Summer Blues/Me = Dork, Blog Awards, Half Birthday.

Listening to "Beautiful World," Colin Hay.

Dear Blogger Friends,

What I'm about to say just might be considered by some of you to be utter blasphemy. So, I apologize in advance to anyone who may take offense.

But...

I'm ready for summer to be over.

THERE. I said it. I know, I know, you think I'm crazy. And I'm so sorry if summer is your favorite time of the year, because here I am wishing it away.

But...

I'm ready for school to start.

See, I've always been a big sit in the front row, raise your hand a lot, read the extra assignments, color-coded note cards NERD. I'm a school nerd. I love things like school supplies and new planners. I look at my fall school schedule at least once a week just because I'm that freakin' excited about it. I've already read the first chapter in most of my textbooks for next semester.

True Story.

And, next semester will be the start of something amazing-- my Teaching Assistantship. I worked my butt off in undergrad, trying to acquire the grades, research experience, internships and awards that would back up my lifelong dream of being a TA. Hey, some kinds wanna be movie stars. I wanted a free ride to school and the joy of teaching experience.

Last year, applying to grad school and waiting to hear about my TA application was such a roller coaster. First, I was told I wouldn't get the position because of a lack of funding. Then, there was funding, and I got my position.

Quite the Disney movie, eh?

And now, as we simmer through the middle of the summer, as my school books sit lonely on my desk, as my pencils and planners and notecards and binders and highlighters and erasers and paperclips hibernate sadly in boxes and slumped bookbags, I can't help but dream about that first day of school.

I need to snap out of it!

I have almost a month and a half before school starts. That's a lot of summer! I don't want to dream it away just because there are exciting things on the horizon! So, here's my...

List of Exciting Summer Things:
(to get my mind off of the starting-school excitement)

1. Abby's First Birthday- July 11th, 2009.
Oh baby Abby, this time last year I was feverishly knitting your a baby blanket, trying to finish it before you popped out of your Mom. I didn't succeed, but that's ok-- the wee hours of July 11th were a happy time for everyone, finished knit blanket or not. I'm very proud to be your Aunt Sarah and I can't wait for your birthday. I also can't wait till you're older and I can steal you away from your Mom for zoo trips and things :)

My first knitting project- and a blanket for
Abby's first year, given to her and her Mommy
last summer. What will I get her this year?!

2. Matt's CFP Exam- July 17th and 18th, 2009.
For over 10 months now, Matt has been working towards becoming a Certified Financial Planner. He's been in class every other weekend, on Friday evenings and all day Saturday, since last September. He's read countless books, taken multiple mini-examinations, and suffered through hours of in-person and online lectures. After all that... he takes his two-day, 10 hour exam next month. I know he's going to feel so great after taking that exam, thanks to all his hard work! And I'll be glad to say goodbye to the Saturday study zombie and hello to free-time boyfriend. Saturday baseball game, anyone?!

3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- July 15th @ Midnight
Did I mention that I'm a nerd? I've been to the premiere of each Harry Potter movie, in line at midnight with all the other crazy fans. When the books were still coming out, I'd finish my waitressing shift and immediately head to Barnes & Nobles, waiting in line with the other fanatics just so I could rush home and read. I'd usually stay up all night till I finished the book and head into work again right after. Can you imagine? D-O-R-K!

Can't. Wait.

Since Matt will be only a couple days away from his exam at that point, Allie might be my date instead. Fun!

4. Recipe Blogroll- Part Deux
I really enjoyed creating my first recipe blogroll. It's been such a fun project, always reminding me to try the recipes that I found and enjoyed on your blogs! I'm almost done with this one and I really look forward to creating the next one. Just a couple more recipes for me to finish first!

5. The 2-Woman, 4-Book Bookclub
The Mom/Daughter book club! I just started Love in the Time of Cholera. It's definitely a slow read-- slow, slow read-- but I'm enjoying it so far. Yesterday after I got off work, I went to the local wine/coffee bar where our knitting group meets, and read outside with a beer for a while. It was so nice! I might do the same thing today while Matt studies... even though I should really take care of some work things.

