Yeah, it was a wonderful and much needed Easter weekend!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Weekend
Easter weekend was wonderful and much needed! Let me give you a run down of a few of my favorite things....Mama Mia's garlic bread, Cookie Dough Ice Cream, sleeping in, chick flick movies with Dad, grilling out, Brewer's games, sleeping in, shopping, shopping, shopping, fantastic museum exhibits, everything Frank Lloyd Wright, and plenty of family time. What's even better than all of the above....all of the above happening in one rock star weekend!
Yeah, it was a wonderful and much needed Easter weekend!
Yeah, it was a wonderful and much needed Easter weekend!
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Official Results are In!!
So proud of my family!! We ran the Oshkosh 5K this past Saturday, and even though the weather was beyond cold and it poured rain the entire run, we didn't let it get our spirits down! When everyone agreed to this I heard a lot of "I'm only going to do this once, then cross it off my bucket list" or "It's almost time for my first and last 5K." When all was said and done....I wasn't hearing too much complaining and I even heard a couple "I'm going to run faster in the next one!" Yup.....next one....I loved hearing that :)
Here's Dad, dry and all pumped for the race to begin
This is what a bunch of wet drowned rats look like after a run in the rain. Check out all those smiles though! All Rockstars!
Mama Kermit....hehe...she's going to hate me for this picture, but she looks so darn cute! ;)
...and now for the official results...
Chris - 28:07 Minutes
13th in Male 30-34 Age Group
141 of 774 5k Runners
Ashlee - 29:54 Minutes
13th in Female 25-29 Age Group
231 of 774 5k Runners
Tony - 32:17 Minutes
26th in Male 25-29 Age Group
317 of 774 5K Runners
Mom - 38:30 Minutes
17th in Female 50-54 Age Group
474 of 774 5K Runners
Dad - 47:08 Minutes
20th of Male 50-54 Age Group
588 of 774 5K Runners
Here's Dad, dry and all pumped for the race to begin
This is what a bunch of wet drowned rats look like after a run in the rain. Check out all those smiles though! All Rockstars!
Mama Kermit....hehe...she's going to hate me for this picture, but she looks so darn cute! ;)
...and now for the official results...
Chris - 28:07 Minutes
13th in Male 30-34 Age Group
141 of 774 5k Runners
Ashlee - 29:54 Minutes
13th in Female 25-29 Age Group
231 of 774 5k Runners
Tony - 32:17 Minutes
26th in Male 25-29 Age Group
317 of 774 5K Runners
Mom - 38:30 Minutes
17th in Female 50-54 Age Group
474 of 774 5K Runners
Dad - 47:08 Minutes
20th of Male 50-54 Age Group
588 of 774 5K Runners
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Guest Blogger: Princess Contessa
Hi Mom! It's me, Tessa! Let me get right to the point...where the heck are you!?! Dad says we're going to visit my seester and then leaves without me and seester keeps saying something about this place called Hawaii, like that's suppose to mean something. That crazy dog is here and she keeps trotting around this place singing "That's my Mama, That's my mama" What a weirdo!
Anyway, I was a good girl when Dad left. I didn't even cry about it. Seester came home and gave me lots of love. On Wednesday though my nerves got the best of me. Seester left in the morning to go somewhere. She must go to the same place you do because she comes home later in the afternoon, just in time for for my nummies! Speaking of nummies. I ate some the crazy dogs food, I should have known better. My stomach got upset and I puked right by Chris' feet. He wasn't very happy with me.
Thursday was a good day though. I got lots of sleep and seester keeps crazy dogs food away from me now, just in case I have another moment of weakness. Chris left for one of those long trips like dad does, but seester was around to love me up and she scratches my butt a lot. I love that about her.
Friday Chris was home again and we took a nap at lunch time, I love a good crotch to lay in! Seester came home looking tired and wearing walking shoes....I was confused though, we didn't go for a walk.
Oh! and Saturday we took a long car ride! I was excited and made sure to annoy them the whole way. I thought they were bringing me home to see you but it turns out we were going to Grandma's house. It didn't look like any grandma of mine, but crazy dog kept singing "That's my Grandma! That's my Grandma!" I think something is wrong with her! I had fun though, there was a basket full of toys, a bone for me to chew, a new yard to poop in and lots of new smells!
