They're - Go to the kitchen.  They're hungry for cookies.


6. Your - What is your telephone number?  
7. You're - What do you mean you don't know?  You're so forgetful!

Monday Matters....One Day Late

1. I'm late in my Monday Matters Post this week.  We spend most of our day yesterday either on an Airplane or in the Airport, and I totally forgot about putting something together.  We went on vacation last week, and yesterday was our travel home day....


2. Last week we visited my father in law, and we went to both Disney's Magic Kingdom and Islands of Adventure/Universal for one day each.  It was so much fun and I plan on blogging about everything with pictures this week!


3. Let's talk about Disney for a minute.  Not the rides, not the ridiculous amount of strollers and how often they hit you in the ankles, not even the character appearances.  Let's talk about the bakery on Main Street.  Heaven.  Absolute heaven.


4. During said day-trip to Islands of Adventure, I got to see HARRY POTTER!!!  I cannot tell you how exciting it was.  Seriously.  So Exciting.  I walked through Hogsmeade, Honeydukes, Zonkos, Ollivanders; I went to Hogwarts; I saw the Three Broomsticks AND The Hogs Head; I even drank some Butterbeer!  Everything about the day was just awesome.




Hogwarts






Me, posing in Honeydukes with a Chocolate Frog

5. We headed down to Sanibel on Saturday and on the way there stopped in to visit one of Scott's friends in Fort Myers.  We visited with their family, and then went to a hockey game before heading west to Sanibel.  


6. On Sunday we went to a wedding in Sanibel, which was a lot of fun.  The rain held out for a beach ceremony and then we danced the night away!!


7. We are now home, and I am fighting a ferocious head cold.  I don't know what caused it, but my head feels like a balloon....And it's about to pop.


8. So now back to the real world.  I'm hoping to do some more cooking and baking this week.  


9. Speaking of the real world, it's time to make a regimented exercise schedule.  I had been doing really well before vacation (and before my awesome bout of Poison Oak), and I want to get back on track. Throughout vacation, I did some workouts with Scott (he does crossfit with a friend, so he and I did a couple of travels WODS together throughout the week), and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  But it's time to get serious again.  I cancelled my membership at the gym (even though it was only $15 / month, I hardly went at all, and always felt like I was in a 10th grade popularity contest when I went).  So now, it's home workouts and work workouts (you really have no excuse not to work out when work provides a free gym).  

Monday Matters

1. My Poison Oak is still here.  It's in the process of going away, and today (Monday) is my last day on medication.  It's gotten lot better, but I still have bouts of itchiness.  The medication the doctor gave me (prednisone) really helped to dry it out, but the side effects are not fun.  For starters, I'm perpetually STARVED and I haven't had more than 4 hours of sleep in over a week.  I'm honestly thrilled that I'm pretty much done with the medication.


2. I made some homemade pizza dough this weekend and it came delicious.  The sausage loaf and spinach pie also came great, and I'm excited to share the posts this week!!





3. Speaking of cooking, I made a delicious zucchini frittata on Thursday.  Delicious.





4. Um, can we talk about how cold it got?  I swear, this happens every year.  New England:  September comes, and the temperatures drop to the 60's.  End of September, and my feet are FROZEN.


5. The House:  The patching as taken place, sanding happened yesterday.  Second coat of paint is going up this week.  The new plumber starts next week and then the floors.  I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!!




6. Speaking of the house...went there yesterday to drop something off and I ran out of gas. Yup, the car sputtered to a stop about 500 yards from a gas station. Thank goodness for dads and gas cans, right?




7. NFL.  Thank you SO much for bringing back the real Refs.  Seriously.  I can't thank you enough.


8. Got to play with my dad's dog on Saturday.  How can you not love this face???





Dobby the Schnauzer.



9. I downloaded a new app to my iPhone - Panorama.  The excitement that I get out of piecing pictures together to make one huge picture makes me so happy.  Yes, I'm a dork.


