Ktichen Update!

Now we're talking! Nothing much has happened because after the tar floor, we had a concrete floor. Then yesterday some electrical work was done. Now - today - FLOOR! My gorgeous tumbled travertine floor is here! I can't believe how much variance is in each tile. No 2 are the same and I think it's awesome looking!Don't worry, the blue walls are going away! I am going with a dark khaki/grey. I know, everyone's version of khaki and grey are different. But the kitchen as a whole will be really neutral and the fun and colors will come from art and accessories. I know this is very girl of me, but I am excited to get stuff on top of the cabinets! Greenery, vases, plates, etc... I think it just adds softness to the kitchen. Someone I was talking to (we aren't good friends anymore) I was telling about the colors and he said "So, where is the color going to come in?" He assumed since the floor is mocha, the cabs are white, and the paint is taupe that it was going to have no color. PSHAW! whatever! RUDE!
Just because he has tacky suburbs black granite...
Sorry...
Anyway, tomorrow they will grout and then saturday they will seal. Then cabinets on Monday! WOOOOOO!

#2's, 3's, and 4's.

So through talking with my good friend, and fellow schnauzer owner, Sara, she has clued me in to her terminology with our special pup's and thier poo's. You see, when they are sick, #2 quickly is #3, sometimes really bad. Teddy was sick 2 weeks ago and when I got him back from the vet, he was what i call - #4's. Just basically running out when he wasn't even trying to go.
When your dogs are ill as much as schnauzers tend to be, poo become's a fascination around the house. Yesterday, before I was taking Teddy and Lo to daycare, he was #4'ing again a little and I was worried. I gave him meds and we went on to daycare. Last night, Lee took the dogs out and when they came in he said "guess who had a nice solid poo?? Teddy!" so we are cheering and basically having a party! He said "after he did it I told him what a good boy he was!"
So now, we cheer for poo. Unique huh?

I am on diet overload at this point. I have only 5 weeks left. Well a nice kick in the ass to get me back on track was my Hungry-Girl cookbook! I have flagged a great number of things in the book and I am really excited about it! Even 100 calorie "Death by Chocolate" cupcakes!!!!
Today I went to the store at lunch and spent like $50 (easy to do...) and got whole wheat pita bread, Boca products, and various other diet-nice foods. Once snack I will try is plain rice cakes with peanut butter. mmmmmm.

Breann's Fold-over sammie:
1 Whole Weat Pita bread
Lean deli meat (i used turkey... ham may have more flavor)
Lettuce
Carrot (i got a bag of the already shredded kind)
1 wedge laughing cow garlic-herb cheese
Dijonaise

Heat pita bread in microwave for 20 seconds to soften
Spread cheese wedge onto pita
Add turkey, lettuce, carrots, and dijonaise.

ENJOY! Around 250 calories, depending on the amount of meat you use. Very filling!

I figure I have some good ingredients on had at work now for a Boca Hamburger by using the pita bread and lettuce and such. I find that frozen meals are not enough food for the calories and you are STARVING a few hours later. I also find that I enjoy my lunch more when I make it. So... we have a toaster oven here and I could make the Boca stuff in there and have some pretty good lunches. I even have all the fixin's for a Hungry-Girl Taco Salad!! Woooo00!
So no more frozen mess. Sorry Smart One's and Healthy Choice, but I need food!

Fun day!

Today was the crawfish boil hosted by Jennifer and Deidra at Deidra's home in the Heights. We were all worried about rain, but the rain came at 3am, and the sunshine came at 1, so we were good to go! Jennifer was a little stressed when I got there, but she was quick to apologize. She said that the 3 kids that were there (in the 4-6 year range) didn't want crawfish so they went to McDonald's and got a 50 piece bucket of chicken nuggets. When they got back, the kids were eating crawfish.... So... after that, we had some fun.When i found out that Jimmy Buffett had released his beer, I had said I would drink it. I am not a beer fan by any means. Well today at the grocery store, there it was! I actually had 3!
It was really crisp and light and I don't feel really bloaty or anything!
I have discovered a few new products that I really really like. Since I don't tan (see photo above!!) I am always hunting for sunless ways to have a nice glow. But I hate the smell you get from most of those deals. I had tried a spray on bronzer, but it left wierd marks where the stream hit you, and I didn't like the color. I have tried the new Banana Boat Dial-a-Day and I so far like it. I put some on this morning on the lighter side and now I am seeing a little color. I can turn the dial and get more color tomorrow.The other new thing I tried is Cover Girl's Lash Blast mascara. I usually think mascara is mascara. I did the one with white on one end and black on the other, i have tried most of them. But I picked this one up b/c the brush looked cool. I love this stuff! It really doesn't clump and give you spider lashes!