6. My Checkerboard
Progress has slowed since I recently frogged a row... but this knitting project is going to be a great finished product. Can't wait to celebrate it with a game of checkers during a summer picnic with Matt! After he takes his test, of course.

So I have lots of things to look forward to...

birthdays, books, movies, knitting and recipes. Plus, blogging! See, I knew a list would help. If I could just avoid accidentally coming across really adorable school supplies in stores... I just might make it through this summer without searching for a time speed-up machine on E-bay.

~*~*~

Blog Awards:

Last post, I thanked Mrs. C for passing me the Charming and Honest Blogger Award!


Here's the blog award description:

"This award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

And here are some other bloggers that I feel deserve the award (I accidentally chose more than 8):

1. LiLu: Girl, I know you've received it before, but you are definitely the most Honest blogger I know.
2. Burp and Slurp: I love how you intertwine your personal experiences and hardships with your new found courage and commitment to healthy eating. Lovely!
3. Fidgeting Gidget: A seriously amazing blogger. This girl puts up 7 blog posts to my every 1. She's incredible! Try to keep up!
4. Ella @ Here, There, Everywhere: She's on an extended vacation right now, but when she's home she's always filling us in about life and experiences on the dating scene. She's very honest about it all and it's fun for a "taken" girl like me to live vicariously through someone who's still enjoying the roller coaster of dating!
5. Sebastian-- Sebs, you're a boy. Normally, boy bloggers aren't ones to hope for blog awards. But if any boy can appreciate an award despite the chance that its frivolous aesthetics could make him appear just a tad effeminate... it's you. And you are quite honest.
6. Kym @ Bee Creative- This girl is hilarious, and quite honest. Her last blog post that I read was about the time she was questioned about her age in an airplane seat row that required all occupants to be at least 15 years old. And she's 21!! Don't worry girl, I feel your pain.
7. Cook. Lift. Study. THIS BLOG is by one of my very BEST FRIENDS! Isn't that cool? We suffered through high school together, and now she's up in Canada doing the Undergrad thing... love that we can stay connected through blogging. Oh, and she's charming and honest and all that.
8. Amy @ Rainy Saturday: Another honest, talk-about-life blogger. A great read!
9. Kim @ My Idea of What's Going On: My Peace Corps friend, who I love and miss, is a honest blogger... which is good, because every time I read her posts I feel like we had a quick conversation!
10. YOSH Sarah: Sarah is fun. A goof. In Japan. Named Sarah, and spells it right. What's not to love?

~*~*~

Also, thanks to Cucinista @ Working Lunch, I've received the One Lovely Blogger Award!

Thanks, Cucinista! I think you definitely deserved the Lovely Blog award as well!

Here are some more I'd like to pass this award on to:
1. Green Ink: A lovely, inspiring blog.
2. LK @ Healthy Delicious: She really does make everything look delicious, even if it is healthy.
3. Steph @ LesJouJou: Great all around blogger. I love her posts, especially Etsy Vintage days... plus, her Etsy shop was totally featured on the Etsy homepage the other day, so she's like my famous blogger friend.
4. More Yarn Please: Started this blog to answer a dare by her blogging daughter. It's lovely as well.
5. She Knits by the Seashore: A sweet blogger who incorporates so many things into each blog post. A joy to read.
6. Jenn @ Slim Shoppin': Always has a yummy, healthy post to enjoy. Definitely eyeing a couple of her recipes for my next recipe blogroll!
7. Sarah Says: Sarah is lovely and funny, and she's gonna have one lovely baby here soon! Er... I should say one handsome baby, not lovely, but was trying to stay in award theme. He'll be a lovely handsome boy :)
8. Chow and Chatter: Her recipes are so unique, it's always a fun read. Can't wait to try some of them!
9. Next to Heaven: Mrs. C's definitely got the blog thing down. A lot of times she's participating in writing prompts that just might inspire you to blog as well!
10. Ninja Knits: Another knitting friend who posts amazing and inspiring things. Her last post title, Foodgasim Continues, made me laugh out loud. in public.
11. Knitting Knoobie: Always one of the first blogs I visit when I start blog reading. I've been visiting her blog for a while and her stories of NYC knitting stores inspire me to keep knitting! Also, stories about her frogging projects make me feel like I'm not the only one :)

~*~*~

In other, albeit random, news...

