Today was a day in history I will not soon (or ever) forget. I sat on the couch with my maltese Zoe cuddled warm in a blanket with the tv tuned to inauguration coverage all day! Whether I was blogging, working, twittering or eating..for the most part I was glued to the television watching history happen before my eyes. Like many Americans I was inspired and in awe by today’s significance in history and the outburst of hope and excitement of the American people. To see Washington DC so packed with freezing happy people all to see Barack Obama forced me to hold back tears. I couldn’t however hold them in anymore when Obama was sworn in and did his speech..I am just so excited for a change and it feels like we are starting a whole new chapter in our history and lives. Whether you voted for him or not, one must be proud that we are a nation who has come so very far! No one is perfect, so I expect him to screw up (he’s only human!)..but I feel like we can only go up from here. I think he will be the one to rebuild our country, our economy, keep us safe and rebuild our foreign relationships…It’s nice to wake up and feel like there is hope again! Go Obama! 😀

On another completely insignifigant note..I got Eclipse today. The library called me yesterday telling me I could pick the book up, but didn’t tell me they were closed. Oh well! It’s sitting next to me right now just crying out “Read me..read me now! Idnbubuyvgt7!!!” To that I say…”Well..Ok then!”

OH..and I ordered all the materials to make my wedding invites last night! Will post a pic when I create a mockup!

btw – Posting this at 12:30am so technically…it was yesterday. yep.

The library called this morning to let me know that I’m next in line to receive the Twilight series book “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer….YAY! I placed a hold at the library at the beginning of the month and have been itching to read the book after finishing the first two in the series so quickly. I’m heading over to pick it up as soon as Ry gets in from work. *dances and spins* I’ll be sure to blog when I finish and tell you what I thought of it..although I’m sure it’ll be good 😀

I don’t know if it’s because its the start if the New Year or what but I’ve been strangely obsessed with cleaning the house lately whenever I am up and about and have a spare minute. You would think I was pregnant and nesting in preparation but I know I’m not. I think I’m just insane? Or maybe it’s just making me feel better to have control over something since I have been so busy and stressed with working and wedding planning. Who knows..at least the house is squeaky clean!

Speaking of wedding planning I checked off a few important things on the list over the weekend..yay! I stopped at David’s Bridal to select the flower girl dresses for my two flower girls (Ryan’s nieces!). I decided on a cute satin tea length ballgown in white with a cornflower blue satin sash for their waists. I wish I lived near them so I could see them go try it on..They are going to look so adorable! I also set an appointment for our cake tasting with our wedding cake baker and spoke to the pastor about what we are going to need to provide him with for the ceremony. Check, check..check! Everything’s coming along! Both the cake tasting and menu tasting at our venue are next month so I’m ultra excited to get a taste of what we will serve our guests on the big day. Plus..you can’t beat free edibles. Am I right?

Well, I’m going to keep watching the Paranormal State marathon on my dvr while I wait for the arrival of my dude. *poof!*

1. What are your favorite smells/scents?
Flowers – lilacs, hyacinth, roses; fresh baked cookies, cake or brownies

2.Do they bring back memories for you? If so, what?
Not really, they just smell pretty or yummy 🙂

3. What are your least favorite smells/scents?
My pet’s farts, body odor, port-a-potties

4. Do they bring back memories for you? If so, what?
lol..no!

5. What are your favorite perfumes/colognes?
Curve Crush, Victoria’s Secret Halo & Heavenly, Estee Lauder Pleasures

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Well there’s this weeks Friday Five! I’ll try to remember to do it weekly so you learn random facts about me. Not that I’m interesting enough for you to honestly care..but hey..it’s fun!

I have to go through my closet and figure out what I am going to wear to the company party tomorrow. I had originally planned to wear the bridesmaid gown I wore at my mom’s wedding..but the high tomorrow is 17 so I am not too interested in being in heels with bare legs outside!

We are going to grab IHOP for dinner tonight and while we are in the area (IHOP is in Henrietta..about 10 minute drive) we are going to stop by Lori’s Natural Food Center to pick up some Petzlife Oral Care Gel for Zoe. I brushed and cleane her teeth this morning and realized her back molars have some pretty icky plaque. I’d rather avoid getting her teeth cleaned professionally if I can for two reasons. One it can be risky for her health and since she’s my little partner I don’t want to to anything risky if I can avoid it. Second it’s expensive at $165 dollars a cleaning. I’ve read really good reviews about this Petzlife gel on maltese forums so I think I’ll give it a try! If it works well I’ll eb sure to share so all of you dog owners out there can grab yourself a bottle for your furbabies teeth!

