Fancy

Last night I made a fancy dinner for Rob and I. I pulled out the china and the crystal and the good serving dishes. There were even candles. Why use this stuff only when we have company, it's for us to enjoy too. There was no special occasion, just a because I love you dinner. And I didn't work yesterday and had lots of time.

I made Columbus's Pork Chops from Rachel Ray 365 no Repeats. Basically pork chops with with a strawberry, basil, balsamic topping. We also had a spring salad and some bread.

It was a ton of fun to sit down and enjoy a meal with French Cafe playing in the background.


P.S. for anyone who is wondering. The pictures of both Rob and I are taken with a timer on the camera.

New Work Space

Last night Rob's new monitor came in the mail. It's special. You can use the pen to work directly on the screen. No mouse needed.
Rob no longer has to draw then scan to animate. He can work DIRECTLY in the computer. How cool is that?

So I got the old monitor. Hello, new work space. My laptop lives hooked up under the desk. I have less desk space, but who cares - spreadsheets will be infinitely easier for me.
I've been looking forward to getting this big screen.

Relaxing

Last night after I got home from work and finished the dishes...

I went outside with this.

This is where Rob found me.

It looked like fun so he joined me. And brought a snack.

We spent a nice evening talking on the balcony.

We went inside after the sunset.

The End.

Tomatoes

We've actually had ripe tomatoes for a couple of weeks now. We chopped up the first plateful for tacos last week. Neither Rob or I is a huge tomato eater, but we grew 'em so we'll eat 'em. We've decided that our gardening ability has been maxed out - due to space more than actual ability. But our balcony is full of planters and pots that will be refilled each year. And we can eat the tomatoes.

What a Funny Bunny

From Sunday:

This morning I brushed the bunny. He's still in the midst of the summer shedding and the fur was flying. When I'd finished, or rather he'd had all he could take, he jumped over to his carpet. I dropped his towel (which we use to protect our clothes some) on his head and walked away.

The following video shows what happened next. Usually he gets out from under the towel in one hop. Today there were problems.

Enjoy!

Our tiny garden

The tomatoes are starting to grow!

And I've learned that Dill is a weed, which has taken over the Cilantro. The parsley is doing well.

Garden in the City

I am trying my hand at gardening again, and expanding some this year. In one box I'm sticking with flowers, the other is devoted to herbs. I have Sweet Basil, Dill, Cilantro, Curly Parsley, and one TBD, because I have room for more than I thought. I bought two new pots for the floor, one for flowers, then we have two tomato plants and one squash plant. We'll see how these veggies do. And now that the balcony is all clean, I swept and washed the table we are beginning the season where we eat all meals outside. Ah, the fresh air. I like this city gardening thing. Not so sure I ever want the responsibility of a garden like my Dad's, but baby steps, and this works for me.

Monkey Loves Pudding

Spring Is in the Air

It sure feels like it anyhow at a sunny 52 outside. A far cry from my last post with all the snow.


(pic from Brooklyn Botanical Garden 2006)

Rob and I went out this morning for a bakery breakfast where we clipped coupons from the bakery newspaper - a good tip if you don't get the paper delivered. And then headed to Stop and Shop for the weekly groceries. It was warmer than expected, but there was a little drizzle. We discussed how we need to pull out the dead plants from our planters and turn the soil - maybe mixing in some rabbit droppings from our very own rabbit to make the soil more fertile to plant something in a couple of months.
As we left the grocery the sun was shining, and only a light wind. That is a big change as the wind has been killer. Last night was warmish, but I was still bundled up. Today though, I unbuttoned my coat and kept the gloves off. When we got home, first thing was to turn off the heat and open the door to the balcony. When you get a chance you have to air out the apartment. It's amazing how warm it feels in here today at 62 when I'm usually under a blanket at our normal winter temp of 68.
Ah, it's these days that I cherish because even though I know spring is a ways away, and that there is a good chance of frigid weather soon, at least I remember that it is a possibility.

The View From Here

Happy New Year...

...From our home to yours

A little photo shoot of the family, Me, Rob, and Mr. Theodore Monkey.

We're Back and Ready for 2009

We're back from New Mexico and starting to settle back into a routine. We are coming up with this theory that time moves faster on the east coast. Sunday was spent lounging around after the nearly 12 hours of travel on Saturday. Then yesterday and today, so much to do on the "To Do" list, and as I am looking at it now a lot has been crossed off, but there is still so much to do. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

I am spending this week cleaning and organizing for the 2009 plan. I'm going to visit my mom this weekend, hence the jump-start. We are starting off this year in very different circumstances. Last year we were working at Nick Jr. and talking about getting engaged, this January we are married and jobless. It's a scary place to start the new year, looking for work, but we have a plan.

