Apples

Since I didn't really have anywhere to go with it. I lent my Snow White costume to my sister to wear at the library. She called me earlier and told me it went really well, everyone loved it. I bet she looked even better in it that I did because she's got the right hair for it. She said there would be pictures soon so I'm excited to see them. Woot!

Howl-o-ween

Today was fun at the dog park. Roland humored me and accompanied me to Howl-o-ween down in Hollywood. There is a small dog park there and they hosted a get-together along with PetSupermarket and some other folks. There were booths for some rescues (Greyhound, Old English Sheepdog, mutts) and some dog related businesses (grooming, pet sitting, pet massage). There also were some demonstrations for flyball, Paws with a Cause, dog training. And of course a pet costume contest. Some of the other pets were:

There was a lobster and a K-9 Officer


An Italian Dinner (love the meatball on the head!) and a bumble bee


Draclua (actually there were about 5 of them) and Snow White


A ducky and a pumpkin


A soccer player and butterfly (her wings off at the moment)


The costume contest was a little weird because they had some odd categories which Bleys didn't fit into very well and the voting was by audience applause. We went with Scariest Costume and actually won 2nd place. I'm pretty sure that the lady deciding who got the most applause cheated because I don't think he really got much applause (there were a lot of larger groups there who applauded for their own pets). I think she just liked the costume. They even had prizes! So now his majesty has two new chew toys. What a great little brudder.

Closet

Roland brought home four pumpkins and today we carved two of them! I carved one of my favorites and Roland did a new spooky lookin' ghosty. It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to doing another one tomorrow. I'm not sure but I thinking about doing the spider/web one that I've really liked before. I'm not sure when the trick-or-treaters will be about so I hope that they will hold up until they do.



If you look closely in the background you can see a bit of a sweepy puppy.

Progress

The toddler page is up and running. I still have to get the dragon up there, but the other three are all set to go.

Excuse me, might there be any thatched roofed cottages around here?

Ok, so Cute Overload sucks just a little bit. They started posting pictures of pets in costume a while ago so I naturally sent them a picture of Bleys as Dogdor. Since then they have posted a bunch more (my current fave is the turtle shark) but no sign of Bleys. I mean seriously, he so holds up his end of the cute-o-meter.







I mean he's got wings and everything! I did have to remake the costume this year though, apparently he got longer sometime between when I made it and now. His tail didn't fit anymore. So I redid it and added the horn head thingy.

The Chewy

Today's fun:



My new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's so good!

UPDATE: Oops! Here is the recipe for any who want to try the goodness for themselves:
The Chewy

For DrJ

Recently DrJ got the good news that she will be able to visit Australia for three months starting near the end of November. Going home for a while soon myself I got to wondering about what she would be looking forward to about going home. Would the must-do-whilst-home lists be at all alike? My trip isn’t nearly as long and the culture clash is much smaller but we seem to be similar type people – as much as a blog can let you know that sort of thing.

There are a lot of things I’m looking forward to but most of them revolve around seeing people that I miss a great deal. My family are at the top of the list and Roland’s family too (boy did I luck out on the in-laws). Friends come to mind next: Jason, Henry and Katie, Ryan and Laura, Chad and Christina, Shannon and Ronda, Veronica and Joe, Doc, and Alicia (and all the babies/children that go with the appropriate people). I’m also excited to meet Jason’s new lady Jocelin.

Some of the other things I’m looking forward to are sort of random bits and pieces. And I keep thinking of more all the time:
Eating at G & L and Big Apple Bagel (Roland is really looking forward to BW3)
Thanksmas – Where you get what you want
Christmas with family
The New Years shindig
Wearing jeans
Hearing my Dad play the organ
Seeing Anne’s new house
Looking out the big picture windows at my parent’s house and seeing almost nothing but trees.

Hmmm...I wonder if Kate Leggett would be visiting near the holidays.Maybe I should email her and find out.

