Wednesday, June 30, 2010

A now for something completely different...

The best commercial in the entire world. Makes me giggle every time.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Homemade (ish) Mudslide

Next to the margarita, the mudslide may quite possibly my favorite drink. For my 21st birthday, that was the first drink I ordered. Chocolate, cream, coffee flavors...what possibly could be better? (Of course, in hind sight, I probably shouldn't have ordered a dessert drink first, but who cares. I was young and eager.)

This evening, I remembered we had some TGIFriday's Mudslide mix in the fridge...and we had some homemade vanilla ice cream chilling in the freezer. I must say that homemade ice cream makes a store bought mix so much better. Yum.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Diaper Cake version 2.0

Some my cousin and his wife are expecting a baby, due in September, and I, along with my mom and sister, are hosting a baby shower in August. Well, for those of you who do not know, I teach in the public school system. and this just happens to be our first week of summer vacation. I tend to be like a work dog, though, and frequently do not know what to do with myself when I excess free time. I have spent copious amounts of time this week planning (and re-planning) this baby shower. And I decided to put my creative energy to use making another diaper cake.

Now, I will not bore with a tutorial as I did before. And I did not take copious amounts of before pictures of all fun objects I included. So I'll just show you the final product, with some details as to what it's inside.


1. 96 Newborn Diapers -$29.99
2. I supplemented with 9 Size 1 Diapers left over from the diaper wreath
3. 2 Soothie Pacifers $3.99
4. Bright Starts Teething Toys (3 pack)$3.99
5. Johnson and Johnson First Touch Gift Set (Head to Toe Wash, Shampoo, Lotion, Desitin) $9.99
6. Johnson and Johnson Travel Set (Baby Powder,Head to Toe Wash, Shampoo, Lotion, Desitin)    $2.99
7. 2 Bottle Brushes $2.99
8. Newborn Brush and Comb Set $1.99
9. Newborn Nail Clipping Set (Scissors, Clippers, Emmery Boards) $1.99
10. 3 Playtex Ventaire Bottles $12.99
11. Aspirator $0.99
12. Bib (in one of the bottles)  $10.99

Other Supplies
1. Cheap Platter $2.99
2. Ribbon $1.50
3. Rubber Bands (already had them) Free

Total: $91.75 (adjusted for appropriate sales tax)
Still Need to Get
1. Topper-looking for a fun stuffed animal to match the nursery
2. Fillers for 2 of the bottles. 1 already has an M&M bib I purchased up in NYC. Another is going to have a baby tutu, and the other a ballerina sleeper. Neither have been secured yet.

Overall, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. It certainly wasn't as cheap as I had hoped, but I think it'll be well worth it.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Joseph Handler Sweet Red

Wine: Joseph Handler Sweet Red
Store: Trader Joe's
Price: $3.99
" Joseph Handler Sweet Red, produced from the native Dornfelder grade, combines luscious flavors of raspberry and plum with silky tannins and delicate sweetness. Serve slightly chilled." ~Back of the bottle

I don't know why I purchased this wine...I keep thinking that I'll like sweet reds, and invariably, I do not. This is very fruity-the raspberry flavors are particularly pronounced. This wine is also very smoky, which makes for an interesting combination. It's ok for a sweet red wine, but certainly not something I'd seek out again.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

A Rabbit I Am Not

My darling husband had a hankering for a mojito tonight. (Personally, I think it was the free muddler that came with the bottle of Bicardi we bought earlier this week that he wanted to play with.) We went out to the store earlier today, and he picked up some fresh mint...only to get home and find out we had no soda water and no limes. Back to the store we went.

We get home (with goodies to make home made ice cream, too), and he goes hard to work in the kitchen. Now I will be the first one to tell you that while I know the ingredients that go in a mojito, I don't know the proportions. And I really don't care to. I will never ever ever go out of my way to make one for myself, but since the hubs was so excited about, I felt the need to enjoy one with him.

He proudly presented me with his concoction, and I couldn't help but grimmace a bit. All I could see was leaves and pulp. Ick. It took me about 30 minutes of itty bitty sips before I realized this was ridiculous. I hate floaty things in my drinks. As a kid, I would put ice cubes in my orange juice to attract the pulp so I didn't have to feel little feathers in my mouth. I felt horrible doing this to a drink that the hubs was so proud of, but I had to go find a strainer in the kitchen and rid myself of the leaves. I am not a rabbit-I will not take leaves in my drink.

And, you know, once I got rid of that excess stuff, I thoroughly enjoyed it.The hubs can make a damn fine drink when he wants to.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Watermelon Juice?????

A dear friend of mine was in our local grocery store the other evening and found something new and exciting: watermelon juice! Well, this friend and I like to enjoy a good cocktail while we sit back and relax together in the evening, so he decided  it this juice would make an interesting mixture with some rum.


2 jugs of juice to 3 cups of white rum...it's like a Jolly Rancher in a cup.So yummy, and yet so refreshing on a warm summer night. I think this is going to be one of our new staples.

Rosemount Tramier Riesling

Wine: Rosemount Tramier  Riesling
Store: Costco
Price : $6.99 (I think)

"Traminer Riesling is a delicious blend of two of the world’s most expressive and flavoursome
grape varieties. Traminer–also known as Gewurztraminer–has a spicy, tropical fruit
aroma reminiscent of lychees and exotic scent, with a generous, soft palate. The Riesling
component adds elegance to the finish, with lifted, floral flavours and a fine acidity which
balances the wine to perfection." ~www.rosemount.com

I bought this wine on a whim while purchasing some goods for a party. I must say this is one of the best Riesling's I have ever tasted. It has a fuller body than some other Rieslings, with a crisp, subtly sweet finish. It goes down smooth, and is a great summer wine, whether with a meal or to enjoy on it's own.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Cheeseburger in Paradise, again

The past two weeks have been super busy and not really good. Without going into silly details, the hubs's college is playing games with him regarding his degree...5 weeks after graduation. On top of some other stuff going, we decided that Friday afternoon after work was the perfect time to use a gift card to Cheeseburger in Paradise, one of our favorite restaurants.

I love that we got there in plenty of time for happy hour. I started off the afternoon with a classic margarita, while the hubs had a classic mojito. I loved my margarita, and the hubs's mojito was pretty good, too. For our second round, I had the blueberry sangria, while the hubs had the mango peach mojito. Once again, the hubs drink was good, and mine was...eh. First of all, mine was huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge.It tasted good...but a lot like the blueberry punch I made for Sarah's baby shower. According to the menu, it was mixed with Barefoot Chardonnay, but I tasted no alcohol whatsoever. And I like to be able to taste my alcohol in a given drink. I'd definitely try another of their sangria's again, but I'd probably avoid the blueberry.

As far as food goes, both the hubs and I enjoyed our meals. I had the Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Sweet Potato Chips (my favorite ever) and the hubs had the Eggs-Straordinary  Burger with Fries (has anyone else noticed that eggs on burgers have been gaining popularity lately) and Gumbo. We both loved our food, and our afternoon certainly helped to perk up our day.