Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Today smells like...
...orange blossoms in the whole outdoors.
...newly planted basil.
...line-dried laundry.
...fresh air on gusts of a spring breeze.
...an incredibly delicious smelling turkey breast T has roasting in the oven, making my mouth literally water.
...vanilla lotion.
...pink grapefruit Method cleaning spray in a sparkling kitchen.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
TV Loves and Hates: March 3, 2013
Disclaimer: I tend to be fairly behind on my tv watching. Even so, consider the fact that there could be spoilers ahead if you're even further behind than I am. You read at your own risk!
**"I'm sorry. Edison, I'm really sorry. I could marry you. I could be a Senator's wife. I'd probably be happy. I could probably give all this up and live in a country house and have babies and be normal, I could. But I don't...want to. I'm not built for it. I don't want formal and easy and simple. I want... I want... I want...painful...difficult...devastating...life-changing, extraordinary love. Don't you want that too?"
**I don't love that Fitz feels hurt and betrayed, but that was some kind of acting. After Fitz spoke to Liv at Verna's funeral, I had to scrape the frost off my television screen to watch the remainder of the episode. (Scandal, ep 13)
**Dallas remains the master at jaw-dropping, what-just-happened television. I did not expect Ann to whip out a gun and shoot Harris Ryland point blank.
**Sue and Darrin! Sue and Darrin! Also? Axl's reaction. Cue: die laughing. (The Middle, ep 16)
**Brooke and Kristen in the final two on Top Chef! I've liked them both all season.
**I think the "lawsuit doctors" buying Seattle Grace is a great idea! (Grey's Anatomy, ep 14)
**Watson and Sherlock are *finally* partners. We can put the whole "sober companion" angle and Watson leaving because her contract is up to bed. (Elementary, ep16)
**The season (series?) finale of CSI: NY ending with Mac's proposal to Christine. So sweet!
**Not so much a "love" as an observation - I noted a few weeks ago that Lily was a popular sitcom name (How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Whitney). It just occurred to me that Olivia is a very popular tv-drama name (Fringe, Law and Order: SVU, Scandal).
**Getting nowhere in the Red John story, especially when there are rumors circulating that this could be the final season of The Mentalist and there are only 8 episodes remaining in this season.
**Rollins' sister on Law and Order: SVU.
**Not really liking an episode of Person of Interest (ep 16). It's such a great show, I want to love every episode.
**There is just nothing even remotely funny about shrill Robin Scherbatsky. (How I Met Your Mother)
**This could be the end of CSI: NY, by far my favorite of the CSI franchise.
**The format of Finale (Part 2) of Top Chef was awful. It was disjointed and took all the drama and suspense out of finding out who would win. Too bad, because other than season 8 (Top Chef All Stars), this was probably my favorite season yet.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The Girl on the Other Coast: March 2, 2013
It was time to start planning our next collaborative post, but things have been a little crazy on both coasts, so I wanted to keep it super simple. I don't know about you, but no matter how busy I am, I still have to eat. (In fact, it's better for all of us if I do, because no one wants me hangry, let alone on top of crazy or stressed.) So, with those facts in mind, I went with:
Friday's breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here is G's version.
Curious what I ate on Friday? (Humor me. Pretend you're curious.) Take a virtual voyage to Little Italy and find out!
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(G says) My meals today. Quick and easy. And very reflective of a busy week.
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(edit to add mine)
Friday, March 1, 2013
Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: February 2013
A photo of me:
I could have done a nicer one, but this one just makes me laugh so much.
1) Candle scents this month:
French Vanilla. North Pole. Balsam and Cedar. White Christmas. Red Berry and Cedar. Mountain Berry. Be Jolly. Deck the Halls.
2) What I am reading this month:
I have 125 pages left to go in The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett), and then I will get back to Knuckler: My Life with Baseball's Most Confounding Pitch (Tim Wakefield with Tony Massarotti). I have enjoyed The Pillars of the earth all along, but the last 100 pages I've read have *really* sucked me in. It's all starting to come together now and I can't wait to see how it ends!
3) Three things One thing on my mind:
1. I really hate being told "As a woman/Christian/citizen/whatever, you should feel OUTRAGED by [fill in the blank]." How about "you" stop telling me what I should feel? As I free thinker, I perfectly capable of looking at the facts, weighing the various options, considering my own personal values, morals and priorities, and deciding how *I* feel about said topic. Your trying to shame me or guilt me or bully me into agreeing with how *you* feel about something is pretty offensive, actually...even if I agree with you! It's fine for you to state how you feel, and we may or may not agree, but simply because we share similar religious beliefs, happen to be the same gender, are affiliated with the same political party, live in the same state, or whatever classification you wish to use does NOT mean that we have to be clones in how we think or feel. You may feel very strongly about any particular issue, policy, topic or cause, but it isn't up to you to tell a single other person how they feel. BACK OFF.