No, not the color (my favorite color is actually blue)..I love the clothing line “Pink” by Victoria’s Secret. It’s basically comfy cute undies and loungewear in bright colors and cozy fabrics. I have some yoga pants, sweatpants and a couple capri pants..and some undies..all of which I loveeee. I can’t wait till we have paid for our wedding and paid down some debt so I can pick up some more cute outfits from VS. Until then I can just browse the catalog and look forward to when I have some more money to spend! How cute is this?

(inspiration to keep up with working out for summer!)

On another note it’s absolutely frigid here Rochester NY today. The cold front freezing all of Canada and the upper states moved in yesterday and it was around 0 overnight. It’s around 20 right now so that’s manageable..but tomorrow is supposed to be even colder. Ugh. I hate winter! I’m either freezing or breaking my back shoveling our double driveway *growl*. Ryan knows I’d prefer to stay here bundled up in the house so he’s a sweetheart and going to pick up my hair color and some soda on the way home from work so I can stay cozy on the couch with my doggy and blankie..blogging away! I haven;t colored my hair since before October and my roots are bad right now..ick. Hair color will fix that for Ry’s holiday company party on Saturday. Free food + dancing = Score.

So it’s almost 7:30pm and I’m totally falling asleep as I wait for Ryan to get out of the bath so we can have dinner. I shouldn’t be so tired before 8 o’clock..but I stayed up too late last night playing EQ2 and then got up way to early when Ry left for work. Sure, I work from home..I should have napped! Nope. I spent all day keeping up with the day to day housework, jogging for an hour and then working on my multitude of blogs. I am going to sleep sooo well tonight. I’m surprised I managed to jog an hour and not kill myself being as tired as I am!

I have been enjoying playing EQ2 lately since recently restarting my subscription (as can be seen with my lack of sleep, lol). My main is a level 53 (almost 54) conjuror with a sucky pet who can’t hold aggro for the life of me. I named my pet Lamesack to illustrate its complete pointlessness. Ryan and I group up (he has a fury at the same level), so the pets crappiness isn’t too much of a problem unless we are taking on a group of ^^^ heroics. I have to finish questing in the Obelisk of Lost Souls tonight to clear some space in my quest log..if I can keep my eyes open long enough. Eep!

Ravioli tonight with smart balance butter..yum yum.

Well I just finished a big mug of delicious hot cocoa after watching the third Harry Potter movie for the first time. I know..I’m like 4 or 5 years late on watching it. Better late than never right? Movie was good, just like the first two of course 🙂 I told Ryan while watching that I want my own animitronic rat like Ron Weasley had when boarding the train. So cute. Anybody you know sell lifelike -cute- animitronic rats? Probably not..meh! I have to see the next movie now!

Ryan and I watch movies pretty often but we had gotten a bit obsessed with the asian horror genre, complete with subtitles. (The dubbing is corny!) Because of that we kindof fell behind in other movies and movie series we enjoyed before the j-horror/k-horror addiction. We decided his week we needed to finish watching the entire Harry Potter movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean series and Lord of the Ring series. (Which reminds me..When Ryan and I first started dating we rented the first LOTR and he startled me during the movie thinking it’d be funny – so I threw a big cup of water I was holding on him. Let’s just say he doesn’t intentionally startle me anymore. 😉 ) Noting beats cuddling up on the couch with cocoa to watch some rentals on a snowy winter night!

Speaking once again of cocoa..if you love Hot cocoa you should try the Land O Lakes brand if you haven’t already. It’s this good – inaiwefbniaesbnviabinfinNIUYBYVB!!!! We got a big bulk pack of like 10 flavors from Sam’s Club a couple months ago and each flavor is creamy and delicious. My personal favs are the white chocolate and the chocolate raspberry. Drop in a couple mini marshmellows and POOF..heaven. Yep.

Ok. Bed time! *snore*

Mmmn..I just finished eating Snowbird Chicken Platter takeout from Bugaboo Creek..I wait all week as I diet for my Friday night takeout. Scrumptious! Why can’t I make chicken that tastes so delish??

Annnyways..I mentioned in a previous entry how I was going to attempt making some Cheeseburgers (or patty melts) from a recipe I found online. While they didn’t turn out the way I wanted cosmetically (electric stove and lame ass frying pan=broken bread and black spots) they were delicious to eat. So, as promised, here is the recipe! Credit to yumsugar.com for the find! (Pics from Yumsugar, mine just weren’t as pretty as mentioned above!)