10. I snapped the BEST picture of one of Providence's finest this weekend....I was driving through downtown Providence to bring my brother in law a set of golf clubs (he's in town this week for work, and went golfing on Sunday....)....As I sat at a light, waiting for it to turn green, I couldn't help snapping this picture.  I feel like it really exemplifies Providence Police Department...





Texting while "Directing Traffic" .....



11. I had to go to our rental property yesterday to change out some light bulbs (one of the fixtures had 3 blown bulbs...And the fixture is brand new....I might be contacting an electrician if it keeps happening).  In any case, while I was there, I finally remembered the combination to the lock box that I had put on the outside of the house (it's good to have in case someone gets locked out)....I put it up a while ago, but for some reason couldn't remember the combination that I set - I tried all of the "usual" combinations, and nothing worked.  Well, yesterday it hit me.  Let's just say that I'm embarrassed that I couldn't remember the combination that I set....

Monday Matters

1. I am currently covered in some kind of Poison (either Ivy or Oak) and I am in a constant state of itch. It's awful.  Big splotches on one arm, random spots on the other arm, both sides of my abdomen, and my neck.  Doctor gave me Prednisone and Benadryl and it has only been helping a little bit.  This is awful.


2. Buffalo.  Chicken.  Pizza.  Currently the love of my life.  We bought some (yes, that's right, bought - not made) on Saturday and I have been enjoying it all weekend.  Put some Blue Cheese Dressing on top, and you're in heaven!  At least I am!!!



Buffalo Chicken Pizza from Tomaselli's in Cranston, RI

3. Saturday night, my mom taught Scott and me how to play Mah Jong.  Not the Internet Matching Tiles game - the real game.  It was a ton of fun!  She's having the girls over tonight for Mah Jong (they get together quite often to play) and I might even sit in!  


4. As you know, last week was my birthday.  I had a great day and as I mentioned before, Scott surprised me with an amazing dinner at my favorite restaurant.  My family went out of their way on the previous weekend to have a cake for me, and I really enjoyed celebrating my 29th birthday.  The only flaw with the entire thing was the realization that two people in particular - who I considered my closest friends back in the day - did not so much as whisper a Happy Birthday to me.  I feel like I'm very good at wishing my friends a Happy Birthday on their big day (how can you not with Facebook reminding you all the time) and I was just really surprised by the neglect.  I know things aren't the same as they used to be, but it's just hurtful.  End Rant.


5. My Aunt Annette has an amazingly simple recipe for Focaccia Bread that I plan on trying within the not-too distant future.  I can't wait to try it!!!


6. My friends and I have started up another round of the Healthy Challenge.  So far, I'm doing alright.  I have do admit, though, lately the sweets have been killing me.  I need to get myself away from them!!!


7. Yesterday we went over to My Aunt Annette's house where she and my cousin Carolyn put together a delicious Sunday dinner of Sausage and Peppers, Salad, and Roasted Chicken with stuffing, potatoes, and carrots.  We all had a lot of fun - and even got quite a few laughs in, most of which were at the expense of my grandmother.  She and my cousin Carolyn spent the previous evening making Wine Biscuits, where Nonni quipped the phrase, "If we do it correctly, we'll be here all night" - meaning that if they made the wine biscuits small, they'll be baking all night....She also gave herself a healthy portion of chicken and stuffing at dinner, which created lots of laughs!!



Wine Biscuits, made by Nonni (left) and Carolyn (right)....






Seriously, that's all the chicken and stuffing that Nonni took for herself yesterday at dinner

8. The painting at the house seems to finally be coming to a head - there's not a ton left to do.  I feel like it's take FOREVER to get to this point.  The new contractor should be calling me within the next couple of days to give us the price for the plumber (who has to completely REDO everything that the first plumber did), and then we can have the hardwood floors refinished, and move in!!!  I'm aiming for moving in before Halloween, but as long as we're in before Thanksgiving, I'll be happy!!!


9. We head down to Florida on Monday (October 1) for some vacation time, and a wedding on October 7!!  I cannot wait.  


10. So Football Season is in full swing, and these replacement refs are really getting under my skin.  I like football, but it's not my favorite sport (Hockey is my first love), but I understand the game, and I also understand that these refs don't know football.  Some of the calls are completely outrageous!!