Thursday was my half Birthday!

My birthday sucks.
It's on Christmas.
No, really. I was born on Christmas.

So my step-dad started this tradition back in the day where, in order to bridge the long period between Decembers--during the "presents drought" (Valentine's Day is nice, but mostly I just get lots of presents once a year. You summer birthdays better appreciate your parents timing!!)-- he gets me a small "half Birthday" present.

Cute, right?

He was actually in California this week so I haven't gotten my little gift yet, but we did all go out to dinner last night at my favorite local Mexican restaurant, Dos Taquitos, so I considered the margaritas my half birthday present. Even though we were really celebrating belated Father's Day and his return from Cali.

So thanks, Tom! And happy half Birthday to me-- can you believe you now have less than 6 months till Christmas?!

I gotta get knitting!

~*~*~

That's all for now; hope everyone has a great weekend!

Your Michael-Jackson-mixed-CD-makin,
soon-to-be-knitting, Saturday-afternoon-coffee-drinkin,
New Girl Blogger

Buffalo Wing Ckn, Blog Award, Father's Day/Birthday!

Currently Listening to "Hello Sunshine," Syd Matters.

So, it was Father's Day Weekend!

My Mom & Tom were visiting Connie and Bill, Allie's parents and Abby's grandparents [see previous post for pictures of the adorable Abby and my friend Allie!]. So we're going to celebrate with Tom sometime next week.

We spend Sunday evening with my Dad and MarAnna, eating yummy grilled cheeseburgers and mac & cheese, which was nice!

The group, all smiles :)

We got him a onesie in preparation for the Twins arrival in December.

It was also my Dad's birthday this week, so he's really had a lot to celebrate.

Also, the same evening my Dad was able to give Siobhan her 17th birthday presents! With a big family, it's always someone's birthday/father-or-mother's day/anniversary/graduation, etc.

Beautiful birthday girl! She got
a GPS from the 'rents-- not going to
lie, I'm totally jealous.

~*~*~

Cooking Updates

Buffalo Wing Sammies and homemade wedge fries, found on Steph Chow's and now crossed off my recipe blogroll!!

We had the buffalo wing chicken on buns
and the next day in wraps. Good either
way!!! I tore the chicken into smaller
pieces for the bun serve, but ate it up
tender-style in the wrap :)


I. Love. French. Fries.

SO good. Ok... so technically Steph Chow's fries recipe was for healthy shoestring sweet potato fries. I love sweet potato fries!

...but Matt doesn't.

And since he's the one who spent 20 hours in a digital classroom for CFP this weekend (I know! 20 hours! He really did. He's really preparing for this exam... test on July 17th!) ... and since cutting potatoes is hard for me and includes the slight possibility of me slicing off a pinky (just kidding, Mom), I figured I would make the kind of fries eeeeveryone likes.

They were so yummy. No leftovers left, already!

I hope it was a nice reward for Matt, since he had so much classroom time-- bar food at home!!

~*~*~

Gifts!

It was Father's Day, and my little sis's birthday, and I'm the one getting presents?!

I know!

Saffron from a Sweetie
One of my dearest friends is currently in Azerbaijan, workin the Peace Corps thing for a little while! I sent her a package a while back, and she rewarded me greatly by shipping me some LOVELY things from Azzy.

Including SAFFRON.

I bought a special container for it. He's
getting along well with the other spices so far.

To a new cook, this is like gold.

...awesome looking, strange gold that I do not yet know how to use.

But I will learn!

THANKS Kim :)

~*~*~

Blog Award!

Thanks to Mrs. C for the Charming and Honest Blog Award!

I love it! Promise to award others in my next post :)
...I've said that before. But I mean it this time. Trust, people!

~*~*~

This week,

• I've finished up Count of Monte Cristo. One of the kids I'm tutoring is really struggling with reading, so we're reading a couple books together over the summer. I'm glad to be done with it, though; I can start with Love in the time of Cholera, one of the books my Mom and I choose for our Summer Book Club.
  
