A story about a cat

Did you know that Kid-d has two names?

Kid-d & Phelix.

• I named him Phelix... and Danny named him Kid-d, and he would answer to both because he was that cool.

• He would cuddle with me at night, but play with Danny's feet when he was sleeping. 

• he was a master purrer. He purred so loud that Danny would toss and turn all night, but I took it as a sign of him being happy.

• He was shy when people came over, but after an hour he would come up to you and sniff you... then rub his head on you just to make sure you carried his scent and no other cat could claim you.

• He was only an indoor cat. he hated this. He would always try and escape... but once he made it outside he would freeze and not know what to do with all of the fresh air.

• He was low maintenance, but shed horrifically

And this is what led to us finding him a new home. You see, Danny's family doesn't do well with cat hair, in fact, over half of them are allergic. So we had to decide... keeping Kid-D and having no guests over to our house.... or have Danny's family never come over.to be honest.. it was no question to me.. keep kid-d. haha I grew up with cats and when people were allergic.. oh well, this is my cat.

but Danny is more logical then me. So we posted him on Craigslist, and we recieved 4 responses in one hour.
He is just that Handsome. such a ladies man.
I honestly didn't think anyone would want a grown male cat... I thought he would be on craigslist for weeks and I would be able to keep him.
Boy, was I wrong.
Danny picked a person out... woke me up and said "Kid-d is being picked up in an hour"
I balled my eyes out.
balled.
I don't think Danny was ready for my emotional fallout.
I cried before the lady came, I cried afterward. I cried at target later that day, I am tearing up right now writing this.
I ask constantly "do you think Kid-d is happy there?, is he cuddling?"
I hope his new mommy hugs him everyday, he deserves it.
I refuse to take his picture off my blog... because he is still my kid-d.

ok.. so... onto life, post Kid-d.

Sister and Sisterboy came to town this weekend.

 

I was nervous.

My family has yet to see our new place... and I was scared they would hate it.. or make fun of us because it isnt done being decorated... or that some things simply dont work yet... so I was nervous. 

So what better way to distract them from my unfinished home?

Take them out.

Sister LOVES 90's music.. and since she is now 21, I knew Shark bar would be her place.

She danced on the platform, had some drinks, and sang along with the BSB. It was awesome.

 

note: Keely has my mom's lean legs... while I have my Dad's muscular gorilla legs.  thanks genetics.

So we went dancing, we went shopping, we ate BBQ.

It was a successful KC trip for Sister and Sisterboy.

this coming up weekend I hope to have a date night with Mr. Nguyen, we need it desperately.

And not shop for curtains. or paint the unfinished doors, or hang pictures, or fuss over touch ups.

at this rate I don't think we will ever have people over.

Stinkin' Cute.

this weekend was magic.

there was relaxation

there was swimming ( even the doggies got in on the action)

there was great food

awesome Ju-Ju

and laughter heard from miles away.

I am so glad Sami and Lyn convinced me to go to the lake. It was much needed.

 

Danny and I have been stressed all summer over this house. Trying to save every penny, finish projects, moving, and then finding Kid-d.. aka Phelix, a new forever home ( sorry I have not blogged about this.. every time I start to, I ball my eyes out, I hope to finish the blog this week =/  )

So when Sami found this great Lake House.. it was a no brainer.

 

Ok, this lake house was awesome.

The couple who owns the house is so stinkin' cute.

The entire house is a dedication of their for one another.

The kite he used to propose to her... yup it's hanging in the kitchen.

The love letter he wrote to her is in an album for all to see.

pictures are displayed with laughter, embraces, and smiles all around the house.

They are so stinkin' cute.

 

I'll say it again.

Stinkin'. Cute.

I hope one day my little family can have a lake house to show off our stinkin' cuteness.

But this blog will have to do... cuz I am not buying another house for YEARS. 

 

I may be bias... but I think my little boogers are the cutest ever.

slump

I am in a workout slump. I just can't seem to motivate myself to get to the gym.

I usually go 4 times a week.. these past two weeks I have only gone 2-3 times. I am blaming Sookie Stackhouse. 

