yumminess

Ok, so I HAD to try it!! MOUNTAIN DEW CAKE?!!?!?! It was DELICIOUS!!! It was a big hit at the boy's parents' house! There were six of us, and this is all that is left. The boy didn't want to share with anyone else. When it was baking last night, I had to beat him off with a stick to keep him from eating it. I like to eat mine with blueberries...mmmm...

It looks so weird....

My parents' house just looks NAKED without the bushes out front!! Seriously...NAKED!!!

My latest creation

I made this sweater for Lindsey out of the purple yarn I bought at Building 19 the other day. It's hard to see some of the detail in the photos, but in the one without the flash, you can see a little bit more of it. It's a ballerina sweater - a wrap. The left side snaps underneath the right, and the right comes over and ties on the left with a long ribbon. The pattern called for a button, but a ribbon was just so much cooler! ;-)

Kitchen makeover

I bought this el-cheapo shelf at KMart the other night. We put some of our appliances on it to get them out of the cabinets, so that they are easier to reach. We rearranged some of the stuff in the cabinets from the other room, so now we have most of our kitchen stuff actually IN the kitchen. We've only been living here for two years now...geez...

Some of my Building 19 finds

This pile of yarn is seriously at least twice as big as this now! I went to the building 19 in Worcester and they had more colors than this, so I bought some in blue and pink as well.

Aren't these shoes cute??? I LOVE them!!

I bought some more shoes at the Worcester Building 19 too, I'll have to post pics of them too!

I seriously might have nightmares

This is beyond horrifying. I heard it on CNN, and I may never go swimming in a pool again...

poor neglected blog

aww...poor blog! I have ignored you! I didn't mean it, I swear!

I have been busy (sorta)

Last Saturday was spent with the NVCB. A parade and two concerts (including the YDDB), my lips were DEAD at the end of the night!!!

Sunday the boy and I went to church at Groveland Congregational Church, where we are going to have our wedding ceremony.

Monday I worked around the apartment for a bit, then went to the last yoga class until August. :-(

Tuesday was spent around the house, where I made a REALLY yummy tuna salad. It was totally different than normal tuna salad. It's mostly rice. Try it! It's good and light for a summer dinner! (easy to make too)

Wednesday the boy and I went to Cambridge to visit Greg (who was house-sitting for an aunt) and his gf Debbie. It rained lightly off and on for most of the afternoon, but we still had fun. In between the showers we grilled up some "rollers and sliders" as John would call them. That's hotdogs and hamburgers in case you were wondering. We also got some frisbee in, until Debbie threw it over the fence....we got it back, but the rain stopped us from continuing. :-)
We played Nintendo Wii - my arm was SORE the next day!! (btw - I STINK at Wii baseball, I'm pretty good at bowling and golf) Then we played some cards, which was a lot of fun. We ended up watching the fireworks from an upstairs bedroom (all four of us were crammed around one window, it was hilarious) because it was still raining at fireworks time, and we didn't feel like getting soaked.

We spent the night in Cambridge (and BOY was my stomach sorry that morning) and we took the T back home. We came home and spent the rest of the day hanging out in the apartment, napping and watching TV.

Friday (finally caught up to today) I am still trying to clean up and organize around here. I bought a shelf (nothing special) for the kitchen so I can put some of my appliances on it so that they are more accessible. I made a kick butt pizza for dinner. I used Pillsbury pizza dough, and made a pepperoni and chicken garlic sausage pizza. We had some pepperjack cheese that I grated onto the pizza with the mozzarella. It was yummy!

I've also been crocheting a lot too. I can't post the picture of my latest creation until I give it to the person tomorrow (I don't wanna ruin the surprise). The other things I am working on I can't put on the blog either, because I am making some gifts, so I can't put them online without giving away the surprise of it. If you email me, I'll show you pics (as long as YOU'RE not the one I'm making it for!!) ;-)

Tomorrow I'm heading up to to York to see my aunt, stopping at my mom's on the way to drop off/pick up some stuff. It should be a fun day! :-)

New pictures

I have added some long overdue pics to my shutterfly account! Check them out!

gorgeous views

I took a walk today. I needed to get some quarters for our washer/dryer, so I needed to go to the bank. It's about 2 miles away, so I decided to hoof it. It was gorgeous outside, so it wasn't bad. I stopped at the gas station to buy a bottle of water. The scariest part of the walk was that there are NO sidewalks along rte 111, so I was constantly on the lookout for cars who didn't see me. I was a good girl and walked against the traffic like I am supposed to!