We have been trying to simplify our lives and minimize our possessions since Rob and I combined households. I've found a few good blogs that give lots of ideas on living simply, and on a budget. One idea implemented this week is that of meal planning. I've been doing this somewhat for awhile, because it is much easier to go to the grocery with an idea of what you're going to make with the food bought. What we are doing now, is putting a budget to the plan. $50 a week. I sat down on Sunday night and made a list of 25 meals (some are repeats) for January. No 31, because there will be leftovers, and the occasional meal at a friends home. I planned the first week, and loosely laid out the other four. This way we can move things around and try not to have beef four days in a row for example. And since I have more time, we can watch the sales and cook around that.

This week's menu:
Monday - stuffed salmon with grilled aspargus (we had salmon in the freezer)
Tuesday - Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Wednesday - Skyline Chili
Thursday - French Bread Pizza
Friday - Indian chicken from Natascha

We came in at just under $60 for the week. That is $10 over budget, but food for lunches and some of the ingredients will be used next week. Hopefully we can make up the difference later in the month.

We are also cutting all unnecessary spending with the exception of a $10 fun budget for each of us each week. Yesterday we each spent $2.50 at Alpha Donut. There is so much mindless spending that goes on in our lives. I'm going to keep on the blog searching for more ways to simplify and budget our lives.

We are keeping hope that by mid-year those awesome jobs will once again have come to us, and we can have the occasional dinner out.

I just remembered one more thing. We FINALLY dropped off two bags of clothes, kitchen supplies, and a CD player to the Salvation Army thrift store. The unexpected upside is that we got a tax write off form from them, and since it is December 30 I don't have to keep it on file for a whole year - just until tax season is over.

Here's to living simply in 2009.

On the first day of Advent

I put up a tree. And some presents that my mom sent to me.

December is here. This year flew by. The tree is up and decorated. There are a few presents. I finished one of my homemade gifts this afternoon, and we are ready for some yuletide cheer.
Tonight Rob and I go to see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes!

Robot Part 2

So last weekend the shoot for the music video happened in our living room while I went shopping. Here are a couple of photos from the event. First is Josh performing, his song Test is for the video. Then there is a picture of the brothers hanging out in the robot together. Hopefully the video will be done in a few weeks. I'll post a link when it's done.

Robot Set vs. Living Room

So last weekend while Rob and I were enjoying our weekend in DC, Rob's production partners of One Stuck Duck were using our living room to build the set for the upcoming shoot of thier music video. Rob's brother Josh is a musician, so OSD is making a video for his song, Test. This will be another Live Action / Animation short. See here for their other work. The video has giant robots in it, the robots will be animated the drivers will be Josh and Eric. So in order for them to have something to drive, I came home on Sunday night to find a messier version of this.


I say messier because Rob has spent the last few days adding elements - like the levers and lights - so that the pile that was on the carpet in front of the set is now nearly gone. It take up most of the room. We can't really sit on the couch. I can only see half of the screen that shows me tv. The table is next to the bathroom. The ottoman is against the wall on its side. The rabbit is totally freaked out because his running space is blocked. I'm not complaing really. But oh, will I be happy next week when this is dismantled and put away. What do you do with a giant robot cockpit you ask? Well return as much as possible. Use the wood to block the air conditioner holes that dont' have units yet, put the rest on the sidewalk, and hope for a really truly awesome music video that will win awards and make us famous beyond our wildest dreams. Ok, not really the last part, but come January, there should be a pretty awesome video.

Now if you notice I am sitting in the giant robot cockpit, because, well, if it is going to be in my living room I am going to play. Here are some photos Rob took of me driving the robot and singing my version of the song into the disco ball microphone. That part I might have to keep.

Tomorrow is the big shoot. I plan on being out of the apartment all day to keep my sanity. But when I return creative genius will have been at work. As my dad told me, it could be worse, Rob could be building a race car or montser truck in the garage.

Fancy Dinner

Last night we busted out the China and had Sarah and Robert over for dinner. It's scary pulling all of the fancy dishes out of the cabinet. But oh, so worth it. I started the table with my new round Crate and Barrel place mats, and the white lace runner I bought in Brazil. I got this idea from the new Williams-Sonoma catalog, but C&B is so much more affordable for place mats. And when I went to C&B yesterday on the way home, the store redeemed itself (I've been a little disappointed the last few months) because in one of the bins they had $2 candlesticks. And oh, how I looked for those this summer for my wedding. So now I have them sitting safely in the china cabinet. Oh yeah, and we used the fancy linen napkins too.

For the rest of the table, the china was ready to go. Plates and bowls for soup. Desert plates and coffee cups counted and set aside for desert. For drinks, I pulled out the crystal wine goblets and our Mikasa drinking glasses (which I am saving for company until we break all of our current every day glasses). Silverware out and we are ready for food.

I also got a really cool decanter as a wedding gift so we used that for water (the wine went straight from bottle to glass). And then I found we have a dearth of serving ware. I have one platter that matches the china pattern, one white platter from college, and then I am stuck with mixing bowls. Not one serving bowl to be found!