Monday Matters

1. My mom put on an awesome (very last minute) party on Saturday for my birthday (which is tomorrow)!!!  She made my favorite foods for dinner, and even made TWO cakes!



Birthday Bunt Cakes!!!  Yellow Cake with Chocolate Creamcheese frosting and Coconut Cake!!!  

1. Dinner consisted of Chicken Marsala (it's not really chicken marsala....Because we don't use Marsala wine....So it's really just chicken marinated and cooked in wine with onions and mushrooms - my very best favorite meal as a kid), Spanish Rice, and Salad


2. Cake?  How about TWO cakes!  I asked my mom if I could request yellow cake with chocolate frosting....Her reply?  That Nonni (my grandmother) had requested Coconut Cake....But since it was my birthday, she insisted on making what I wanted!  So I got two cakes!  SO YUMMY!!!


2. We did a TON of work at the house this weekend.  We starting trimming down the front bed which has 15 years worth of untrimmed Juniper Bushes (yes, seriously, the neighbor told us of the non-ambitious previous owner, and how he never trimmed the bushes down).  I'm pretty sure all of the neighbors are excited that they'll soon be able to see around the corner without bushes being in the way.  The only problem?  There is too much yard waste to bring to the landfill ourselves.  I called public works - they won't make a special trip to pick it up....So we're on to devising a Plan B....



It's hard to see in the picture, but there is a totally overgrown area in the corner (with a dead tree, as well)....It's cleanup time!!!

3. In more house news, my Aunt Regina (who is selling her amazing house) is selling us her dining room set.  This set is the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my entire life.  Dining room table with two leafs and covers, eight chairs, full hutch (with a light inside!), and a butler station.  It's amazing.  I can't wait until my house is DONE!


4. The new contractor came over to my house on Friday with his plumber.  They're starting to finish everything this week (hopefully).  Everything that the previous plumber did is wrong, and they have to redo almost everything.  Oh lovely.


5. My friend Victoria at Mission-Food made a Mexican Fiesta yesterday and it looks A-MAZING and I can't wait to try the Gronk-Amole.  That's right.  You heard what you heard.  GRONK!!!!!


6. I made Chili for dinner on Friday and it was really good.  However, I'm starting to think that there were just too many beans (it was fine on Friday at dinner....Leftovers for lunch - not so much).  Don't get me wrong, I love anything with beans, but I feel like it's too much beany texture.  I might need to revise.


7. I've read a lot about the Will and Kate photo scandals on Perezhilton lately.  I feel really bad for them.  Talk about an invasion of privacy.  I don't understand how people can think it's okay to stalk people while they're on a PRIVATE estate and then publish pictures of their private rendezvous.  I hope those people get in some serious trouble.


8. So speaking of Perezhilton.....I love reading celebrity gossip and wondering WHAT ON EARTH is going on in their heads when they make decisions, and then have to live with the results.  Maybe it's the fame that makes people think that they're invincible....and able to get away with anything (like stealing jewelry, hit and run accidents, or smoking pot while driving).  At the same time, I feel bad for these people when they are so heavily publicly scrutinized for every single one of their actions (see point 7), even stupid people like Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart....For goodness sake - let them sort out their relationship problems in PRIVATE!!!


9. I made waffles for breakfast yesterday.  Nothing fancy, just plain waffles.  Flour, Baking Powder, Milk, Egg, Oil, and a little vanilla.  Scrumptious.


10. I think I have a problem with stealing napkins and plastic-ware at work...



Need a napkin?  I have a few to spare....And some spoons....

11. Wouldn't seeing Gronk on your way to work make you happy, too???



GRONK!!!

Monday Matters

1. On Thursday night, I got to bake not one thing....But TWO things!!!  How exciting is that???  I've been itching to bake for SO long, and while I made the Apple Crisp last weekend, I still felt unfulfilled in the baking department.