I got my roll of quarters, and I also stopped at Video Signals, where they now sell used books. I bought "I Love Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not", which talks about American historical myths. I've only read a few pages, but it's pretty interesting. I also got "Waiting for Teddy Williams", which I have yet to start reading. I figure if it lasts that long, I can bring it on my trip with Debbie.

On my way back, I stopped to drink some water on the edge of this pond, across from the church.

Isn't it pretty?
That stick-looking thing in the green gunk is actually a little tiny beaver. He wouldn't come close enough to me to get a good picture. I guess he's camera shy.

There were also little tiny orange fish in the pond, but the pictures didn't come out, I just kept seeing reflections because it was so sunny outside.

wow

ok..wow...I have received A LOT of feedback on my purse.

People want me to make them. People want to PAY me to make them. Who would have thought that I would be paid for turning 20 grocery bags into one smaller bag??

Handles are approximately $4-5 (depending on style)
Grocery Bags are free
I have to cut the bags, and crochet it all together, which takes a few hours (approximately the time of one baseball game)

How much should I charge to make a grocery bag purse?

Any ideas?

My latest project

Ok, so I know one of these pictures is a little washed out looking. Deal. ;-P

I started crocheting this purse at the beginning of the ballgame, and was done by the time the Sox finished losing.

Really cute, huh?

Who would have known I made it out of PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS?!?!?!

Seriously.

About 20 plastic bags were cut into strips and made into one pretty cool purse. I used Dunkin' Donuts bags, Roche Bros. bags, KMart bags, CVS bags, Target bags, TJ Maxx bags, PETCO (it's where the pets go) bags, and some other random bags that I have absolutely no idea what stores they came from. The only requirement was that they were sturdy and mostly white. PS-to anyone who would like to try this, I would HIGHLY recommend staying AWAY from the CVS bags, they rip too easily and are generally a PITA.

It was a simple pattern to follow, and the hardest part was just keeping track of the rows, which I figured out you don't really need to do if you're just going for size. Unfortunately, I figured this out in the last three rows.

It's fun, and it's environmentally-friendly. Who knew?

I forgot how much I love to cook!

It's too bad the boy dove into the food before I could take a picture. (I could take one now, but it would be a half-eaten chicken carcass, which doesn't seem as appetizing).

For tonight's dinner, the menu was:

Herbed Roasted Chicken with a Balsamic glaze
Corn on the Cob
Buttery Crescent Rolls
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Ok, so the rolls and potatoes were made by Pillsbury and Betty Crocker, respectively, but when you put your time and effort into making a REALLY good main course, who cares about the sides??

aww man!

Unfortunately, this is during my vacation week, so I won't be around...

NASHUA PRIDE
July 26, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Celebrate El Guapo Night, and the first 2,000 fans will receive an El Guapo Bobble Belly!


I can't find a picture to post, but they showed one on TV, and it was HILARIOUS! Big giant belly, and the belly bobbles up and down, not the head!

HA! I want one!

Registries

Ok, so we have started putting stuff on wedding registries.

We have one at www.pfaltzgraff.com , where we have our dishes (the glassware will come later, I have to add those at a store, I can't do it online).

We plan to have another at Target, and at Sears. We wanted to register for some tools at Sears. What tools do you think everyone should have? We have some basics between the two of us. Any suggestions?

summer is here!

Today is the FIRST official day of summer vacation!!

My plans?
1) It is currently 11:45 am, and I have yet to change into clothes, or remove myself from bed for more than 5 consecutive minutes. I plan on staying this way until at least after the noon news.
2) I may or may not go to the gym. (I'm thinking of saving that until tomorrow)
3) Head over to the school around 5 to sort and file some more music.
4) NVCB rehearsal 7-9
5) O'Hanlon's afterwards
6) Home

Life is good.

I deserve it!

After my LAST day of teaching for the year, and after an EXTREMELY killer yoga class, I went to the local liquor store to purchase a bottle of irish creme to go with my frangelico, kahlua and milk. There were some good deals on some wine, so I bought three bottles. When asked what I was celebrating, I responded that I was a teacher, and today was the last day of classes. I thought the lady was going to throw in a free bottle of vodka, seriously...

one of life's little mysteries solved

As I was cleaning out my refrigerator today, I wondered, "How does one tell if bleu cheese has gone bad, since it already looks like it has mold?" So I opened it, and took a whiff. When I came to on the kitchen floor, I realized THAT was how one could tell if bleu cheese has in fact gone bad.

