Tuesday Top Ten

It's Tuesday, and that means it's time for my top 10. If you aren't familiar with this, visit the link under "Friends and Recommended Links" and check it out for yourself.

Here goes..
1. The lovely meal of roasted red potatoes and leftover Easter ham, prepared by Rob since I'm not feeling great.
2. The Easter candy we'll be snacking on for the next few days. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for our fun Easter basket! :)
3. Signing off on a blueline proof today and knowing a needed piece will be printed soon.
4. Tylenol Cold and Flu... I popped two a few minutes ago and will have two more before going to bed.
5. Daylight Savings Time and the longer hours of sunshine. It's a little after 6:30 p.m., and it's still light out!
6. People magazine. I love it and look forward to it every Friday. Since we were gone during the weekend, I'm just reading it now.
7. Chatting quickly with my Mom on the phone tonight. Always a good pick-me-up!
8. Seeing the results of Dancing with the Stars tonight (not one of the shows I'm cutting out!).
9. My crazy kitty who just decided she would hop up on the kitchen counter (she knows full well that she's not allowed!) and looking around sweetly like it's the most natural thing in the world.
10. Hostess 100-calorie mini-coffee cakes!

Sick?

My throat has been sore all day. I keep thinking it will go away, but not yet.

Ugh. Like many of you, I don't have time to be sick!

Too Much TV

I think I've been watching too much TV. For the past week or so, I've almost felt overwhelmed by the number of shows I think I have to keep up on, and all of the good shows (like The Office, Criminal Minds, etc.) aren't even back from the strike yet!

Confession: Rob and I watch a lot of reality TV. We don't watch the ones that are super-seedy, but we do love Survivor and American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. Do you realize how much these shows are on each week? AI and Dancing are on twice and Survivor is once.. and the worst one we watch: Big Brother is on three times a week.

I've felt extra tired lately and don't think I'm getting enough sleep at night. Maybe that's because I'm watching TV until 10 p.m.

So, I'm making a change. I told Rob tonight that I'm going to just stop watching a few of them (primarily reality TV) and try to get to bed earlier or spend more time reading in the evenings. I think I'll sleep better, and that can't hurt!

(P.S. - We do have Tevo and record stuff so we can skip through the commercials. Although it is lots faster, I don't think it technically means I'm watching less TV!)

Wish me luck!

Pineapple Coconut Bars

I'm a big Paula Deen fan, and this is a recipe of hers that I'm making for dessert at my in-laws on Easter Sunday. Thought some of you may enjoy it too!

Pineapple Coconut Bars
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, divided
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 (20ounce)can crushed pineapple, drained
toasted flaked coconut, garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. In large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, coconut, brown sugar, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. In medium bowl, beat remaining 1/2 cup butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in remaining 1 cup flour. Stir in pineapple. Spread mixture evenly over baked layer. Sprinkle evenly with reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Garnish with toasted flaked coconut, if desired.

M&Ms vs. Football Field

I just read that you have to walk an entire football field to walk off the calories in one M&M. Ack.

Tuesday Top Ten

It's Tuesday, so that means it's time for my Tuesday Top 10. Here goes...

1. Wrapping up a graphics project at work today and moving it down the editing chain. I'll be glad to get it off my desk!
2. A trip to Target at lunch. I love to walk the aisles and check out all of the goodies. I picked up a few things we need around the house -- nothing too special!
3. Signing up for a March Madness pool on Dr. Mark Elrod's Lame-O-Weblog (which I read daily!). Rob picked us a funny team name of the "Fighting Amish."
4. Finally winning against Rob in "Smarty Pants", our new trivia game on the Wii.
5. Fresh sheets on my bed! I love the first night on clean sheets. If I had all the time in the world (and the inclination), I may consider putting on fresh sheets every day. That's crazy, but true!
6. Reading a few friends' blogs today and catching up on what's happening with friends.
7. Rejoicing with my friend Nicole today and her planned trip to Ireland. Have fun!
8. Media interest and hits on a big pitch I worked on last week. Keep 'em coming...
9. Watching "Dancing with the Stars" with the guys dancing last night, and the ladies dancing tonight.
10. 100-calorie Hostess mini-chocolate cupcakes!

