Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

First up, I'm super excited to share a link to The Spohrs Are Multiplying . Welcome to the world, baby James! Please visit the Spohr's blog to congratulate them on their new addition if you have a chance. Second, this post is being written from Albuquerque, NM. There's still no vacation or move to Omaha in our future. Third, it's time to LINK UP! Have a great weekend, everyone!

I haven't quite gotten Omaha out of my system and have been researching what it would be like to move there. How long do midlife crises usually last? Do you cut that time in half for a mid-midlife crisis ? The Omaha tourism websites only increase my desire for at least a visit, if not a life-changing move. At visitomaha.com , there's an entire section devoted to shopping. They have a store called Chocolate Peacock. Whatever could that be? My rational guess is that it's a typical, everyday candy shop. Then again, who's to say Nebraskans aren't serving the birds as a delicacy, fondue-style? Certainly not me, as Sexy Nerd hasn't agreed to vacation there yet. Omaha does make a big deal about their zoo. Just saying. I really should move to Omaha. Their tourism department needs me! Did you click on the link above? They're trying to convey how friendly and lovable the folks in Omaha are. They want me to believe that a day spent shopping in their various whimsic...

Three day weekend, baby! My boss has been at a dental convention since the 15th, so it's a bit longer than 3 days for me. The plan was to get lots of writing done during my time off. I'm pleased to report that my novel is just about finished. Did you catch that in the last part? It's difficult to convey sarcasm through a blog post. Have a fun weekend, everyone!

Sexy Nerd and I have been toying with the idea of moving to Omaha, NE. It isn't actually going to happen, but it's still fun to research a new city and place to live. I found a House Hunters clip online featuring a trendy part of Omaha (even less likely to happen, the condo featured was almost a million dollars!) Still, I shared the link with Sexy Nerd via his Facebook page, daydreaming about our hip, imaginary life "in the big city". Hey, when you live on the outskirts of Albuquerque, Omaha looks pretty impressive. They have so much water and greenery! Anyhoo, here is the response to my urban-living fantasy, posted by Sexy Nerd's mom: "No, no I was thinking farm...barnyard full of chickens, ducks, goats...and a garden to spend hours tilling and weeding... freezers full of the fruits of your labors...at least 3 kids running around climbing trees... just saying." Her comment made me smile, but I couldn't think of a reply. Granted, ...

I hate my skin! Hate, hate, hate!! This week, at the age of 29, I had my first chemical peel. It was almost painless, but I'm told that my entire face is going to come sloughing off like a snakeskin, probably starting tomorrow. I'm also told that under absolutely no circumstance can I help the icky bits of dead, dried skin on their journey to the floor, where they will undoubtedly and repulsively be frantically gobbled up by Pica and Biscuit. Hands off, no matter how ridiculous and gross my face looks, or I'll risk permanent scarring and discoloration. I hope this is worth it!

The other day, Sprouts/Sunflower Market (okay, technically just Sprouts now, but they were a million times better when they were Sunflower Market) had a great deal on organic apples - only $0.49 a pound! I already had some apples at home, but for that price I figured we could really use another couple dozen or so. You know those wimpy little plastic produce baggies? They didn't stand a chance. Introducing...Frankenapple! EEEK!

Happy Mother's Day weekend, everyone! I'm pre-posting this at 3am. Isn't insomnia just the greatest? Here's to hoping that whenever you read this, I'll be fast asleep. Whether you're reading this at 10:30am or 4pm, I'm sticking by that last statement. Do something fun today (after the amazing fun of linking up, of course!)

Does red light therapy really work? After researching it and reading scientific studies, I tested it at Sun Care Albuquerque and am a believer. It's supposedly the holy grail of beauty and Jennifer Aniston's anti-aging secret. Decreased cellulite, faded dark spots, diminished wrinkles, etc. all while relaxing. It's practically magic! As soon as I figure out a place to put one in our home (extra tricky because it requires a 220v outlet), I'm going to purchase a used tanning bed on Craigslist and reconfigure it with red light bulbs. So, how did my first Red Light Therapy test go? The Premium Shopping Guide had a coupon to try it for free at Sun Care Spray Tan & Skin Care Salon in Albuquerque. I thought the light would be just for my face - I had no idea I would actually be stripping down to use it! Thank goodness you get your own private room or I would have chickened out. That said, I suppose it does seem a bit unlikely that Sun Care Albuquerque would just have...

It's that time again. I'm sitting here snacking on Whoppers, which must be the worst possible candy you can eat. The first 3 ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil. Yum! I'm looking forward to visiting all the great links this weekend. If this week's linky is anything like the last, I'm going to have lots of great posts to share on Pinterest. There are so many talented bloggers out there!

My poor Sexy Nerd. He was so happy to get his Mini Cooper . Although it was supposedly perfect when he bought it, he immediately devoted his time and money to making it even better with decals, new premium oil (though the dealership had just changed the oil), and a clear bra. As a side note, searching online for a “clear bra” made him very uncomfortable. (So he says!) Sadly, Sexy Nerd’s newly purchased Mini Cooper isn’t running. He spent all weekend working on it. Just as he was ready to put it back together, one of the bolts broke. You can just run down to any parts store and pick up another bolt, right? Nope! Mini bolts can only be replaced with Mini bolts. The Mini dealership was closed (of course!) leaving Sexy Nerd out of luck. Now, he won’t have time to fix his car until next weekend. A lot of good your fancy Hella racing lights are going to do you now, Sexy Nerd.   I feel bad for him. Really, I do. My pre-buying research showed that Consumer Reports warned again...