We came home and watched Enchanted and Lee was dreading it. Especially when the first few minutes was cartoon! But once it was over, he said "You are right, that was a really cute movie." It was a HAPPY movie and I love happy movies. Dan in Real Life (which we watched because Sara recommended it!) was AWESOME and we are loving the soundtrack. I even made one song my ring tone!
Well the sun and beer has left me sleepy so I am off to bed. It may rain tomorrow so I am glad we had a chance to be outside today.

Kitchen - Day 2

Today you can tell that something happened! It smells like tar in the house because at some point, someone used tar to lay a floor. I don't even want to know!
Here is what the kitchen looks like now:Pretty huh? So you can see the tar lines on the floor and they are gross! Tomorrow they are coming back to scrape that up. Then Friday the floor will be leveled and then on Wednesday the tile will be laid in. THEN the cabinets!! I think after the cabinets and floor, I can at least have a real fridge. Maybe everything. He said that I may have a plywood counter for a little while until the granite comes in, so that makes me think the dishwasher and oven can be installed too!
Here is our make shift kitchen (the fridge is in the garage):
The only thing I make in here is dog food!
All the dishes and pots are in the guest room:
So that is day 2!

Kitchen - Day 2

Today you can tell that something happened! It smells like tar in the house because at some point, someone used tar to lay a floor. I don't even want to know!
Here is what the kitchen looks like now:

Kitchen - Day 1

Today was the first day of kitchen activity. We had the electricity turned off and then a new breaker box was put in. The electricity didn't get turned back on until almost 8pm, so we were pretty happy by that point!! It got pretty hot in here!
Today the pups had to go to doggie daycare. They will be going almost daily until the kitchen is complete. They may even have to go on Saturday this week, unless the cabinets are up.
Lola and Teddy looked happy in the seatbelts this morning:
That's the best i could get while I was at a stop light! They are currently crashed on the couch wanting nothing to do with anyone! I also got them new collars today at the day care. They had a $25 gift certificate from winning the Halloween contest this last year. When I take the collars off to change the tags, they go nuts! "MINE! What are you doooin?"
Not really any kitchen photos to take as of yet. I will get some tomorrow after some real demo action starts!

Auntie Bre!

Well I am once again an Aunt. Well, really I am a 2nd cousin but Aunt is easier. Especially since my cousins and I are like siblings. Hannah Maree Williams was born April 20th at 7am-ish. Here is her mommy, Audrea, not too long after.
Now, everyone knows I am NOT a baby person. I am afraid of them and not sure I even want one of my own. But... this one is pretty darn cute!

In other news, we had Donald's birthday brunch at Escalante's in Highland Village, Sunday. Here are a few pics of that:
Donald is exclaiming that this dog looks like Chi-Chi - Jimmy's dog. "How did you get Chi Chi on a card??!!"This is Mike (my boss) and Donald. I am currently match-making these two! MWUHAHAH!

Escalante's has GREAT drinks and Jennifer enjoyed a few bloody mary's! (Her husband Dave is on the left and Jimmy on the right..)
We had a great weekend and now we are ready for Kitchen Demo! I cleaned out the kitchen today while waiting on the cabinets to be delivered, so I made a mock-kitchen in the study with the microwave and the plates and cups. I got some sandwich stuff so we can just eat that when we don't want to go out. I must have really wanted a sandwich today because I enjoyed it so much I could have eaten 2!
We are going to the Astro's game tonight! I am looking forward to a big stadium-hot dog with relish and mustard! MMMMMMM!

Right now, however, I want a cookie!
Off to scavenge!