4) Movies I saw:
Not a single one. February sweeps mean lots of new television episodes.
5) Calendar image for the month:
The home version, and if this doesn't remind me of Chippens Hill on a snowy February day, I don't know what does.
The work version makes me long for a May night and the crack of a baseball bat.
6) New recipes tried this month:
Creamy Chicken Florentine. Super-Easy Cherry Pie. Baked Ziti. Brown Sugar Glazed Baby Carrots.
7) Restaurants where I ate:
Bob Evans.
8) Five things I am loving this month:
1. Our new bed and bedding.
2. Finally finding Yoplait Original in raspberry at Target. Publix stopped carrying it. Winn-Dixie stopped carrying it. T couldn't even find it for me at the W-store where I refuse to shop. Thank heaven for Target!
3. Mike Lowell back with the Red Sox as a temporary infield instructor. I love hearing that Pedey asked him to make an appearance and spend a little time with Will Middlebrooks, giving him some insight on how Lowell and Pedey used to work together turning double plays.
4. Mint M&Ms.
5. Frosty Florida mornings.
9) Five goals for next month:
1. Clear out 10 magazines from The Stack.
2. Scan 25 more old photos.
3. Do one Pinterest project.
4. Finish those two books and move on to something new!
5. Get the DVR cleared out to the point that only the most recent episode of a show might be lingering. (Baseball season is rapidly approaching, the DVR has been acting a little weird lately, and we've been wanting to switch the special HD DVR that will access the MLB Extra Innings HD channels.)
10) This month I looked forward to:
The beginning of Spring Training. Even if the games count for nothing, I am thrilled that baseball activities are taking place.
11) Something that made me laugh this month:
I was outside, watering the plants, when I dropped the hose. It landed on the spray nozzle "just so" and next thing I knew, I was getting a cold water shower directly in the face. It probably took ten seconds for me to react, I was so shocked. And what is there to do but? Well, laugh, and then, open the front door and stand there, dripping, asking your husband to please get you a towel. (He laughed too.) (I'm more than ok with that. Life is too short to take yourself too seriously. Also, he did the same thing the previous weekend and had to run away from the hose!)
12) A photo I took this month:
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
This week, I will...
...bake some chocolate chip cookies.
...go to church on Wednesday evening for midweek Lenten service.
...read for at least 15 minutes before falling asleep.
...switch out the winter and Valentine decorations for spring and Easter.
...light candles in the evenings.
...watch some pre-season baseball on tv.
...take at least one photo every day.
...clear out two more magazines from my backlog.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Friday Leftovers: February 22, 2013
**I came across a new product on the shelves at my local grocery store. I needed some chopped tomatoes for a recipe I was making for dinner and Pomi tomatoes happened to be on sale. They are in a carton, not a can, and the only ingredient in that carton is tomatoes. Just tomatoes. I decided to give them a try. I am so glad I did. Wonderful!
**I am not sure what to make of the "Lackey positive press campaign," but if this reinvention of his image in Boston is for real (and comes with some actual notches in the win column for the Sox), I am fully on board!
**It used to be that one of my favorite Bath and Body Works scents was "Moonlight Path." Over the past several weeks, though, it seems I cannot wear it anymore. The consistent smell of the lotion would start to give me a headache after about an hour, and then, no matter how many times I washed my hands or layered on another scent, the headache would progressively grow worse. I had to give away a half-used bottle to one of my co-workers.
**I am probably the only person alive to feel this way about it, judging by the enthusiasm people show and the number of them who have tried to convince me I need to go at least once, but I could not possibly have less interest in Vegas. None. Not even a hint. I don't care to gamble. Or see weird shows (Cirque de Soliel La Nouba at Downtown Disney creeped me out more than anything). Or do the whole nightlife scene. Before you declare me a bore and a fuddy-duddy, though, I just feel that with a long list of other places I can actually name wanting to see in my lifetime, visiting one that has never sparked so much as the tiniest bit of interest in me doesn't really generate any consideration. I mean, c'mon, there's not even a (major league) baseball team there to entice me!
**I have been really drawn to the color combination of pink and brown recently. I'm not usually much of a pink person (although I did spend a good piece of my childhood wishing I had a pink bedroom, instead of yellow) (I am still not a fan of yellow to this day), but something about pink and brown together is just appealing to me all of a sudden.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
TV Loves and Hates: February 17, 2013
Disclaimer: I tend to be fairly behind on my tv watching. Even so, consider the fact that there could be spoilers ahead if you're even further behind than I am. You read at your own risk!