Mom, Dad, I think it's time we talk about me moving out. I met someone today. He's really great, lots of energy, big ears that stand up, just like me and he is looking fine is all that black fur! I met him in Seester's backyard. We were outside moving around that white stuff, can you believe they still have some of that up here!? Well, before I knew this shadowy figure came sprinting full speed ahead and swept me off my feet. I wasn't afraid, so I didn't nip at him. I'm embarrassed to share but I even lifted my leg up for him. Naughty...I know...but it felt so right! By the way...it's Wednesday and it has now been over a week. When are you coming home?
~Tessa
Anyway, I was a good girl when Dad left. I didn't even cry about it. Seester came home and gave me lots of love. On Wednesday though my nerves got the best of me. Seester left in the morning to go somewhere. She must go to the same place you do because she comes home later in the afternoon, just in time for for my nummies! Speaking of nummies. I ate some the crazy dogs food, I should have known better. My stomach got upset and I puked right by Chris' feet. He wasn't very happy with me.
Thursday was a good day though. I got lots of sleep and seester keeps crazy dogs food away from me now, just in case I have another moment of weakness. Chris left for one of those long trips like dad does, but seester was around to love me up and she scratches my butt a lot. I love that about her.
Friday Chris was home again and we took a nap at lunch time, I love a good crotch to lay in! Seester came home looking tired and wearing walking shoes....I was confused though, we didn't go for a walk.
Oh! and Saturday we took a long car ride! I was excited and made sure to annoy them the whole way. I thought they were bringing me home to see you but it turns out we were going to Grandma's house. It didn't look like any grandma of mine, but crazy dog kept singing "That's my Grandma! That's my Grandma!" I think something is wrong with her! I had fun though, there was a basket full of toys, a bone for me to chew, a new yard to poop in and lots of new smells!
Mom, Dad, I think it's time we talk about me moving out. I met someone today. He's really great, lots of energy, big ears that stand up, just like me and he is looking fine is all that black fur! I met him in Seester's backyard. We were outside moving around that white stuff, can you believe they still have some of that up here!? Well, before I knew this shadowy figure came sprinting full speed ahead and swept me off my feet. I wasn't afraid, so I didn't nip at him. I'm embarrassed to share but I even lifted my leg up for him. Naughty...I know...but it felt so right! By the way...it's Wednesday and it has now been over a week. When are you coming home?
~Tessa
April Fools Midnight Run 5k
This past Friday I ran my first 5K of the year. This was an evening run and the weather all week was not looking like it was going to cooperate...snow and rain. As it turned out, the weather thankfully held out and it was just a bit chilly at 45 degrees.
My official finish time was 31:38. Just 1 minute and 38 seconds shy of my goal. I've got two weeks not to shave that time off. For some reason I felt I didn't need to wear my watch for this race and I really wish I had. I probably would have pushed much harder if I was watching the time. All in all, this was a great test run and I now know what work I have ahead of me.
The lovely ladies I work with, Left to Right, Susan, Susan's husband Dave, Rita, Lynn, Ellen, Moi, and Wendy. The theme was crazy hats...I opted out....didn't feel like spending any money on anything and decided my warmth was more important!
Ellen and I before the race. A big congrats to Ellen for running her personal best and placing in her age group!! A great accomplishment!!
My official finish time was 31:38. Just 1 minute and 38 seconds shy of my goal. I've got two weeks not to shave that time off. For some reason I felt I didn't need to wear my watch for this race and I really wish I had. I probably would have pushed much harder if I was watching the time. All in all, this was a great test run and I now know what work I have ahead of me.
The lovely ladies I work with, Left to Right, Susan, Susan's husband Dave, Rita, Lynn, Ellen, Moi, and Wendy. The theme was crazy hats...I opted out....didn't feel like spending any money on anything and decided my warmth was more important!
Ellen and I before the race. A big congrats to Ellen for running her personal best and placing in her age group!! A great accomplishment!!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Chris' TN Golf Trip
Hi everyone! I just returned from a trip to TN with 19 other guys from WRGC to play golf for 4 days at two different courses. This is the first time that I have made this trip and hope to return again in the future.
The trip started with by friend Nick and I driving the 10 hours to Paris Landing State Park on Sunday the 6th. I am sure that you saw the pics that I sent Ash from our stop in Metropolis and overall, the drive was a pretty easy one. Of course, we did start the trip with me sleeping through my alarm so I was an hour late picking up Nick but that was about it for drama.
Once we arrived in TN, the rest of the group had already arrived and were out on the course. It was a cool 40 degrees when we arrived so Nick and I just rested and waited to catch up with everyone for dinner. The next 4 days were great and I played much better than I expected. I was fortunate enough to get a couple of birdies each day and to win a few dollars so that made the trip that much more wonderful.