Hope you are having a great week!

You Can Live in a Flying Saucer

My grandparents used to live on Signal Mountain, near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The windy road that went up the mountain was perched close to the edge, and there is one house on it that I always loved -- the flying saucer house.

This morning, I received a link from my brother that the flying saucer house is for sale and up for auction! Awesome. It will be sold to the highest bidder Saturday.

According to the article, the circular house -- ultramodern when it was built in 1970 -- is ringed with small square windows and directional lights and perched on six "landing gear" legs. It has multiple levels, three bedrooms, two baths and an entrance staircase that retracts with the push of a button.

The current owner has it listed on eBay, and bids are already up to $100,000. I'd love to bid and own the flying saucer house that I remember loving to drive by when we were little.

Back from Phoenix

Last week, I was in Phoenix from Tuesday through Saturday for my work. We had a conference on sustainable development, which was great. I was able to get to a few of the sessions (which is rare), and I really enjoyed it.

A couple of co-workers and I enjoyed a dinner one evening at Tarbell's, a great restaurant in Scottsdale. The food was excellent (I had a wedge salad and hand-cut pasta with bolognese). No wonder since the chef was a winner on the Food Network's Iron Chef.

Friday morning I headed back east on a cramped flight (the guy in front of me instantly reclined his seat and kept bouncing, trying to push it back more -- annoying). I am glad to be home!

Not much happening... our friends N&J came over last night for a fun time of pizza and Wii. We got a new game (recommended by J!) called "Smarty Pants" -- it's a trivia game and rather fun. Rob and N killed J and me on tennis, and the boys definitely outplayed the girls in Smarty Pants. Regardless, it was a great time!

Tuesday Top Ten (one day early)

I'm going to be out of pocket for the next few days, so I'm doing my Tuesday Top Ten one day early. In case you aren't familiar, here's the gist: every Tuesday, write down the top 10 things that you are thankful for that have already happened that day. You'll recognize and be thankful for the small things in life.

Here goes this week's Tuesday Top Ten...

1. Playing the Wii with my husband. We just got it two weeks ago, and we finally picked up a second remote. Tonight we've played baseball and tennis, and now Rob is working up some "Mii" to enter in a contest. We've had a lot of fun with it!
2. Resolving a nagging problem at work today and feeling good about a new plan.
3. Buying a cute red purse on sale during lunch at Kohl's.
4. Fun catalogs full of pretty spring clothes - a good mail day!
5. Sharing a yummy and easy dinner with Rob, thanks to Let's Dish.
6. Watching my crazy kitty AJ try to walk behind me on the treadmill. She's fearless!
7. Chatting with my Mom again on the phone tonight and sharing the woes of each other's days.
8. Hearing from an old friend on blogger today and participating in her new online Bible study, which is great.
9. Remembering seeing Baby Cameron on Saturday - so sweet!
10. A peanut butter bliss bar. :)

What are your top 10?

Good Weekend!

It's Sunday night and Rob and I are wrapping up a nice and relaxing weekend. We just enjoyed a delicious meal of pan-seared scallops (by Rob), roasted sweet potatoes (by me) and baby mixed greens (by Wegmans). I'm full and curled up on the couch, surfing the Web and writing this blog.

Friday night I headed to the mall after work with the goal of getting a few needed things: new pair of black trousers, one pair of jeans, one pair of khakis and some make-up. I should have known better than to go shopping for specific things... I found nothing! Actually, I did get a pair of khakis and a shirt for 50% off of the marked-down price (Lands End corner in Sears), which means I got them both for $18. Excellent. And the make-up was a no brainer... it's the only thing I didn't have to try on!

Rob headed over to the mall later and we used a Chick-Fil-A coupon to get some dinner. My salad dressing took a while for them to hunt down, so we actually got two more coupons for the wait. Nice! More free sandwiches for us.

