Kitty Deschanel

Our house has been sitting for what seems like months (come to think of it, it may literally be months) while we wait for the weather to improve. The construction crew was unable to get the roof on before the first snowfall, so everything is a soggy mess. Outside, the mud is so thick and deep, construction equipment can't make it past the street. It's depressing. Our house is filled with water, but there's also some ice, so watch where you step! Is this a normal part of the building process? I have family members who work in the construction industry in Arizona. They said building in the winter isn't a big deal as long as you wrap the house, otherwise water soaks into the wood and it swells, causing major problems. Our builder isn't concerned (at least, he isn't letting on if he is), but I can't shake the feeling that everything is going to be a mildewy nightmare and that our house is ruined forever. Construction woes aren't the o

You've all been very patient waiting to see our new home. The bank admits we "fell through the cracks" (their exact words!) but now we're finally, finally going to actually build this thing. The bank actually took so long that we have no choice but to close on our construction loan next Wednesday, because waiting until next Thursday would be outside the application window and we'd have to start over from the beginning. That said, next Tuesday would be too soon to close on the loan because the bank "can't possibly have everything ready" on their end by then. I just have to keep reminding myself that we got a screamin' deal by going with Compass Bank. Our house is going to look just like this (pending HOA-approval) but with a few nifty details Sexy Nerd's computer program couldn't show - yellow shutters around the big square window and a white (or possibly red...no, definitely white...I think...) arbor above the garage door. We're

I slaved over these homemade crepes all day. Just kidding! My secret ingredient? Prepackaged crepes, which taste just as good, if not better, than homemade. Ham and Cheese Crepes For something so simple, don't these look so fancy? I have a fantastic recipe for you today. But first, behold the 50 calorie giant cookie...   Giant YUM! And only 1 measly gram of fat. Can you believe it? Best of all, with the help of your toaster oven, these mega-cookies crisp up in less than ONE minute! Prepackaged crepes, where have you been all my life? Of course, you can also devour these  Frieda's French Style Crepes (or other prepackaged crepes) as they are intended, with a fruit or mascarpone filling. It couldn't be easier to fancy up a crepe.  Filling them with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows before their party on the stove or in the toaster oven gives you smores crepes. Blueberries and whipped cream (skip the toaster oven!) is also yummy. But h

Sexy Nerd was playing around with my fancy new camera the other night. What you are about to see is not (really can't stress that enough) the way our house usually looks. A certain someone, who is not shown in the photo, had been brewing and bottling beer and thought it best the save the mess for the next day. "Something to do tomorrow," this someone had said, fiddling with a camera that he had never shown any interest in up to that point. There's a trash can on the counter. And cheese right next to it! This goes against everything I ever learned as a restaurant manager. Showing a photo of myself in my fabulously frumpy pajamas (which I bought on our honeymoon - sexy!) also goes against everything I ever learned, but here we are. I'll post my trashed kitchen and I'll post my trashy jammies, but I really do need to draw the line somewhere. So, what is the point of all this? Take a closer look at the photo. If this were a restaurant manager scenario, I'

Dinnerware, my one splurge. Well, that and traveling. And chocolate. And clothes. And, the moment we move into our new house on 13.1 acres, shelter dogs that look like Biscuit. That last one is still unbeknownst to Sexy Nerd, who thankfully does not read my blog. But back to my main point. I love my Noritake Colorwave Floral Accent Plates! We registered for one of each design for our wedding, but received only 4. My mom thought we'd registered for stupid things and refused to tell anyone where to find our registry. My grandma didn't care though. Thank you for the 4 plates, Grandma.  Isn't she just the cutest grandma ever? She's teenier every time I see her. At Christmas this year, I expect her to be about a foot tall, maybe a foot and a half. Accent plate, smaccent plate, Mom. Get enough of them and you have a respectable dinnerware set! My collection is perfect for everyday dining as well as more formal occasions. You know, the kind of everyday din

It's crazy to think that Sexy Nerd and I had our first date 8 years ago. Things were so different back then. (Click the image to enlarge) And has it already been 4 years since we got married? Really? I wonder if I'll look back another 8 years from now and be amazed at how much things have changed. By then we will hopefully have our home in the mountains and Baby Nuke . I'm hoping Pica and Biscuit will still be here (though I'm realistic that our punk Pica will probably run down the street one day, never to be seen again). If all goes according to plan, we will each have a new vehicle by then (a Prius C for me and "something sporty" for him) and will have traveled to Australia and cruised so many times. Sexy Nerd will have his Ph.D. I suppose I'll call him Dr. Sexy Nerd. Life can change so much from year to year. Based on the past 8, I think we're in for some pretty wonderful times.