My last window seat post was written in February, 2011, when we were planning to add a window seat to our home. Two+ years later, how is that window seat coming along? To quote Christmas Vacation, I can picture it in my mind and it's breathtaking. Sexy Nerd has been too busy to build my window seat. Between organizing his office , painting "meatballs" on his Mini Cooper , baking raw cookies , and napping while simultaneously watching Nascar , he just hasn't had the time. One day I'll get my window seat. How difficult do you think it would be for me to just build it myself? Keeping in mind that I'm not handy at all . Really, you may as well consider me the anti-handy. Here are some window seat ideas I've seen online. The 3rd photo looks doable. I could probably just put some cheap bookcases side by side and top them with a patio cushion from Home Depot. Of course, what I really want is the window seat from either the 1st or 2nd photo (al...

It's finally the weekend. WOO HOO HOO!!!  I, for one, am ready. Can you tell? And Sexy Nerd made dinner tonight! This weekend is off to a wonderful start.

...and I'll skip blogging if I want to. Birthday freebies, here I come! Stay tuned - there's a rafflecopter Amerisleep giveaway coming later this week. (After I've gotten all this birthday partying out of my system, of course.)

Our original agreement was that Sexy Nerd would buy an automatic Mini Cooper. That way, I could also drive it, if needed (like when he steals my beautiful, superior Chevy Volt). He can't be trusted. Our agreement popped right out of Sexy Nerd's head the instant he saw this Mini Cooper, which is a manual transmission. Compare this photo to the Mini Cooper I posted a few weeks ago . Yep, Sexy Nerd took no time going crazy with the decals. At least I was able to talk him out of painting flames on each mirror! We've made it through driving lesson #1 and are still a happy couple. The car is still working fine, as far as I can tell. No progress toward me actually being able to drive the Mini Cooper though. Why does anyone choose a manual transmission over an automatic? I can't figure out how to drive that crazy thing! After bringing the Mini Cooper to a shuddering, jerky halt for the 5th time, I asked Sexy Nerd if my problem was that I was releasing the clu...

This weekend, we are finally going to decide, once and for all, whether or not to buy the house we've been waffling over. I think we will buy it. No, we really shouldn't. But maybe we should. It's going to be a looong weekend! Really, my great fear is that we might lose a bunch of money selling our current house, even though we've completely remodeled it with high-end upgrades. Not that knowing that makes the decision any easier! The White Elephant in the Room You know those products that seem to be heavily marketed around Christmas, then suddenly disappear? The ones with the gimmicky marketing that leave you scratching your head, wondering who would possibly buy something so ridiculous? Check out what Sexy Nerd and I went home with after my family's White Elephant game at Christmas: No more bending to clean your feet! Hooray.

Raise your hand if you've ever found yourself focused on something online, only to get completely sidetracked by some unrelated search result. My hands are waaay up in the air. When you drop your Las Vegas getaway research to spontaneously bake, all because you saw Lemon Ricotta Filled Donuts featured on Las Vegas restaurant menu, you have to raise both hands. Easily distracted, I may not be visiting chef Mario Batali's Las Vegas restaurant, Carnevino Italian Steakhouse, anytime soon. I can at least enjoy his Lemon Ricotta Donuts though! The best thing about this copycat recipe is that my Lemon Ricotta Filled Donuts are baked, not fried, so you won't end up looking like the chef. Okay, *technically* these are muffins. Think of them as the most donut-like muffins around. Feel free to deep fry the batter instead of baking it. As for us, Sexy Nerd and I have been hitting up Happy Hour a bit too often for that. I choose fried artichoke hearts, fried duck eggr...

Happy weekend, everyone! (FINALLY!!!) Are allergies bad in the rest of the country? Here in Albuquerque, everyone is in a medication-induced fog. Darn you, juniper. That's enough complaining though. I'm looking forward to seeing all the great links this weekend! And now...

I'm writing this during my lunch break, feeling sad. When you make a phone call, if you're the type of person who is mean to the stranger on the other end, you're an adult bully. I tried to help you schedule your 3 year old for a filling. I want your children to be our patients and am happy to hear that their current dentist recommended us. I can even get you in this week. Yes, you do need to set up a consultation appointment. No, it is not free, but most insurances do cover it. You can threaten me and say you're going to speak directly to my boss, but if you refuse to give me your insurance information, how am I supposed to get an estimate for you? I understand that you called me while you are driving. I understand that you have triplets. At your insistence, I called your other dentist to find out the details of your insurance. As expected, they would not provide me with your information. I called you back at the number you told me. The recording said your mailbox is...

Sexy Nerd's dream since before we even met has been to own a Mini Cooper. Yeah...that was news to me too! Clearly, jealousy has been eating away at Sexy Nerd ever since I got my 2013 Chevy Volt . Poor guy. I personally have never understood the Mini Cooper appeal. In fact, I tried to sway Sexy Nerd's choice from a used Mini Cooper S Hardtop to a Scion iQ while we were negotiating a deal at the Toyota dealership. It was brand-new, got much better gas mileage, and cost less than the used car he wanted. It even looked just as goofy! I don't get it. He sure loves his new (to him, at least) car though. "Did the Scion have a sunroof?" smart-alec Sexy Nerd just asked me, knowing full well that it did not. He loved the Mini Cooper even more after removing the stinky air fresheners hidden inside every vent. At first, Sexy Nerd had his heart set on British Racing Green, but he came around on this color after deciding that it complements his hat. ...