• I've been knitting away; actually, crocheting! I crocheted along the edge of Abby's Jacket to give it a more finished look. So excited that I know how to crochet now! I'll have more pictures of that when I give it to Ms. Abby on her birthday next month!
• Working on a Web site for the lacrosse team I used to coach. Fun!
• More survey calls for the tutoring company... these are getting less and less fun. "Do you have a couple of minutes to tell me about your tutoring experience this year?" Blah.
• Will make time to go to the pool. WILL! It's summer!
  

~*~*~

Your about-to-eat-dinner,
excited-for-Transformers!,
Jon-and-Kate-ignoring,
New Girl Blogger

No Can... but Muffins, Cookies, Hummus and ABBY JACKET!

Listening to "Passing Afternoon," Iron & Wine.

Article Update:
My article I was telling you about, the whole possibility of getting published? It has been officially submitted for publication. Woo-hoo! I cut it down to a final 25 pages and sent it off last night. We'll see! I'm nervous, but in the end it was good writing practice if nothing else :)

Stanley Can!
...so I didn't win.

I played two rounds, got 4th in the first round and 3rd in the second. Not good enough to get me into the final round. So I am improving! Maybe next year...

Matt played great! I knew he would... that's why I wanted to beat him. Haha! But he came in first during one of two preliminary rounds, which gave him enough points to put him in the "playoff runoff." He didn't make it out of that round alive, but it was cool to see him playing with some of the "serious croquet stars," almost in the finals!

Matt playing... you can see the
Stanley Can in the background!

Luckily, though, the hummus was a HIT! Such a hit... that it was all gone before I could take a picture. But seriously, if you haven't tried Steph Chow's hummus recipe yet, do so... everyone was gobbling it up! I got lots of praise!

Here are some Stanley Can moments
I did manage to capture:

My Mom and Abby, spectating.

My youngest sister Siobhan, who placed
1st during her first round! We were so
proud! She's literally jumping for joy...

small sidenote: today's Siobhan's birthday. She'll be 17! my
youngest sister is 17... so, of course, I feel old.

Allie (my best friend and Abby's Mom),
trying her hand at croquet!

Allie's Stanley Can Cake! It's a little
melted in this picture... but how
cool! She's very creative :)

Leah, my other best friend that came
to visit, and Abby after lunch :)

Overall it was just fun. Jason Jones, one of the members of the tourney that has been there since the beginning, ended up winning the cup (again). So next year he'll be the host!

~*~*~

Knitting Update:

The Finished Abby Jacket

All done :) I was literally still knitting the final sleeve the morning Allie and Abby were going to leave, because I really wanted Abby to try it on...

Abby, modeling her freshly finished jacket!

I really like the way it turned out! I might crochet along the edges to make it a little smoother, and then add a button... I have a little time to do that, since I'm giving her the jacket for her first birthday this July 11th!

Look at her smile! She's a very happy baby :)

It feels good to finally be finished... I can finish up my checkerboard! I'm still only on the second row of squares...

~*~*~

Cooking Update
To treat my weekend guests, Leah, Allie and Abby, I made muffins and cookies.

Smitten Kitchen's Brownie Roll-Out Cookies
(thanks for the recipe pointer, From a North London Kitchen!)
-Very yummy
-Easy, except you have to wait for the dough to chill for an hour. I'm very impatient!
-Not too sweet-- a perfect snack cookie!
-Great for cookie cutters :)

Steph Chow's Blueberry Muffins
-SO good!
-Low Calorie (unless, like me, you add a topping of butter/brown sugar... bad. I know. bad.)
-Quick to make!

These are totally all gone now...

~*~*~

And now ladies and gentlemen... I am going to click on my google reader for the first time since Friday...

145 posts?!?! Holy blogger, you guys!

...I'll try to catch up. I do have to work though, you know, so give me a couple days.

~*~*~

Your cookie-eating,
sister's-birthday-celebrating,
checker-square-knitting,
New Girl Blogger

What's a Stanely CAN? + why all bananas = evil.

Listening to "Into the Mystic," Van Morrison.

I... haven't been cooking.

...or really knitting.

or reading or cleaning or doing laundry or answering e-mails.

Instead, I ate a banana.

Well I didn't eat a whole one, but I ate some in a smoothie. By accident. But I'm allergic to bananas. Normally my lip just swells up or something and a benedryl will cure all/make me take a nap. But this time... my tongue swelled/cramped up.

