These words are on my mind

Because of a recent tragedy that occurred very close to my home.

Because it's something I need to always remember.

Because it's always easy to judge and sometimes hard to love.

Because I'm practicing every day.

Because President Monson quoted it and it went straight to my heart.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them"

                                                 - Mother Teresa

random random random

The light coming through my bathroom window is so beautiful.  It's soft and diffuse - flattering light in which to photograph any subject.  Hence these pictures of my toilet paper.

 What can I say, I was having one of those weird creative moments.

I saw beauty in something mundane.

Usually these moments involve puff paints and shoe boxes.

I always regret the final outcome, but in the moment I think what I am making is SO COOL.

Yeah, I know.  It's really not cool.

But it is a perfect image to represent the random brain dump that's about to happen here.

Unrelated thoughts below - read if you wish.

I promise never to use the words eye candy or yummy on this blog. (unless the yummy is referring to actual food).   I feel slightly disturbed when I hear inedible objects or people referred to as yummy. Bleh!

We've lived here for a few months now.  I promise I sweep frequently.  So, how does Eleanor always find the world's longest black hairs?  They are constantly stuck to her onesie.  She's a regular Swiffer on these hardwood floors.

Did you know I'm a hypochondriac? (ask my husband or my former roommates, they'll tell you)  I used to deny it, but what's the point?  I'm now coming to terms with the fact that in the back of my mind I'll always think there is something seriously malfunctioning in my body.  I might be slowly dying of something the medical world has yet to even discover.

I've been thinking about gossip lately, how terrible it is and how the example of one good friend can really make a difference.

A couple weeks after we moved here, Joe was taking out the garbage and felt something splash on him.  He looked  up to see a stream of yellow fluid coming out of our neighbors window.  I'm  pretty  sure they were emptying the hose of a dishwasher or washing machine.  Joe remains convinced that someone was trying to pee on him.

I've given up swearing.  Did you know I swear (swore)?  It only started after Ellie was born.  And not super bad words, really.  Just some pet "D" and "H" words here and there.  But I'm giving it up.

Joseph is a very very good looking man.

In case you wanted some insight about Eleanor, she's not very cuddly.  Super friendly and happy, but not cuddly at all.  She doesn't like to be held.  She does, however, love to be carried around.  She thinks Joe's arm is her personal chariot.

I love internet classics.  If I say sneezing panda, double rainbow, or bed intruder you probably know what I'm talking about.  But are you familiar with the amazing Baby Monkey or Marcel the Shell with shoes on?  These things really enrich my life.

We saw a man having a bowel movement on the sidewalk when we were walking to dinner.  It was disgusting to be sure, but more than that it was really sad.

Joe and I still do not have texting.  If you've texted either of us, I promise we really do like you, we're just busy rocking the '90's around here.

5th Ave Fun

A couple weekends ago I went to Fashion's Night Out.  It is totally not my scene.  Everyone there had a couple feet on me and I had to stop myself from offering a granola bar to every model I saw - aren't you hungry?  I know nothing about fashion or clothing lines, celebrities or brand names.

So I felt out of place to be sure, but then I hooked up with my good friends from church and we had a blast!  Fashion's Night Out is a spectacle to be sure - but of all the things to see, I had the best time at Tiffany.

Who doesn't love the sight of those little bags?

And the models were all dressed as Audrey Hepburn.  And I loved them.

And then the Audreys had a dance party for the cameras - it was very endearing to watch.

Then all my friends jumped in too.  I loved that even more. (Look at those party girls!)

At some point they convinced me to join them.

Thank your lucky stars there was no one left to photograph that.

I was channeling my inner Elaine - totally unaware of the cameras that rolled.

I felt embarrassed for days, but it was still fun.

A Tiffany representative asked if I wanted to be styled.

She really needn't have asked - of course I want to try on expensive jewelry!

You had no idea that styling was such a serious business - well it is, as you can see.

See what I mean about the height issue?  And I even picked the shortest model to stand by.

I took this photo for my Grandma.  She loves dragonflies and I wish I could buy this for her.

OK, so Grandma doesn't read my blog, but if she ever does she'll know I was thinking of her as I strolled through Tiffany.

The Prada store was decked out to look like a park - turf and all.

Debi made a friend, she always does.

This (below) is a real, breathing man-nequin.  Freaky right?  I told you it was a spectacle.

See you next year, Fashion Night - I'm bringing my A-game.

Guess Who

Guess who started the laundry (2 sets of sheets) and then realized that there were not enough quarters to finish the job?

I'll give you a hint, it's the same girl who actually considered buying $20 worth of candy bars, 'cause that's what it takes to get cash back on a debit card at the corner store.

Instead, she hauled her wet laundry up 5 flights of stairs and turned her living room into the world's largest drying rack - effectively raising the humidity level by 10% but also filling the room with a pleasant mountain meadow scent.

If you guessed Whitney Hardie, you win!!

Give yourself a bonus point if you happen to know that Whitney is slightly obsessive and mildly disturbed at the thought of sleeping on wrinkly sheets that air-dried as the aroma of a neighbor's fried chicken wafted in the window.


What's that you say?

You'd like to see tons of photos of Ellie girl playing in the damp sheets? 

Well......alright, but you owe me.