I'm a what?

I've decided to forego being a union rep till I have professional status, ie tenure. Otherwise, the powers that be need NO reason to say "see ya" as they boot me out the door. Union people understand, and are happy to have me on whatever committees I can fit into my schedule next year.

Our current union rep takes pride in her reputation as a friendly outgoing person, but known to be a "bitch when she has to". At today's ATA end of the year social, Lolly told everyone that I was her "bitch in training". I'm not sure whether to be offended or flattered.

I distinctly remember saying no...

However, I think I may have just been asked to be a co-rep. for the union.

It's not a done deal...I've been asked "to think about it" several times, and would have to be voted in.

I thought I had said no, but perhaps I was mistaken...

I only have six words to say...

THREE

AND

A

HALF

MORE

DAYS






....nuf said....

ugh....

ok...it's been a while...let's play catch up!!

**Memorial Day weekend was a busy one! Thursday night the boy and I drove out to Newburgh, NY to the Day's Inn to meet up with family for my brother's graduation from West Point Academy. Friday morning was a big parade, we spent the rest of the day resting, and eating and hanging out. Saturday was the graduation ceremony with Dick Cheney speaking for a looooong time. It was fun though. We hung out at the 1949ers club for the afternoon with a couple of other families. Then we went out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant, where they make the food on the hibachi in front of you. We drove back on Sunday, and the boy and I went out to Piccolino's in Shirley for yummy food. Monday was spent with the NVCB for the concert in Harvard.

**The week after that was a long one. Meetings, lessons, students, rehearsals, concert, and classes.

**Friday afternoon my aunt came by with a band of family. She was dropped off with me to check out the quilt shop in Boxborough, and then we went to the farm stand down the street. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the apartment catching up with each other. Some more family stopped by on the way up to York and picked her up. Then I headed to my mom's house where I spent the weekend. Saturday was my other brother's graduation from high school. It was very long and very sunny, and I am very sunburnt. We spent the afternoon with family at my mom's, which was a lot of fun to do. We all caught up with each other's lives, which is hard to do, since we're all so busy. I got to play with my cousin's babies. I swam with Tyler in the pool...his diaper swelled up to the size of a small elephant. The boy joined us , and all of us cousins went out to the movies to see "Knocked Up". HILARIOUS!!! YOU HAVE TO GO SEE IT!!!!! I cried I was laughing so hard. Sunday was my grandfather's memorial service, which was VERY hard for everybody, but it was nice.

**Today was the last day of the rotation for my classes. The students put together some great projects. (of course there are some who didn't, but there always are) We had an extra jazz band rehearsal (at the students' request - isn't it great??) and I bought the students pizza since we only have one more rehearsal until the concert next week.

There...I think that catches us up. Eventually, some day, I will post pictures of the various graduations. I am in the process of editing the video from the West Point graduation. This time of year is VERY busy!!!

and one more

I now have THREE copies...

I deleted two, so there is only one now. Stupid youtube.

I knew that would happen

I look at my blog, and there are TWO copies of the youtube video I tried to post yesterday! I'm sure another THOUSAND will come through later, since I tried to do this on MORE than one occasion....

ugh

I miss marching band!

Watch the story the colorguard tells, it's great! Check out the REALLY LOOOOOOOOONG note the 1st soloist plays....UNBELIEVABLE!!

Yay Youklis!!

And he makes it 15!!

Happy Birthday Julian!

Hopefully it will bring him some luck!!!


GO SOX!!!

double boo

and the sox just lost

BOOO

boo

I tried to post a video from youtube, but it won't appear on my blog...

boo

hiss

(let's see if there's like five of them all at once...)

The boy's new toy

Check out our GIANT new television!!!!

42" LCD HD 1080p

I think that's all the important numbers and letters!