Saturday we headed up to Maryland to see friends Jeff and Nita and their sweet 8-week-old, Cameron. He is just adorable and it was fun to catch up with friends. We are looking forward to watching Cameron grow! Saturday night we watched the movie Zodiac, about the murderer in California back in the 1960s. Creepy.

Today was church and laundry and a nice nap for me. Plus, I gabbed on the phone to my parents and then to my best girlfriend (who lives in Texas), so I'm all caught up on everything I need to know. :)

Rob's watching the men's Maryland basketball game, and I'm getting ready to go through a magazine of recipes and pull out any I want to try. Hope you had a great weekend, too!

Tuesday Top 10

I saw this great idea on another friend's blog - the Tuesday Top 10.

Here's the idea: every Tuesday, write down the top 10 things that you are thankful for that have already happened that day. You'll recognize and be thankful for the small things in life.

So, without further adieu...

My Tuesday Top 10
1. Lunch out with a co-worker (and friend!) who gives me honest feedback and good laughs.
2. Lots of projects and follow-up stuff completed today at work - and checkmarks on my "to do" list!
3. Three loads of clean laundry, washed and folded by my husband (since I was late getting home from work).
4. A sweet and silly kitty cat who is trying to eat my popsicle while I type this blog. :)
5. Completing a good 40-minute workout on the treadmill, and feeling the stress knot in my back slowly unkink itself.
6. A completed graphics project at work that arrived from the printer today - one day early and looking great!
7. My husband's laugh as he's watching American Idol - he has a big, jolly laugh when he finds something really funny. I love it!
8. The last item from my Longaberger order that finally showed up today.
9. Reading blogs and catching up on friends' lives on Facebook.
10. Latte ice cream bars!

I invite you to join me on the Tuesday Top 10 — I'm going to try to do it every week!

TGIF!

Oh, how I love Friday! For some reason, it's easier to get up in the morning and the day moves faster, knowing that in a few short hours it will be the weekend!

We are seeing my in-laws (Rob's parents) and family this weekend, so we are excited. We haven't seen them since Christmas!

My father-in-law picked us up a Wii this week (and one for himself too!), since he happened to be at Wal-Mart when the stockroom guy was putting them out. I wasn't 100% sure I wanted one when I thought I had to go out and search for it at different stores, but now that it's actually available... I've changed my mind! I like playing the golf and bowling, and it's a lot of fun to play when friends are visiting.

So here's to Friday... to lunch out with a co-worker, two days ahead of weekend and a night when I don't have to set my alarm to get up the next day. Happy weekend!

UMD Game!

A contact I know through work sent me an e-mail today and asked if I would like box seats for an upcoming University of Maryland men's basketball game. YES!

Rob and I are big MD fans, and basketball is a favorite of his. Plus, Rob said that MD needs to win their next three games in order to do something or another (make the tournament?). We are excited!

The game is televised, so look for us on the big screen! Thanks to my contact for offering us the tickets!

Blah

Today I am feeling blah. Blah about getting up this morning... blah about work (when there is much to do!)... blah about cooking and eating dinner with my husband.

Blah about writing this blog.

Maybe it's from staying up too late the Oscars. Maybe it's not having a nap on Sunday afternoon. Maybe it's just me.

But I'm blah.

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday! We celebrated last night with a ridiculous meal at Maggianno's, and today we are going out for lunch after church. I won't need to eat again for a week. ;)

I appreciate my Mom so much and am happy that she is here celebrating her birthday with us!

Yesterday, Mom and I went to Let's Dish and prepared about 16 meals each (we did the 8-meal package and split them into two meals each). Now our freezers are stocked with a variety of meals that we can easily fix. I love having the option of pulling these out in the morning and having an easy dinner at night.

My parents are leaving after church and lunch today to head back home. It's laundry time for me....

An Icy Friday?

We are supposed to get a couple of inches of snow tonight, followed by a 1/2 inch of ice. Yuck.

My parents are coming down this weekend, and have decided to come own down tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow afternoon. The guestroom is made and Rob helped me clean up the rest of our house, so we are good to go. I'd rather they be safe!