Katie Lee Joel’s Award-Winning Burger

• 1 pound ground beef (85 percent lean)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 medium yellow onion, half grated, the other half thinly sliced (*I used 1/2 white onion chopped in food processor)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (*I did without, didn’t have it – still turned out good!)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 slices white bread (*I used whole wheat, I try to avoid bleached bread!)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (*I used Smart Balance, cuts some calories 🙂 )
• 12 slices American cheese, optional(*I used 2% american, 1 per burger – once again to cut some calories)

1. In a medium bowl, combine the beef, egg, grated onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
2. Form into thin patties. (Makes 6!)
3. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Drain the grease from the skillet.
5. In the same skillet, place six slices of bread, butter side down. Top each with a slice of cheese, if desired, some onions and a burger. Top with remaining slices of cheese, if using, and bread, butter side up.
6. Cook each sandwich until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
7. Serve with mustard, ketchup, pickles, or any other desired hamburger toppings.

Ryan and I gobbled them up..they were fantastic! If you are a fan of burgers you’ll have to give these a try 🙂

Just finished biking for an hour! I need to try to fit biking into my “off” days when I get a chance for extra calorie burn. Generally I jog Mon, Wed and Fri for at least an hour..so there need to be more biking on Tuesdays, Thursdays and the weekends. With the holidays I’ve gained a couple pounds so that makes me farther from my wedding weight goal. Wherever I can fit in additional calorie burn..the better! I just have a hard time fitting workouts in lately with all the blogs and work I have to keep up with. Ugh. Why can’t there be more time in a day? And why does it take under a minute to eat a tasty morsel and 10-15 minutes of exercise to burn it off? Meh!

BTW – I found a delicious cheeseburger/patty melt recipe online yesterday and I’m going to try to throw it together for dinner (in as healthy a way as possible!). If it’s good I’ll make sure to share!

I have this thing where during holidays I love picking out some “party” type foods and recipes, going shopping and making my own assortment of yummies for Ryan and I. I’m not into the bar scene and we don’t really know anyone since moving out to Rochester (especially since I work from home), so we throw our own little two-person foodie parties on all the special days. This New Years I made some really delicious Spinach dip for us both. It was really yummy..so I thought I’d share 😀

I found the recipe online, originally trying to find a copycat recipe for the Bugaboo Creek Canadian Cheese Spinach dip I am obsessed with when we eat out. I’m not a big fan of artichokes so I dropped them from the recipe and added additional cheese instead. It’s baked in the oven and comes out warm and creamy…oh so tasty!

Hot Cheese Spinach Dip

• 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened (16 oz total)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzerella cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 lb. bag frozen spinach, thawed and chopped up (I used my food processor to get it nice and tiny!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, Mozzerella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and basil. Gently stir in spinach. (I used my stand mixer, it made it smooth a lot quicker than mixing by hand!)
   
3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

That’s it! We dipped tortilla chips in it and it was sooo yummy..and there was enough to save some for the next day. It was just as yummy reheated in the microwave! While it didn’t taste like the Bugaboo Creek recipe I was trying to create it was still really delicious. When I make it again I may tweak it some more and add half cup cheddar and maybe some more Monterey Jack. I’ve seen some recipes adding butter..so I may add that too! I’ll let you know how that goes and if it’s good I’ll share 🙂

My dog Zoe is only 3.8-4 pounds..but she thinks she’s a big girl. She’s a full grown 2 year old maltese who doesn’t realize she’s almost too tiny to even BE a dog by many people’s standards. I personally find that silly..She does everything any other dog does, she just requires less effort and exercise. (She fetches a Nerf football that’s almost the same size as she is for gosh sakes! lol)

We bought a cat perch in April when Totoro (Turkish Van cat) was brought into the family and Zoe took a liking (LOVING) to it. She spent every afternoon basking in the sun on the window perch, sleeping and watching the neighbors. We ended up having to buy an identical second perch for the window nearby so both Zoe and the cat could bask and relax. They are installed on the front big windows of our house so they can watch the day to day “action”.

As she relaxes and peers outside everyday we’ve learned she has a completely unfounded hate for one neighbor who lives across the street. We call him Pat because he introduced himself to us over a snow blower once and that’s what we thought he said..but now we think we misheard him. We have called him Pat for so long though that he’s going to remain “Pat”. Anyways, Zoe hates Pat. Loathes Pat. She even recognizes his red pick up truck and can’t stand it when he drives by. She can’t even stand it when she sees his garage is open and he is nowhere to be seen. (She KNOWS he must be nearby.) She growls and scream barks and stands on the perch with her front paws scratching at the window in anger. Another person can walk by and they may get a small muffled “uff”..but not Pat. Complete disdain for that man.

Poor guy. What makes a tiny dog hate a random male neighbor so very much? I don’t think I’ll ever know.