Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures in an Airstream Basecamp

Pica decided to "help" us by taking down the Christmas tree herself...on Christmas day...while we weren't home. Yaaaaaay. Thank you, Pica! (And, in case you're wondering, our Jack Russell Terrier is exactly why there were no ornaments on the tree.)

We decorated the chalkboard door. I made a batch of Joy the Baker's gingerbread marshmallows to take to Sexy Nerd's grandma's house. I was worried that the homemade marshmallows wouldn't come out of the dish, but...ta da!   (so yummy!) Sexy Nerd also baked up some dinner rolls and a baguette with herbs. He's fancy like that. My parents are spending Christmas with my family in Tucson and we're watching their dog for them. Britney will not let me take a photo of her. Look over here, Britney. Over here!! Biscuit understands how to take a good photo, but Pica is stubborn like you-know-who. Over here, Pica!  Hopeless. Merry Christmas!

I use my Nexus 7 as my alarm clock. This morning, I woke up before it went off. The screen said 9:32 (I have to be at work by 9!) It was actually only 6:32. There's nothing that starts your day quite like a small heart attack.

Anyone want to guess where Sexy Nerd went on his business trip? Yes, those are SHARKS! Sexy Nerd wears his "finger shoes" everywhere (much to my embarrassment). Ooh, that is some scary vegetation. So many people have stayed in this room...and no one has bothered to peel the stickers off the TV. Haven't figured out where Sexy Nerd went? This photo is a bit of a dead giveaway.   He even got to ride in a helicopter! I'd be jealous, but it sounds terrifying. Just your average business trip.

Molii Gardens at Kualoa Ranch This January 10th = 10 years since our 1st date! They were fancy. Escape is futile, Sexy Nerd! Just a small wedding with a handful of close friends and family Instead of a traditional wedding ceremony, we had our guests walk "down the aisle" (a winding staircase) to us, where each received a lei. The coconut cake from Ted's Bakery on Oahu made the perfect wedding cake. We were even able to have it again when we stopped in Hawaii last year on our way to Australia.

I recently acquired some fabric from Wholeport.com. Remember my repainted Ashley Furniture dining chairs? You know, the ones I blogged about almost 4 years ago (!!!) with the intention of replacing the fabric (4 years ago)? It's finally time. The original fabric, all stained and faded and pilled and yucky.   Pica does not approve. Last year, I found some beautiful Pottery Barn cushions on clearance. They were perfect for our living room. Fancy! (Just ignore the dog hair. There really is no stopping Pica. When she gets excited, which is ALL THE TIME, the hair just explodes from her body.) Since our dining room and living room are side-by-side, I wanted to recover our dining chairs with fabric that would complement the Pottery Barn pillows. But it's not like I could just order matching fabric from them. Have you seen their prices? They charge $8.50 for sand! Luckily, Wholeport had exactly what I've been looking for. Living room cushions...

I'm not supposed to be blogging right now, (that novel isn't going to write itself, after all) but I wanted to quickly share my favorite travel site. Have you tried the Google flight finding tool? I've loved it for a while, but only recently noticed this feature: THANK YOU, GOOGLE!!! Is that the coolest thing you've ever seen? The Google flight homepage automatically puts in my location (Albuquerque) and shows me everywhere in the entire world I can fly to, with the total cost of my roundtrip (or one way) airfare. The prices above are my options for ditching work today and hopping on a plane. Who'd have thought a last minute fare to Vegas could be so low? Then again, if I call in today, who else will help all the crazy parents who visit our office? It wouldn't be right.

Have you ever seen the movie The Birds ? We took these photos at the Peel Zoo in Australia last year.   Call us crazy, but we decided not to enter. Remember when we visited Loreto ? Apparently, I'm a psychotic bird magnet. Wait...does that sentence imply that the birds are psychotic or that I am psychotic? Are there any grammar experts out there?

Last week, I came home from work to discover that Sexy Nerd had a serious case of I-need-a-treadmill-right-now-or-I'll-go-crazy-itis. Nevermind that he never wants to take a walk with me. The idea had been planted in his mind and there was no getting around it. He'd chosen an inexpensive treadmill from Sears and was pacing the house, waiting for me to come home so we could go retrieve it. I did a little research first. The treadmill he'd chosen? According to online reviews, it was a 100% piece of junk. Sexy Nerd didn't care. He said the treadmill he'd really like is a NordicTrack, but that I'd never let him buy one because they're too expensive. Well, I found him a super deal on a top of the line NordicTrack, marked all the way down from $2000 to $250. (And don't try to blame the slim budget on me, Sexy Nerd. You think it's nuts to spend $2000 on a treadmill too, punk!) Despite the bargain, Sexy Nerd wanted nothing to do with the treadmill. I...

Although SN and I started out in a long-distance relationship, with me in New Mexico and him in Michigan, drinking that famous Flint water, we haven't spent much time apart since before our wedding 6 years ago, when I took a family reunion trip to the Seychelles and Paris without him. (He "had to work", but I think the idea of 3 weeks nonstop with my mom terrified him. To be fair, it was pretty scary!) Now, he has been gone on a business trip for nearly 2 weeks and I'm kinda starting to miss him. He says he misses me too. So, I decided to have some fun and send him the following email: Subject: Here are some NAKED photos for you Message: Be sure to delete these after you look at them. The photos, one titled "hubba hubba" and the other "you know you love it": "I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it, show it." "I'm sexy and I know it." Yep, that is a 100% collar-free, naked Pica . Sexy Nerd...

Jack Russell Terriers are known for their intelligence, and when Sexy Nerd left the house last week for a business trip, Pica knew exactly what his suitcase meant. She laid by the front door, whining, until I shooed her away. Even offering her a cookie did nothing to console the poor dog. I thought if I kept her away from the front door, she'd get distracted by something (a noise outside? a moth? a piece of dust?!) soon enough. Instead, she went straight to the garage door. Now, for my fellow South Park fans, you'll want to read this next part in the voice of Sexual Harassment Panda. I'm a saaaad Pica.

This is one of our favorite dinners. How convenient that it also happens to be quick and easy! It's not the prettiest waffle around, though my blue Noritake Colorwave plate tried to fool you into thinking otherwise. This is a recipe you should bookmark. These chili-covered cornmeal waffles seem like the kind of meal you worked really hard on, even though they take no effort at all. Sexy Nerd is certainly impressed whenever he comes home to this dinner. *Snicker* The superstar of this meal is the cornmeal waffle, so feel free to use canned chili if you're crunched for time lazy. (No judgement!) If you're feelin' fancy though, I have a great chili recipe for you: LambAround's Easy Peasy Chili (serves 3) 1 can tomatoes with green chile 1 can white beans 3 Tbsp creamed corn 1/2 - 1 lb cooked ground beef (the amount depends on how carnivorous you're feeling) 1 diced bell pepper 1 diced white onion 1 diced garlic clove 1 dried red chili pepper...