Past & Present

PAST

Here are three pics from my childhood. The first one is me on my "stage" in our basement. Note the orange carpeting, the faux fireplace, and yes, that's a record player down in the corner. I was likely singing to my aunt Madonna's records. She went to Nashville and recorded a twangy country album in her 30s.

The middle one is a posed pic of me around three years old. I look like a good country girl, yes?

The third one is of me in the balerina outfit (about 4 years old) that my mom bought me to cope with the fact my sister was in dance and I wasn't. I used this, and my sister's old dance costumes, to perform for my entire extended family during holidays. I was the youngest grandchild and often couldn't be part of the plays and acts they'd perform for the family. Thus, I put on my own show, always involving dance.

PRESENT

We pick the car up today. It's a 2000 (I keep saying 1990, I don't know why...I'm a decade behind) Toyota MX2 Spyder. At least I look good in it, and it IS cute and zippy. Chris likes it because it's uber fast and "sticky" on corners. He pointed out that his dad, at 64, is the oldest living male EVER on his father's side of the family, so 34 really is mid-life. :-)

Channeling my Inner Boo

I think subbing for Boo yesterday on OT has made me feel a little Boo-ish. I have an 11:30 training across town, and no real reason to be in my office, so I'm working from Panera. Free refills on coffee. And I'm being good and got a whole grain bagel with a smidgen of light cream cheese for a snack a few minutes ago. The "fresh cracked eggs, applewood smoked bacon and vermont sharp cheddar" sandwich sounded better, but I'm seriously stressing about weight, so I avoided it (I was down 2 lbs this morning. Whew!).

We tested mattresses last night. We LOVED the spring-free mattress and the Tempurpedic wins for not transfering motion. However, we might wait until next year to buy it. Why? Chris really, really wants a new toy and now it's in the form of a little convertible. He's going to look at it today, and we might test drive it tonight. Three cars for two people. Sigh. It would replace the plane and motorcycle items on his wish list. I have to admit, it's the safer of the three, waaay more practical and uber cute. I'd tell you the kind, but I don't recall. A Toyota and some combination of letters and numbers. Guy is selling it for less than Blue Book and throwing in winter tires (not that we need those, though).

BIL called from a happy hour last night. A 3/4" thick slice of bacon was one of the happy hour appetizer specials. I like bacon, but that makes me barf. Of course, he was eating it.

Stay tuned tomorrow for some pics from my youth. I scanned some old photos and they make me laugh.

Not feeling bloggy

I haven't been feeling bloggy lately.

This weekend we had people over and went to a play. It was "Ah Wilderness!" by Eugene O'Neill. It was AWESOME! The casting was excellent. I wish I could take all of you right now.

Yesterday we started to finish the final piece of our deck. It's a wraparound step. Someday when it's finished, I'll take a pic. Someday. :-)

Watched Jesus Camp last night. It was ok. There are some crazy peep out there. Remember that screaming jesus lady on Trading Spouses (or was it Wife Swap?)? She'd fit right in around there.

Oh, Extreme Makeover Home Edition is filming in my hometown right now. It's the Anders family. The house is just down the road from where my parents built our first house (before I was born). I guess it's a real circus there. My dad was moaning about how they get to unfairly skip inspections, get fast permits, have so many waivers and loopholes for local contracters to sign, etc. I kept reminding him this was a one time thing for the good of a family and it will all be over in a few more days. He was starting to sound like a grumpy old man.

Poutine is no longer an option

It's a requirement!

We tried a new restaurant last night in Madison and found the one-and-only place here serving POUTINE!!!! It's a small menu cigar & bourbon pub atmosphere. Only five appetizers, one being randomly poutine! The waitress almost fell over when she found out we'd had it before. The chef was excited one of his favorite foods was so eagerly received. He used a gravy recipe from some famous restaurant in British Columbia. I have to say, it was divine. We now have a new Thursday night tradition: Happy Hour Poutine.

In our cocktailed-up state, Chris also informed me he has a new way of dealing with stress. List all your stressors, rank them in order from most distressing to least. Take the top three, draw a line below those, and forget about everything below the line.

*yawn* I'm a little tired this morning from the food, drink and merriment of last night.

Things I Need

...ok, "want."

1. Coupon organizer. I currently use three small envelopes in my purse. It's barely sufficient. I still have to pull over in the store and do a lot of sorting and juggling. I need one with seperate sections for type of coupon and "expiring soon."

