I really miss....

having summers off. As much as I love my job and the people I work with, all I want to do tomorrow is be at the pool soaking up some sun (wearing my SPF 85, of course). Then I want to come home, put on my pjs, watch some tv, and then stay up into the wee hours reading. That's basically how I spent most of my teenage summers.

Sometimes, being a grown up sucks.

Gotta go. 7:30 meeting in the morning.

Super Lemon NOM NOM Cake

So I made this cake today. It was super easy. Just make sure to grease your pan adequately or it will stick. That is why my cake is not pretty. But it still tastes great.



Super Lemon NOM NOM Cake

• 1 package cake mix (use the kind that says it is moist. try not to laugh at the word moist)

• 1 package (4 serving size) lemon instant pudding and pie filling mix

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup water

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• zest of one lemon

Preheat oven to 35o. Grease bundt pan. Combine all ingredients and beat with mixer. Pour into pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 25 minutes in pan, invert onto heat resistant serving platter.

While your cake is cooling you can make the glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• zest of one lemon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Beat until smooth. Pour over cake.

NOM NOM NOM until your eyes roll back in your head. Or you go into a diabetic coma. Whichever comes first.

My cousin is a rock star

Okay, not a rock star.....a design star! Last summer Hanna opened her store, Sanctuary, and since then it's been article after article in the paper, blogs (Ikea, Apartment Therapy,decor8) and now a magazine. I have to admit, I'm a teeny bit jealous of her style and also her drive & determination. That woman is certainly not lazy, unlike me.

She started out wanting to be a doctor when she was in college. Quite a different path, don't you think?

I love this cat

*boing*

Invisible

It's true, I have invisible friends. These are people that I've known, some for more than 10 years, from various online forums. Today, just a couple of hours ago, one of the nicest ladies I never met passed away. She was grace personified during her difficult battle with cancer. She leaves behind many friends and family, but most significant is her young son, Liam. So if you are the praying sort, please keep him in your prayers. I can only imagine how difficult this must be for him.


Rest in peace, Terri-Lynn. You will be greatly missed.

Ice cream

I don't know how all those food bloggers do it, taking their fancy pictures. Today I am making Oreo Mint ice cream, from my Ben & Jerry's ice cream recipe book, and I was going to document my process for all ya'll. Do you know how hard it is to photography white?

But check out my oreos. Don't they look delicious?



I will let you know how the final product turns out.


edit: here's what I've learned...patience is important when making ice cream! I was over eager and put the oreos in too soon. That made the machine work too hard so I had to pull the soft serve style ice cream out. At the bottom of the container it was starting to turn into actual ice cream so if I had waited a bit longer...oh well it still tastes good and is in my freezer now. I think it could use more oreos. Good thing there are still some in the package.

I needed a laugh

see more dog and puppy pictures

All together now

It's the middle of May

and it's cold outside! Seriously cold. Check out the forecast for tomorrow morning:

Monday will get the work week off to a chilly, wet start. A chance of showers lingers through the morning, and the day will start off in the 40s.

FOR-TIES

People.

That is winter.

Live long and prosper

Who knew Star Trek could be so hot?










What?

Sorry, I got lost in a fantasy.
I need to get out more don't I?


But seriously, awesome movie (and I'm not a science fiction nerd or anything).

Broken Gnome

I love this little guy. Today, after another exhausting day of work (yesterday I worked until 10pm, only taking 45 minutes to run home to feed & walk Lulu) I came home to find this. Apparently, there is a new maintenance man at my apartment complex and he got a bit carried away with the power washer. The management has offer to replace my gnome--yes, I did complain mainly because water also got under the front door--but he came from Ikea years ago and was like $2. Hopefully I can find that tube of superglue that I saw when I was unpacking.



Also, my gnome is a tough little dude. How hard do you have to be flinging that power washer around?! I hope this will not be the same guy that comes in to exterminate the giant spiders next week.

Even funnier

Maybe only if you work in cubicle land. Or with geeks. Or are a geek. Or maybe all three. Personally, I am neither. Hey. Stop laughing. At me.

This is so familiar

Affordable Art

The Poster List

Cool site with lots of neat posters with which to decorate. The one above caught my eye because that is something my dad used to say to me when I would leave for school every morning. You could always count on hearing:

Do your best.
Slay those dragons
Simper ubi sub ubi!

Taste off!

Tonight I thought I was going to D.I.E if I didn't get some ice cream right away. So even though I was already in my comfy in for the night clothes (who am I kidding, those are my every night after 5pm clothes) I went to the grocery. Yes, I might run into Orlando Bloom or Colin Firth at the store (they're in town shooting a film) but so what. Orlando is scrawny. Anyway, back to my story.

My good buddies, Ben and Jerry, were on sale again. 2 for $6. I sought out my favorite, mint chocolate cookie, but then spied mint chocolate chunk. Inspiration struck. A taste off!

First of all, let me say that I still think these ice creams should be green. But they are not so I must get past it. Mint chocolate cookie is basically mint flavored cookies and cream. Good stuff. But I think the mint chocolate chunk is my new favorite.

You have GOT to be kidding me

So a couple of weeks ago my manager was behind me on the drive in to work. She told me that one of my tail lights was out. Today I finally get around to buying the bulb. Now, I really wanted to just go to the mechanic shop and have them do it but I thought "I'm a big girl, I can do this".

Only, I can't get the damn plastic panel open to even put the bulbs in. I think there must be some trick so off to my trusty pal Google I go. This is what I find:

Inside the trunk/hatch area, directly behind the tail light assembly, are two cover plates. Remove these with a flat tool (screwdriver will work) by prying in the small slit. They pop off. Inside one you will see a nut. This is a 10mm socket. NOTE: This nut is very easy to lose once loosened! If at all possible use a magnetic socket.

Other quotes include saying to just take the car into the Nissan dealer. @#!$@ I don't have time for this. Do you think I own a 10mm socket? Much less one that is magnetized? Honestly, I'm not even sure I could tell you what a socket looks like at this point I am so enraged.

I knew I should have just gone mechanic shop to start with.

Relaxing

Lulu enjoying the spring morning on the patio



She was not relaxed by the time I took this photo. She gets annoyed when I keep calling her name and telling her to look at me. Also, I think the sound of the shutter bugs her. She's such a princess.

Black and White

Fresh from the farm

Every day, on my way home from work, I drive by a little farm. Recently they opened up as a pick your own strawberry patch. I've been dying to go. My coworkers went during lunch today and were kind enough to get some for me (I was away at a meeting). They are so delicious that I might just eat the whole container tonight if I'm not careful!