I moved!

Hi all,

After being a blogger member since 2007, I have moved on to a new blog.  (I have been rather annoyed/disappointed by blogger as of late.)

So now, you can find me here, writing the same old trivial posts ;)

http://lovenhonor.tumblr.com

Love,
K

Grow baby, grow!

If you live in the Midwest, you probably already know that it has been raining non-stop for about a month now. In most cases, this would not be the most desirable weather, but for my baby herbs...it's been wonderful! I've only watered them twice - maybe three times since the day I planted the seeds. Mother nature has taken care of the rest! I used my cilantro for the first time on some home-made tacos the other night...so delicious! I can't wait to use the rest of the herbs!

Pot o' herbs

Day 1: Seeds planted

Day 19: The seeds are sprouting!

Day 26: Little cilantro leaves

Day 29: Basil starting to peek through

Day 35: Lookin' good, cilantro!

Left: Parsley, Middle/Front: Basil (come on basil, you can do it!), Right: Cilantro, Back: Oregano (I think I've officially given up you oregano)

I may have to re-plant the oregano, since I have yet to see a single sign of life back there. I'm also contemplating tomatoes again. I usually grow tomatoes every year...but then never eat all of them. We'll see how adventurous I'm feeling...

Plyo-what?

So Jillian Michaels and I have officially divorced. Maybe I'll flirt with her again in the future when I'm too lazy to go to the gym.

Thanks to Groupon, I discovered this small, women’s gym a couple miles from my house. The Groupon I bought gave me two weeks of Bootcamp classes for around $30 (6 classes in total). My first thought was, “I’m not going to see any results in two weeks, so maybe it’s not even worth it.” My next thought was, “Well, it’s only $30, and it’s better than sitting on my butt every night.” So I bought the Groupon. If you’ve never tried groupon – look it up, and sign up immediately. It’s amazing!

4 weeks later, I’m still taking bootcamp classes 3 times a week, and I love it! For those of you in the advertising industry, yes…I am the perfect target. Make a commercial, give me a coupon, stand on the sidewalk in a ridiculous costume waving a giant sign– and I’m likely to try it.

After the first two weeks of classes and some conscious eating decisions, I lost 5 pounds! I don’t really look any different (at least I don’t think I do), but I feel better. I feel a little stronger, healthier, energized, and most significantly, I feel more motivated to continue with an exercise routine and healthy eating habits. I’ve got another 4 weeks of bootcamp to go, and who knows, maybe I’ll keep signing up if I like the results I’m getting.

A typical bootcamp class is a combination of weight training, body resistance training, and some cardio here and there. I’ve done so many squats and push-ups in the last few weeks I could cry.  The great thing about the class is that there are only a handful of girls in it, all about my age, and the instructor is wonderfully encouraging but not a crazy drill sergeant. In fact, because it’s a smaller gym, the instructor knows everyone by name and always makes everyone feel so welcome. Makes for a very comfortable, low-pressure environment.

Also, just as I was getting tips from friends about using protein supplements to help me recover from workouts, my instructor gave me a bunch to try for free! Well, “free” in that I already paid for the classes and this was a bonus. I used to be SO sore after every workout, and now, I’m hardly ever sore. Why didn’t I know about this until now!? Clearly I wasn’t paying attention in health class during high school. (And clearly I’m not the athletic type – understatement of the year.)

Now I’m attempting to add some running into my routine, and I have never, EVER, been a runner. It sounds torturous to me, but for some reason I’m inclined to try it lately. I welcome any and all advice in this area, as I know many of my friends out there are crazy athletic marathon runners.  

For starters, I need to get new tennis shoes. Mine are quite literally falling apart. Any suggestions?

Parenthood 101

If you’re thinking about having kids, but aren’t sure…I’d highly recommend getting a dog. I do not have children, and don’t intend on having any in the immediate future, and don’t claim to be an expert on parenting. After this past weekend with the dog, however, I believe I’ve earned a few gold stars towards my “competent parent” badge. 

Sheely and Luke seem to have conspired against me, so that every time Luke is unavoidably detained (on call at the hospital, or out of town) she gets seriously ill, and I end up calling the emergency line at the animal hospital.

This past week, Luke was in Florida for a conference. While I was out having dinner and drinks with some friends, Sheely decided to nuzzle her way into a closed bag and pull out a container full of Mentos gum (the economy size, 50 pieces container, nonetheless) and consume who knows how many pieces. My first reaction upon coming home was to yell at her for the mess, pick up the 10 pieces of gum that were scattered across the floor, and assume that she’d “pass” the rest of the gum. Then I decided to check online just to make sure it wasn’t anything serious.