Summer has officially arrived, marked by 100+ degree weather here in New Mexico, a haircut for Biscuit (she looks so tiny now!), and homemade burgers on our patio. I arrived home from work recently to find a buffet of topping options on our kitchen island, courtesy of Sexy Nerd, and we quickly got to work building the perfect burgers. I can never resist a unique sauce/dressing/topping/condiment/anything food whatsoever when it's on clearance, so we've accumulated quite a few unique burger topping options. Mango Habanero Ketchup? Check. Parsley Garlic Sauce? Of course. Mojo Picon? Obviously. Truffle Oil? You know it. Wasabi Sauce? Duh. Tabouli? Burger-topping extraordinaire. Cranberry Horseradish Mustard? It actually tastes identical to everyday brown mustard. I may have been scammed on this one. Pickled Beets? Is it even a burger without this? Olive Paste? Olive you, olive paste. The list goes on, and I had to find a way to include

I'm participating in an online blogging event. With a name like "Mom Sexy Prom 2010" (this link, to another prom goer, is one of my favorites), how could I resist? What's that, you say? I'm not allowed to play because I'm not a mom? Just who in the heck do you think you are, coming over to my blog and talking to me that way! I'll have you know that I have 2 beautiful babies: The Pica (recently spayed and drugged out of her little mind here) The Biscuit (so pretty...in her own, special way) Still not convinced? Well, then I guess you'll just have to call me a party crasher! How convenient that I have such fancy flowers for my prom photo. (HA!) See Pica's bone in the background? I think that qualifies me for Mom Prom right there! Who will be my date to Mom Prom? I pulled out an old photo from my senior prom for inspiration: Clearly, I would not be going with that dirt bag again. (Don't even get me started!) I

In response to my last post, Lamb Quote of the Day , spiffy long-time reader My Husband's Watching TV commented "So...what's the show?" Hey , I thought slyly while writing my reply, I can get an additional blog post out of this! Another year older, another year wiser, and another year more diabolical. Muah ha ha! (The evil laugh. You know you love it.) You see, the answer isn't as simple as merely telling the name of the show. I wrote that blog post around 3am. Originally, I omitted the name because Sexy Nerd's preposterous paranoia has rubbed off on me over the past 7 years. It seemed best to save the name until after the show, lest a reader know exactly when I would be out of the house, making it easier to (A) abduct me from the parking lot after the show (or before! Extra cruel) or (B) steal Pica and Biscuit and my fanciful new camera (jokes on them - I am bringing my solid, weapon-like camera with me and Pica is a pain in the butt whenever she is

A friend recently purchased a new mattress for her son, who is attending college in New York and relies solely on public transportation. I'd recommended Amerisleep to her, which was perfect because it could be shipped directly to his door, but after discussing it, we decided that investing in an Amerisleep twin mattress might not be the best choice. He would be leaving school in less than two years and needed a cheap, temporary solution. We spent some time comparison shopping online. Based on cost alone, our top choice was a Sleep Number bed, which was on sale for $399. My friend said, "Two hundred a year is nothing compared to tuition. Sold!" We'd read some iffy reviews online about Sleep Number mattresses not lasting, an opinion reinforced by their abysmally short warranty, but hoped it would at least make it two years. I helped her navigate the checkout process, entering all of her son's delivery information, and felt confident in our choice. Then, Sleep

Thanksgiving, 2020 has come and gone. Although SN and I usually host a large meal, it was nice to enjoy the holiday with just the two of us. No guests means... Pajamas! No cleaning the house! No makeup! (To be honest, I sort of regretted this one while looking through the photos we'd taken.) My plan was to have a light breakfast of plain yogurt and almonds. On a holiday that revolves around eating, you should save room for the good stuff, right? SN had other ideas. To be fair, this is also good stuff. Just ignore the mess. There wasn't much reason to tidy up, considering the mess of all messes right in the middle of our hallway: Construction! I'll come back to this in a future blog post. Come to think of it, as long as you are ignoring the mess, you really should also be sure to ignore the dog hair. So. Much. Dog. Hair. Olive and Bernadette look so guilty. And they should! We thought we were done with dog hair when we adopted Olive. She doesn't shed at all - lucky us. T