2. GPS. Ok, I probably don't need this, but it seems fun.

3. A new knife block. My new big Sankotu knife does't fit, so I bought a new knife block today.

4. A sewing machine and lessons. I need curtains hemmed.

5. A king sized bed. Nolay's snoring bothers me MUCH less in a king sized. Unfortunately, we just purchased a queen sized frame & headboard last year. I think we need to build a platform.

What do you need?

Wednesday letdown

I'm very sad I cannot make BILLIONS on my boxer dickie idea. Guess I'll go back to my hairspray dispenser idea for women's bathrooms. Go ahead, rain on my parade with THAT one, too. *dramatic pose*

Yesterday I pseudo had the day off work. I had a conference call and answered email. Beyond that, I was off. I went to the dentist for a cleaning. All was well on the tooth frontier. I also caught up on some crappy tv. I watched the new "Date my Ex" show with Jo & Slade from The Real Housewives of Orange County. The basic premise is Jo and Slade are ex-fiances, but still very good friends. Slade helps Jo find a new man by letting suitors live with him and go on dates with Jo. He seemed uncomfortable the whole time. I think it SEEMED like a good idea to him, but in reality it's very hard. I'm kind of curious to see how he handles it throughout the season. Besides, I'm really low on trashy summer shows.

I also figured out my workplace will pay for one of my courses each semester, as long as I'm 50% or greater here. Yay!

I'll make millions!

Boxer Dickies.

Chris and I like to joke about shirts with "dickies" that are popular these days. I have some, he has some. Sure, they aren't "dickies," per se, but rather sewn in fake collars. Dickies are technically a seperate item you put on, then the shirt over it, but for modern purposes, the sewn in fake shirt collar? Dickie. My idea? Boxer dickies. Take boxers, sew a pair of jeans onto the cuff of the boxers. All the look, none of the worry.

The homies will love them!

Brain Vomit

It's been awhile since I've just had some brain vomit on here, so here is a miscellaneous post.


1. Work issues are still a bit unresolved. We received a call today about another funding opportunity, which makes it hard to decide where to put our time. Sigh. Just once, I'd like to only be working on three or less projects. I've decided that I could cut back to 50% time here and maintain a lot of my benefits, as well as having the opportunity to bump that time back up if the other job falls through in the long run. Then I could be a 50% employee at the other place, which would be about $6K more a year (with only working 50%) and doing something I really love. I just worry that 50% at my current job will make me insane, trying to juggle too much. If I wasn't in school, it wouldn't be an issue, but I will need my nights and weekends for studying.

2. I've asked Chris to take on two nights of meal planning and cooking while I'm in school. We'll see how that goes. He wasn't at ALL enthusiastic. He already made his meal plan for each week...a rotation of tacos, steak and frozen pizza.

3. I'm in fresh fruit heaven. I love this time of year. We picked two GIANT quarts of raspberries last night and had our CSA delivery. I'd purchased cherries in Michigan and blueberries at the store this week. Over on OT I left a great raspberry dressing and berry bar recipe I tried last night. I rarely use recipes, so this was a monumental event.

4. I'm getting excited about the 3 Day. In case you don't recall, Boo and I are on the CREW this year, not walking. I got a reasonably priced hotel (for my two-day pre-visit) with a free shuttle downtown and to the airport, Boo got us a free ride from the airport to the training location...so all the financial pieces are becoming a LITTLE easier to swallow.

5. I love Priceline. I use it at least five times a year for hotels and rental cars.

Dear Liver, I'm sorry.

Here's a recrap of The Great Brewpub Tour vacation (13 brewpubs in four days). It's the story of going for the brew and finding out about the towns.

Friday

We hit the road for Michigan, which brings us just west of Chicago, into Indiana for a bit, and then finally SW Michigan. Frodis's directions only had us stuck for two hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Kidding! It was smooooth sailing-thanks Fro!

We stopped in Michigan City, Indiana for gas and lunch. Saw a sign for a brewpub...of course we had to stop!

Shoreline Brewery....very cool first stop. It's an old pink building with great beers and food. I had an AMAZING cajun shrimp wrap with wild rice and sauteed shrimp, onions and peppers in a creaole seasoning. It was served with fried veggie chips, which were divine.

Yes, I took a picture of the food.

Michigan city, on the shore of Lake Michigan, is home to a lot of power...coal and nuclear. It's the kind of town where you understand why the waitress was "escaping" to Hawaii this fall.