1. The first thing I baked was my Trippy Dippy Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Chocolate cookie, white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and almonds.  DELICIOUS.



2. The second thing I baked was my Call Me Maybe Blondies.  Basically, a chocolate chip cookie in brownie form.  With three different kinds of chocolate chips.  Why the title, you ask? Well, Blondie sang "Call Me" and they were maybe like a Blondie (really like a cookie bar).  So Call me Maybe.  Blondies.  Either way, delicious.



2. I baked said goodies for a Bachelorette party this weekend, which was a lot of fun!  A jam packed weekend of Wine Tastings, Boat Rides, Dancing, and lots of drinking.





Hanging out with the Bride Katie (left) and her soon-to-be-sister-in-law Tina (right)

3. My husband and I drove into work together this morning and it took us an hour and twenty minutes.  Seriously.  I should have taken 50 minutes.  It was like torture.  All I kept thinking was "When is my house going to be ready???"


4. Speaking of my house, the painter started putting color up on the walls this weekend!!!  How exciting is that????  I haven't seen it for myself yet, but I'm thinking a ride by after work today will be delightful.


5. Today I experienced the glory of "Mobile Deposits."  My grandmother gave us a check as a housewarming, to help us pay for the new bulkhead that we bought.  Instead of having to go to the bank to deposit it, I'm now able to do it FROM MY PHONE!!!  Take a picture of the front, take a picture of the back, enter the amount, and I've got a pending deposit.  Amazing!


6. When I got into work this morning, I remembered that they are officially starting their "United Way Campaign."  While I'm all about donating money to people in need, I absolutely dread the thought of sitting through a Month of people screaming at me to donate money, to buy raffle tickets, to donate to a silent auction, to BUY from the silent auction, to buy at the live auction, to pay to take a picture with a CPR doll, etc etc etc.  It just gets  to be too much.  Today when I walked in, they were setting up little golf tees all around the place....It's called "Putt and Pledge..."  What is it about?  I HAVE NO CLUE.  I deleted the email.  All I know, is that the campaign starts today, and if I donate in the first 8 hours, I get a free half day of vacation.  DONE.


7. It took a long time, but I think I finally figured out how to get my blog posts to post onto Facebook (and on the Blogger feed) with the picture I want.  It's all about the first picture you add into your post.  I used to be able to picture a picture for Facebook, but that doesn't happen anymore so I now have to be super careful about the first picture I choose!!!  I'm trying!! :o)


8. I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's WEEK 1 PATRIOTS GAME!!!  We got to hang out with friends, eat yummy food, and watch the game.  Oh, and see our favorite players - like Gronk - try to spike the ball, and not realize that it had already dropped out of his hand.  Priceless!




9. My birthday is officially in 8 days (September 18, people!) Last birthday in my twenties. Any good ideas for celebrating??

Monday Matters

1. My current music playlist on Grove Shark is ridiculous.  Yep....Ridiculous.  Here's a short list, including but not limited to...I mean, honestly....How do these songs even relate to each other??  THEY DON'T!!!  I guess that's what makes it so much fun!


1. 50 Ways to Say Goodbye - Train
2. One Thing - One Direction
3. Sugar We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy
4. Everybody Talks - Neon Trees
5. Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj
6. Hello - Karmin
7. How I Could Just Kill a Man - Rage Against the Machine
8. Magic - B.o.B Feat Rivers Cuomo
9. Sabotage - The Beastie Boys
10. We Found Love - Rihanna
11. Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
12. Hold it Against Me - Britney Spears
13. Turn All the Lights On - T-Pain & Ne-Yo
14. Misery Business - Paramore
15. Life is a Highway - Rascal Flats
16. Sellout - Reel Big Fish


2. While listening to said music, I found out that listening to RBF at my desk makes me want to get up and skank.  Just sayin'..... What is skanking, you ask?  Ch-ch-ch-check it out!!  (It's a horrible quality video, but skip to about 20 seconds in....)