**Recognizing the teacher on The Middle (ep 14) was Fred Hollywell from the George C Scott version of A Christmas Carol.
**Sue and Darrin! Sue and Darrin! (The Middle, ep 15) Best Valentine's Day episode of 2013.
**Leonard finally standing up for himself to Penny. (The Big Bang Theory, ep 16)
**Kristina, radiant and lovely, exiting the hotel on Adam's arm, no wig in sight. I didn't know whether to cheer or sob. (Parenthood, ep 12)
**Max's description of his new shower routine, and Adam and Kristina's reaction, was so funny and so real. (Parenthood, ep 13)
**Chicago Fire has more over-the-top drama than Seattle Grace, and that's saying something. In 14 episodes, one fire fighter has lost his life, another suffered an injury so severe it ended his career, there's a main character with an injury that still might have his career in jeopardy, multiple disciplinary actions, and more than one member of the team teeter with their lives in the balance, yet make a miraculous recovery. We've had drug addictions, gang involvement, a mother in prison for murdering her abusive husband, and a slew of personal drama that makes me twitchy. There's only so much you pack into one show, simultaneously, before it is full-blown absurd.
**Why is Mike Tyson showing up in all my shows? Appearances on both Law & Order: SVU and How I Met Your Mother in less than a week's time. I have already exceeded my 2013 quota of his face on my tv.
**Ed Asner as a really bad guy (Law & Order: SVU, ep 14). Now that he's been Santa Claus (on Elf), it hurts my brain to see him as such a twisted and disgusting character in this episode. There should be a rule that once you play Santa Claus, you cannot later be someone so awful. I mean, yuck. My head kept seeing Santa, while my eyes and ears were assaulted with the darkness of SVU. Bad combination.
**Really, Modern Family? A psychic? (ep14) I expect that from 2 Broke Girls but you're better than this.
**Penny and Raj in the Valentine's Day episode of Big Bang Theory. (ep 16)
**Jasmine's mother and her manipulative guilt trips and underhanded remarks to Crosby. (Parenthood, ep 13)
Saturday, February 16, 2013
The Girl on the Other Coast: February 16, 2013
G had a busy weekend ahead, so she kept this installment's prompt short and sweet. And what's shorter than one-word answers? Except that sometimes it's more difficult that you'd think!
Curious how I managed to limit my answers to a single word? (Humor me. Pretend you're curious.) Take a virtual voyage to Little Italy and find out!
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I always find it a challenge to limit your answers to just one little word. It needs to be accurate but also witty. Convey my feelings and my thoughts. Challenge accepted!
(Answers were written Thursday while the chicklettes were taking a test.)
1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair? light
4. Your mother? hurt
5. Your father? love
6. Your favorite thing? laughter
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. The room you’re in? classroom
10. Your hobby? scrapbooking
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? loved
13. Where were you last night? awards
14. What you’re not? immoral
16. One of your wish list items? travel
17. Where you grew up? califonia
18. The last thing you did? science
19. What are you wearing? white
20. Your TV? comfort
21. Your pet? none
22. Your computer? netbook
24. Your mood? blessed
25. Missing someone? dad
26. Your car? white
27. Something you’re not wearing? hat
28. Favorite store? target
29. Your summer? italy
30. Love someone? always
31. Your favorite color? turqoise
32. When is the last time you laughed? today
33. Last time you cried? yesterday
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(edit to add mine)
One word answers, huh? These prove tricky at times, but I will give it my best shot. (Since G has a busy weekend ahead, I am doing this on Tuesday evening at 10:16pm, so I can give her plenty of time to get her side of the posting business done.)
1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Where is your significant other? recliner
3. Your hair? longer
4. Your mother? blonde
5. Your father? retired
6. Your favorite thing? photos
7. Your dream last night? complex
8. Your dream/goal? evolving
9. The room you’re in? livingroom
10. Your hobby? photography
11. Your fear? disappointing
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? love
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you’re not? fake
15. One of your wish list items? cabinets
16. Where you grew up? Connecticut
17. The last thing you did? tidy
18. What are you wearing? loungewear
19. Your TV? Scandal
20. Your pet? none
21. Your computer? laptop
22. Your mood? relaxed
23. Missing someone? always
24. Your car? white
25. Something you’re not wearing? socks
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? endless
28. Love someone? completely
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? tonight
31. Last time you cried? commercial
Thursday, February 14, 2013
I love...
...orange blossoms
...fresh raspberries
...soft blankets
...red
...old photos
...autumn in New England
...song lyrics
...his wedding ring
...baseball
...Friday nights
...brisk mornings
...still warm-from-the-oven cookies
...laughing til I cry
...random "thinking of you" texts
...peppermint-scented lotion
...fuzzy socks
..."It's a Wonderful Life"
...donuts
...wandering down memory lane
...the colors of the sky at sunrise and sunset
...pristine freshly fallen snow
...the hymn "Abide With Me"
...Disney parks at night
...big hugs from friends
...tongue-in-cheek humor
...people who are genuine
...a good book
...him
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Ashes.
"We receive a cross of ashes on our foreheads on this day, for from dust we came and to dust we shall return (Genesis 3:19). For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3: 23-24)."
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
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