Packaging vs. Reality

I get irritated by the packaging on certain products because they don't make sense. For instance, I got the Jimmy Dean D-lights so that I could eat one for breakfast each day at work. That is 5 days, right? How many come in the box? - 4! So.. what do I do on the 5th day? Or do I buy 2 box's? That is still only 8 - not 10. So no matter what, you never have enough for the week or 2....
Yoplait has a yogurt out that will "regulate" you and wants you to try it for 10 days. How many come in the box? 4! so even if you buy 2, you don't have enough! NICE! So then you have to buy 3 and you have too many... and yogurt goes bad (which may be why they did it) but would it be so hard to package 5? Doesn't make sense!
I feel like Steve Martin in Father of the Bride when he goes nuts over hot dogs vs. buns!!!

Remembering the best day...

Here are a couple of shots from the wedding day. It was a really nice day and nothing went wrong and it went by really really fast! We even went out that night to dinner with our friends!
I wore the big southern belle wedding gown and it was heavy and hot!! But when I put it on I just felt so pretty!!
Wedding Day

3 years and still going strong!

Today is our 3 year wedding anniversary! It just so happens that this is the one week a year that Lee is totally unavailable so we can't go out tonight for it. But we are going out Friday night! I had no idea this was coming:The card reads: "The best three years of my life, so far. Happy Anniversary. Love, Lee."
Yes, I cried.

Weekend fun

This week was stressful! I was sick starting Tuesday night, still feeling some effects today but don't want to let that slow me down. We took pictures at work and I can't wait to see them! My new little blazer I got was perfect. Thursday I was barely at work b/c we closed on our loan for the kitchen and will have the money on Tuesday! So that means this next weekend we need to buy appliances and such. I hope the fridge I like is still on clearance!! That saves alot of money.
Friday Lee and I went out to dinner and then watched "There will be blood." It was actually really good, and not really any blood...
Today we are taking the babies to the park to play and then going out to dinner with Tony and Tiffanie. They live around the corner and we never see them! Although, it was Tony last weekend that was the voice behind the PS3 debacle!
Tomorrow - no plans! :)
The kitchen actually won't start until the 21st, but since Lee won't be in for dinner at all next week, I still won't really be cooking. Maybe I can try the Hungry Girl taco salad again... that was enormously satisfying! I will probably be a slim fast queen too - i need to get more serious about losing the weight I want to.

Off to play on this great sun-shiny day!

TV mania!

With everyone's favorite shows coming back in next week or so, I wanted to share one of my favorite guilty pleasures. When tv season is really ramped up, I have a hard time keeping up with all the recaps, but they are witty and give some good insight.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php
They cover almost everything I watch and some of the stuff is really funny. I especially enjoy the American Idol recaps because the sarcasm is thick and awesome.
They just re-did the format and I really like it. I have been coming to this site daily for a few years now and still can't get enough. I was roaming around on it now and they even have a Movies Without Pity section. They don't do the fun recaps, but they have alot of articles on there and links to reviews. They also have a fun section "Brilliant but Canceled" that is nice if you had that one show you really liked and those bastards canceled it!!!

Tomorrow is closing on the loan. Yay! I my have to stop at Ann Taylor on the way to work after... there is a cute khaki jacket I have been eying and it is on sale and now that the outfit is in my head... i must get it! Maybe some jeans too. My jeans are worn looking and I want a nice pair of dark ones that you can dress up with heels or wedges.

Yay spring/summer! Wedges and skirts and tank tops oh my!

Noodles

Ok, I tried the Shritakie Tofu Noodles last night and they were actually good! My only complaint is that they were chewy. I had the fettucini shaped ones, so maybe the spaghetti ones - being less flat - would be less chewy... Plus marinara would be YUM!

Spring Cleaning Part 1

Today I cleaned out the closets. I had sets of clothes in each closet so I went through and pulled out things I never wear and put them in a bag. Then I moved all the winter/fall stuff into the spare closet and moved some spring stuff into our master bedroom closet (the whole 8' wide by 2' deep closet... nice huh? Old house!) I threw away some dingy and torn stuff, and a mess of wire hangers. Dang dry cleaner!!
Sunday we have to clean out the kitchen since demo commences on Monday! So I am sure alot of stuff will be box'd to give away and the rest will be organized chaos in the guest room to put away when the new kitchen is finished. I am excited about that because my organizational skills can be put to work!
Poor Lee, when I come to him when the kitchen is done and say "So I need to buy decorational things for on top of the cabinets!"... he will be like "BUT THE KITCHEN WAS SOOOO PRICEY!" :) Hey, he's the one that married a designer.
I have a Schnauzer poster that i got a few months ago that I need to get framed to go in the kitchen. I can't decide on wood frame or white (goes with the kitchen.)

