Shout-Out to Dougie Fresh

So my nice little friend Dougie sent me this email note earlier today. It made me laugh...

"Your blog is awesome. I actually checked it, and it was not updated from the last time I read it. Thats when you know you are good. Keep it up. "

Mostly it made me laugh becasue it wasn't until numerous people started to make fun of me for having a blog that i realized anyone was reading it (let alone enjoying it)!!!! I will be sure to post some more nerdy stories and delicious recipes just for you Doug!....oh yeah, and do me a favor and tell Pat that he hasn't been mentioned on here hardly at all. That will make him very happy. Pat is not nearly as enthusiastic about my blogging as you are :)

Was this picture a fake? Does my Dad hate me?

My parents went to a costume party this weekend. Apparently they decided to immitate a little bit of "reality" and dressed as the mother and father of the bride. Sounds weird, but if you knew what they have been going through for the last 3 years of my engagement, wedding, and now Kristen's big day you would understand that there is a need for a little bit (okay a lot)of humor. I called my parents probably 10 times a day with some great idea about "water submerged orchids" that i just had to have....and I know Kristen now calls to chat about big bands, flowers, and charter buses for guests too! Whoever would have guesses that this might get old for my wonderful parents? (yes that was sarcasm).

Anyways here is my dad dressed as a "penniless hobo father of the bride" and my mom is well...her fabulous mother-of-the- bride self. Complete with a list of all of the "must-haves" that her daughters have been bugging her about for years now!!!

Love you Dad!....Sorry :)

Seriously, how gorgeous is my mom???

Please note: Lauren, the smart sister has already decided that when she gets married she will be eloping. I now know that my parents love her more for it. I guess i can't blame them now :)

"Appetizer Wars"

Pat is out of town this weekend. He is "checking on our house" in Florida, going to the Jaguars vs. Browns game, and hanging out with all of his old friends. I am a little jealous that i am not there too, but i have been gone so often lately that I am actually happier just to be spending the weekend at home.

His trip to Florida reminded me of my favorite game that I used to play with my friend Mary (who lived in Jacksonville near me, but moved back to Ohio - ironically a few months after i did). Anyways, Mary and i used to have this unspoken game that we would play.... We would totally compete with eachother to see who could make the best appetizer. SERIOUSLY. We didin't admit it for a long time, but in both of our minds we wanted to totally kick the other one's ass with bringing the best appetizer that everyone would be like "wow I soooo need the recipe for this!" I know it is so nuts. Who cares right? WRONG - We so care. I planned recipes all week, Sometimes i even practiced! It got to the point where there would only be like 4 people total hanging out watching a game or something and Mary and I would make like 3 appetizers a piece. Yep 6 appetizers for 4 people. We were out of control.

The guys eventully called us out on it. Called us both "toppers" and becasue it was sooooo true we both laughed it off and decided to continue the contests and still be friends :)

So anyways, I invited Mary over last night for a "girls night" and a surprise appetizer war. I made rumaki (bacon wrapped waterchestnuts) and baked brie with almonds. Guess what Mary made? NOTHING - Ha ha I totally won!!!!!! (P.S. I know she will read this....so again I will just remind you that I WON!!!)....eventhough i'll admit it doesn't feel nearly as good when i am playing unopposed).

Just for fun, here is a recipe for my yummy AppetizerWar Rumaki ( i know i didn't invent this but i am really good at making it and when you add the brown sugar it adds a glaze that is TDF)! So here it is:

Rumaki

1 can whole water chestnuts ( you can also use shrimp, pineapple,dates etc.)

1 package of bacon (fat trimmed, pieces cut in half)

1/2 cup soy sauce (more if you want)

3 T brown sugar (more if you want)

toothpicks soaked in water so they wont burn

Preheat the oven to 450.Take 1 whole waterchestnut and wrap it in a half of a piece of bacon. Hold it together with one of the toothpicks and place it in a pyrex dish or something that will be broiler safe. Repeat until you have used all of the waterchestnuts. Mix the soy sauce and brown sugar. Pour over all of the little rumakis. Let these marinade for an hour or so if you have time. If you want, sprinkle a little extra brown sugar over the top when you are ready to put these in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes (turning the rumakis after 5 minutes). Switch the oven to broil and finish until the bacon is somewhat crispy. Keep a close eye on the broiler...these cook really fast ( and you will have to turn them again during this process too). Spoon a little bit of the remaining sauce over the rumakis once you have removed them from the oven and placed them on a dish to serve.

Enjoy!

Not because I don't like Fall.....

This will be the last "i love fall" post. Not because i want it to be, but mostly because it looks like fall is going to come to an abrupt end in Ohio this week. There is a "wintery mix" in the forecast for tommorow through Wednesday and let me tell you "wintery mixes" suck! Think rain, sleet, wind, really bad hair, freezing cold, scary driving.... all around yuckiness.

The weater guys might as well say "the weather will be total crap from now until next summer...which is approximately 7-8 months from now so buckle down and enjoy or just move if you are a fan of sunshine and warmth!"

