Friday, April 30, 2010

The Friday Five

I think most people, even if they don't formally write it down, have at least a mental list of things they want to do and/or see before they die.  Some of these things are big and grandiose, and others smaller, but it's fun to have some of each.  And even more fun to cross them off as you do them.  Here are five things on my list:

1.  Start a vegetable garden.  I'm irrationally terrified of gardening.  But at the same time, I love the idea of growing my own food, and how it would reduce our carbon foot print and force us to eat healthier.  I don't know if this summer will be the summer that I take the plunge and just do it, but I have these books on hold at the library, so we'll see: Grow Great Grub and Small Plot, High Yield Gardening: How to Grow like a Pro, Save Money, and Eat Well by Turning your Yard Into an Organic Produce Garden.

2.  Run a sub four hour marathon.  Okay, so this is a bigger goal, but I really think I can do it.  I just better set my sights on a marathon sooner rather than later.  Maybe I'll research which ones have the fastest, flattest courses...

3.  Attend a major sporting event: the superbowl, the olympics, or the U.S. Tennis Open are my top choices.

4.  Go to a wine tasting event.  They always sound so fun, and I really love to sample new wines!  My friend's mom, who is a buyer for a local grocery chain, hosted an informal night of wine tasting last year, and it was amazing!  I need to visit some vineyards and have at it sometime!

5.  Make the perfect granola.  I love to eat it with yogurt and fruit for breakfast in the mornings, but it's so expensive at the grocery store, so I've tried a couple different homemade recipes.  I'm getting better, but I'm not there yet.  Any tips?

Thursday, April 29, 2010

I finally caved...

My baby was born with hair.  A lot of dark brown hair.  In the last two and half years, that hair has lightened significantly (though I still am not convinced that she'll always be a blond) and grown to be quite long.  I love her long hair, and I have fought tooth and nail to avoid giving Emily bangs.  I think this is because I have so many bad memories of uneven bangs from my own childhood.  Well, okay, maybe they are not memories so much as me cringing now when I look at old pictures (sorry mom, I know you tried).  But alas, Emily's hair is pretty hard to manage.  I often have to re-do it several times throughout the day, she's constantly pushing the wisps out of her eyes, and on Fridays, when Eric is home with Emily?  Well, let's just say it's not pretty.  And so I caved, and tonight, I gave her a trim and also bangs.  I hate it, and what's worse than that, I think I made them too short!  So, here are a couple of pictures.  And what do I need from you blog family and friends?  I need you to tell me how cute she is, how they'll grow back, and how she won't resent me for this when she's older (even if you have to lie).


Friday, April 9, 2010

The Friday Five

For lent this year, I gave up chocolate.  To many, this is not such a difficult feat, but to me, it was quite a challenge.  I'd actually done it once before, when I was in high school, but clearly time had made the challenge seem like a less daunting feat than it actually is.  I kind of imagine that labor is the same way, and that is what allows women to decide to have more babies, but I digress.  This week has been full of chocolate goodness, probably too much so.  I KNOW I ate way too much of a butterfinger milkshake last night!  Still, here are my top 5 chocolate treats:

1)  Trader Joe's Peppermint Chocolate Covered Joe-Joe's.  These are the best thing ever invented.  Period.  The ones in the picture don't all have the chocolate covering, but the boxes I buy do.  They only come out around the holidays, so I stock up.  I literally bought every box on the shelf when I visited a Trader Joe's location after Thanksgiving.  For those curious, it was 12 boxes.  I try to space them out over the course of the year, but I'm already halfway through them.


2) Chocolate covered strawberries.  I don't get to eat them that all that often, but something about the combination of the flavors has me drooling every time!  There are a lot of things that taste better when covered in chocolate, but strawberries have to be one of the best!

3) Bruster's Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream.  I worked at an ice cream store called Bruster's when I was in high school, and Eric likes to brag about how often I was named "Scooper of the Month".  One of my crowning professional achievements for sure.  But they have the best ice cream, and the flavor mentioned above is just unbelievable.  I've tried everything to transport it back to Michigan, but I have to suffice for over-indulging when I'm home.


4) Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies.  When they are right out of the oven, and you down them with a cold glass of milk, that's hard to beat.

5) Tira Misu Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.  So stinking good!  It feels light (well, relatively light, compared to other cheesecakes) and just melts in your mouth.  I'm salivating just thinking about it right now, and I always have to treat myself when I visit this restaurant!


So, that's my list.  Am I missing any chocolate goodies that you can't live without?