My Life on October 20, 2010

Outside my window...  It is pitch black and everyone in their right mind is still asleep.

I am thinking... I pulled up the last time I did a "My Life" and it was in July.  Whoops!

I am thankful... that all these election commercials will be over soon. 

I am creating... Geez, I can't even remember the last thing I created. 

I am going... to stop blogging and watching Family Guy before I make myself late for the airport.

I am reading...

This is the second in the Millenium Trilogy.  If you haven't read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, it is awesome!

I am hearing... Not much, it's 3:30 am after all.  The TV playing very quietly since Jim is still asleep and my space heater.

On my mind... I can't believe my nephew just turned 18 and my niece turned 16.  Sigh.

From the kitchen... It has been very brisk and fall-like here in WA so we've been eating stuff like chili and pumpkin bread this week. 


The rest of the week... Heading to SLC this morning for several days.  I'm glad I have a good hotel there and that it's so beautiful because I've been spending alot of time there lately.


I am wearing...  a bathrobe.  I really gotta go get ready!

A picture to share...

Saw this sign on a shuttle bus a few weeks ago.  No smoking... okay.  No eating or drinking... got it.  No cassette tapes?  No 1950's stereos?  No idea.

Another Ornament Video

First things first - My precious laptop and I have been reunited.  I would have been back last week except that I was sent to Denver for sun-up to sun-down meetings the entire week. 

Remember when I posted how to make Quilted Christmas Ornaments last year?  The weirdest thing has happened... people I don't know watch it.  I suppose I knew by posting it on YouTube that it was a possibility, but I didn't really expect it to receive any attention.  As of today it has been watched more than 7700 times and I get emails from all kinds of people because of it.  Weird.  One girl even tracked me down on Facebook to friend me!  I made a second video this morning to answer some of the questions that people have asked.  Here it is in case you were wondering, too.



By the way, watching and listening to yourself on video is seriously the worst thing ever. 

Most Embarrassing iPod Songs

Still no computer. It's been a week and I'm going a little stir crazy.

One of my quirky Angie things is that I am constantly writing myself
notes and making lists of silly things. I've done this for years and
years. Here's one I came across while I was desperately trying to find
something to entertain myself with after 2 hours on this airplane.

In no particular order...
1. Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A Lot
2. Islands in the Stream - Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
3. ABC - The Jackson 5
4. Dumas Walker - Kentucky Headhunters
5. Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
6. Fly With Me - Jonas Brothers
7. Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
8. Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus
9. Spice Up Your Life - Spice Girls

If I was riding in a car with people I'm not completely open with (ie
work people) I would frantically forward past all these songs, or if
one of these songs comes up on my iPod while I'm sitting next to a
stranger on a plane, I black the screen out. But secretly, I love
these songs and I am totally rocking out to them on the inside.

Don't even pretend like you don't like them, too.

XOXO!
A

Another Crash

Someone just cut off my right arm.  Again. I went through this once before, but it happened right as I was going on vacation.  This time I have work to do and stores to visit.  I overnighted my precious laptop to some brainy people who promised to fix her for me, but I don't know when she'll return.  I'm just walking in circles, not sure what to do with myself.  My fingers hate being idle. Maybe I'll take up knitting again?  Or sculpting.  Or taxidermy.   

Guess What???

I've been terribly absent lately but I am soooooo excited to tell you it's for a good reason. I have a new blog name and a new blog home under construction!!! I want to tell you more but I love a good surpise so for now my lips are sealed. My new home will be much more organized and will have better flow. I am sooooooo excited!!!! I know I said that already, but really, I am soooooooo excited. Okay, you get it. The only problem is that I am way clueless when it comes to computer jargon so don't expect this to happen overnight. I might end up outsourcing some of it because I think I might be too impatient to work out all the details.

Can't wait!!!!

I Fought The Meatloaf And The Meatloaf Won

Let's start with a little background info. I hate meatloaf. I have always hated meatloaf. I literally gagged as a child when it was placed in front of me. Serious dry heave wretching. In the last couple years my tastes have changed, my palate has matured. I still don't really like anything chunky, but I was willing to try meatloaf again for the first time in about 24 years.

I really thought if I made it myself I could overcome my ridiculous mental aversion to it. And it started out just fine. First off, I cooked the onions with all the spices. I think the smell of onions cooking is scrumptious!

And then the ground hamburger. I used to eat it raw as a child. Sorry if that sounds gross, but it's something my Dad did and it really is delicious. Back then we knew exactly where our beef was coming from so it wasn't really that dangerous, now I wouldn't dare, even though I was tempted. Not to mention Jim would literally go into some sort of Howard Hughes breakdown if I did.

Here's where things started getting a little sketchy. I was okay with the different components, but once I put it all together, I wasn't feeling so positive anymore.

At this point I kind of went crazy and started laughing. As I was forming the loaf shape of my nemesis, I was grossed out and nervous and maybe on the verge of gagging so I started laughing instead.

But I cooked it and tried it. I ate a bite and hated it, then Jim made me take one more bite.

Then I threw it away and ate an entire plate of mashed potatoes and gravy and vowed to never, ever try meatloaf again as long as I live.