3. My mom is an art teacher in Providence and they have a new rule about how teachers have to administer the kids breakfast (and she has to do for classes that are first thing in the morning).  She brings home all the extra apples so I got to bake this weekend!!!!  Here's a little preview....But I'll post a full recipe (and a cooked picture) later this week!



4. Somehow, I was able to eat the serving size of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Stacy's Whole Grain Pita Chips on Friday.  Seriously, do you know how hard it is to only eat 9 of those pita chips???



5. I have continued with my workouts and have decided to try a few personal training sessions with a trainer at work.  I was talking to my favorite instructor (Beth) who teaches the Tae Bo classes and she said that some weight work will help with weight loss.  I can see a noticeable difference in my body and how my clothes fit, but I have not seen a single pound drop off, and it's annoying me.  So I'm trying something new!!


6. I've decided it's necessary for me to learn the Thriller Dance.  And Beat It.  I'll keep you updated on that one, lol


7. I went to both TJ Maxx and Marshalls on Saturday on a quest to buy some new work out clothes.  I was not happy to find that neither store had any nice clothes over a size Medium.  Any pants were full length (and I prefer capri) and there were no nice tops.  How annoying is that???


8. With it being Labor Day this weekend, I decided very last minute to have a cookout.  We made said Apple Crisp (see bullet point 3) as well as Macaroni and Cheese, since I bought all of the ingredients to bring it to a friend's house, and then didn't make it (I suck).  Keep a look-out for the recipe for Mac and Cheese this week.  Here's a preview!

Monday Matters

1. My husband and I own a condo in Providence, RI over near Brown University.  We just recently (like at the beginning of August) started renting it out.  We had to go over there Sunday Morning because "the dishwasher wouldn't work" and "the light and fan in the bedroom stopped working".  Somehow the tenants broke the dishwasher so I have Sears coming to fix it today (thank goodness it's still under warranty).  There was nothing wrong with the light and fan except that they pulled the chain enough times so that they shut the fan off and the bulbs blew out.  I'm already not a fan of being a landlord...


2. Friday night, my mom and I made the most amazing dinner.  I mean, seriously.  Amazing.  She bought ground beef to make burgers but we ended up making meatloaf burgers (it was a compromise since we couldn't decide if we wanted burgers or meatloaf).  And we ate them on bagels.  I forgot to take a picture of them - so that must mean that I will have to make them again so I can blog about them and have a picture to show for it.


3. My mom is a teacher and she is going back to teaching art (she taught art for 14 years, then did elementary ed for 6 years, and now she's back to art).  While she was going through her samples Sunday night, she found projects that my sister and I did back in 1st or 2nd grade.  It was a list of facts with a self portrait and at the bottom it said, "Who Am I?"  The most amusing part of mine was the part that said, "I want to be a Bus Driver."  


4. After being at my mom's for 3 weeks, Scott and I finally put our clothes into drawers Sunday.  We can actually walk around the room!!  Woot!!


5. I'm starting to get the itch to bake.  It doesn't have to be anything fancy.  I'm thinking either brownies or cookies.  Either way, I'll take pictures.  And blog.  And probably give most of them to my dad so that I don't eat them.


6. I'm trying to gather up ideas for quick breakfasts on the go and quick, easy to fix dinners.  I've so far decided on making lots of waffles and freezing them so that I can have my own form of Eggo Waffles. For dinners, I've been getting a lot of ideas from being at mom's house.


7. The past few years, we've attempted to go apple picking and we've always gone too late in the season.  I'm determined to go early this year so that I can pick yummy apples and make yummy apple things.  Like Apple Pie.  And Apple Crisp.  I have an AMAZING recipe for Apple Crisp.


8. The cafeteria at work states that it's open until 2:30 every day.  But every day they start packing up the food at 1:30 (and it seems to be getting earlier than that!) and they get snippy when you ask them to make a simple sandwich.  Work, you fail.  The only good part of this is that I'm forced to bring a lunch (and therefore don't spend as much money).


9. Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE ice cream?  And it doesn't even have to be good ice cream.  I don't discriminate...I love it all.  My favorite?  Soft Serve Vanilla with Rainbow Jimmies (yes, they're jimmies, not sprinkles, so don't even try arguing with me about it).  My current favorite place to get it?  Riverside Creamery.  There may be better places out there with fancier kinds of ice cream, but I like the simple stuff.  Delicious.


10. Laundry really isn't so bad when you don't have to go down 3 flights of stairs to do it.  I actually don't even mind it.  But don't tell my husband that ;-)


11. Just got back from the gym - another Tae Bo / Core class.  38 minutes and burned 408 calories.  Not bad!!  Only downside - everyone can plainly see that I went to the gym....My face is like a tomato!

Everyone will know that I worked hard at the gym today....For at least the next hour!  Look at the color in my face!  Can you say TOMATO???  PS - the angle of the picture makes me look like a bobble head!  

Monday Matters

1. I got to see my best friend - Katie - from UMASS this weekend.  While the boys went out and did Bachelor Party things, we got to hang out and chill.  And eat nachos at The Forge.  I loved it.
1. I got to go to a dress fitting with her - her Wedding Dress is AMAZING.  I love it.  Everything about it.  
2. We went to the outlets in Lee and I bought some clothes at Ann Taylor.  I love buying stuff for 40% and 60% off.  I felt guilty about buying myself clothes so I bought stuff for Scott, too.  
3. Katie introduced me to GrooveShark.  I love it.  It's amazing.  It's like Pandora, but you can pick your own music.  No more trying to listening to Queen and having to listen to Bon Jovi (sorry!!)


2. I went on my first Bike Ride of the season last week (I have been such a slacker this year).  My front tire is currently completely flat.  Like, no air at all.  Last year the problem was my back tire.  This year?  Front.  I think it's time for new tires.


3. I am in LOVE with having a grill at my disposal.  Since we're staying at my mom's house until our house is done, we have the luxury of taking advantage of all her stuff.  Including her gas grill.  We had a grill at the condo, but who honestly feels like going down 3 flights of stairs just to make a hot dog?  NOT ME!!  Having a grill right off the kitchen = amazing.


4. Friends who are teachers are getting ready to go back to school.  I've heard a lot of complaining.  No one wants to go back...  Guess what, people?  I don't get 2 1/2 months off in the summer.  I work right through.  So stop your complaining and get to work.  (NOTE:  I understand that teachers work hard and that some teachers use their summer break to prepare for the following year - this isn't a slight on the job that they do, it's just a statement).


5. I signed up for Groupon and have the Application send me "Push Notifications" on my phone.  I honestly find it super annoying.  But the deals are good.  I've bought pillows so far.  They're still in the box....


6. I recently bought myself a heart rate monitor with the capability to count calories as you exercise.  I've been doing really well counting calories and exercising since we got back from Martha's Vineyard (I'm down 6 lbs since coming home!!).  I am just really interested in seeing actual calores burned rather than what the machine says or what MFP says.  USPS says it left the sort facility in Providence this morning.  I hope that means it will be at the house when I get home today!!!


7. When I got home from visiting Katie yesterday, Scott and I sat on the couch and chatted about our weekends.  I told him about mine, he edited about his (I don't think I want to know all the gory details of a bachelor party, anyway).  In any case, while we chatted, we had the DIY network on tv, and Rehab Addict was on.  Good premise.  Annoying host lady.


8. It's interesting working out at the gym at work.  I find it convenient, but I really don't like working out with people I know (and have previously refused me jobs I've interviewed for).  Last week, one of those people was on a treadmill.  She always amuses me.  She walks at 4.0, and the whole time, she listens to her portable CD player and every 30 seconds or so, she puts her arms over her head and pumps her arms.  In any case, last week she got off the treadmill and walked into the locker room without shutting off the machine.  It just kept going.  I got off my machine and shut hers off.  


9. Completely obsessed with The Big Bang Theory.  September 27th can't come soon enough.


10. I like One Direction.  How embarrassing.


11. I got the idea of Monday Matters from Tuesday Things.  Sometime's it's just fun to have a post of ideas that don't have anything to do with each other.