Are You Freaking Kidding Me: Target

Yesterday, I went to Target and the shelves were bare. Apparently, they're trying to give the Soviet Safeway a run for its money. Awesome.

Emmy Looks I Didn't Like

I also didn't like what Al Pacino and Seal were wearing.

All photos from here.

Emmy Looks I Liked

I didn't watch much of the show, but I did watch the red carpet. In addition to the above looks, I also liked what Tom Hanks, Jimmy Fallon, Steve Carell, and Tracy Morgan were wearing. I like it when the men keep it classic.

All photos from here except Julia Ormand, which I got here.

Baked

Chuk spent the afternoon baking two loaves of whole wheat bread, two loaves of zucchini bread and a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I'm lucky...and full of carbs.

Soft Frozen Lemonade

Temperatures here are still in the 90s. Yuck. Many moons ago, when I was an undergrad in hot and sticky Connecticut in an un-airconditioned dorm room, I learned that the only thing more refreshing than lemonade was soft frozen lemonade. (It was also delightful with a little vodka mixed in. Yum.)

Now than I'm a little (ok, a lot) older (and wiser?) and don't want to eat all the junk that's in soft frozen lemonade, I tried an experiment to see if I could make my own. Happily, it worked.

The oh-so-complicated instructions are: Pour lemonade into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. When it's soft set, probably in about 20 minutes, transfer to an air-tight container and freeze.

My ice cream maker is an attachment for my kitchen aid mixer. It works wonderfully.

Here's the finished product next to its inspiration. If you want to be fancy, I would call it lemon sorbet or lemon granita.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think there's a scoop of this calling my name.

Decluttering Continued

This is the giveaway pile. I'm ecstatic that it's so big. It feels so good to get rid of this stuff.

I had planned on trying to sell a lot of this stuff on Craigslist, but then I finally admitted to myself that was never going to happen. Selling stuff is time-consuming, and at this point, my time is better used decluttering and organizing rather than making up classified ads.

Decluttering

I'm feeling the need to declutter. I'm trying to do one small project at a time so I don't get overwhelmed, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed anyway.

The photo above is the garbage (not giveaway, not things to sell, just garbage) that came from one closet. That's a lot of junk.

Things That Make You Go "Hmm"

Have you ever been making your bed only to see packets of ketchup and mustard on your partner's night stand? I didn't think so.

What am I going to do about it? Abso-freakin-lutely nothing. He's a grown man. If he wants condiments (and black crud and dead batteries and matches and reciepts and guide books from our honeymoon more than a year ago) on his nightstand then I have nothing to do with that.

Men are puzzling creatures.

Have you ever found something weird around your place?

I Get My Best Ideas in the Shower

I just had a million dollar idea: Make a toothpaste that tastes like the Thin Mint girl scout cookie. My toothpaste already has a good minty flavor, so they'd just have to add some chocolate flavor, and not a gross, fake-y chocolate flavor either, but something that genuinely tastes like a Thin Mint. I'd buy it. Wouldn't you? That way, when you had a cookie craving, you could just brush your teeth instead of eating. You'd reduce your calories and improve your oral health. It's a win-win. Someone, please, go create this. Send me some free tubes as compensation for running with my idea.

P.S. I totally invented 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner when I was 7 years old. I was in the bathtub and I mixed shampoo and conditioner together in my hands before putting it on my hair and my mom said it wouldn't work, but it did. Then Pert Plus came out and I was like, "You owe me at least a million dollars."

Great Deal on the Great Outdoors

This weekend, Aug. 14-15, all 392 national parks will offer free admission.

http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

Shock and Sadness

Friends, Chuk's mom died yesterday morning. We're in North Carolina with his dad trying to support him and understand the incomprehensible. I have so many thoughts that I want to record and share here, but I don't know when I'll have time. Hopefully it'll be soon. I know you understand.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me: Help

Yesterday, I wasn't feeling well. I had a sore throat and a cough and felt generally kind of achy and gross. When Chuk got home from work he offered to make dinner because clearly I had no intention of doing it, and well, also because he is nice.

This is what the kitchen looked like when he was done. Are you freaking kidding me?! What the h-e-double hockey sticks was he doing in there? I still feel like crap and now I have to clean up this mess. I'm never taking another sick day again.

The road to (my own personal) hell is paved with (my husband's) good intentions.

Girly Party

Last Thursday, I had the ladies over to watch the season premiere of Project Runway. We were having such a good time I didn't manage to take any pictures. The one above is from the aftermath the next morning.

I encouraged everyone to wear an advant garde outfit and wild shoes and hats so things started out on a festive note. The party didn't start until after dinner, so I just served nibbles and cocktails which I described in the invitation as frou-frou food and girly drinks.

The menu:

Cucumber sandwiches

Crab salad on crackers

Chicken satay

Cheesecake

Peach sangria

I know; I know. I always make chicken satay, but it's always such a hit so I keep it up. It was my first time making peach sangria, but everyone seemed to like it; I know I did.

I know cupcakes and miniature desserts are all the rage now, but I buck the trend and make their full-size cousins. Here's why:

1) It's easier to make one big thing rather than 30 little things. All that scooping takes time and requires more clean up.

2) It looks more impressive. A whole cake or a whole pie is it's own centerpiece. It steals the show.

3) No one else makes big desserts anymore so even though it's easier people act like you've slaved away when really you haven't.