Sunday, September 28, 2008

tidbits

I forgot to mention one of our new favorite shows! Feasting on Waves airing on Food Network with Alton Brown.

I'm making a new Giada recipe tonight: creamy orzo. Normally I would run from anything with peas, but this sounded good. Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook has a lot of great stuff in it, including a section of quick and easy weeknight recipes. Ben doesn't crave Italian as much as me, but he's game for the occasional carb-crazed dinner (extra bonus tonight: he loves peas).

The tree outside my window already has some leaves turning red. It's time to break out the fall decorations.

Have a good week!

Friday, September 26, 2008

the week so far

We TiVo'd the debate and it's mind-numbing. I am eager for Election Day.

I was out of town most of the week so am trying to catch up on all the season premieres. My thoughts so far:

Heroes - Only made it through the first hour because I was getting so confused I had to stop. I really need to refresh my memory on last season.

My Name is Earl - I am committed to this show because it is one of the few funny comedies on tv, but no one needs two episodes in one night. 22 minutes of Earl is my limit.

The Office - My favorite show of the week. Ryan as the new receptionist is genius.

Ugly Betty - I really missed this show, but a few of the new storylines are already bugging me. Why Lindsay Lohan? Why the dumb Daniel is a player storyline revival? Glad to see Amanda and Mark again.

Grey's Anatomy - Once I got past the ridiculous "hook" that McDreamy is dead, I only lasted 15 minutes. I'm cranky from the long week so will give it a few more minutes before I pull the plug.

Let me know about your love/hate shows.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

sports bonanza

We had an action-packed weekend of sports. Here are the high/lowlights:

  • Cubs clinch! Woo hoo!! We get a few hours of celebration before the battle continues.
  • ISU Redbirds looked good in their home opener until the second half. Eastern came back to beat us in the last minute. Ugh.
  • Bears defense crumbled and allowed 10 points in the final minutes to tie the game and then we lost by a lame field goal in OT.
Big TV week of premieres starts tomorrow (Heroes should be great though I can't freaking remember what happened in the last ep...I've got to watch a replay online), and I'm traveling Tues.. - Thurs. night so my TiVo is going to get a workout. The show I am least looking forward to is Grey's Anatomy. I still haven't decided if I'm going to watch. At the very least I am putting it on probation - 2 or 3 eps to tell a decent story or I am done.

I just realized it's been a year (already!) since I started my blog. Thanks for reading!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Habitat

Yesterday was my first day as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer! My company is sponsoring a house in the area and we have build days scheduled Sept - April. We'll get to see the house built from the ground up so it should be very exciting. Yesterday I painted at another house that is almost complete because we have gotten SO MUCH RAIN that they haven't been able to dig a basement for our house yet. Anyway, it should be very educational so I'll tell ya all about what I learn!

We've gotten steady rain since Friday so it was a fairly low-key weekend around here. I made chocolate chip bars today and that's about it. ....

On the TV front, I still need to watch Project Runway from last week; thought the first ep of Fringe (JJ Abrams' new show) was above average; can't wait to see Tina Fey on SNL as Sarah Palin; hatin' our stupid local directv situation because we don't get The CW; am excited for Heroes in a few weeks; in the middle of season two of How I Met Your Mother and am loving it..definitely reminds me of Friends (in a bar instead of a coffee shop).

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

tidbits

If you ever visit Bloomington I will take to you the Miller Park Zoo. It's a super cute, small zoo nearby that we just love. Ben went there as a kid and we've taken Abi to hang with the animals too.

They are currently raising money for a new Sumatran Tiger exhibit (we were at the Zoo Do fundraiser on Sat. night.) so it's actually a small but growing zoo. My favorite animals are the wallaroos, which get to hop around freely with visitors in a walkabout area. Until you come visit, check out the meerkats via webcam!

Something else great about central IL: the Pekin Marigold Festival. I've been going to this festival for years and years - it's one of the best things about Pekin...believe me it's a short list!

The annual arts and crafts festival was this past weekend so I got my plastic Marigold cup (we really have no cupboard space for these silly things), enjoyed a homemade ice cream sandwich AND apple dumpling (why try to choose?) and browsed rows and rows of crafts (though I managed to leave without any junk).

The Marigold Festival signals the beginning of fall and although I'm excited to break out my pumpkin decor, I'm not quite ready yet.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

why didn't I think of that?

Years ago when we were living in Chicago I got so annoyed when it was raining during my commute because no matter what shoes I wore they were completely soaked once I got to work (so I had to take an extra pair). Not to mention the entire bottom of my pants/legs, etc. was also soaked. When discussing my problem with Ben he suggested some sort of cover I could just wear over my shoes...sorta like a shoe cover you'd see in a hospital. Guess what? Someone else had our clever idea!(and actually put their idea into action).

Shuella's are stylish and functional, and I really want a pair. Wellies are cute too, but big and not easy to transport.

I guess rain is on my mind - we had an all-day rain last week due to Gustav, more rain last night, and might get more tomorrow. My newly potted mums are soaked. They need a few days of warm sun to get going. Meanwhile, where can I get a mini plant umbrella?

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

new photos


Abi and Ben at the playground (if Lazy Boy made swings, it would be something like this)

Not much beats an ice cream cone!

Abi and Aunt 'lissa (and puppy) at the mall

Monday, September 1, 2008

happy labor day

It's great to have the day off! We're in PA wrapping up our visit with Abi. We've played at the park and rode her princess bike (she pedals fast and slams on the brakes while I walk behind). Abi's getting so tall! I will post photos once we get home.

We'll be back on the road for the 8-hr trip later today. It was a fast drive on the way out so I hope it feels fast on the way back. Enjoy the holiday!