Trip to the city

Today we took an all-girls trip to Philly. The 4 of us girls are related by marriage- our husbands are all cousins. I moved from CA, E from Idaho- then DC, N came from Iowa, and D is from northern Jersey. Now we live less than an hour apart (D lives next door), and we see each other at least once a week. I am so thankful for their friendship. They are amazing women that are fun to hang out with and interesting to talk to. We have spent time with each other in pairs on many occasions, but this is the first time all 4 of us went out together.

D used to live and work in Philly so she knew her way around really well. We took the train in, and our first stop was to an upscale boutique that she used to work at. Whew~ I was breathing air over my price range, but I politely sipped my champagne and munched on my biscotti and watched everyone else ooo and aah over things. We finally found the 'pricey' dresses upstairs and I saw this hat that seemed to be shouting my name. Had the price not been so close to a mortgage payment, I would have been tempted. So, we settled for trying things on and prancing around. Then we wandered around and did a little shopping, before settling into a quaint sidewalk cafe named Rouge overlooking Rittenhouse Square. The food was delicious, and the experience... positively divine. Before calling it a day we took a taxi over to Fabric Row off South St. Keren you would have loved it! It's just like LA except it's much smaller. I even found a shop that sells feathers and silk flowers! Nothing near the Millinery Supply store, but enough to get me by. What fun we had walking the streets, talking, laughing and having an all around good time just being girls.

Six Months

I can hardly believe it, but Friday was our 6 month anniversary! Wow. Time flies by. I hate to admit I really had no idea, until a bouquet of roses was delivered to the house. Hubby had said he wanted to take me out to our favorite restaurant after his soccer game, but I didn't put 2 and 2 together. He can be so incredibly sweet! It was a nice surprise. Why is it that no one tells you how hard marriage is BEFORE you get married? Everyone tells you how great it is, and how nice it is to spend your life with someone. But they leave out that you lose a little part of yourself, life is a constant compromise, you can't just do whatever you want -your actions involve someone else too now, you disagree often, you have to share your toothpaste, you have to re-learn how to make sandwiches, (in some cases) you have to cope with not being able to see your family on a regular basis, and you are tired ALL the time. Yes, there are many positives, and Hubby's incredible sense of humor has helped a lot, but really people.... do your friends a favor and tell them marriage is HARD WORK and to be taken seriously. It's not just something you do just because you like someone and you think that it's the obvious 'next step' in your life. I love being married to this wonderful man, but marriage takes daily maintenance.

I end up doing this!

Click on the comic to see it better.

Food on the Go

Ladies, here is another favorite quickie dinner. I love it because it uses up leftover rice, and you can buy shredded cheese in 2 cup bags (when I'm feeling really lazy). It's actually a spin off of one of my mom's recipes and I've done quite a few variations on it, sometimes changing which kind of cheese, or adding cayenne pepper etc. Enjoy!


Ham and Cheese Bake

2 c. ham, diced
2 c. grated cheese, any kind will do
2 c. cooked rice
3 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. green onions
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. paprika

Preheat oven to 350. Mix eggs, milk, salt together in large bowl. Add in ham, cheese, rice and onions. Press into a 6x10 baking pan or dish. Sprinkle paprika on top. Bake 40-45 min. Serves 4.

How do I love thee...

We are out of everything dessert-like in the house. So, I decided to be a good wife and make whatever Hubby wanted for dessert. But, we were out of brownie mix and no, there isn't any ice cream. So, I spent the evening making half a batch of oatmeal cookies... half of that with raisins and half with chocolate chips. And, they were a little on the well-done side. Ok, maybe I'm a so-so wife.... I just don't like raisins!

What to do?

Ok. The 'summer' job I had been promised before I left on my trip didn't work out. So... what to do with myself? My cousin-in-law that lives next door has given me and idea. She makes beautiful jewelry and sells it at a open market/swap meet setting in PA. I could make stuff! I been trying to come up with ideas for things that will be able to turn a profit.

I don't have a lot of confidence in the marketability of my cards and I don't think that I can make enough money on them to make it worth my while. It's a 3 hour drive and $25 to rent the table/space. The customers there are anything from people looking for car bumpers to those with $200 in their pocket looking for a unique 'find'. What about quilts? If I keep them really simple, stick to soft baby quilts, would I be able to make enough of them fast enough? How much do you sell a handmade baby quilt for? What about my cross stitch? I can use waste canvas and put little designs on onesies or little hats. I can do towels and bread cloths. Those don't take too long to make. With those fancy embroidery sewing machines out there, would people actually buy cross-stitched ones? Ug. Any ideas out there?

My cousin-in-law makes beautiful jewelry! She has taken orders for weddings too. Here is her website: Otis B Fine Jewelry

Aubrey Mae

My best friend had her baby while I was back in CA! And yes, it's taken me this long to upload photos. Miss Aubrey was 7lb 10oz and 19.5". I am tickled pink for them and can't wait to see what kind of person she'll grow up to be.

As you can see, I finished the quilt!! Finally!! And just in time too. I also made the pillow that has her name cross-stitched in it. I had a great time in CA. Two weeks seemed like a really long time, but I had a lot of fun with my sister, nephews, my brother and sister in law, Mom, grandparents etc. I really miss my family, but NJ feels like home now. We have had a whirlwind of company over for meals at our house this week, all of them have been fun, but I'm looking forward to relaxing today.

I went to see Disney's Ratatouille yesterday and it is really cute. I highly recommend it! Dobug, see if you can find Pixar's Lifted. It's hysterical and worth getting.