So since the wintery mix is unavoidable, I decided to make sure that i was going to make the most of the beautiful weather that we have been having. I made Pat come on a walk with me a few days ago and i took a bunch of pictures. Not quite the Bahamas, but this is the weather that has been making me very happy lately :)

The beginning of the trail.

a little bridge

pretty trees (soon to be leafless and covered in ice...boo)

Soooo pretty. I am going to miss you fall.

Kristen's Bridal Shower

I drove out to Chicago this weekend for Kristen's Bridal Shower. Her Aunt-In Law's to be hosted and it was a really fun time. The decorations were super cute too (all fun Kitchen gadgets that Kristen could take home). So anyways, despite the "pastey, puffy, tired" look that I have in all of these pics I decided to post a few so that this event was documented. My mom, sister and I also threw a California shower but I haven't loaded the pics yet so there are more to come....

The favors were a collection of recipes along with these cute little heart shaped measuring spoons.

A table.....obvi.

A bunch of Kristens chicago/college/work friends

Kristen opening a bunch of her beautiful gifts

That "pasty, puffy, tired" picture that I was referring to.

Another one.... with the bride and my Glam-a

Here is my college roommate Katie...who also happens to be my sister's soon-to-be sister in-law. Weird huh?

A few other "Fun Facts:"

• My sister is marrying Jim. Jim introduced Pat and I at Notre Dame.
• Kristen and I both started dating our "husbands" the first week of college.
• Jim has 2 sisters and Kristen has two sisters...Katie and Lauren Dowd and Katie and Lauren O'Connor ( they both actually have one brother too, but they have different names-Marty and Danny so it isn't as cool) :)
• Kristen and Jim have been dating for 9 Years!!!
• Ummmm i am sure there are more, but that was all I could think of for now.

Breakfast Dinner

I love breakfast for dinner and this is one of my favorite things to make.

Quiche

Recipe From: Judy O’Connor

You can add many different fillings to the basic recipe. Bacon and spinach was always our favorite at the O’C’s. You can add mushrooms or green onion if you like it.


2 Deep Dish pie shells—frozen or refrigerated
1 pkg. bacon, regular or turkey, cut into pieces and fried
3 cups cheddar or Colby jack cheese
2 pkgs. frozen spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly in paper toweling
6 jumbo or 8 large, beaten eggs
2 C. heavy cream
!/4 tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

1. Bake empty pie shells according to package directions—remember to poke a few holes with a fork.
2. Arrange cheese and most of the bacon in the cooked shells.
3. Spread drained spinach on top of cheese and bacon.
4. Mix eggs, cream, and seasonings together. Pour into pie shells. Top with remaining bacon and chopped parsley if you have it.
5. Bake at 375 degrees until lightly brown and bubbly—about 45 minutes. Freezes well.

Yesterday

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Yesterday I spent almost 7 hours driving through corn fields listening to Britney Spears. Seriously. That is how i spent my Wednesday. 2 meetings. Lots of b-spears... and even more corn. I felt very "Crossroads" only I know who my mom is and I was alone.

Sometimes my life is very funny. Yesterday was one of those days.

Baby Blogs are Better

I am definitely sort of baby crazy these days, but even if i wasn't I would still say that the blogs where people have cute little kids or really adorable baby bumps seem to be the most entertaining. I struggle to think of funny things to say or to find "cute" pictures of myself and Pat that people might enjoy...and every time I do, i always think "jeez if only i had a baby there would definietly be something cute and funny to post- mid 20's Pat and Katie just aren't cutting it." So anyways, since baby time is a ways away for the O'B's, I am going to post a sneek preview of how cool my blog will be in the years to come ( this is a joke please dont be too freaked out).

I will write about all of the days I spend just "hanging out" in evening gowns laughing and chillin' with my baby in my perfectly decorated home

I will also, write about the creative name I came up with for my baby that none of the other moms thought of ....little "Orangej ello O'Brien"

And then i would talk about how my little kids are the smartest little kids ever!! SO smart in fact that they have their own reality shows about science and math.

ANd then i would follow up with stories about how I spent the day at the playground and the paparazzi ( in suburban Ohio) just WOULD NOT leave me or "the baby" alone!

Aaaaand pretty much it is just going to be awesome. Until then though, you will have to listen to me talk about "me" and all of the cool, cute, smart stuff that I do while staying busy.

Hope you guys aren't too bored....sorry :)

10 things that I would rather be doing....

Mondays often make me think of what I would rather be doing with my time. As awesome as my day of conference calls and media buying has been I would rather be doing any one of these 10 things:

1. Sitting in a little Cabana on a beach someplace with Pat

2. Getting a pedicure and having lunch with my girlfriends

3. Shopping for Fall clothes with an unlimited budget

4. Working out for Biggest Loser - "Pat and Katie edition" (trying to get skinny for my sister's wedding in December)

5. Doing something creative and constructive like putting together all of the photo albums i have been meaning to create.