Number 7 - done.

♪♫ Happy Birthday To Me ♪♫

Today marks the 33rd year of my existance. I am still able to say I'm in my early-thirties, but I am fast approaching those mid-thirties.

And since everyone knows your birthday comes with a free pass to do all those little things you wouldn't normally allow yourself to do, I just ate five pieces of pizza and three chocolate cupcakes. Really.

So, this is what I imagine I will look like at 33 1/2.

#24 - Photobooth

It's September and I still have a lot of work left to do to complete my list, but I can mark this one off. When we were roaming around Pike Place Market we wandered into a magic shop and praise the heavens, they had a photobooth! The guys were pretty much forced into it kicking and screaming but I was not about to take no for an answer. It was a beautiful day outside in Seattle, but this little magic shop was at least 120 degrees. Trying to fit 5 people inside a booth the size of a shower stall and still get everyone in the shot is impossible. It was crowded and we were all pouring sweat, but I was laughing the whole time.

After we got back home from our little roadtrip, me, mom and Abbey went to a movie then to the mall for some more photobooth fun.

Please take some extra time to check out my mom in the third picture down on the far left strip. We said we would all cross our eyes, but then Abbey and I didn't which is why we're laughing so hard. Sorry mom!!

My favorites....

Seattle Pike Street

One of Seattle's big touresty hot spots is the downtown Pike Street Market. It's a multi-level street that has vendors selling everything under the sun, plus the big attraction of the fish market. You may have seen it on TV where people are yelling orders and the guys behind the counter are throwing fish around. We got there too late to see all that, but just as we were walking onto the street, I noticed a hat store and I insisted on going in because no one should evvvvvvver pass up an opportunity to play in a hat store.

Vacation - Seattle (The Space Needle)

When we finally made it to the Space Needle (we parked roughly 73 blocks away from it) I noticed right away that the line was backed up all the way to Tacoma. We showed up the one day of the entire year that entrance was free. Lucky for us we saved about $100 but we also had to wait in line for an hour and a half to get in, along with every screaming child within a 300 mile radius.

But it was worth it.

I had only been inside it one other time 14 years ago. Seattle is overcast or rainy 90% of the time, so we could not have been there at a more perfect time. We had a clear view of Mt Rainier.

Check out these two.

They couldn't keep their hand off each other. Jim and Alan are quite the pair when they're together. More on that a different day.

Coming up later - Fun at Pike Street Market

Vacation Details - Day 2 and 3

The overeating on our vacation started early. We started the day at IHOP before Jim's 7 hour "4 hour drive" landed us in Port Angeles, WA. I will admit that me, mom and Abbs probably slowed the drive down with the multiple reststops. Not our fault. Everyone knows females have smaller bladders.

Port Angeles is where Jimbo lived prior to moving to Missouri and meeting Moi. Because of that, he was like a built in guidebook and knew the best place to eat. When you are on the coast you pretty much have to eat seafood. It's like a rule so we ate a lot of it.

The next morning we boarded the ferry to cross the Straight of Juan De Fuca to get to Canada. It was very, very windy and chilly.

Then when we got to Canada, we ran into Queen Elizabeth.

At a wax museum I mean. I realize how incredibly nerdy it sounds to say that we visited a museum on our vacation, but it was cool. Maybe just a tad nerdy. It did have a "chamber of torture" that showed all different forms of medieval torturing. It was funny to hear Abbey tell her Daddy on the phone about it. Abbey might have learned a lot of things she was better off without knowing on this trip. Oh well, she can't be innocent forever.

I find Victoria utterly charming. It is a British Colony so when you're walking around you hear people talking with English accents. I'm a sucker for romanticism and Victoria exudes it everywhere.

The Empress is the most amazing hotel ever. More castle like than any hotel I've ever stayed in. I dream of having high tea there someday, but at $75 per person, it will have to wait a little while. Someday though.

Pardon my bizarre facial expression in the next picture. My mother wanted a pic of the enormous hydrangea in relation to a human and I was being a bit of a smartalic. The flowers around this city are crazy huge. Almost cartoon like. Being in Victoria feels a little like the Truman Show. It's almost so perfect it feels fake. But I loooooooove it there.

Tomorrow: Day 4 - Seattle

Vacation Video

Over the next few days I will recap our vacation into Seattle and Victoria, BC Canada, but for now, here is a video of the journey. So much fun!

Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients for cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vanilla yogurt
3 extra large eggs (room temp)
1 cup sugar
zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup canola oil

Ingredients for glaze:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.

In another bowl mix eggs, sugar, yogurt and lemon zest. I used low fat yogurt to try to save a few calories.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Whisk in half the oil, then the other half. Keep stirring, stirring, stirring until all the oil is well incorporated.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 1o minutes then remove from pan.

In a saucepan, bring the sugar and lemon juice to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is disolved. pour over the cake. I strongly suggest you do this over the sink or you will have a sticky mess.

As with most pound cakes, you should make this at least one day before you serve it so that it has time to get perfectly moist.

The Fam loved this. The guys each ate 3 slices, my mom asked for the recipe, and Jim said it was the best pound cake he'd had. You should make this one.