Then it was onto Lawton, MI to visit Old Hat Brewpub. Lawton is home to a Welch's juice factory. We were surprised this little town had a brewpub. Beers were awful, but the building was nice, as was the bartender. Did not take any beer with us.

Next it was on to Marshall, MI, home of Dark Horse Brewing Co. What a cool find this was! It's kind of a shack, in this beautiful, small town. They had a cool outdoor bier garten, cool specially-handmade mugs (each made by a local potter), and great beer. We ended up sitting next to two guys that were on their way from Detroit to Indiana, as officially sanctioned beer judges for the Indiana brewing competition at the state fair. Great guys to chat with! We also snacked on a jalepeno cheese crust appetizer. Left with a growler (jug) of their Black beer.

Look at the cool mugs on the ceiling!

Finally, it was time to hit Battle Creek, MI and Arcadia Brewing Co. We were STUFFED by then, but this place did in-house BBQ. Sigh. We ordered too much food and could barely finish one beer each. We bought some 6-packs there since we couldn't try it all. We parked next to the Kellogg's building! Very cute area.




We then headed to Kalamazoo, MI for our hotel. 9 p.m. and we were dead. We had a super-nice hotel, thanks to my Marriott points. It was an all suite extended stay.

Saturday

We headed out late from our hotel, as our next stop didn't open til 11:00. We had a donut at Sweetwaters, a very popular donut shop local to Kalamazoo. I had a peanut butter cup donut. *burp*

Bell's Brewery was actually the impetus for this whole trip. The are a microbrewery that distributes to quite a wide national area. Super good beers. We dropped a lot of cash in the souvenier shop and headed to drink. It was fun to try all the beers that aren't distributed outside of the brewery. Took home a lot of varieties in bottles. Another place with an awesome bier garten.

Mmmmm....all those yummy beers on tap, AND more varieties in bottles. Mmmmm.

Our last stop in Kalamazoo was Old Penninsula. It was more focused on food than brew, IMHO. Beers were pretty good, but only had a few on tap. We took home a growler of IPA.

Know what Kalamazoo is known for? Home of Gibson guitars. Well, and pharmaceutical supplies.

Next we hit a surprise that wasn't on our list...Walldorff Brewing in Walldorff, MI. Good, unique beers. Took home a growler of IPA. Had a hot dog from a street vendor. :-)


Next it was off to Grand Rapids where we first hit The Hideout. This was a funky place, hidden back on some back street. A sweet young bartender filled us with samples and we took a growler of Stout home. Another cool bier garten!


Then it was off to meet Breezy and BFBreezy at Grand Rapids Brewing Company. We picked a bad table so I could neither hug nor kick Breezy from my seat. What was I thinking? We spent about three hours chatting and having dinner. I wasn't the greatest company because I was full and tired. Next time, fewer drinks BEFORE I meet up with Breezy, more DURING. :-) We got to look at her Mighty Putty job and talk about some of you. We also talked about a strip joint a lot...

Our last stop of the night was a little brewery called Schmoz. They had GREAT beer, but zero atmosphere. But that's ok. A bar doesn't have to have great atmosphere. The brewer hated Belgian beers (we also hate Belgians), so we got along just fine with the ones he did brew.

Then it was off to our hotel to plunk our full bellies into bed.

Sunday

The next morning we had a destination for breakfast and plenty of time to kill. We went to Wolfgang's in Grand Rapids. What a GREAT breakfast place. They even have hazelnut coffee as an option with no upcharge. :-) I had spinach and tomato benedict. Yum! We then walked around some very cool aread of Grand Rapids. We were perplexed by all the beautiful, giant homes and had no idea what the town was known for. Thus, it was off to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. We spent hours there, learning that Grand Rapids is a huge furniture manufacturing town...the largest in America in the 1800 and early/mid 1900s. Who knew? It was a great museum and I'm glad we went. We then went to see the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Meyer May home. It was open, but we were strapped for time, so I just wandered around outside.

Let me tell you how uncomfortable those seats were...

Then it was off for more beer at Founder's Brewery. They had a cool building that looked to be a former railroad stop. It had giant garage doors that opened up the patio. We had yummy guacamole here with our beers. Took home a few six-packs.

Next comes the disappointing part of our trip. We drove to a brewpub in Spring Lake, MI only to be told, despite them being open, you can't get beer there on Sundays. The county has a law prohibiting beer and wine sales on Sundays. WTF? We then notice our next stop of Holland is also in that county. Grrrrr. There was about an hour of driving for NOTHING. We had a hotel in Holland, so knew we could hit that one on Monday. We found a brewery south of Holland by a few miles that was in the adjacent county. Yay! Sagatuck Brewing Co. was in a beautiful lakeside resort area of Douglas/Sagatuck. We enjoyed some beers there, chatted with others, and had dinner at a good place named Phil's. We enjoyed Sagatuck, although we probably made less money than anyone that was visiting that area. Lots of money strolling around there.