6. Going for a hike on one of the gorgeous trails by my house. The fall leaves are tdf right now

7. Enjoying a glass of wine while watching project runway re-runs

8. Getting my car washed (it has been forever and I am genuinely looking forward to it being clean again)

9. Planning my sister's Bachelorette Party that we are doing in Florida November 7-9

10. taking a nap in a hammock while periodically reading either a good book or an US weekly filled with celebrity gossip that I don't already know about :)

Be nice to your Grandma

My grandma recently purchased an older condo on the same little island that my parents live on. It is in a beautiful area but it needed a little bit of fixing up. Lucky for my Grandma my sister Lauren and her super nice boyfriend Josh offered to do the complete re-design. They have been in Florida for weeks working on this remodel. As you can see from the pics - My Grandma loves it!!! She is beyond excited to move in -- which is such a relief knowing that it will be really hard for her to leave the house she lived in with my Grandpa for 35 years. Just thought i would post some pics as a "kudos" for Lauren and Josh (i think this counts as their good deed for the year)!!!

They made cookies so that it would smell "home-y" whe she came to see it.


gotta love the polished wood - pass thru


Have you ever seen someone so excited about a sink in your life? I love this one!


My mom made this adorable shell mirror (so Florida....so cute)!


Lauren, My Grandma, and Josh after the big reveal.

Good Morning Fall!!

I woke up this morning and I swear it turned into fall over night. All of the trees outside my bedroom window were bright orange and yellow and the streets were covered in leaves. It was seriously gorgeous! For some reason it made me think of that movie "Hocus Pocus" that Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler were in. Pretty sure that is like hands-down my favorite Halloween movie of all time. If you haven't seen it - It is a must rent. love it....and i love the fall.

practical recipes

http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/dinnertonight/family_friendly/index.html

The one thing I love doing more than anything else online is looking for good recipes. This is one of my favorite places to go because it has so many practical options. Now that i am cooking for Pat and I both, I find it harder than ever to find good recipes that we both like....he is always telling me that he doesn't like "artsy fartsy" food (which apparently means anything with goat cheese- or purchased from trader joe's) that he hasn't had before. It really is funny....except for when I have made an "artsy fartsy" meal that I am totally excited about and he barely eats it. He always tells me he likes what i make but it is pretty obvious when he doesn't :)

Another great bonus that comes with using this site is that if he doesn't like what i made I can always blame it on someone else (like Martha Stewart) because it wasn't really even my recipe!

Ohio is weird.

I just went to the vending machine at work for a little after-lunch snack and i realized that half of the chips offered were these weird "Ohio State Chips"....Don't get me wrong, I love Ohio but i don't know if i love it enough to pass up my usual "cheddar and sour cream" selection for some Ohio pride snack. Maybe I just thought it was funny becasue I never saw Florida chips , Indiana chips or California chips (and God knows I ate my fair share in all of those states) but seriously? The funny thing is that i am totally in the minority with thinking this is weird. All of the people I know from Ohio are total die-hard midwest-forever snow lovers. They would never dream of going someplace else to live and if they were given the option, I bet they would pick Ohio chips every single time :) Maybe i will be the same way some day???? Nope.....probably not.

Home Goods.....Home Great!!!

So I was bored during my lunch break yesterday and I decided that it was finally time that I went into the Home Goods store near my office. I needed a gift and I didn't want to spend a lot. Since I had never been there i didn't really know what to expect......I had no idea how awesome it was and how much I have been missing out! Their kitchen gadget selection was ridiculous, Their holiday decorations were soooo cute, and if i needed new furniture I probably could have taken home at least 3 new pieces. I ended up buying an All-Clad roasting pan, cute dish towels, and a Williams Sonoma "roasting" cookbook (all for $65)!!!! I am thinking that this place will for sure become a regular stop for me. If you haven't been - definitely try it.

Advice

If anyone is reading could you tell me how to go about customizing my layout???

Blogging huh?

So I decided recently that it would be fun to have a blog. One reason is because I started to feel selfish for just passively blog stalking - like I was all take and no give. I love that blogs provide endless entertainment and updates amidst some very dull days at work. So anyways I decided that i would feel better if i started my own. Another reason is becasue i feel like I do all kinds of fun stuff that I usually don't document. I am constantly looking for new recipes, shopping online for DIY projects, decorating my next house in my mind, and spending time with family and friends - all without any proof for the curious online world :)

Hopefully this will be the place to keep all of my random thoughts and adventures organized. Although I am pretty sure that I will only be writing to myself most of the time - I hope that whatever goes in to this blog is entertaining enough to keep you (and I) coming back for more :)

Stay tuned....

Lets try a post with a picture????

So here is a random picture of my feet....propped up on my parents boat on a hot day in Florida. Really it is just on here because i wanted to see if i could figure out how to add pictures, but now that it is on here I wish it wasn't rainig outside and I wish i was right back where this picture was taken.... On the boat, after a girls lunch and a long pedicure. Sounds pretty fabulous if you ask me!!

Something i never thought I would do....ever

I am sort of in test mode right now trying to decide if i am going to actually start a blog or not. I think before i post anything super "profound" I am going to work on making my blog "cute." Hopefully there will be more to come later......