The wood would look best, but maybe a chocolate mat with white frame would be pretty too.
I am worn out from cleaning the closet, so I am going to make my dinner and head to the sofa for some R&R. I am making the Tofu Noodles tonight. I can't decide on the alfredo recipe or if I should just cook the noodles and put marinara on top with some cheese. I guess I will see how I feel.

Woo-hoooo!

I just washed my last batch of dishes in my kitchen EVER! YAYHOOOOOO!!!!
Bring on the dishwasher!

Money...that's what I want!

Soooo.... Yesterday Lee is hanging out with Tony and they start talking about the Play Station 3. And not 1 hour later, we have one in our living room. This creates a whole new problem. Our current surround sound receiver and the PS3 don't have all the right ports to let everything hook up nicely and work together. So now Ben and Lee are out to buy a new receiver. Yet, just yesterday Lee was all "we spend too much money" while I am getting a dog seatbelt for Lola (Teddy uses Luther's) since I will be transporting them around town all the time during the kitchen renovation. Okie Dokie! Lee said "Hey, we can say this is what we did with that extra tax check we get this year." Something tells me Mr. Bush didn't want those checks being spent on gadgets and gizmos! (or whoist's and whatsit's for that matter..)

Menu This week:
Sunday: Shrimp and Chorizo sausage and spanish cous-cous
Monday: Steak, green bean, and pepper stirfry.
Tuesday: Lee's out. I will try the Hungry-Girl approved Alfredo with the tofu noodles I got last week....
Wednesday: Out with Andy and Candace.
Thursday: Thursday night dinner at Donald and Jimmy's.
Friday: Always out!!

This is officially the last week I will be cooking in this kitchen, and I somehow got away with only 2.5 nights (tuesday's is a microwave-all-the-parts meal).

I washed my hair this morning and can already see the highlights a little more, but I still want to go back, like tomorrow, and get more. I will wait. But you know, after all this gadget buying this weekend, I feel less bad about how much my blonde transition will end up costing!! STILL LESS THAN THE PLAYSTATION!!!

I need a margarita...

More about me....

I 'm a 27 yr old girl. I am transitioning from red to blondish hair. I like to eat Italian food, fajitas, and CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. I like to sleep in if I can. I don't stay up late and sometimes wear my make-up to bed. I hate to do laundry. I like to clean the house. I have a two puppies that I spoil worse than the cat, which makes me feel guilty. I'm addicted to pretty clothes. I like to dance around the house and blare the music. I prefer going out to having to cook. I want to work out but i haven't found the time. I want to be married to Lee forever. I hate when people lie to your face. I love diamonds and want lots of them. I hate MINI VANS. I love animals and want lots of land so i can adopt plenty of them. I love soaking up the sun by the pool or at the beach. I hate girls who have a tan as dark as can be since i can't get one hardly. I don't think you should wear tight clothes if you don't have the body to do so. I like to have control of the remote. I hate baseball season because it lasts too long. I would have plastic surgery if I really needed it (oops... already did!). I don't like it when you can tell they're fake. I love Iced Caramel Macchiatos. I love spending lazy days with my husband. I love to go swimming rather than just sitting there. I hate girls who wear make-up to the gym. I get jealous of Lee's poker. I want to find a way to make playing poker on the internet impossible. I love having Donald as my best friend, but at the same time I miss the mess out of Katie.. it hurts that she hasn't called to tell me she is pregnant, i had to find out from someone else... I love going to the movies. I love it when it rains, i think it is romantic and calming.. I am not afraid of hurricane season, but i am terrified of Tornadoes.. I want to be rich and i want to be a housewife. I finally have a job I enjoy. I pray when i see car wrecks and funeral processions. I miss luther so much it hurts.. and see alot of him in Teddy and that makes me miss him more, yet remember him fondly. Did I mention I love pretty clothes?