It's like having a movie theatre in our living room. We moved our old tv into the bedroom, and got rid of the tv I've had since high school. sniff sniff. It worked alright, you couldn't read any fine print (i.e. scores on the Red Sox games), but it still played the shows, although it would sometimes randomly turn off and on cuz the button was stuck inside the set, but it WORKED darn it! But it was for the best...LOOK AT THIS BEAST!!!

family

Things I did today:

~got some stuff done at my apartment, and left at 1:00 pm
~stopped by one of the apartments my mom owns to see what her and my stepdad were up to. They've been renovating it forEVER now, and I wanted to see what they've been working on. So far, it looks nice (not that I know what it looked like before, but I'm assuming whoever was living there more than likely trashed it, because that's what they do)
~talked to mom and pseudo-dad for a while about this and that, while I got the grand tour (why is it that an apartment in scummy Haverhill gets 2 bathrooms and a decent-sized kitchen when I get a teensy tiny one of each??)
~talked to my brother on the phone about his graduation next weekend, and his plans
~met up with my other brother and went to lunch together, while we talked about his graduation in two weeks, and his plans
~talked to my sister on the phone about the upcoming graduations, and what she's up to
~drove to my aunt's house and went shopping with her

It's been a loooong day, but it's been full of family! What could be better?

Stupid music joke

It may be dumb....but I laughed...what does that say about me???


A gnome auditioned to conduct an orchestra.
"We're sorry, but you just don't have what it takes to be a conductor," the head judge said.
Undeterred, the gnome bought some clothes and cool shoes, and got a new haircut. He even bought a swak loft in the hottest neighborhood in the city.
He auditioned again and was hired don the spot.
Why?



Because now he's a metro gnome.

Ugh.

They love me...

They love me, they really love me!

These are some pictures some of my 6th graders drew on my boards at school last week.

The bottom one is hard to see, but it says I rule. :-)

The top one was drawn when I really was wearing a skirt and my hair in pigtails. I kinda want to know why the boobs are crooked, but whatever. ;-P

Mother's Day cake

This is the cake I made to bring down to Marshfield for all the mothers!

It was a spice cake with cinnamon frosting. It came out pretty good, if I do say so myself!

I made a basket-weave frosting pattern on the sides. I used my new Pampered Chef frosting decorators. I loved them, they worked really well, and were easy to use. (I sound like a commercial...a bad one...but a commercial).

house cleaning

Here are some things I hung on my wall while cleaning the apartment Monday. The fan came from my mom's house, and is now hanging in my hallway. The picture I bought at a flea market in the fall, and just now got around to hanging in the dining room.

taking a break...

I have been trying to clean/reorganize/move things around in my apartment since 5:00, and I am taking a short break before heading back into it. So far, I have...

~found some of the floor in the bedroom
~hung up some of the clothes that are around the bedroom
~took apart, washed out, and put into the tub to dry the humidifier (which was NASTY and full of some sort of brown sugar like FUNK)
~hung a chinese fan in the hallway
~moved three pictures from one wall to another in the dining room
~hung a new picture in the dining room
~found the top of my dresser
~wrapped the boy's birthday present
~put away some of the clean dishes

Now that I look at it...that's a lot of somes. I think I need to get back to work...

Ironic Humps

This is HILARIOUS!!! You HAVE to see this.

field trips

Field trips = ARGH!!!!!

grrrr...

Happy Day!

NVCB Concert went well. We played well, but there weren't an awful lot of people in the audience. Two of my students did show up though.

The boy and I went for a walk today. A LONG walk. He said it was a good 4-5 miles. We saw two deer staring at us from up on a hill. They didn't even move. The four of us stood there staring at each other for a good five minutes until we decided to walk on. I wish I had my camera with me. We were looking at houses and the scenery as we walked by. There was a HUGE satellite dish on top of a hill. I can't imagine what it would be for. It is definitely too big for personal use. We had a great time. We walked for about two hours.

We came back to the apartment and I made baked macaroni and cheese for dinner, then we collapsed on the couch and watched some tv.

And now it is time for bed!

What a great day!

Went to visit with my aunt in York, ME today. We met my cousin up in Portland for her wedding gown fitting, and went to lunch at Ruby Tuesdays with her and her sister-in-law-to-be. Then my aunt and I did some hardcore shopping.

I now have:
a pair of Crocs
freezable plastic beer mugs
some future Christmas presents for someone (I have no idea who yet, but they were on a 70% discount, and I couldn't pass them up!)
2 new Red Sox shirts (pics later?)
1 random shirt (again, on sale)
and....

GIFTS FOR MY BRIDESMAIDS AND FLOWER GIRL! Only a little over a year ahead of time, but I knew what I wanted, and I happened to see what I wanted, so I bought what I wanted. When you know what you want, you know what you want. And I wanted it.