The weather got as warm as 55 or so but we only saw the sun once or twice during the whole trip. I made sure to pack warm clothes including a good amount of the clothes that I usually save for ice fishing. The courses were pretty wet from all of the rain that the area had recently received so we were not getting too much roll on any of our shots. The pics that I have attached do not give a good representation of the elevation changes on the two courses but trust me, the majority of our shots into the greens were either uphill or downhill.
One of the pics is the entire group from Wednesday, one of our warmest days. The little guy on the end, opposite of me, got a hole-in-one on the last day. It was quite the celebration as it was his first one and it was on the only par 3 that no one in the group had birdied all week. There are also some picks from one of the bars where they had deep fried bacon with gravy. One of the other guys ordered in and as were were all grabbing a piece, I snapped this picture. It was pretty salty and I would have to say that it was not too tasty.
Thanks for reading and please continue to check out all that Ash will be including. Take care and I will try to write again in the coming months to give my side of our life but Ash does a great job detailing everything.
Chris
Once we arrived in TN, the rest of the group had already arrived and were out on the course. It was a cool 40 degrees when we arrived so Nick and I just rested and waited to catch up with everyone for dinner. The next 4 days were great and I played much better than I expected. I was fortunate enough to get a couple of birdies each day and to win a few dollars so that made the trip that much more wonderful.
The weather got as warm as 55 or so but we only saw the sun once or twice during the whole trip. I made sure to pack warm clothes including a good amount of the clothes that I usually save for ice fishing. The courses were pretty wet from all of the rain that the area had recently received so we were not getting too much roll on any of our shots. The pics that I have attached do not give a good representation of the elevation changes on the two courses but trust me, the majority of our shots into the greens were either uphill or downhill.
One of the pics is the entire group from Wednesday, one of our warmest days. The little guy on the end, opposite of me, got a hole-in-one on the last day. It was quite the celebration as it was his first one and it was on the only par 3 that no one in the group had birdied all week. There are also some picks from one of the bars where they had deep fried bacon with gravy. One of the other guys ordered in and as were were all grabbing a piece, I snapped this picture. It was pretty salty and I would have to say that it was not too tasty.
Thanks for reading and please continue to check out all that Ash will be including. Take care and I will try to write again in the coming months to give my side of our life but Ash does a great job detailing everything.
Chris
Sunday, March 6, 2011
"Super Wonder" Weekend! Ha!
My mom came to visit this weekend while Chris is away golfing in Tennessee. I made him promise he would take pictures and write a post for you all when he got back. I've got written confirmation in email saying he would, so keep an eye out for his guest appearance. I received the following pictures of Chris and his buddy Nick on their way down there... this is quite possibly the funniest thing I've seen in quite some time!!
On Saturday Mom and I went out to a tasty lunch at Carmella's: An Italian Bistro, shopped literally until we nearly dropped, came home and cooked a yummy dinner and then vegged out in front of the TV for a little movie time. Great fun in all and lots of girl talk :) The real fun though came Sunday when we went to the Antique Mall here in Appleton to scout some treasures. I've been working on adding little bits of decor to the house over time, and when the cat's away(<- Chris) the mouse(Me) will play! I've been eyeing up these vintage bottle crates from Pottery Barn for up above our kitchen cabinets.
The only problem is they aren't exactly the right colors I was looking for and Chris and I don't really even drink soda; I couldn't bring myself to pay the $24.00/crate price tag. Thanks for the free shipping and all....but no thanks. Also, I would need three of those for them to even be seen above our crown molding, that's $72.00 for something that is okay at best.
I also saw these little boxes from Ballard Designs and thought they could be pretty cool as well, neutral color so they would go with whatever we painted the kitchen and small enough I could stack them up and make some fun arrangements.
Would you look at that price tag! It's okay if you want to vomit, I just threw up a little bit in my mouth. As my sister-in-law would say CRIPES!! $85.00 for a set of 2 and I would need at least 4. Not to mention that's plus shipping....$170.00+Shipping, I'll keep looking. And so I did, high and low, near and far and as it turns out I just needed to head down the street where I picked up these fabulous finds.
The antique mall had a bazillion bottle crates and all of them where way better than the pre-fabbed, manufactured, vintage-inspired crates above. Best part, $30.00 for both crates. You go ahead and do the math, I'm busy over here doing a little happy dance!