Question

Q: How are your Saturday nights different now than they were five years ago?
A: 5 years ago we were still in college, so Saturday night meant there was somewhere to be. Either a Sigma Chi thing, or back home going out to dinner, or Donald and I throwing a video game deal at one of our apartments. Now we either go out to dinner or cook at home and lay low. No more bars!

Haircuts

Well I am not blonde yet, we started with highlights. She had a toner out on after, so I suspect after a few shampoos it will get a little brighter. I am going to go back in 2 weeks and get more. And then more before our trip in June.


Not only I got my hair done, the puppies did too! Teddy was matted so he got shaved, and i think the groomer was confused because Lola is pretty much shaved too. I think they were busy and rushing this time, I am a little unhappy... But they are still cute. Teddy looks like he has the wrong sized legs!.

The pups also have seat-belts now because I will be driving them alot in traffic to be watched while the kitchen is being re-done. I had them once and stopped short and Teddy fell in the floor... so this is safer. You can see that Lola is thrilled!

Tonight we are having grilled halibut and saffron orzo. I have lost 5-6 pounds so far and have 10-15 more to go for Skinney Bitch status!! I only have 8 weeks to do it, so I need to be super serious the next 2 months. This will be hard since we will start eating out 90% of the time with the kitchen gone. I mean, I am NOT doing dishes in the bath tub!!
Smart One's should let me endorse since I will be eating their food so much!

Rhut-Roh Rorge...

So i walked into work today and Deborah said "Woah... you feel ok? You look whooped!" I slept well last night but I can't seem to shake the fuzzy feeling of having just woken up. Yesterday around 2pm I got this terrible "i am about to fall asleep at my desk!" feeling. I hope I am not getting sick. Booo!

Rambles...

Ok so I have an appt to get my hair done on Friday. I am going to talk with her about how realistic my goal is. If it will be difficult, then I will wait until May to do my hair. I just don't want to look bad in the pictures on the 30th.
Lola has decided that pushing her ball under the sofa is a fun idea. We have an old duvet fill shoved under there because she would do this so often and then she barks at you every 30 seconds until you give in and get it for her. Now she has discovered that you can still shove things down the side which means I have to lay on the floor with a hanger and dig the ball out. She currently is in barking stage and since I have been doing it every night this week, I refuse! She alternates between going to the side of the couch here it is and barking, to standing by lee's head and barking. Once she stops (if ever) i suppose I will get it for her...

This guy at work, a client, called me at 4:30 today to tell me he was going to call me in the morning to talk about a project. So... he called me to tell me he was going to call me? And I also have a meeting with him tomorrow at 2 to go over a project to get the cost down.

Teddy will be 1 soon! I don't know what I should do for him! He is so big and we just love him to pieces. I hate that he has to get shaved, but he may actually like it. He pants alot and as pretty as a long skirt looks, he may just need to be short.

So after the great-hair-color-debate is done, I will put up a picture.

Off to bed (early!!)

To blonde or not to blonde... that is the question...

A little over a year ago, I went from blonde (for all my 26 years of life) to red. And I really love the red! I am the only one in my family that is blonde and can't tan! So the other day I asked Lee if he preferred one or the other and he said "I would like to see you blonde again at some point." So now I am obsessed. Do I do it now? Do I wait until Summer? We have a photo shoot set up for April 30th and I don't know if I should do it before then??? I am about to make an appointment, either way I need my hair done, and I don't know what to do!! I was watching The Hills last night and like Lauren's color. I don't look good with really really light blonde hair, i get too washed out...


Ok so here is me blonde:



And Red:


Now the Red picture is better because I had on makeup and the sun wasn't in my eyes!! I don't know what to do! I feel silly!

Addiction Continued...

So on Hungry-Girl.com, I read about these Tofu Noodles that will "change your life!" I found them at Central Market today so I am going to try them either tonight or another night and see how I like them. In extreme frustration, I am unable to find Boca Meatless Chili. I found another brand but the website had said how extremely awesome this stuff was and I needed it to make taco salad tonight. So, if this brand is yuck, I will try the noodles! I mean, the entire package of noodles are 40 calories... how badass is that????