Sigh

So here I am...all by my lonesome. Roland took off for Washington D.C. today for a conference. Ok, so that "conference" part is stretching things a bit if you ask me. I'm pretty sure he was just itching for any excuse to visit there and this is what happened along. He is at some Ethics Journal awardy thing for the dude who is in charge of it. He can explain it better if you ask, I'm just bummed because he's all off having fun and good times without me. Somehow an empty apartment and leftovers in the fridge just don't measure up. I suppose I quite of bit of my mood at the moment stems from the fact that his plane left très early this morning. Getting up at 5 to drive to the airport and then straight back again isn't the best way to start the day. Especially given the fact that señor poopenstein got me up around 3 to go out. This is why I don't like leaving him in boarding. He always comes home with gastrointestinal issues that make me think they ignore the giant warning I give them about not giving him treats. Or it could just be the stress. Either way I don't dig getting up in the middle of the night to wander around the apartment complex while he works out his issues.

Mote

Blame this on DrJ. Who blames it on...

My earliest memory is… Playing in some really cool portable sandboxes at my Grandma Heidemann’s house where my father grew up in Cleveland.

At high school I… had three anti-cool strikes. I was in band, I was in choir, and I played soccer.

My first relationship was… fun and exciting.

I wish I’d never worn… Those Bermuda shorts I made in home ec.

My mother told me… how to be a good person. Not in words, but she told me nonetheless.

I wish I had... A bajillion dollars (after taxes). Seriously, have you ever thought how cool it would be to have enough money to pay off all your school loans, maybe buy a house, and still be able to donate to all sorts of charities and stuff?

My most humiliating moment was... being in 5th grade and having most of the class do unflattering impressions of me with the teacher not stopping them, then taking me out in the hall and telling me to lighten up.

At home I cook…only a few meals that I know how to cook. Mostly Roland does the cooking because he is way better at it. Now for baking, I’m your gal.

My last meal would be… Probably at the Melting Pot. Especially because dessert is a big pot of melted chocolate for you to dip things in (like a straw – Jason).

I’m very bad at… drawing. Man do I wish I could draw. That would be so cool.

When I was a child… I got so frustrated because I was never going to catch up to Anne, she was always going to be older than me. ;)

The book that changed my life is… I’m not sure a book ever consciously changed my life. I’ve loved a lot of books, think about books I’ve read a lot, and re-read many of them.

It’s not fashionable, but I love… embroidery, sewing, gardening, baking (what century is this again?).

Friends say I am… very far away.

The song I’d like played at my funeral is… There was this choral version of An Irish Blessing – you know “may the road rise up to meet you…” – that I sang a long time ago. I still love it, but I’m not sure how I would find it. Also Pie Jesu by Andrew Lloyd Webber sung by traditional boys choir type voices – no vibrato. And yes, I’m very picky.

If only I could… get used to living in Florida.

The last big belly laugh I had was… I can’t remember and that’s not good. It was probably at a movie or something.

What I don’t find amusing is… the US government. I’m afraid I have to agree with you there Dr.J

I’m always being asked… What kind of dog is that?

If I wasn’t me… I wouldn’t have found Roland, and that would be sad.

At the moment I’m listening to… me typing this sentence.

My favorite work of art is… I don’t think I have one particular favorite. If I did maybe we would have something hanging over our couch!

If I were a car I’d be… I don’t know very many cars. I’d probably be solid and dependable though, nothing flashy.

I often wonder… what I’m supposed to be doing.



Tag: Roland, Jason, and Anne

Grump Grump Grump

Stupid sewing machine. My workhorse sewing machine decided to act up yesterday. In the space of 5-10 stitches it went from normal to super-extra-please-get-me-to-the-repair-place loud. It unfortunate because I'm right in the middle of two or three projects that I really want to get done before we go up north. Plus, even though the machine is more than a few years old I get it cleaned and serviced every year so it should behave itself in between. Anyway, I trotted it over to a repair place and I'm really hoping that their two to three day estimate is a least accurate. I'm going to be pretty cheesed off it end up being more like a week or two like the place I took it in March. Mer.