I sounded like this guy.

Warren from There's Something about Mary--
love that movie :)

I'm fine :0) But I did have to go to the emergency room and get some not-so-fun shots and stuff, so today I'm tiiiiired.

I'm going to go to an allergist and make sure I'm not allergic to anything else :) And my parents have instructed that Matt is no longer to have any bananas in the apartment. Ever. lol. Poor guy.

Plus I've got some epi-pens now, which is nice. My mom's going to sew me a fun carrying case for one!

Anyone else got strange allergies or experiences with them? The human body is a crazy thing!

~*~*~

THE STANLEY CAN!

When my step-father Tom was in high school, he and his dorky friends set up a croquet tournament. It turned into an annual event so that every summer all the friends could get back together and hang out.

My Mom at last year's tournament, plotting
her next croquet move...

Whoever wins the croquet tournament gets to put their name on the coveted Stanley Can.

Jason, the 2007 Stanley Can winner,
passing the can to last year's
winner-- my Step-Dad Tom!

Also, the winner gets to be the host of the next Stanley Can tournament.

This year's tournament will be at my parent's house this Saturday! I have a couple friends coming into town (Leah, my best friend from college, and Allie, my best friend from... forever (3rd grade), who is bringing her baby Abby), plus lots of fun friends of my parents. Also, two of my favorite families to babysit for are coming!! It's going to be a great day :)

I plan to make:
-A hummus plate, complete with two kinds of hummus and veggies, pita chips and pita triangles for dipping. I plan to use Steph Chow's hummus recipe again! This will be my "covered dish" contribution to the Can.
-Cookies, maybe in the shape of a Stanley Can!
-Muffins, for my apartment guests (Leah and Allie) to enjoy in the morning! I guess Matt can have some, too...

So look forward to lots of Stanley Can pictures soon :) And reviews of the recipes I use!

~*~*~

For today, I'm going to take another nap, skip tutoring, take my medicine, try to catch up on blog reading, and knit. I need to be ready for the can, so rest is imperative. I've been telling Matt that I'm going to beat his croquet butt for months!!

**********
EDIT
Forgot to mention, Tamela at A Brunette Making It One Day at a Time is having a fab contest; you could win Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD! I really want it... but thought I would let you know, since so many of us are trying to look good in our bathing suits this summer :)

Also, Knitting Knoobie just announced her newest contest -- you could win some beautiful yarn. All you have to do to enter is tell a joke! How cute!

Can you tell I'm catching up on blog reading? Ha!
**********

Your soon-to-be-napping,
perpetually-behind-on-blog-reading,
banana-hating,
New Girl Blogger

Readabu292. Plus, a 2-woman book club.

Listening to "Forever," Ben Harper.

When I was a kid, somewhere around 7 years old, I got to do what (at the time) I thought was the coolest thing in the world. Ever. Cooler than Alanis Morissette playing the harmonica in her music videos (...ok, so I totally miss '90s music).

I got to set up my very own AIM screen name.

Now, this was "back in the day" when not everyone had a home computer. Back in the day, when AOL joyously announced "You've Got Mail" after your computer sang the "Dial-Up" techno-themed connection song for 20 minutes before getting online. Oh, dial up. Remember?


Anyway, I was so excited to make a screen name. I thought for hours, days even, about what my online persona would be titled. And after all that thought, I came up with...

ReadaBu292.

...what?

In my elementary-school genius, I thought of "read a bunch." Because that's what I did when I was young. I read. A bunch. Or, "a bu," since apparently I thought that shortening "bunch" in my screen name would make sense.

...And the 292? I have no idea. I guess I thought it rhymed?

Anyway, besides proving to you that I was a huuuuge dork when I was younger (/totally still am), I've also revealed one of my long time hobbies: Reading!

Me in all my elementary school glory.
My Mom thinks I am too dramatic about how
dorky I was during my awkward years... but
that's just because she's the one who gave me
that haircut.

Like the glasses in that picture? It's a small/blurry pic... but in case you were wondering: yes, I was in serious need of braces. And yes, that's a sweater vest.

