Monthly Archives: August 2011

A mandatory lazy weekend.

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Since Hurricane Irene was on her way to New Jersey this weekend K and I had a mandatory lazy weekend. We stayed in our pajamas all day cuddling up with fluffy blankets. We took naps and then a couple of more naps. We watched movies, played video games and snacked on foods that we usually don’t store in the house.

When shopping a couple of days before the storm, K and I armed ourselves with the foods that usually are not stocked in our house on a regular basis: ice cream cake, chips, appetizers, sangria and anything naughty we could get our hands on. We also stocked up on fruits, veggies and canned foods. On Friday evening I made a couple of meals for the upcoming days as most news channels were telling us that the lights might go out and the response time for PSE&G could be delayed for up to 5 days. Better safe than sorry.

We knew that we were going to be in the house all weekend and wanted to indulge a little. Ok, a lot. We went into a sugar/carb/sangria overload. It was worth it. We laughed, drank and played to our hearts content while the storm brewed and howled outside. We danced in the rain. We kept each other company and watched way too many movies.

We were very lucky not to have had any damage and that our lights stayed on for the entirety of the storm. We were ready for the worse that Hurricane Irene could throw at us. We are grateful she decided to be kind.

On Sunday we headed over to my parents house to help with the clean-up. They had a bit of water in the basement. Armed with high water pants, water proof boots and a couple of pizzas we were all able to clean out the basement in a couple of hours.

I hope that wherever you were this weekend that you were safe and that the Hurricane Irene was also kind to you.

Oh Bread, How I miss thee.

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For the last month and a half I have been on a Gluten Free Diet. It has been one of the hardest things for me to get through. A meal with a side of bread is my kryptonite – a warm roll slathered with butter or a croissant with strawberry jam. I am drooling just thinking about it.

There are things that have been happening that have lead me to this point. I was having a lot of G.I. issues for a while and thought it was “normal” since I have had stomach problems since high school. I am constantly tired. I can go home right now, crawl into bed and fall asleep till tomorrow. Joints ache and constant headaches. I am tired of it. I am tired of always feeling exhausted. Little did I know when I started this gluten free lifestyle how it would affect my life.

I have always loved food. I am a self taught baker. Anyone who comes to my house for dinner knows that there will be a dessert to follow which usually involves flour. Cakes, cookies, pies and breads are my specialty. For Christmas, I make dozens of different cookies to give out to my friends and family. If you search through this blog you will see numerous recipes that involve my now number one nemesis…flour.

I now have to brave the isles at my local supermarket to read labels and change the way I am eating and thinking. I was surprised once I took a look at the labels of the foods we have so mindless been devouring. I have realized that a lot of my favorite eateries are unable to provide me with something that I would favor. This experience has been eye opening. I now take pleasure in finding new and exciting ways to cook. K and I are pushed to find restaurants outside of our comfort zone. We are changing for the better.

I have heard that it takes 30 to 60 days to break a habit. I have seen my husband go a year without soda, just because. Now it is my turn to push away the bread basket, to listen to what my body is trying to tell me and make a better life for myself.

I am keeping my fingers crossed and the bread basket far away.

I need to fuel my addiction.

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Is it fall yet? Seriously.

I am not one for the heat. I long for cool nights with the windows open, fluffy blankets, cozy sweaters and warm soups. I know some people eat soups any time of the year, but for me I just find it weird. Hot food for hot weather…no way! Another thing I can’t wait for is the fall TV shows. I have missed some of my favorite shows and can’t wait for the slew of new ones that should be coming out.

Can’t wait to catch up on:

Fringe: Peter? Is he real? Is he there? What is going to happen him?

Castle: Beckett was shot. Castle confessed his love to her (finally). Will she live? Will she remember?

Big Band Theory: Penny and Raj – Did they? Didn’t they?

Community: Chang was not the father (phew!). Where is Pierce going?

The Mentalist: Jane killed Red John in the middle of a mall. There has to be some consequences!

The Vampire Diaries: Stefan is back on the dark side, Elena kissed Damon, Jeremy reunited with his dead vampire ex-girlfriends. Drama!

Can’t wait to start watching:

Grimm: A detective who discovers his destiny is to protect humans from the storybook baddies that have invaded our real world? Say what! I am so there!

New Girl: I am willing to give anything with Zooey Deschanel a try.

Once Upon a Time: Are fairy tales real? They seem to be in Storybrooke, Maine, a town frozen in time with fairy-tale figures who have no recollection of their real identities.

The Ringer: Sarah Michelle Gellar’s back! I am willing to give her a try in this in thriller where she plays a recovering alcoholic, on the run from some baddies and decides to hide out by taking the identity of her wealthy twin sis, who is thought to be dead. Oooo!

Terra Nova: Steven Spielberg-produced dino drama about a family that travels back to prehistoric Earth to save the human race. Sounds very interesting.

What will you be watching once fall returns?

Sit down a bit. Let’s catch up!

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Sit down a bit. Let’s catch up! I’m constantly amazed by how much time can fly by on this blog without an update. The months have gone by fast in my life, and I thought it’s about time for a little update…

  • My husband has finally finished his internship. We have had three months of him working seven days at week. Sure the experience that he has gained is great, but the time that has gone by has been considerable. We haven’t seen our friends, our parents or gone on a vacation. The outcome of the internship was a job offer. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments.
  • We have a new member of the family. No, it is not a baby. She is Layla, our cat. She is seven year’s old with the energy of a kitten. She makes us laugh constantly and we are so glad to call her our own. I can’t seem to remember life without her.
  • Emotionally I have been on highs and lows. So much is going on right now and it has been hard. I am trying to keep spirits up and trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel. I keep thinking that everything happens for a reason. I will learn from this…
  • I have started a Gluten Free Diet a month and a half ago. It has been a hard change and I have slipped up once and a while. I think this has also contributed to my emotional highs and lows. Hopefully by this time next month I will be completely gluten free.
  • A friend of mine is in a three part mini series that you should check out on TLC called “Big Sexy” (check your local listings for time and availability). I am so proud of her and I knew from the first day that I met her she would be going places. Congrats Nikki!
  • I have been a bookworm. Since K had been working so much I had a lot of time on my hands. I have gobbled up more books then I could count. I started looking into Amazon’s free kindle books because the cost was getting too high. Why didn’t I think of the local library? I have no idea.
  • I also have become a huge cinephile (an enthusiast of films). We were getting three dvds shipped via Netflix for most of the summer. Alas, we had to change it to two because prices at Netflix are getting ridiculous. We did keep streaming though.
  • Cooking and baking have been nonexistent. You wouldn’t believe how long it has been since I have baked. I really need to head back into my kitchen. She is like my therapist.

SO as you can see things haven’t been terribly exciting, just busy. It is my hope to once again write on this blog daily. We will just have to see what the future holds…