I obviously am not going to share what these presents are, because that would ruin the surprise, but if you are NOT receiving the gifts, and PROMISE not to tell those who are, MAYBE, just MAYBE I will tell you.

But then again,

Maybe not...

I'm totally going to do this!

Check it out!

I'm psyched, this sounds like fun. I can play treble clef euphonium!

Woohoo for possibly being a part of the Guinness Records!!

I'm a little annoyed...

Halfway through Grey's Anatomy, and I want to see what's going on in Seattle, NOT Beverly Hills. Most of this episode so far is setting up Addison's spin off series.

NOT COOL

I'm an artist!

Here's my attempt to be artistic. I was designing the program for this weekend's NVCB concert (Sunday May 6 @ 2 pm - Ayer HS Auditorium), and I needed some art for the cover, so I decided to make my own.

What do you think?

Spring has sprung

I planted Sweet Pea seeds, and they're sprouting!!! I haven't killed them! (yet)

Another pretty sight

This one is from the parking lot in our apartment building. I'm sorry it's a little blurry, but it was getting dark outside. In case you can't tell, that's a sofa on top of a GIANT pile of bark mulch.

HA!

THIS is New England!

The boy and I went out to the Olive Garden tonight for dinner, and went driving around afterwards to see the pretty spring sights. This is one of the pretty sights we saw. :-)

I don't know where it is, but I had to pull over to get a picture.

FINALLY!

I'm FINALLY getting around to watching the Bollywood movie, Bluffmaster. I'll let you know how it is when I finish it! :-)

Maybe this is a sign...

I didn't watch the Sox game yesterday...and they won.

I didn't watch the game tonight...and they won.

Perhaps I should stop watching the games???

Julian Tavarez...

GO AWAY!!!

Things I'll miss...and things I'll remember...

I know I will be adding more to this list...but this is what I have come up with so far. Feel free to add your own.


The constant "badgering" if we've done what we're supposed to do

Counting trees in the field

Wagon rides

The little green pedal tractor

"Dark Castles" on the Mac Plus

My introduction to Benny Goodman and other swing classics

Listening to the Annie soundtrack over and over in the car

Housesitting while he's on vacation - watering plants, indoors and out

The meticulous care of his lawn and landscaping

Sharing stories of our lives with each other

Interviewing him about his service in WWII

Listening to the touching story of how my grandparents met

The exercise bike

Washing his car (and mine if it was too dirty)

Aiming for seagulls in the "Grey Gull III" (don't call the MSPCA, we never hit one)

Taking the boat up and down the Merrimack River

Walking in the day glo orange vest

Volunteering together at AJH

Never missing a school function (especially the band concerts...they LOVED going to those)

The Navy hat in the back window of the Caddy

Showing me how to shell peanuts while watching the Sox

Talking Red Sox stats

Candlepin bowling instead of Saturday morning cartoons

Watching the little tiny TV in the shop

Naming every old-timey car's make, model and year when going by in parades

Staking out the best spot at the Training Field to watch the Memorial Day Parade

Finding the longest "short cuts" I've ever travelled in my life

Never taking the same route to get somewhere twice

My inbox always being full of forwarded emails

Getting the same emails over and over

Sitting on the front porch watching the cars go by

Riding in his lap on the John Deere tractor

Riding in the tractor's trailor

Getting the tractor stuck in the mud with 7 grandkids in the trailor and having to walk all the way through the field in the mud

Getting to drive the tractor

Learning to drive on my permit - "Rachael you can go 35 through the center of West Newbury, they won't stop you, you're in a Cadillac"

Asking if he could walk me down the aisle on the day he met my fiance 6 years ago

Asking when the boy was going to pop the question for the next 6 years after that

Getting to finally tell him that he did

Being his "Number One"

My grampy

Arthur E. Fernald II, Retired AT&T Employee

York , ME : Arthur E. Fernald II, 80, of 11 Orchard Farms Road, died Friday, April 20, 2007 at the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover , NH after a short illness.

