If I had the motivation (or forethought)

I would TOTALLY have a food blog! Instead I have to live vicariously through other peoples. Maybe it's because I use other people's blogs to get recipe ideas and I would feel bad posting it to my blog (even though I would completely give credit to the amazing person I ripped the recipe from) I never think ahead enough to take pictures of the process.

That being said I have got to start perusing the internet for more food blogs! A friend of mine recently "stumbledupon" one of the most amazing food blogs I have found! Immediately I found that I wanted to make about 90% of the recipes on the site. The site name is www.canyoustayfordinner.com and oh my WOW.

The first thing I wanted to make was her homemade Hostess Cupcakes. And I will. But instead my first recipe from her blog were these tasty, delicious bad boys:

I apologize that the first picture you see of the Petite Lasagna is on a dirty plate but in my defense it was my second helping.

Next up!

I'm making these:

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting.

A few from the summer

Since it's been so long. . .

About to go to ballet.
At Granny & Grandpa's house

Supermodel pose

First day of ballet!
At the fair. She really loved those rides!

We've had a good summer! There are lots of things coming up for the fall, Sophia started her ballet classes at the beginning of September and she started going to a new pre-school in August. And we went to Disney On Ice (another post)!

LOVE.

Wow. Blogging for me has been so sporadic since the "blog-a-day" thing I did a little over a year ago!

So here's a quick update: Sophia turned 3 in November! She has grown into such a beautiful little girl who brings joy into our lives every day (and lots of frustration to but I'm sure that goes with the 3-year old territory). She is very active and very talkative and when she gets an idea in her head there is no stopping her. It's really hard to summarize 6 months of ones life. Especially that of a 3-year old.

A lot has happened in the last 6 months as well, some things were good, some not so much. I feel like I've learned a lot about myself and how I handle things. There are things I need to work on within my self and my relationships but let me tell you a a lesson I learned.

LOVE is not something to be taken lightly. It is hard work and not always fun but the rewards are so great! I almost lost that a few months ago. It took almost losing it to realize how much I love my (supremely awesome) husband and didn't want to let that go. I don't ever want to take that for granted again. So babe, if you read this, know that I love you so much and am very happy that we are still a part of each others lives.

I guess that with it being Valentine's Day and all it just got me thinking. Don't take the love you have for granted. Cherish each moment, even when things aren't easy because coming out on the other side of it brings you that much closer together and can just strengthen your relationship.

Ballad of Unfortunate Mammals

Love is sharper than stones or sticks;

Lone as the sea, and deeper blue;

Loud in the night as a clock that ticks;

Longer-lived than the Wandering Jew.

Show me a love was done and through,

Telll me a kiss escaped its debt!

Son, to your death you'll pay your due--

Women and elephants never forget.

Ever a man, alas, would mix,

Ever a man, heigh-ho, must woo;

So he's left in the world-old fix,

This is furthered the sale of rue,

Son, your chances are thin and few--

Won't you ponder, before you're set?

Shoot if you must, but hold in view

Women and elephants never forget.

Down from Caesar past Joynson-Hicks

Echoes the warning, ever new:

Though they're trained to amusing tricks,

Gentler, they, than the pigeon's coo,

Careful, son, of the cursed two--

Either one is a dangerous pet;

Natural history proves it true--

Women and elephants never forget.

Dorothy Parker

Why I hate health insurance companies

You may remember that I have some sort of condition in my legs. It's called LCV, or leukocytoclastic vasculitis, which in short terms is the inflammation of the blood vessels in my legs that causes the capillaries underneath the skin to burst causing purpura (red "spots" that look like small and large freckles). Sometimes these can be painful, like if the spots swell as they have been doing lately. The swelling usually goes down overnight but the spots take awhile to fade away. Think red bruises.

So about a year ago I went to the dermatologist under the advice of my PCP and they did a biopsy, ran some tests, everything came back negative and they were stumped. We had some idea of what caused it initially (birth control) but they couldn't figure out why it was coming back. It went away for awhile and I stopped worrying about it. Now it's back, in full force. Breakouts virtually every night and the pain can be so bad that walking can be difficult.

Now before you ask, I have a number to a new doctor that I am going to call TOMORROW to get an appointment and get this figured out. But here's what worries me. After I went to see the dermatologist, I recieved a bill at a later date saying that the insurance company indicated that what I have is a pre-existing condition. I signed up for this insurance before this ever started so I thought surely they just had dates mixed up or something and I was ready to go in fighting for the coverage we pay SO MUCH for every month.

Then today I look at the Blue Cross website and it indicates that anything I went to the doctor for in the first year that I paid SO MUCH for insurance was considered a pre-existing condition. Are they kidding me? I shell out close to $5000 a year for medical coverage and they can't help me out with these bills? I call BS.

I'm at a loss. I am so mad that I just want to scream. I have never really had a bad word to say about insurance until now. Why is this ok? Why? And I think about other people who may get coverage and in the first year find out that they have cancer. What does that mean for them? That they pay $$ for coverage thinking they will just use it in case of an emergency and they end up finding out that it's really all for nothing.

Just fabulous. Thank you health insurance for making me feel falsley secure about my coverage and taking a good chunk of my money to do it.

I'm not retro, I just grew up that way.

Remember this?

































Well. They are back. And not so better than ever although I must say that the 21 year old girl I saw wearing them last night was at least wearing some that were completely fitted, kind of like tights missing toes. But she was wearing them in this ridiculous way:
























Unfortunately she was wear high heeled sandals so the stirrup part was very obvious. I really wanted to shake her and say "They were hideous the first time around and I know you are too young to know this but please don't make this mistake! Unless, of course, you are going to wear hot pink lipstick and tease your bangs," (or fringe, as Keith likes to call it), "4 feet off the top of your forehead. Then it's okay because I will have even more reason to make fun of you."


I just can't believe that certain trends are coming back. Does this mean that I need to start wearing two layers of different colored socks and "scrunch" them on top of each other?

Seriously?

So it's been a month since I posted anything and I hate that it has to be like this, but here we go.

Remember this? My car? Well, here's the update.

I never got to talk to the dealership that sold us the car because I realized I didn't have a legal leg to stand on. They sold the car to us as is, no warranty. So that's that.

We sent the car to another mechanic who looked at it and said "I can't do anything for you" and didn't even charge us for the towing. He advised that we send the car to the local Subaru dealership. We first had the car towed back to us until our tax money came in so we could pay for it. Our tax money came in and the car went to the dealer. The mechanics there said that fixing the car would cost us between $2000 and $4000, money we didn't have, and they very generously told us that we should send the car somewhere else and didn't charge us for the diagnostics that they ran (which was going to be about $250).

So the car went to Welltek, where a lovely man named Mike helped me. In the meantime, Jared's car - a Subaru Impreza Outback - died spectacularly. He had the car towed to the shop our car was at in the hopes that he could donate the computer that we needed and the wiring harness. Car was towed, neither worked. Of course. Mike told us that there was a guy who would sell us the computer and wiring harness from his car for a mere $450.

Today, Tara and Jared and I were out driving and I thought I should go to the shop and check on my car. I pull up and they tell me they have just finished it! The car was running. It was beautiful. Keith and I went back, paid for the car and almost $1400 later we drove away with the car that I haven't had for close to 10 months.

Well guess what? The only key that I have for that stupid car no longer works. It worked at the shop, it worked on the way home. We get home and Keith plans to take the car out around the block and the FREAKING key won't turn. I can't find the other key we had either. So now our car works and we can't drive it because the key won't turn in the ignition.

I cried in the face of irony.