On Saturday Mom and I went out to a tasty lunch at Carmella's: An Italian Bistro, shopped literally until we nearly dropped, came home and cooked a yummy dinner and then vegged out in front of the TV for a little movie time. Great fun in all and lots of girl talk :) The real fun though came Sunday when we went to the Antique Mall here in Appleton to scout some treasures. I've been working on adding little bits of decor to the house over time, and when the cat's away(<- Chris) the mouse(Me) will play! I've been eyeing up these vintage bottle crates from Pottery Barn for up above our kitchen cabinets.
The only problem is they aren't exactly the right colors I was looking for and Chris and I don't really even drink soda; I couldn't bring myself to pay the $24.00/crate price tag. Thanks for the free shipping and all....but no thanks. Also, I would need three of those for them to even be seen above our crown molding, that's $72.00 for something that is okay at best.
I also saw these little boxes from Ballard Designs and thought they could be pretty cool as well, neutral color so they would go with whatever we painted the kitchen and small enough I could stack them up and make some fun arrangements.
Would you look at that price tag! It's okay if you want to vomit, I just threw up a little bit in my mouth. As my sister-in-law would say CRIPES!! $85.00 for a set of 2 and I would need at least 4. Not to mention that's plus shipping....$170.00+Shipping, I'll keep looking. And so I did, high and low, near and far and as it turns out I just needed to head down the street where I picked up these fabulous finds.
The antique mall had a bazillion bottle crates and all of them where way better than the pre-fabbed, manufactured, vintage-inspired crates above. Best part, $30.00 for both crates. You go ahead and do the math, I'm busy over here doing a little happy dance!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday Night Dinner
Well, I tried, that's what counts, right? I love to cook and try new things, I don't always get those new things right. Point in case....
This is a gorgeous stuffed artichoke before we cooked it. I found this recipe on a food blog and her stuff always looks so delicous, but she could really use a lesson or two on how to write a recipe. There were tons of holes in the recipe she wrote that left me guessing on what needed to be done next. The basics to this recipe were to stuffed the artichoke, put in a pan with 1/4" thickness of water in the bottom, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Easy! I hesitated before I started debating if I should add more water right off the bat because 1/4" didn't seam like it would last through 40 minutes of simmering without evaporating.
Long story short, I was right. The wonderful smell of stuffing quickly turned to a burning smell and I quickly added more water. What gets me, is even though the artichokes were not actually burned and I let them go the full 40 minutes, covered, they didn't seem to be fully cooked! Grr! I have never cooked an artichoke before, only bought artichoke hearts in a jar that just need to be heated up and are ready to go, so I guess I don't really know what a full home cooked one is suppose to turn out like. I guess I always thought the leaves were edible after being cooked, mine definitely were not. We picked the leaves off and sucked the stuffing and what little "meat" we could get off of them. So confused, where did I go wrong on this one?
If anyone has ever cooked a full artichoke and is laughing at me right now for some silly step or concept that I missed I'd love to know what I got wrong!
P.S. Steph I know you read this and be thankful you couldn't make it. Although the Pinot Noir-Horseradish Salmon and Mango Wheat Berries were delicious, you would have hated the artichoke, the texture was all wrong for you!
This is a gorgeous stuffed artichoke before we cooked it. I found this recipe on a food blog and her stuff always looks so delicous, but she could really use a lesson or two on how to write a recipe. There were tons of holes in the recipe she wrote that left me guessing on what needed to be done next. The basics to this recipe were to stuffed the artichoke, put in a pan with 1/4" thickness of water in the bottom, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Easy! I hesitated before I started debating if I should add more water right off the bat because 1/4" didn't seam like it would last through 40 minutes of simmering without evaporating.
Long story short, I was right. The wonderful smell of stuffing quickly turned to a burning smell and I quickly added more water. What gets me, is even though the artichokes were not actually burned and I let them go the full 40 minutes, covered, they didn't seem to be fully cooked! Grr! I have never cooked an artichoke before, only bought artichoke hearts in a jar that just need to be heated up and are ready to go, so I guess I don't really know what a full home cooked one is suppose to turn out like. I guess I always thought the leaves were edible after being cooked, mine definitely were not. We picked the leaves off and sucked the stuffing and what little "meat" we could get off of them. So confused, where did I go wrong on this one?
If anyone has ever cooked a full artichoke and is laughing at me right now for some silly step or concept that I missed I'd love to know what I got wrong!
P.S. Steph I know you read this and be thankful you couldn't make it. Although the Pinot Noir-Horseradish Salmon and Mango Wheat Berries were delicious, you would have hated the artichoke, the texture was all wrong for you!
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