He was born in Haverhill , MA on May 3, 1926, son of the late Harold A. and Leona (Horton) Fernald. He was a graduate of Haverhill High School in 1944 and the University of Maine , Orono in 1951. He was a World War II Veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy Armed Guard on convoy duty in the North Atlantic and South Pacific. His awards included: American Theatre medal, Asiatic Pacific medal, European Theatre medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon and Victory medal. Mr. Fernald retired from AT&T, Merrimack Valley Works in 1987 after 31 years as a former Business Methods Specialist. He was a member of the Union Congregational Church in York Beach , ME and a former long-time member of the West Newbury Congregational Church where he served as head usher for many years. He was a member of Saggahew Lodge, AF&FM. He was former chairman of the West Newbury Water Department, former chairman of the West Newbury Boy Scout Committee, former member of the West Newbury Fire Department and a volunteer at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport for over 30 years.

He leaves two daughters, Deborah S. Fernald, York , ME and Jill F. Godin and her partner, Raymond “Rock” Dower, Groveland , MA ; two sons, Bruce A. and his wife, Anna Fernald, Coeymans , NY and LTC (retired) Scott A. and his wife, Denise Fernald, Manassas , VA ; and 8 grandchildren. He also leaves a brother, H. Allen and his wife, Sally Fernald, Camden , ME and several nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his wife of 54+ years, Jean (Booth) Fernald in Nov. 2004. He also had a sister, the late Janet E. Fernald, who died in infancy.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, June 3, 2007 at 3:00 pm at the West Newbury Congregational Church, 308 Main Street .

In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations made in his name to Pentucket Regional Scholarship Foundation, PO Box 36 , Groveland , MA 01834 or to Union Congregational Church, P.O. Box 969 , York Beach , ME 03910 .

Arrangements are under the direction of Wiggin-Purdy-McCooey-Dion Funeral Service, 655 Central Ave. , Dover , NH . For more information or to sign our on-line guestbook, please go to http://www.purdyfuneralservice.com/

whose idea was this?

Oh sure, just take the cactus home and repot it...it will be good as new...

Ok...have YOU ever tried to repot a CACTUS???

IT HURTS!!!!

And each little branchy-thingy is a different set of roots. I had to pick up 6 prickly cactus stalks and hold them upright to bury them in the soil.

And don't tell me, I already know I need more soil in the pot, but that's all I had here at the apartment, I'll get some more to bury the little suckers in...don't worry.

OW!

one of my favorite restaurants

We were having fun playing with the camera while we went out to eat last night at Ken's American Cafe in Littleton Commons. For the first time this season, we were able to eat outside on the patio. It was a GREAT meal, and we had a blast.

We got to watch the cars go by (Grampy would have loved it...everyone was out in their fancy cars enjoying the weather, more than likely heading to Kimball's Farms).

could it be true?

Here's to hoping/wishing! We might be going to Aruba for our honeymoon! :-)

WOOT!

WOW!!!

4 home runs in a row!!!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

it's official

June 28, 2008

Mark it on your calendars!

Not ready for Monday to come...

My grandfather passed away on Friday, and I spent the last two days with my family. I want to be with them, and not at work on Monday. The memorial service won't be until June, which means I get to go through all of this again.

I miss him very much. At least he's with Grammy now, he's happy.

I love you Grampy

grrrrrrrr

It's midnight, and I STILL CAN'T LOG ONTO YAHOO! MAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if I can sleep without checking my email.

I can log onto Yahoo!, I just can't access my email. I know I have emails...I just can't access them...

uggggggggggh

I'm having withdrawals...

Help!

I can't log into my yahoo mail!

Help!

What do I do?

What if there are important emails?!?!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!

Happy Birthday Sis!

She'll totally kick my ass for this...

Today's lunch

and by the way...

I found a Long John Silver's in Massachusetts....so I had to eat at it today!

New favorite salad

1 head romaine lettuce
1 green apple, sliced
handful of blue cheese
handful of dried cranberries
handful of glazed walnuts
toss with Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette

YUMMY

I heart old people

The YDDB played at a nursing home tonight. We played well, and everyone had a good time. Everyone in the audience (residents and staff alike) enjoyed the show, and we had a great time.

We even got free punch!

Successful Day!

We went to the two reception halls, and met with the caterer. We're definitely leaning towards the Groveland Fairways at this point.