I stopped at the market on the way home, and I think I was ahead of the rush. I was able to get everything we needed and didn't have to wait in line much at all. I'm making a new recipe tomorrow night (pork carnitas), so we'll see how that goes. Rob is always amazed that I'll try new things out on guests instead of just us. :)

Sunday is my Mom's birthday! I hope her present arrives (it was shipped and should arrive tomorrow... with the ice). Let's hope UPS can slide up the hill to our house.

A Day Off!

I am excited that I have tomorrow of to recognize President's Day. The only bummer is that Rob doesn't get the day off. When his company was purchased by another about two years ago, they lost a few holidays, including this one. So I'll be up early with him anyway - no sleeping in for me! ;)

Since I have the day to myself, I've scheduled a pedicure and plan to just do some things around the house. My parents are coming to visit next weekend, so I need to make the guest bedroom up and take care of a few things.

Last night we got together with about 12 friends, and we had a great time! Our friends Jeremy and Nicole hosted the get-together, and Nicole whipped up a delicious meal of ziti, roasted peppers and sausage, salad and bread. We had a terrific time just hanging out in their adorable townhouse in Alexandria. I love that neighborhood.

Better wrap this up - we are watching the finale to American Gladiator and Rob is cheering at the TV!

Yes We Can

As a follow-up to my Barak Obama sighting, I'm sharing this video. Not getting political or trying to make a statement, but I think this is a powerful message done very well.

Obama

Earlier this week, I was in D.C. for a conference hosted by my company. Since we work long hours and need to be there early, we stay at the hotel too. This year, the conference was at the lovely Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Avenue.

Late Monday night, my cell phone rang. News from my co-worker: Barak Obama is in the hotel. He had been campaigning in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. (which he won all handily) and was bunking at the Mayflower. As he was coming into the hotel, the Secret Service had moved some people out of the entrance area, including two of my co-workers.

My plan: stake out the back elevator bank in the morning. I needed to be downstairs to set up for the breakfast at 6:45 a.m., but I headed down around 6:20 a.m. As expected, the SS showed up early and here came Obama. He is much taller than I expected!

On a separate note, we had an event at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in D.C. Totally creepy.

Bill Belichick = Poor Loser

I couldn't have said it better myself. From Yahoo Sports:

If he's going to lose, Bill Belichick would rather be elsewhere
Sunday, Feb 3, 2008 11:12 pm EST

On more than one occasion this year, Bill Belichick and the Patriots have run up the score on an overmatched opponent, and forced an opposing coach to sit there and watch his beaten team go through the motions while their heineys were being handed to them.

But when the shoe's on the other foot, and Bill Belichick's team has been beaten, he can't sit there and take the pain for a few seconds.

With :01 left on the clock, and his team just having failed on a last chance 4th down effort, Bill Belichick ran onto the field for a quick handshake, and then bolted for the locker room. Belichick's an important guy and everything, but I wasn't aware that the league had given him the authority to decide when games end.

There's time left on the clock, his team's been humbled, outplayed, and lost their chance at history ... and Bill Belichick doesn't have the stomach to sit there and absorb the pain until the clock read 0:00.

That's unsportsmanlike at best, disrespectful at least, and at worst, it makes him a big sissy.

Because Bill Belichick wanted to go hide when he lost, the field ended up being flooded with people, and the officials had to clear the area before the Giants could take their final snap and make it official. When you lose, you take your loss. You don't leave early because it makes you feel sad inside. Your opponent deserves more respect than that.

Anyone remember in 2004 when Randy Moss left the sidelines with two seconds left in a Vikings vs. Redskins game? Moss was selfish, a baby, a quitter, didn't respect his teammates, and didn't respect the game. Belichick just did the same thing, but did it on the biggest possible stage, and did it from the position of a leader of men.

Maybe there's something to be said for the inability to lose well ... most great winners don't lose well, and a sore loser is still a loser.

But still, if you're an adult, you finish out the game, and you give your opponents the stage and the respect they deserve.