Well, turns out it was serious. Like “your dog could experience seizures, liver failure, or death if you don’t get it out of her system ASAP,” serious. Apparently the xylitol in sugar-free gum is toxic to dogs. So I spent the next half hour force feeding my poor puppy hydrogen peroxide and making her vomit. I’ll spare you the details of how I had to make sure the pieces of gum had made it out of her system. By the time that was all cleaned up it was 1:00am and she seemed to be acting normal, so I considered the treatment a success and we fell asleep together on the couch.

Cut to two days later - a completely unrelated incident: Sheely destroys a pillow. No big deal. Dogs tear apart pillows and cushions all the time, right? Again, I just yelled at her and swore to myself that she isn’t mature enough to be out in the house alone yet, and that she was going to go back into her crate while we’re gone. The next day, I notice that she has thrown up, several times, while I was at work. I soon discover that she cannot keep any food down, and that something is seriously wrong…again.

This particular incident cost us two vet visits, two sets of x-rays, an alarming “there’s something obstructing your dog’s intestines and her stomach is in the wrong place” and a $500 bill. Apparently she not only chewed up the pillow, but was dumb enough to try to eat half of it, blocking anything that she ate afterward. Luckily we didn’t have to resort to surgery, but she’s on medicine and a bland diet for a week.

After saving her life twice within a week’s time, I’m ready to never go back to the vet’s office again. Also, I’ve learned that she is obviously not ready to wear big-girl pants and prance around the house all day by herself. She may be a teenager in dog years, but she is definitely more akin to a toddler in her "terrible twos."

Despite the panic and squeamish gagging this dog has put me through this week, I still love her unconditionally, and I have to thank her for being the best birth control anyone could have ever invented.

Spring Sprang Sprung!

The last few weeks have been rather productive as far as spring preparation goes, except for the couple nights that it dropped down into the 30's and was frosting overnight (my poor herbs!).

Today, however, was pure bliss. It was perfectly sunny, breezy, and 70 degrees. It was the first day I did not take a jacket to work. I believe I'm a true Michigander now, because I found myself sitting on a park bench at lunch time just staring into space, soaking up the sun, and loving every second of it. Around me were several other Michiganders who haven't seen sun/warmth for a good 6 months, who were also standing around, in silence, just grasping for any ounce of vitamin D that they could soak up in their 30-60 minute lunch break.

As far as spring cleaning and home improvement projects - I'd say we've got a pretty good start already. We've updated our bathroom; all the fixtures, faucets, handles, shower doors, etc. that came with the house were gold. We changed it to silver. We also fixed a broken toilet, redecorated a large mirror with glass tiles (thank you DIY network and Lowes for the inspiration), potted some herb seeds, got new mulch, mowed the lawn for the first time this year, bought some new house plants, and updated some kitchen light fixtures. We've got a 3-page long spring cleaning to-do list that we've still yet to tackle (organized by room, and printed on heavy duty cardstock so it doesn't magically get crumpled up and "disappear" - I know, I'm a little neurotic) , but for as much as we've done in the last few weeks, I think we deserve a gold star. Or, I'll just settle for coming home to my blooming tulips and weeping cherry tree everyday :) As you'll soon discover, I get really excited about spring and summer. Really excited.

Happiness Is...Misfitz

Last weekend was one that I’ve been looking forward to for months. Well, actually, years -- since 2007 when I graduated college. As you probably already know, I was in a female a cappella group during undergrad, and the majority of my favorite college memories are with this group of women. You may be thinking “A cappella group? Those nerds.”…but have you seen my friends? They are the most gorgeous and talented girls you’ll ever meet. Of course, I have very close friends from college who were not in this a cappella group, but the bond The Misfitz share is truly special, unique, and unbreakable (although there have been moments where we really put it to the test). There really is no way to describe in words the energy, love, and happiness that fills the air when we are together. 

So you get the idea. We all love each other. A lot. We now live all over the country and in different parts of the world, but always pick up right where we left off when we reunite. We bask in the nostalgia and hilarity of old inside jokes (so many inside jokes – it’s a bit ridiculous), and at the same time we welcome the excitement and terror of new adventures like new jobs, weddings, and moving across the country. We’ve recently shared in the delight of our first ever a cappella baby! A former Misfit who is married to a former Remnant (one of our male a cappella groups) had an adorable little girl.

This last weekend was our Misfitz 10 year celebration. We’ve had 10 graduating classes of women, and our family continues to grow each year! We took over an entire hallway of a local hotel and spent the weekend catching up, reminiscing, singing, dancing, picture taking, and visiting favorite campus spots. 