After talking to the caterer, this is the menu that we're thinking of: (remember we're having a cocktail reception, and that nothing is set in stone yet...just our ideas)

Passed Hors d'Oeuvres
Shrimp with zesty cocktail sauce
Scallops wrapped in bacon
Skewered tortellini with Pesto Cheese Sauce (sorry Amy and Debbie) :-P
Stuffed mushrooms with goat cheese, spinach and bacon
Cucumber cups with boursin and dill
Chicken lollipops - half cajun flavored, and half oriental flavored


Stationary Hors d'Oeuvres
Cheese and Cracker platter with fruit (TONS of different cheeses and crackers, ie. brie, gouda, swiss, cheddar, etc)
Quesadilla station (you pick fillings - cheese, chicken, peppers, and spiced spaghetti squash, they make it for you)


Carving Stations
(These come with condiments and bread to make sandwiches)
Roast Top Round of Beef
Roast breast of Turkey


I seriously can't wait until NEXT JUNE!

seriously

:-)

Things I'm doing tomorrow

1). Drop off the boy's car at the garage to get an oil change and tire rotation
2). Drive to the Bradford Country Club to meet and greet with the important people to ask questions about how wedding receptions happen
3). Drive to the Groveland Fairways to do the same
4). Meet up with the caterer for pretty much the same
5). Stop by mommy's house to drop off some stuff and say hi if anyone's around
6). Come home
7). Pick up the boy's car
8). Meet with Greg at 5:15 to head off to the YDDB gig
9). Play my clarinet with the YDDB to no doubt hear some lady screaming "let's go! play something!" at the nursing home
10). Come home

...what a long day...







PS - SAYONARA SANJAYA!!! :-)

NVCB

Tonight was MY night! I conducted! Me! woot!

I worked them too! We got through all but two of the songs for the upcoming concert in May. That's including a lot of talking by some of the board members (not me!!!) about upcoming events, etc. I thought we did rather well!

Then of course, came O'Hanlons, where I am still trying to get rid of the onion breath from the nachos!!

it's starting to come together

We're scheduled to go check out Groveland Fairways and Simply Elegant Catering tomorrow. I'm also waiting to hear back from the Bradford Country Club and from the pastor at the West Newbury Congregational Church.

We're looking for a June 2008 wedding...boy is this a lot of work! :-)

my pier 1 finds

The bunny was too cute to leave behind...and he was only $3. The vase is supposedly an Easter egg...but who could tell? It was only $2.50...too good to pass up! So I bought a small bouquet of flowers at Trader Joe's to put inside it. I love bargain hunting!

(I also got some other things, but since they are gifts, I can't post them for fear that the recipients will get a peak!)

A little late...

Here are some pics from Easter weekend. The hydrangeas are from Chip, the roses from Mom F., and the froggy from Dad F. The froggy sings...he's so cute!

Excellent Leftover Veggie Casserole

I made this tonight. I used veggies I had around the house, but I'll give you the original recipe. In my version, I used a bag of assorted veggies, a can of diced tomatoes, and I sliced a zucchini. I also sauteed the garlic with the onions. I also only needed to cook mine for about 40 min.

A Vegetable Cornucopia
1 small yellow onion
1/4 c. butter
2 small ripe tomatoes
2 c. frozen whole green beans
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 c. frozen whole-kernel corn
2 c. frozen sliced zucchini
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
2 slices white bread
2 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese

Peel onion and chop coarsely. In a skillet heat 2 Tb. butter over moderately high heat until melted. Add onions and saute about 5 min., stirring frequently, until tender and translucent.

Wash tomatoes, remove cores, and cut each tomato into 8 wedges. Cut frozen green beans in half crosswise if they are very long. Cut garlic clove in half, rub over bottom and sides of a 2 qt. casserole dish.

In casserole place sauteed onions, green beans, corn, zucchini, and fresh tomato wedges. Toss gently to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and basil; toss again to mix.

Cut remaining butter into small pieces and place on top of vegetable mixture. Trim off and discard crusts from bread; cut into slices into 1/2 inch cubes and arrange around the outer edge of vegetable mixture next to dish.

Shred cheese coarsely in a food processor or by hand and prinkle over the bread cubes in casserole. At this point, vegetable casserole can by covered with aluminum foil and refrigerated until 1 hour before you are ready to serve dinner.

Preheat oven to 350. Uncover casserole and place on center rack in oven; bake 60 min. or until vegetables are tender, cheese is melted, and bread cubes are lightly browned. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

This makes me even more interested

After hearing about people in India burning effigies of Richard Gere, I now HAVE to see what this is all about!!