I Spy

With my little eye, I can see something wonderful happening outside - the coming of Fall!  Do you see it?  Are you in love with the cool breezes and changing colors?

Are you totally jealous of my awesome view of the Hudson?

It is pretty amazing.

For the sake of full disclosure I guess you should know that my view really looks like this.

And I could only take this photo by standing out on the fire escape.

But in this city, I'll take any waterfront view I can get.

Bow-sessed

Ellie was bow-less for the first 6 months of her life.  Oh how I would have loved to put cute bows in her hair from day one!  But no matter what unmentionable liquid the nurses tell you to use, those little bows just won't stick.

Bless you C Jane for sharing this secret with the world - Elmer's Glue.  So easy, so accessible, so often consumed by small children that I'm really not worried about what it will do to her scalp.

Now sweet Eleanor wears a sweet bow as often as possible.

Yes, I even put on a bow with her pajamas.  What can I say, we're bow-sessed around here.

Shorn Girl's Lament

I got a new haircut.  I'm definitely on the fence about it.  Sometimes I think it looks awesome, but most days that's not the case.  A few of you from out of state have asked to see photos.  You can look at the photos, (taken on the awesome webcam) but you have to agree to read my random thoughts as well.

So, I wanted to look like Winona Ryder, but I just don't have her thick eyebrows.  The hair stylist kept cutting and cutting and I trusted her (maybe a little too much) because she's a professional and I was paying her (waaaay too much).

I left the place feeling like a shorn sheep.  I love short hair.  Love, love, love it.  Want-to-marry-it-and-grow-old-together-love-it-so-much.  But this is maybe too short.

Plus, there is a shocking amount of hairless space behind my ear.  Does this concern anyone else, or just me and Joe?  She left these long pieces in the back.  "To create more of a look," she said.   From the front it looks like I'm cultivating rat tails back there.

Just as a side note, I do not blame the hair stylist for this cut.  It stems from my complete inability to articulate exactly what I want my hair to look like and also a crippling fear of telling someone they are doing something I don't like.  I just show up with a picture and let the woman interpret it how she will.  I'm a bit of a mute in the barber's chair.  I just smile and nod and try to look agreeable.

This is what I look like when I wake up. (minus the makeup and earrings)

When I go out I want to wear a shirt that says, "You don't have to pretend to like this haircut, I'm not even sure I do."  That way my friends won't feel obligated to make up compliments that put their eternal souls at risk for lying.

In the end, my motto is this:

Even the worst haircut improves with a smile,

 

and looks ten times worse if you do this.

Do not respond to this post by telling me how beautiful I am (it's a knee jerk reaction, you must fight it)  Just have a good laugh, because I'm cracking myself up over here!

It's really hard to spell "zucchini"

Let me preface this post with a 2 part confession:
1. I do not like to cook.   
Yes, I realize this could be considered a problem as my current profession is that of home maker. I clean, I rear a child, I decorate - I don't really cook.
2. I am not a food photographer.  (see above photo)
If I were a food photographer I would hire a food stylist, take these photos in a studio, and have my friend Alpha give me pointers.  She's awesome!

Whew, it feels good to have that off my chest.

That said, if you ever see a recipe on this blog you can be assured of 2 things:
1. That it is suuuuuuper simple because I just don't do involved recipes

and

2. That it is so so so delicious that I took the time to photograph it poorly, write up the recipe and post it here for you to see.  I risked embarrassment to bring you this recipe.

And now, after that long and list-y preamble, here is the recipe for Southwest Zucchini Boats

4 medium zucchini
1 lb ground beef*
3/4 C salsa
1/4 C dry bread crumbs
1/4 C minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp chili powder (maybe less - our first batch made us a bit teary)
1/4 tsp ground cumin (I just do a pinch, otherwise it tastes like a taco)
dash of pepper
1 C shredded monterey jack cheese

Cut zucchinis in half, hollow and place in microwave safe dish
Cover and microwave for 3mnin or until crisp-tender.  Drain and set aside
Meanwhile, in a large skillet brown beef and drain, remove from heat
Stir in all ingredients and 1/2 C of the shredded cheese
Spoon into shells and sprinkle remaining cheese over top
Microwave uncovered 3-4 min until sprinkled cheese melts

* in our house we prefer to cut the meat portion in half and supplement it with rice instead - very delicious.

                                           This recipe is brought to you in part by Taste of Home magazine.

It makes cooking a little more enjoyable.

Happy Labor Day

No words today, just this crazy stinker's face.

Hope your holiday weekend is great!

What were they thinking?

It's no secret that I watch a fair amount of Hulu each day.  I'm not proud of it, but I'm also not ashamed.  Right now it's just a fact of life.  I've seen some great commercials on there.  The Old Spice manly man, the awesome Geico ads (little piggy one is my favorite), but just the other day I saw something that absolutely blew my mind.  It's a gem.




Friskies - what were you thinking!?!

Easily THE strangest thing I've seen on TV in a long time.  It's Lisa Frank on an acid trip.  Which is more disturbing, the turkeys doing a celebratory dance before their consumption, or the peeps enthusiastically welcoming the ravenous cat?

Or how about the single line that really does it for me: "Journey to delicious and beyond"

After watching it a few times, the tune is stuck in my head.  If they were going for something so off the wall that it sticks with you and haunts your dreams, they nailed it.