Weekend Fun

It's kind of weird to be sitting here recapping the weekend since the most important part of the weekend is still going on, but I don't really care about the Super Bowl.  I did see the halftime show, though, and decided that when I'm finished being pregnant I'm totes getting myself a highwire (tightwire?) and learning to bounce on it.  Also, I was pleased to see that ol' Madonna sang my favorite song about fellatio*.  Matt's off watching the game at a friends' house, and I considered going (only because there was going to be pizza there), but decided not to because I needed to stay home with Mitch.

Why did I have to stay home with Mitch?  Oh, because I'm just the worst mother who's ever lived.

Let's back up.  See, in our house, we're not huge medicine takers.  I mean, we take it when we need it, but we try to only take it when we actually need it need it.  Like, if I have a headache, I'll drink water first or take a nap before I pop a pill to get it to go away.  Anyway, I've applied my little silly medicine philosophy to my pup as well, so I only give him his flea medicine when he needs it (i.e., when I see a flea on him).  And his flea medicine is insanely powerful--like, we live in bug central and I haven't given him his flea meds since May.  But then I saw a flea on him yesterday and decided to give him the pill.  But I didn't remember, probably because I hadn't done this in like nine months, that he was supposed to take it on a full stomach.  So he got really sick.  Puking a lot, weak, pitiful, confused, whining, uncomfortable--sick.  And it was my fault.  And we were up until about 5 a.m. last night/this morning trying to get him to feel better, and I don't know if I've ever felt so guilty about anything in my life.  He's fine now, but I'm so riddled with guilt that I've refused to leave the house all day.  So there's that little awful anecdote to make me question my ability to parent a dog child, much less a human child.  

Aside from the fact that I poisoned my favorite creature on the planet, the weekend was pretty nice.  The weather's been out of control nice, and we've had lots of tasty food, and I was really productive and got to cross lots of stuff off of my giant to-do list (wish Matt hadn't written "try to kill Mitch" on the list--shoot), and we ate lots of good food and I even ellipted for the first time in two weeks (was totes secretly hoping that ellipting would be too hard and I would get winded doing it and then pass out so that I wouldn't be able to do it until after baby was here, but, mother eff, it was fantastic and I feel fantastic and my back and legs actually hurt less now).  

Here's what it's looked like around here.

Matt: Mitch, you better be careful sitting there.  Someone's going to come and try to buy you.

Cupcaking.

 Mmmmmmm. . .grilled buffalo chicken salad.  

That's Super Bowl food for people who have to go get weighed on Tuesday.

Nursery sneak peek, complete with name hints!  Mitch has been jonesin' for that Moose with Socks since July, and I think that after this weekend I might just give it to him.

I'm actually looking forward to this coming week.  Damn you, ellipting endorphins!  What about you?  Big plans for the week ahead?

*Everyone agrees that the song is about that, right?  Like, how can it not be?

Weekend Fun

What a fun couple of days it's been!  Even though the weather was a little more thunderstormy than my favorite pup would like, it's been just lovely and cozy inside.  I'm still trying to fight off the lingering effects of this, the cold from hell, so maybe I drank a couple of gallons of Simply Grapefruit juice?  But it doesn't matter because we had laughs, and bolognese in the freezer, and new fall TV to watch, and good shopping scores, and friends, and a clean house, and enough motivation to knock out a huge stack of essays that absolutely had to be graded by Monday morning.  The laundry's done, the floors are as clean as they're going to be, considering that it's storming outside (and I absolutely refuse to mop when it's raining), the papers graded, and the fridge is full of restaurant leftovers.

Oh, and the Buffalo Bills beat the Patriots, which hasn't happened, apparently, since before the Civil War.  It is, in our household, a VERY BIG DEAL and my husband will tell you over and over again just how big a deal it is.  Oh, and I'm winning my fantasy football league (a league that I've done absolutely nothing for except for check to see if I'm winning--thank you super fantasy football husband!).  

Here's what it looked like.

Raining while the sun is shining.  You know what that means, right?  The devil is beating his wife.  

By the way, who would even marry the devil? 

Getting nervous. 

 At this point I was pretty sure the Bills were going to choke and that Matt was going to be in a 

bad mood for the rest of the night.

Would you look at that?  Pretty cold in hell right now. 

 Most hilarious gang tag vandalism thing.  Oh, you thought it was about lemon and lime?  Well, you were wrong.  

This one's all about hatred and bitterness.

The happiest Bills fan.

Sweet baby gifts from a friend.  Mitch is pretty sure he's going to steal that elephant when the time is right.