I bought the Bollywood movie Bluffmaster, and I haven't had the chance to watch it yet. I want to see what the big deal about Priyanka Chopra is! I might have to watch it without the boy, and just watch it again when he's around!

Saturday fun

Jenn and I spent the day walking around Boston on Saturday. We went to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, walked around to many stores, around Fenway Park (didn't get into the game though), Copley Place, and the Pru. We shopped A LOT!! We stopped to listen to many street performers, some of whom were musicians, and others were entertainers.

Things I bought while out on Saturday:
-a pair of sunglasses
-a barette for my hair for my wedding day
-an ENORMOUS duffle bag at REI (way cool store) to put our tent into, since we can't get it back into the bag it came with
-envelopes for bridal shower invitations (I bought the invites for real cheap at a flea market, but they didn't come with envelopes)
-a Bridal Shower Game book
-2 pairs of gym pants (one of which was only $2.99 - yay clearance racks)
-a bottle of bloody mary mix for the boy that I bought at Cheers
-a new laptop bag, since my old one barely holds my laptop and cord, forget anything else
-and a few other various items that I can't quite seem to remember right now

Things I ate on Saturday:
-Dunks for breakfast
-Indian for lunch
-Cold Stone Creamery for a snack

We were gone for 12 hours. It was great. :-)

Bohemian Rhapsody with Mnozil Brass

Thanks to Steve for showing me this!

I need vacation

so badly...you have no idea...

I plan on checking out some places for wedding receptions, like these:

Groveland Fairways
Bradford Country Club

We're thinking of having an afternoon cocktail reception.

I'm so excited! :-)

Grampy update

I went to see him today. He looks a lot better, but still seems to be in some pain. He'll probably be there for a while, before he is transported to a rehab hospital. We watched some of the ballgame together with my mom and aunt. My mom, my two aunts, and my uncle and I had lunch in the cafeteria of MGH (which is huge, btw). I'm glad I got the chance to see him today. He seemed to be in better spirits (but so is everybody when they get a shot or two of morphine).

I should be back to work tomorrow.

wedding page

My Wedding Page has been updated! Thanks to Jenn for showing me the really cool Wedding Map. Right now I'm just using it to show our possibilities, since we have no idea where we are going to have our reception. :-)

Update on Grampy

He's out of surgery, and seems to be doing well. He's still at Mass. General. I'm going to try to visit him tomorrow.

what a weekend...

This weekend has been a mix of emotions.

Saturday was the memorial service for my grandmother's sister. (my mom's aunt, for those of you keeping track). It was a great remembrance. Everyone sat in my aunt's living room, sharing stories and memories of my Auntie Dot. After we were done, my grandfather went to stand up, but couldn't. He didn't look good, and was very unsteady on his feet. His right leg wasn't working the way he wanted it to. We called an ambulance, which took him to the local hospital in York, ME. We continued on with the rest of the day, with the aunts and uncles taking turns staying with him at the hospital. He didn't seem to be too bad, so I came back home that night.

Sunday the boy and I went down to see his family on the south shore for Easter. When we got there, his family had a surprise get-together for our engagement. I found it very difficult to focus and be happy, thinking of my grampy. I kept receiving updates throughout the day from family members, which made it even harder to keep a smiling face with his family. His relatives are all great, and understood, but I felt bad for not being able to share in their joy.

Grampy is now at Mass General, where he is undergoing more tests. They found an aneurysm in his leg that had burst, and is slowly bleeding out. That would explain how awful he looked yesterday (his skin was gray). They're looking into surgery options, but I haven't heard anything for a while. The most important thing is for my Grampy to fight.

Fight, Grampy, fight...

I have Happy Feet!!

I bought Happy Feet today! Cute movie!!

Bluffmaster - Say Na Say Na

I need to see this movie.

Funny cover

I laughed so hard when watching this! Alanis can make anything sound dismal and depressing.

invitations

We were looking at some invitations today.

What do you think?

Our current first choice

Our second choice

Our third choice

Let me know which one you like!!

new website

I have a link on the right to my wedding website!

There's not much on it right now, but I'll add more as I get more info

Check it out!!

Dice-K

Dice-K is

O-K

by me with his

10 Ks

Snow

Snow day!

4 day weekends rule!! I'll deal with the consequences in June later...

stupid New England weather

no jazz band

no Nashoba Valley Concert Band (aka Harvard Town Band)

no O'Hanlon's.......

sadness....