I read while I am at the gym. I rush through my weight exercises, then I move onto cardio, which I find much more enjoyable. I prop my nook on the Elliptical and do my interval training, then I lay the nook on the exercise mats and read while I do the plank for 2 mins. Then I'll go back to the bikes and read for another 15 mins. But this 11th Sookie Stackhouse book, Dead Reckoning, is so awful that I cut my workouts short do to boredom. Thanks a lot Sookie... don't you know it's bathing suit season?

Now I know I should have just given up Sookie, and picked up another, much enjoyable, book but come on! It's book 11. I would feel like I was missing something, and I have already invested so much time and energy in the series. Not to mention that the darn ebook was 15 bucks! So I am a sucker and stuck it out. 

Thank goodness I finished the book today, so now I can move onto a book I have been looking forward to all month, and maybe I will get some better workouts in.

I'll review it at the end of this blog... but you can already tell I do not think too highly of it.

What do you do when you hate a book? Do you stop reading it? Or do you feel like you owe it to the author to finish it out?

Journey has been doing her job fantastically. I took pictures of Danny's Family last week, and I love the pictures and how they turned out =)

I also took pictures of my lil man

can't you tell he loves his bunny.

I am in love with how clear the images are.

However this is turning into a dangerous hobby... I constantly find myself wanting to buy new lenses!

and food pictures!! they look A-MAZE-ING

Danny made this dish for me. He's becoming quite the chef. Here is the recipe he used.

Memorial Day weekend was jammed packed with celebrations. We had a surprise party for Danny's Parent's 35th anniversary, a graduation party for Danny's cousin Lya, and we made a stop at baby Olivia's one month party. 

Thank goodness we had Monday off.. otherwise my boss would have to deal with sleep deprived monster.

Speaking of work..... we finally hired someone!!!! ekkkk!!! I am wicked excited, Now I won't be stressed out trying to do three jobs at once. And I will get off earlier!

ok. onto Sookie Stackhouse.

Dead Reckoning

By Charlaine Harris

• Pub. Date: May 2011
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Sold By: Penguin Group
• Format: NOOK Book (eBook) , 336pp

Synopsis 

With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...

Review:

I have such admiration for Charlaine Harris. She has created a world that is fun, fresh, and captivated millions of people both in the literary world and television. However, she is losing her spark. The entire book was slow paced, boring, and redundant. We read more about her cleaning her attic and decorating for a baby shower then we did with actual plot development. Once the main climax happened, I scratched my head thinking " really... that's it?"

Harris seemed to have trouble with continuity in this book. Many story-lines did not add up with previous books ( Niall and Eric' relationship/understanding). Also the tone of this book did not sound right. Many characters were acting...odd ( Bill in the crawl space, Eric biting Sookie, Alcide in bed) and Sookie sounded so lifeless. I don't know what happened to Harris... but it seems like she didn't even write this book. I think Harris is setting up the end of Sookie for us. It's painfully obvious who Harris has planned to be Sookie's Happily Ever After, but I don't agree with how Harris is trying to make the audience hate Eric in order to move him aside. I wish she would set it up differently, or at least try and make it a surprise, but I guess she just wants to rip the band aid off, just like the rest of us.

I can't wrap up this review without acknowledging that Sookie makes some great new discoveries about her family history. And we finally know where her telepathy comes from ( although the storyline doesn't fit with the past books) We have resolution on the main story arc, but the relationship issues are left hanging in a most frustrating way. I just didn't feel like the book was cohesive, and it ultimately could have been condensed with another book, at least then the readers would feel like they got their moneys worth.

If you are a Sookie fan, check this book out at a library. I will continue to read the series hoping to find a happy ending, but I will not be jumping out of my seat to purchase it. 

 ok onto a new book! I love this husband/wife writing team. Hopefully they can lift me out of my slump.

Busy Bee

I want to be a good blogger. I really do.

When I started this blog, I was slow at work and had tons of free time on my hands.

Now I am so busy that this week alone I will be getting close to 10 + hours overtime. 

We have made so many signs this week.. we had to start storing them up-front.

 And these are all of the orders I still have to design and produce.. by tomorrow.