Right now I'm off to ellipt whilst watching Amazing Race, and Breaking Bad.  I love fall TV!  I do not love crazy dreams where I am involved with the drug cartel and accidentally to blame for lots of deaths and/or murders.  More on that later.  I blame The Blast.

Happy fall to you!  

Michael Vick: A Post from Mitch

Hey, y'all.  It's me again, Mitch.  I just have something to say real quick about Michael Vick.

I hate him. Like hate him hate him.  And I always will, no matter how good he might be at throwing or running.

Just sayin'.

What We're Watching

Matt and I are unapologetic TV addicts.  Fortunately for us, the quality of television shows has increased tremendously in the last decade or so, so we can be entertained by smart, beautiful programming.  And then, of course, there's Teen Mom.

Anyway, here's what we've been watching lately:

1.  Football.  This one's more Matt than me.  He watches and I provide commentary.  For example, when one of the refs threw a flag during the Bills game this afternoon, I hollered, "Ooooooh, someone's in trouble!"  Then I fell asleep for four hours.  Oh well.

[source]

2.  Boardwalk Empire.  Ooh, what a pretty and smart show!  We are both really enjoying the glimpse into Atlantic City during prohibition.  Martin Scorcese and HBO?  Yes, please.  We're an episode behind, though, because every time we go to watch it I fall asleep.  Oops.  (Also, don't make old timey Omar kill your ass.)

3.  The Office.  The new season of this old favorite has had a really strong start.  I think my favorite little storyline so far has been Pam creating herself an entirely new position.  I just got caught up with The Office because I'd fallen asleep during last week's episode.  Does anyone else think that I might have narcolepsy?

4.  30 Rock.  Another strong start to a season!  There's a special place in my heart for 30 Rock, and I'm still working on getting Matt to dress up as Werewolf Bar Mitzvah for Halloween.  I think the only way I'll get him to do it is to get in a big fight with him that is his fault, and to cry and then say that the only way he can make it up to me is to dress up for Halloween. 

5.  Modern Family.  This might just be my favorite show.  And while all of the characters are wonderful, I think Phil might just be my favorite.  (He's the most like Ross Gellar, I've decided.)

6. Amazing Race.  Even though this season's teams are pretty crappy, we're still watching.  I wish I'd chosen Kev Jumba and his dad, though.  I also wish there was a watermelon face smash on every episode!

7.  Teen Mom.  We've talked about this one a lot, and it's simultaneously the best and worst thing on TV right now.  I can't believe that the next episode is going to be the season finale!  Matt would like to point out that he does not watch this show, because he is above trash like this and prefers high brow entertainment, which you will discover with item number 10.

8.  The News.  I'm a little bit of a news junkie.  My favorite news show is Rachel Maddow.  Watching her show is educational and entertaining, and she's not a maniacal idealogue like some other hosts.  And she has Kent, and she's really tall, so that's good.

9.  Glee.  Just kidding.  We stopped watching that in the middle of last season.  I just couldn't make myself care anymore.

10.  Real World/Road Rules Challenge.  This season takes place in Prague, and the elimination battles happen in the "Gulag". As in, Brandon and Derrick will be facing off in The Gulag. WTF?  What's the next season going to be?  The Challenge: Auschwitz?  There was even a part where the players had to go into a gas chamber to read a clue.  One of the girls mentioned that she shouldn't go into the gas chamber because she has asthma and it would be unhealthy for her.  You know, because gas chambers are only bad for you if you have asthma.  Matt is more invested in this than I am, but I join him in watching it sometimes.  In the absence of Teen Mom, however, this show will serve me well.  It's just horrible enough and entertaining enough to make an hour of ellipting go by in a flash.

What are you watching?  Is there anything out there that we should be watching but aren't?

Did JMU Really Beat Virginia Tech?

Yeah they did!

I don't normally give a rat's ass about college football, but today I do.  (Matt always cares about college football, and what I thought would be a Sophie's Choice type of situation really isn't.  Matt's giddy about the win.  So is Mitch.  When I got home today he demanded that I put on his JMU collar.)

The first weekend I was at JMU, our football team headed south to Blacksburg to get pummelled by Virginia Tech.  The score was something like 69-0.  It was out of control bad.  Later I learned that Virginia Tech actually pays JMU to play the game in the first place--a sort of ego boost, I suppose.

Today, a little more than eleven years later (has it really been that long?), JMU trounced those silly turkeys. 

JMU's not a big football school--hell, the football team doesn't even play in division one.  And that's precisely what makes this victory so remarkable.  A few nights back, Virginia Tech came close to beating Boise State, a team that's supposedly very good (and could win it all, I guess). 