Honey is not made from nuts

Time for the food low-down. Here are a lot of the dishes we tried, however, Roland ate some things that I didn't so you will have to bug him for his input to be fully informed. This list includes items from all three* of our shared meals around the world.

From Argentina - Marinated Strawberries with Basil. Good, but the basil was very powerful, mostly just a cup of strawberries.

From Scandinavia - Kjottkaker (meatball thingy) and Lingonberry Mousse. The Kjottkaker was quite good, but the mousse stole the show for me. Somewhat sweet, somewhat tart, all super light and fluffy.

From China - Pot Stickers, Carmel Ginger Ice Cream, and a green tea plum wine cooler. The pot stickers were the only item I went back for seconds on. Seriously a must. The ice cream was okay for me, but Roland l-o-v-e loved it. We both enjoyed the plum wine. It was quite sweet, but light and refreshing.

From Thailand - Sweet Mango and Tapioca Soup. Awesome. This was a dessert soup, served cold and like the plum wine light and refreshing. Considering I don't really care for mango or tapioca I'm not sure why I like this soup, but it was great.

From Australia - Grilled Lamb Chop with Carmelized Onions. This was all me baby, I enjoy lamb a lot and Roland does not so when I get a chance to try some new lamb dishes I'm all for it. You may notice this a little later in the list. This was a small chop with a tangy sauce. Very good and very easy to eat while walking.

From Octoberfest - Pretzle Roll with Sauerkraut and Debreziner Sausage. I actually liked what they had here last year a little better, but this was delicious too. It was especially good with a little mustard.

From the Hops and Barley Markey - New England Crab Cake with Barley Salad. I liked this one a lot. The crab cake was tasty and the barley salad was served cold and made a nice contrast to the cake. Thumbs up.

From USA - Maine Lobster Roll and Blackberry cobbler. The lobster roll was served cold and I think since I was expecting it to be warm this was a bit of a let down. I'm not sure how I would have graded it if I had been expecting cold. It was good and all, just not what I had in mind. The cobbler was good, but the portion was a bit small.

From India - Curried Butternut Squash Soud with Naan Bread (although they were out of bread so I just had the soup). One of my favorite things. Seriously delicious. I wish I had a recipe for this, I would make it...a lot. The curry sort of cut down the natural sweetness that is usual for a butternut squash soup making it downright near perfect.

From Turkey - Vine Leaves Stuffed with Rice. Meh, this was pretty bland. It needed some sort of dipping sauce or drizzle to make it worth getting.

From France - Chausson au Frommage de Chevre. This was okay. The goat cheese was great but the pastry was a little on the greasy side. I'm glad I tried it, but I'm also glad that Roland ate more than half of it.

From Ireland - Potato and Leek Soup with Dubliner Irish Cheese Crisp and Lamb, Bacon, and Cabbage Stew with a Kerrygold Butter Scone. The soup? Big disappointment. I assumed this was the same potato and leek soup from last year and from the Rose and Crown. Nope. *pout*
The stew? Fabulous. Loved it and the buttery scone was awesome too.

From Poland - Beef Cabbage Roll, Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies, a Paczki, and some Rasberry wine. The first two were great I especially liked the pierogies. The plum paczki was a dissapointment because it barely had any filling. Seriously, I think they had a paszki filling breakdown. The wine was also nice.

From Canada - Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup and Maple Custard topped with Almond Crunch. I started drooling just typing in the name of the cheese soup. Yep it's that good. Roland really liked the custard, but I only had a little taste. Not my favorite.

From New Zealand - Lamb Slider and a Kiwi and Custard Roll. Both awesome. The slider was on a fairly dry roll, but the lamb and juices made it just perfect.


*Three meals? Yeah, and we still didn't get to everything.

For Katie

Congratulations to Katie who is having a girl! Yay for Charlotte Jane Baker (unless Katie changes her mind).

For Anne

DrJ totally posted the worst knitting fiasco to hit the world since The Sweater. Check it out.