I'm not complaining. I LOVE BEING BUSY! 

and I also don't mind the overtime money =)

So needless to say.. this leaves little time for my baby blog. 

And I haven't had time to dye my hair. GrrrRrr..

See. how awful is that? I haven't dyed my hair since February!

So with my lack of blogging, my camera has an overload of food pictures, that promise savory bites, and happy tummies. 

 Recipe:

2 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin orange segments, drained, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup  finely chopped red pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup  Honey Mustard

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp.  chopped cilantro

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

MIX orange segments, pepper, onion, mustard, lime juice and cilantro; cover. Refrigerate several hours for flavors to blend.  ( i did this the night before since I knew I would be working Overtime.. AGAIN)

I steamed the Broccoli ( keeps all of the good nutrients that way ) and I grilled the chicken on Mr. Foreman. Then poured the sauce on the chicken, and prepare for a burst of amazing flavors.

See, easy recipe that anyone could do.. regardless of schedule.

We also created a Man Cave out of the second bedroom ( aka my hoarding room)

Brodie belongs in the man cave. pumping iron and getting buff.

This weekend I am rewarding myself.

Friday night we have a date night with these fun people

 and Saturday I will be celebrating the birth of Nikki Stone.

I can't wait to kick back, laugh, and smile until my cheeks hurt.

On a happy ending note. I am thinking about doing another giveaway...  what should it be.. what should it be.. hmmmm

Frugal and Fabulous: A Clothing Swap Party

Random Elishia Fact: I RARELY buy clothing at full price.

So when an opportunity arises to get FREE new clothes, I'm all for it!!

My fabulous friend, Lynda, hosted a clothing exchange party this past weekend and it was a complete success.

The concept is simple, you take a look at your closet, evaluate what clothing pieces you no longer wear, bag them up and meet up with your girlfriends ( and cross your fingers that the cute top you saw your friend wearing 6 months ago is at the party). The results are outstanding since you essentially leave with brand new pieces for your wardrobe.... all for free!

Of course you have to throw food into the mix, and maybe drinks, this is a social event after all!

Blog recipe!

Growing up in the Hazelton household, lasagna was THE most requested dish. We love our Italian food, so this isn't so surprising. But as I grew older I would start helping my mom make the delicious dish, then as time progressed we would start having a friendly competition to see who made the better lasagna, which my dad was the judge ( I won too!). Now that I am out in the world on my own.. and striving to live a healthier life style... I discovered how UNHEALTHY my family lasagna was! Between the gluttonous ricotta cheese, and the white noodles and the copious amounts of various cheeses... i set out to find a healthier, but just as tasty alternative... which bring me to, "Zucchini Lasagna"! The concept is simple you sub out the noodles for Zucchini, and use cottage cheese.
So with no further delay.. the recipe

2 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 3 medium)
1/2 lb lean ground turkey meat (I use 1 lb.)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 jar of tomato sauce ( I use sugar free and season it with spices)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (I use 8 oz. divided)
1 tbs of flour
4 no boil noodles

Directions

1.Brush Zucchini with olive oil and broil in oven until tender, and set aside. Fry meat and onions until meat is brown and onions are tender; drain fat. Add tomato sauce and spices, let boil.
2. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered 10 minutes or until reduced to 2 cups.
3. In small bowl slightly beat egg.
4. Add cottage cheese, half of shredded cheese and flour.
5. In a baking pan arrange half of the meat mixture. I use one layer of no boil noddles so the the bottom of my lasagna is no soggy, then do a layer of cheese, then layer of meat sauce, zucchini, then cheese finished with combination until you are out of ingredients!
6. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer.
8. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. And you're done! Enjoy =)

Currently Reading
Iron Crowned by Richelle Meade

Quick rundown of the book:

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land’s queen, she’s fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear…

Who Eugenie can trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown’s ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation,one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril…



Going to watch Rango tomorrow. Look for my review on Friday! Have a great week!




P.S. Who watched the Oscars last night? I thought they had a couple of good "laugh out loud moments" but i grew tiresome of Anne Hatheway... she totally became a "Whoo" girl by the end!! it was so frustrating. And the questions of the night.. where in the world was James Franco!?