And now, tonight, they lost to JMU.  I wonder if Mickey Matthews was just having the Dukes watch inspirational pep talks from Coach Taylor in the locker room?

Because I can tell you one thing: Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.



Oh, to be in Harrisonburg right now, singing the fight song and actin' a fool.



Oh, and one more thing.  Looks like someone's been talking to Miss Cleo.

This and That

1. Tomorrow is the first day of school.  It's my 22nd first day of school, and I still get nervous and excited.  I hope that never goes away.  One of the best parts of teaching ninth graders is that I know that they're so much more nervous than I am, so I try to exploit that and scare them into thinking my class is going to be way harder than it actually is.  Classy, huh?  I can't wait to meet my new kiddies tomorrow morning!
2. Matt's been gone all weekend visiting his friend Drew in Virginia.  Initially, I was less than thrilled about him leaving me for a whole weekend (because I'm a loser and I never want him to go anywhere without me).  When he told me that during his weekend with Drew he'd be doing fantasy football drafts, though, I couldn't get him out the door fast enough.  I HATE sitting around while Matt does fantasy football drafts, and I always get a little bitchy about how long and drawn out they are.  (Also, he hogs the computer to do them.)  So, really, I believe that Matt's having gone away for the weekend is good for our marriage. 
3. As much as looking at my toothbrush sitting there all alone in the holder can bum me out, this weekend has actually been pretty great.  I gave our kitchen a little makeover (pictures to come), I got an amazing package in the mail (pictures to come), I watched season 8 of Friends (for the hundredth time), I cleaned, I listened to music and podcasts, and, whattayaknow?. . . I participated in a fantasy football draft of my own. 
4. My reasons for joining the fantasy football league were threefold. 
1. I really like the people who are in the league, and since it seems that my Savannah friends all move away, I need to be more outgoing. 
2. I could possibly win money.
3. Most importantly, there's a chance that I could win in my league and Matt would lose in his.  I am a bad wife.
5. Today I bought the Goody spiral bobby pin thing, and I'm completely in love.  I can basically make my hair look like it's in a fancy up-do with no work at all.  Go buy them.  I think you'll agree.

Well, I'm off to pack my lunch for my first day of school.  Wish me luck!

Google Super Bowl Ad

Why is Google so good?

It's getting a little dusty in here!

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

It's been a while since I've made cupcakes, and I'd been wanting to make these for a long time now. I'd resisted because I suspected that I would like them so much that I'd eat them all. We were having a Super Bowl party, and planning for a bunch of people, and I decided that tonight was as good a time as any. Then our party fell apart, and only four people came. Hmmmmm. More cupcakes for Mandy? Unfortunately/fortunately, yes.

I found this recipe on the 52 Cupcakes blog. Very much in the style of Julie & Julia, this woman has taken it upon herself to make all 175 cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. Hopefully, she's cooler than Amy Adams's Julia. I think there's a good chance she is, though, because she has a cute dog, Layla. Mitch would be friends with Layla, and he would dance with her. (PS--"dance " is my latest euphemism for "hump." He just dances like he's at the prom.)

Back to the cupcakes. They're not traditional cupcakes; instead they're a cupcake/cheesecake hybrid. Throw in some Oreos and you've got yourself something truly special. These are actually super easy to make, too, which is nice.

Pretty basic ingredients: two pounds of cream cheese, a cup of sour cream, vanilla, salt, eggs, sugar--and Oreos. Lots and lots of Oreos.

And I got to use my silicone baking cups again. (And yes, Caitie, I did wash them very well after the pupcakes featuring cat food.)

And would you look at that? We've entered the new millennium, people. Paperless recipes!


You place an Oreo in the bottom of each cup.

And then chop up the rest of the Oreos.


Whip the cream cheese.
Add sugar, vanilla, salt, and then egg. Mix in an electric mixer.


And fold in the crushed Oreos by hand.



Bake for 22-26 minutes, switching racks halfway through.
Allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for a minimum of four hours.

HOW FUN IS THAT?
And delicious, too. I had one last night and two today. And I think I might have one more before bed. Or maybe two. . .
Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes, stolen from 52 Cupcakes who stole it from Martha

Ingredients:
42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt


1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Happy baking, and happy snow day to our friends in the mid-Atlantic. I'm so jealous of you that it hurts. Next month I'll be posting pictures of us at the beach, and perhaps then Savannah and its stupid climate will redeem itself.

(Maybe this is our punishment for choosing a place to live based almost entirely on fact that there's no open container law?)