ANYWAY-- I love to read. After all, I double-majored in English and history in Undergrad. And... if you try to major in those without seriously loving reading... you're pretty much going to throw yourself out of a library window.

Which brings me to the Word of the Day:

defenestrate: to throw through or out of a window.

No, I'm not kidding. Look it up.

~*~*~

Recent Read:

I just finished Catcher in the Rye. How I graduated with an English degree without reading this book... I'm not sure. But I finally caught up.
Review:
I was definitely affected by Holden. I was wrapped up in his story and Salinger's writing style. But I just felt so empathetically lonely while reading... and in the end it finished so abruptly. I had to hold the book close to my chest for a couple minutes and just sigh/think. (...I mentioned that I'm a big dork, right?) I wanted to understand his character enough to ponder about where his life went after the story ended. But it was bleak to think about.

Any thoughts? Was this anyone's favorite high school required reading?

If you liked Catcher and the Rye... might interest you to know that someone other than Salinger wrote a sequel. No kidding. Salinger's pissed about it though and is trying to sue so that it doesn't get published. Poor hermit Salinger. He just wants everyone to leave him and his book characters alone. So stop asking him for movie rights to Catcher, people!

~*~*~

The Two-Woman Book Club

So moving on... while in the library, I was talking on the phone to my Mom about what book to pick up. My Mom and I are seriously close... and what started as a quick phone call about book ideas turned into a debate about the 15 most alcoholic writers of all time (I totally predicted Hemingway would be numero uno, but was surprised to see how low ol' Tennessee Williams was on the list... thought he'd be like #3!).

This digression turned into us deciding that we should read some books together over the summer. Join a book club? Never! My whole undergraduate career was like an academic book club. So it's just going to be my Mom and me, reading books pool side (we've also discussed alcoholic pool-side drinks, which would of course change depending on the theme/setting of the book).

We decided that I would pick two books, then she would pick two books.

Here are our picks:

1. Sarah's Key (my pick): The juxtaposition of two stories: 10-year-old Sarah, caught in the roundup/deportation of Jewish families in Paris during the '40s, and Julia, a 45-year-old Jounalist, covering the story some 60 years later during the anniversary of the tragedy.

2. 'Round Ireland with a Fridge (my pick): British comedian Tony Hawks is bet that he cannot travel around Ireland with a fridge in tow. This book chronicles his attempt and the journey along the way. What's not to love?!

3. Love in the Time of Cholera (Mom's pick): Love and disappointment, set in the Carribbean. I'm kind of embarrassed that I haven't read this yet because it's supposed to be sooo good.

4. The Swallows of Kabul (Mom's pick): Set in Kabul, follows two couples dealing with the rule of the Taliban and the changing social/religious ideologies and how these changes have affected their lives.

I think we're going to start with Love. We both have other books to finish, then we'll get started!

Other news:

• Construction: is finally done. Our apartment is slightly more normal now.
• Knitting: One more row of checkered squares is complete! Need to go buy different sized DPNs to finish Abby's jacket sleeves... knitting is expensive. Good thing I'm an addict.
  
• Cooking: Am struggling to finish these last couple Recipe Blogroll items. Will work harder this week!
• Sports: Anyone else see the RED WINGS DOMINATE last night? Actually... I was babysitting and watching Disney Channel for most of it. But the score speaks for itself. 5-0, baby!
  
• Babysitting: Had a full weekend of babysitting and it was lovely. I. Love. Kids.

~*~*~

Your readabu292,
OLD-NAVY-LOVIN, (did you see their sales this week! SCORE!)
Sunday-Food-Network-watchin,
Holden-Caulfield-pondering,
New Girl Blogger.

Sports, Meatloaf, MacChz II, Knitting, Construction. + Snickers.

Listening to "Lucky Boy," Matt Nathanson

What a week!

Tutoring
Almost done with most of my tutoring clients and starting to meet some of the new clients that I'll be helping for the summer. I love meeting new clients! You can always tell the kids who are a little shy at first... but who you know are going to be crazy, talk-non-stop fireballs later on :)

Also finished up my training in the tutor company Main Office. I'll be in charge of billing, filing, and some marketing. Next week I'll be calling local school counselors and asking if they'd like information about our company. Yikes! I hate cold calls. But Matt gave me a tip that seems to be working-- "It's hard for people to be mean to you on the phone if you're smiling. They can't see your smile, but they can hear it!" It works!