On the menu:

Honey Pecan Pork Chops
Oven Grilled Asperagus
Mashed Potatoes (with real potatoes)
Buttered Bread

For Dessert:
Rob's apple Pie a la mode

My beautiful table:

To Dos part 3 (Where I am on Monday)

Here is where I stand on my list from Friday.

1. CHECK - except that there are more from last nights dinner now, i'll do those today
2. half CHECK - we only got around to cleaning 1 of 2
3. organize office - I may never step foot in this room again
4. CHECK
5. CHECK
6. work on personal statement for grad school app - I'm getting to it
7. CHECK
8. CHECK
9. CHECK
10. CHECK

7.5 out of 10 isn't too bad.

How to avoid a To Do list

Well last night I got home early and planned to read for 30 minutes then start on that list I made. But 30 minutes turned into 90 and then Rob got home and took me on a date. We went to this cafe coffee shop down the street that has a Monday - Friday Wine Down Special. So we got a bottle of wine and a cheese plate. Followed up with some chocolate cake. Came home and decided that it had been a long week and went to bed at 9:30.

This morning we slept in then went to the grocery. Item #7 CHECK! Made it home, put a pot roast on in the crock pot and headed to Williamsburg for brunch with the church friends. Brunch was nice. I meant to bring my camera so I'd have a picture to post, but I forgot. After brunch we really didn't want to come home and tackle the rest of the to do list, so we decided to walk through the park on the way to the subway. Then when we got to the station (Nassau G) said - it's a nice day, lets walk a little farther, so we walked up Manhattan Ave. Then I said why don't we just walk all the way up to the 7, like we used to to go to church before it moved. So we walked up Manhattan to Green Street and over to McGuiness and across teh Pulaski Bridge. Now in Queens Rob says lets walk over to 45th road (two stops further on the 7, but not really that far because of teh crazy turns the train makes) and see if we can find the MoMA PS1 that is over there. Up for still not tackling the To Do list I agree.

We walk and find it! And there is no door. But as we are walking around the building, there is a gate. And through the gate is a courtyard with PF1 or Public Farm 1. The summer outdoor exhibing is Urban Farming. There is this elaborate and cool cardboard garden suspended in the air full of herbs and vegetables and flowers. Very cool. Then we went in to the museum. And since the fall exhibits open on Monday, half of the exhibit halls are closed for installation, so the normally $5 admission is free. This is good, so we go in. And PS1 is an extension of MoMA and houses truly modern art. Like all created in the last couple of years, making a social statement that I don't really get, one giant piece per room, modern art. Not really my thing, but an interesting experience.

After the museum, we finally get on the train for the last five stops. Why didn't we walk you ask? Because in my bag I had our subway books, "Harry Potter 4" and "Something Blue" and books are heavy, and I'd been carrying them for over an hour. So on the subway we went, and got home and sat on the couch and took a nap for two hours.

Upon awaking the To Do list must get done. So Rob starts on the bedroom. He got his nightstand and beside (which wasn't even on the list but needed to happen) cleaned. And tackeled the top of the dresser and floor. Number 4 - not quite I still have to hit the chair.

I did finish the dishes - but now we ate dinner so there are more...must do dishes again tonight. But #5 Recycling CHECK. Did this one.

Rob put away the laundry still on the rack from last week, but we didn't get around to doing this weeks load yet. I don't think that really counts. And I put away the make-up, hair stuff, etc. that clutters the bathroom, but that doesn't really count as cleaning either. I did clean off my desk and start a gathering of stuff for grad school, but still have to write that statement.

I am seeing a pattern. Little things to pave the way, and cleaning (sweeping the living room floor, throwing out junk mail) things that always get done. The impression of working hard, yet still not tackling the To Do List. Oh, and I haven't entered the office / my closet yet today. And now. I'm beat, so I think Rob and I are going to curl up on the couch and watch a movie.

To Do List - I'll think about it tomorrow.

To Do List

The things I should do that should get done this weekend. None of it sounds very fun. Maybe I'll convince Rob the apartment isn't a disaster and we'll watch movies all weekend instead.

1. finish dishes
2. clean bathrooms
3. organize office
4. clean off top of dresser and bedroom chair
5. box and take out recycling
6. work on personal statement for grad school app
7. buy groceries
8. put away summer clothes
9. finish sorting clothes to donate
10. laundry

GAME NIGHT

Last night was game night. We had some friends over to host our first "party" since we've been married. Thanks to Michelle for the Chicken Salad and French Fry Casserole recipes. The game of the night was Trivial Pursuit - girls against boys. The girls won. More game nights to come. We have so many more games to break out. I forgot to take pictures of game play, but I did get this one of our friend's adorable daughter and our adorable rabbit, who we call Monkey, which is quite confusing when you are still learning your animals. :)