Pickin' Crabs, Teachin' Grandma, Cookin' Fish. + Prego Update

Listening to "French Song," Kate Walsh.

So.

Apparently, I used to blog when Matt was studying.

Because since Matt's taken the CFP exam, he hasn't been studying.

And I haven't been blogging.

But! I think it was just that initial honeymoon-phase week, where I'm so glad to have him around (instead of the study zombie that I had before), and was thus way too excited to pay attention to my computer.

Schedules are slowly getting back to normal, but it has been a fantastic week of fun :)

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Grandma's House

My grandmother's house was so relaxing.

Need I say more?

My grandmother is in Maryland. So is a lot of my family, and naturally I've been picking crabs since before I can remember.

(Pickin' Crabs: (verb phrase) To eat the crab meat from a steamed crab (most often the Chesapeake-area Blue Crab) that sits on top of newspaper, on a picnic table, covered in Old Bay spices. Crab meat is picked from the crab and then is often dipped in melted butter or simply enjoyed. The process is a slow one and typically considered a social event. Common side dishes are Corn on the Cob and Corona.)



Matt is from Detroit, and had never even had Old Bay (the traditional East Coast seafood spice). He had definitely never picked crab, and described his limitless crab experience as confined to Red Lobster.

Definitely not good enough for my family.

So we went ahead and gave him his first experience.

Yum!

He did a great job, though! It can be an interesting experience if you've never done it before. I don't recommend doing it on your own or with a group of other inexperienced pickers. Always helps to have a guide :)

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Knitting Update

This ties into my visit with my grandmother.

because...

I taught my grandma to knit!

I gave her a knit kit for her birthday-- a knitting bag, some yarn, lots of needles, and a guide book-- and promised to teach her sometime this year.

She's crocheted before, but had never knit! She really took to it very quickly! She's going to try a scarf with that fall-colored yarn and then maybe I can teach her some more by Christmas.

Not to brag or anything... but is my Grandma a cutie or what?! Getting older in my family isn't so bad; we've got good genes :) I think we get it from the red wine...


Checkerboard:
I frogged it once, and won't again! I've been knitting slow and steady for the past couple weeks and am now just beyond where I was when I had to pull it all out. Slow and steady wins the race, people! (Plus... I'm afraid if I mess it up again I may just throw it out a window. Defeated? Defenestrate!)

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Cooking Update:

I tried Phoo-D's Poached Samon with Dijon Cream Sauce!

This recipe was BANGIN. Seriously.

We were ravishing hungry by the time it was made, so we dug in and I thought, "Eh, I'll take a picture for the blog tomorrow."

...then Matt ate the leftovers before I got a chance. Good sign though, yes?

So here's PHOO-D'S PICTURE, not Class and Coffee's picture, totally PHOO-D'S, so be amazed by HER PICTURE, not mine:

Photo Credit: Phoo-D
Mine definitely didn't look this good.
Tasted phenom, though!

Had a little trouble finding the "thyme sprigs," but definitely don't just sprinkle in thyme because you have to pull the thyme out of the simmering pan before you make the cream sauce. Just a tip ;-)

Would definitely recommend this recipe!!

Recipe Blogroll Future:

I only have 5 recipes left to make off the blogroll!

Once their done, I think I'm going to have my first blog contest.

You know, ask people to submit recipes, either their own or others that they've seen on blogs, and then have something fun for the winner (who will probably be chosen randomly, but maybe I can think of something...).

Yes? No?

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Other Updates:

• Prego: My stepmom Maranna is still pregnant with twins and the babes are doing great. I was hoping they would change their mind about not finding out the sex of the babies, but no. And I looked at their black-and-whites and could not decipher a thing that would give me a hint. So I guess it'll be a surprise... it's totally killing me and I can't wait to find out!
  
  I've asked about names but they're still not sure about that either. Too much suspense!!!!! I already have like 3 names for my kids.
  
  
• School: STARTS in 10 DAYS!! I can tell it's getting close because I'm starting to have those nightmares where I'm failing a final or rushing around hallways without being able to find the right classroom... haha oh the dorky nightmares of a dorky dork.
  
  
• Matt and I have a 3-year anniversary tomorrow :) We're not going to do any celebrating (it's a Tuesday!) but we will be in Wilmington this weekend, so we'll have fun talking about that crazy party three years ago that started it all.
  
  I'm making him a gift (just paid student fees, people), but can't tell you juuuust in case he has time to check my blog before tomorrow!

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Your summer-storm-lovin,
Kate-Walsh-listening, behind-on-reading,
Crab-meat-missing, Shark-week-obsessing,
New Girl Blogger