Flight

Roland and I have returned from an awesome weekend at Disney World. It turned out to be one of the best trips yet. We chose this time because it was the Food and Wine Festival, because it was the annual passholder preview of the new Living Seas ride, and because we are getting into the "less hot" time of the year. We dropped Bleys off at the vet (where we board him) on Thursday morning and drove up to Disney. We visited the Magic Kingdom after we got there and then, following a lovely day there, we hopped over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma. Just as good as last time, it was an awesome dinner. The soups and salads are my favorites there.

On Friday we spent the day at Epcot, which is probably my favorite park. We started by riding the new ride I mentioned earlier. They reused the path of the old ride that used to be in there, but totally redid it. New cars (clamobiles), new stuff to look at, and some wicked awesome visuals. Then we did lunch around the world showcase with all the wonderful foods. I love that you can get little samples of a bunch of different foods. When Roland and I share each thing it means we get to try a lot of different stuff without overeating. Check back soon for a post soon about all the great food. After lunch we rode some of the other rides, Soarin' and Spaceship Earth among others. Then we went diving and it probably the best dive there yet. The water was a little murky because of the recent construction, but murky at Disney means instead of unlimited viz you might only have 100' viz (rough life isn't it?). The guide who led the tour before the dive was nice and showed us a ton of stuff, the divemasters were great and the animals were extremely active. I ended up an arms length above the very large shark and all of the turtles were out and visible. We were also in the first dive group of the evening and so not too long after feeding time. Apparently one of the fish didn't get enough because my D-rings were irresistible and he followed me around for quite some time nibbling at them. We were lucky because our group was only 6 people and the next group was 11 or 12. Even so, the other four were a bit of a pain. There were very good at not paying attention to their fellow divers (me). It's really not that hard to stay at least a few inches away from other people so as not to kick them and whatnot. Then again they were all pretty flail-y in the water so they were probably not terribly experienced.

Saturday we went to MGM and then Pleasure Island for dinner. MGM was sweet as always. We saw the Lights, Motors, Action show and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. I made Roland go do the drawing thing three times and we got to draw Mickey, Winnie the Pooh, and as a surprise the last time we got to do Stitch! Way cool (for nerds like me). Dinner was at Raglan Road, which is the new Irish Pub over at PI. It was very good although I wasn't feeling super great so I only got a salad. Guess I'll have to go back. Then today we slept late, checked out and went over to Epcot for one last go at the Food and Wine Festival. I think we tasted most everything that was on our must have list, but we did have to leave quite a few untasted. Ah well.

Dijon Ketchups

Someday....



Drooly McDroolersons.

Sebastian

I recently got an email from a mail order nursery that I bought some plants from (for the house in Grand Rapids). It showcased this awesome black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra).



Alas, it wouldn't survive in the heat down here, it's wicked expensive, I have no place to plant it, and this is a running bamboo so I wouldn't plant it anyway. A better choice would be Bambusa lako. It's gorgeous though isn't it?

Nowhere

Haven't had much to post lately, been working on my site mostly...and a few sewing projects that I'm trying to finish up. Nothing super exciting.

Unable

Roland may not have an excuse for not blogging, but I do. I couldn't. Something went mankey and I couldn't access my blog, Anne's blog, our website, my email, or anything else housed on the web host that houses the SK88 family. I had received an email warning me that the host was going to move it's servers last Saturday and to expect an outage of a couple of hours, but I never actually noticed. I must not have been online when they moved. However, this past Friday I couldn't access any of our sites, the rest of the internet was fine, just our stuff. By Sunday I was getting irritated, so I called Anne. Up in the great white north she could access everything just fine except she couldn't log into the site admin page. So we tracked down the host's problem reporting thingy. I spent much of Sunday evening doing an email (different account) back and forth with the host peeps. They were very prompt which was nice, but I never did figure out what was wrong. It got to be really late, so I went to bed after sending them a tracert and a ping that both showed that I really seriously couldn't get to the sites. By morning it was working, so they must have found something. Anne and I are thinking about switching hosts. Any suggestions?