Getting Published?
I've also been working on a fun project-- editing my undergraduate honors thesis. What? Didn't I graduate from Undergrad already?

I did... but my school nominated my honors thesis to the NC Undergraduate Journal, a journal which includes work from undergraduate students in all 16 public NC Universities. So I've been turning my 100+ page honors thesis into a 25 page article! How exciting-- it might get published! I'll let you know :)

Sports
Of course! The Red Wings are vying for the STANLEY CUP '09! Matt is from Detroit... have I told you that? So it's exciting for them to have a Detroit pro team do well-- especially after the way the Detroit Lions performed: historically, embarrassingly awful. They were the first Pro football team to have a no win season. So luckily, the hockey team is bringing a better rep to the city!

Nice!

The Wings did suffer a disappointing loss last night, but I think they've been playing well and am excited for the next game.

Also-- NBA Finals!!

Howard, making Bryant look not as tall...

I'm rooting for the Magic because I think Dwight Howard should have a ring... plus, Kobe, you have a couple rings. But the Magic lost last night, and the Lakers are historically phenom when playing in a series after winning the series' first game. So we'll see how that goes!

You guys? Anyone else into these finals?

~*~*~

Cooking Updates:

Mac & Cheese: Part Deux
Last time I made Macaroni and Cheese it was good... but not great. It was a little too thick, like Mac & Cheese Cake.

This time, the recipe was lovely and I actually followed it... YUM! Thanks Knitting Knoobie, for pointing me to that recipe! Another one checked off the Recipe Blogroll!

Unfortunately, I have not yet learned how to cook for two people, so I always make too much food. As such, some of the mac is in the freezer to be eaten at a later date :)

Mac and Cheese-- about to be frozen. Two
people can only eat so much!

Meatloaf
Also made a meatloaf-- per Matt's request-- pretty easy! Except I was halfway through the recipe when it said "loaf pan." Loaf pan? I googled it... and recognized immediately that it was a pan I did not have.

So I just put it on a cookie sheet and kinda molded it into a meatloaf-- it turned out just fine! Crisis averted!

All that's left since making the large
meatloaf last Friday. Matt's been eating
a lot of it! Guess we won't have to freeze this!

I'm hoping I'll have time to cook this weekend so I can tackle some more of those recipes on my recipe blogroll. I've seen so many great recipes posted on your blogs lately, so I can't wait to make my next blogroll!!

~*~*~

Knitting Update
Abby Jacket
Finally started on the sleeves...

Hoping to be finished by the time they
visit next weekend!

Checkerboard
Love this project. Sure, I restarted it a couple times... it was a hard pattern at first! But now it's pretty easy and I can't WAIT till it's finished!!

Look like a checkerboard yet?

Hopefully we'll be drinking beers outside and playing checkers on a Saturday afternoon sometime soon!

I've been trying to think of what I can use for game pieces. I want something with a little character. Bottle caps? Matt said he'd use New Caste beer caps, because it'll be good luck for getting "Kinged" in the game. He's a dork :)

Any other ideas?

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Life:
Other reasons I've been busy...

Construction:
Insane construction outside our apartment. ALL week.

See the guy in the yellow vest? See the
door he's standing next to? Yea-- our door.

A pipe was clogged, so they literally had to dig a trench and replace the pipe. In the end, it's good that they're doing this and not just ignoring the problem. But seriously, all week it has sounded like a construction site here! Jackhammers were involved. As I'm typing this, they're chisseling away at some cement, or something equally as loud. Ohhh apartment living.

House Guest:
Finally, Snickers came to visit!

Matt's parents dog, Snickers. Took me like
100 tries to get him to hold still for a picture! :)

Snickers is SO cute. He acts like a puppy even though he's an older dog. He sits with me while I knit :) He went home yesterday, but not before Matt's parents took us out to Cheesecake Factory! YUM!

~*~*~

That's all for now, 'folks! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Your checker-board-knitting,
overtime-tutoring, sports-lovin,
construction-hatin,
weekend-anticipating!,
New Girl Blogger