Friday night after a good 30 minutes of shrieking and hugging when we all arrived at the hotel, we ventured uptown for a banquet provided by the current Misfitz. The food was great, the slideshow was awesome, and, of course, there was lots and lots of singing. Each graduating class attempted to sing a song from memory and it was quite entertaining. We have an official alumni song that everyone knows, which we all sing on stage when we come back for concerts...but we also have an unofficial alumni song that we started singing the year I was there, and we loved it so much that the group just keeps singing it every year. Do we really care anymore if it sounds musically perfect? No...it's just a fun way for us to all unite. A musical hug, if you will: Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey. 

We finished the evening with a pub crawl, which was fun but fairly tame, considering we’re fast approaching our 30’s and our bedtimes are much earlier than they used to be. Between sore backs, aching feet from high heeled shoes, and general exhaustion…most of us were in bed by around 1:00am. 

Saturday morning we perused campus, gawking over the new fancy additions to buildings, stocking up on Miami apparel, and enjoying the beautiful Spring day. The current girls hosted a barbeque for us that afternoon with more food than we could possibly finish, and of course, more singing. I love hearing how the group transforms each year and has its own personality, yet maintains such strong tradition. The girls seem to get more talented every year.

Saturday afternoon and evening we took over Skippers again (a campus favorite- best criss cut fries you’ll ever find) then headed to the concert. All three groups performing did a fantastic job, and we managed to get all 43 Misfitz in an arc on the stage for the alumni song. The solos were sung by our founding members, which made the moment even more special. We continued celebrating throughout the night, and ended the evening at 3:00am in our PJ’s in one of the girls’ hotel rooms, watching videos of old concerts. 

Sunday was full of sad hugs, a few tears, and reluctant goodbyes – but only after we took over the new and improved Uptown Café (a local favorite breakfast spot). This weekend lived up to every expectation, and although I was utterly exhausted and emotionally drained by the end of it, it was worth every moment. I can’t wait for the next one! 

 

P.S. This video is for any Misfitz who may be reading this. I finally captured the phenomenon on video. I caution you to turn down your volume. And for all other viewers - yes, we are obnoxious. :)

Happy Food Coma!

Er...I mean, Happy Easter! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday full of blessings and good food! In the past Luke and I have spent Easter with our families in Ohio, but seeing as how we're driving to Ohio this coming weekend, we decided to spend the day with some friends here.

Our friends Scott and Jess provided an amazing spread of food for the day, and I'm salivating just thinking about it again. The menu included: Lamb kabobs with tzatziki sauce, beef tenderloin, ham, cheesy potatoes, corn souffle, deviled eggs, and grilled veggies. YUM.

I brought the desserts, which were my first attempts at New York Cheesecake and Rum cake with the recipes that my mom uses. Let me just say that 1. I had no idea how much work goes into these...not quite as easy as cake out of a box, 2. I had no idea how expensive fresh vanilla beans were, and 3. I had no idea how UNhealthy these cakes were (hence, why they taste so good).

I did a test run of the cheesecake recipe on Wednesday, and it was, shall we say... less than successful. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't nearly as good as it should have been. This is unfortunate for the folks at my office who ate the test cheesecake.

The second attempt was almost perfect. Rich, creamy, vanilla-y decadence. Upon Luke's request, I added a layer of white chocolate and strawberries on top of the cheesecake. The rum cake was fairly simple in comparison, but man was it tasty. I highly recommend both of these recipes.

 

 Without further adieu:

The Cheesecake Recipe (without white chocolate and strawberry topping):

Ingredients

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 1/2 cups
• 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from inside of pod and reserved

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and mix well. Press onto bottom of springform pan and bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. When completely cooled, butter the sides of the pan.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups sugar and vanilla and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour, then the eggs and yolks 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream, vanilla bean seeds and mix until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Wrap the pan in foil and place in a roasting pan. Fill the roasting with enough hot water to come half way up the sides of the pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer cake to a cooling rack and let cool 

And...

The Rumcake Recipe:

1 cup chopped pecans
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 small pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Myers or dark rum

Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan. Sprinkle half of the nuts over the bottom of pan. Combine all remaining ingredients and remaining nuts. Pour batter into pan over nuts.

Bake for 50 minutes at 325°F.

Cool and then invert onto plate; prick top of cake with a fork.

Glaze:

1 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup rum

Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool slightly and then stir in rum.

Mix well and drizzle glaze over cake. This makes a large amount, so use scant measurements for the glaze.

Cake improves with age.