They had mini-kettles because they also offer a "brew your own" opportunity.

A park in Sagatuck had this pensive polar bear. Maybe he's wondering how he ended up in Michigan.

Monday

Monday morning we headed into downtown Holland for some shopping. There are some nice shops there. I found a huge kitchen and outdoor furnishing store that I could've spent hours in. We in fact did probably spend AN hour there. Chris bought me prezzies! I got two knives, a paring knife (previous one had disappeared) and a Santoku knife for my Wusthof collection. Additionally he also bought me four new Wusthof steak knives. The set we got for our wedding was in an older style and we had trouble with the handles cracking. This new set won't have that problem. Yay! *does Padima knife dance from Top Chef* <---Swami will like that

After shopping, we hit New Holland Brewing Company. Nice place, decent beers.

Just a beautiful day, looking back at New Holland Brewing Co.

Then it was off to Shoreline in Michigan City again to fill our growler on the way home. This time I had mini-quesedillas (pork & cheddar, goat cheese & pork, veggie and feta). *drool*The drive home was also good, thanks to a good Frodis route.

Missed you all!

Checking in before I go...

Ok, my mind is already on vacation....and I need caffiene (I've had none today).

1. I've temporarily remedied my hair situation by thinning it with thinning shears. It's a little more bouncy now.

2. I have my list of things to do to Breezy, although if she doesn't show up with Chai, I'll just have to steal her cocktail.

3. I have a new job offer. My mind is about ready to explode and I need the long weekend to mull this over with DH and run numbers. There's a few different ways they are willing to do it (50% time, they'd buyout my time from current employeer or 100% time buyout-I'd still be employeed by my org for a year- or 100% employee for them with high potential to go long term).

It could mean a huge raise, but less vacation, less flexibility and I'd have to contribute to a 401K (Employer contributes all now, new job would mean I'd contribute half). Plus, commuting together gets tougher.

However, it's an exciting job in my area of interest, with an organization I love, and has easier long-term potential than my current soft-money job. Going from state employment to private is a really tough call. Both have pros and cons.

4. Don't behave while I'm gone. Whatever you do, do something naughty.

On hiatus

I have a very busy week, so won't be around much. We also leave for a 4-day weekend trip on Friday. IMPORTANT EDIT: Please tell me what you'd like me to do to Breezy when I see her this weekend. You know, like "Here's a smack in the head from Carey."

My current crisis is about my hair. I don't like the cut I got last time and am anxious for it all to grow out so I can get it reshaped.

Had a great long weekend. Lots of yardwork done, strawberry freezer jam made, social time with friends and tennis with Chris.

That's the quick and dirty on me.

Cheesehead, out.

Call me Puffy or Bravie

Ok, not really, it's not a hip and cool concert. :-)

We are supposed to attend one of my favorite Madison traditions tonight, pending weather. Concerts on the Square is this awesome show put on by the Madison Symphony Orchestra on the Capitol steps. Thousands spread blankets and picnic (there are vendors, or you are welcome to bring your own food & drink). You drink wine, nibble, and listen to some beautiful music. This week it's an Independence Day theme and there are fireworks. It's fun to see all the rooftops full of people downtown, too. A beautiful summertime activity.

ETA: Tonight's concert is sponsored by Oscar Mayer. Yet, no weinies are available. Harumph.

Yard chit chat

Boring post ahead.

The slavery to my yard has begun. June never feels like too much work. When July sets in, it feels like I'm constantly watering. Our two tractor sprinklers (that move along the hose) broke, so now we have to move things a lot more.

My vegetables are ok...tomato plants are doing awesome. Peppers? Not so much. The rabbits have been nibbling (despite various things to rid them), and the floods made them a little yellow from overwatering. Of course now it's dry as a bone again. Sigh.

My front flower beds need some TLC. First, I have to plant some earlier flowering things in my perennial bed. Most stuff doesn't bloom til July, so it's been bland for the last few months. Second, I need to plant a few annuals in my window bed. It's rather stark right now with only a few perennials.

My back flower beds are great. I need to thin stuff out this fall, as it's all getting overgrown. I'm happy when that occurs.