BQOTD: Last Thing

"Borrowed" from La Buena Vida.

1. What was the last thing you ate?
2. What was the last book you read?
3. What was the last movie you saw?
4. What was the last thing that made you smile?
5. What was the last thing you pinned on Pinterest?

1. Cadbury Mini Eggs (yes, plural, but I'll never tell how many.) They're my weakness around Easter time.

2. As you can see to the right, I'm currently reading Cat's Claw by Susan Wittig Albert. (I'm also skimming through Houseplants for Dummies, trying best to prepare myself for the life of a plant owner.) Next up is Jane Green's new book, Another Piece of My Heart.

3. Yikes. Hmmm.... Last movie I saw at the movie theater was "The Descendants." (Don't why it took me a while to remember that one.) I really want to see "The Artist."

4. My wonderful husband's sense of humor. :)

5. Frankie Pickle's READ poster from the American Library Association:

I LOVE it! "It's like playing video games without the thumb cramps."

Fine Arts Friday

John and I took the day off today.

Beautiful weather to be in Boston.

Library passes to the Museum of Fine Arts.

A little culture and a little peace and relaxation in the city.

Musical glasses, anyone?

Call me crazy, but I wouldn't want to be playing this instrument with that freaky looking thing staring at me.

Who knew that Mary Todd Lincoln and I had so much in common??? "An avid shopper..." (Let's just hope the part about having to sell her possessions doesn't happen to me!)

For my Mom & Dad -- Arno, the greyhound!

Lunch break in the courtyard. Sun, beautiful architecture, flowering trees... Hard to believe we're in the city!

Paper Campbell's soup dress? Ah, yes...we're in the contemporary art section now...

OK...got out of that section pretty fast....

Back to classics.

And to end the visit? Heart-backed chairs. Awww....how sweet.

Glad I got to spend the day with my wonderful husband in Boston at the MFA!

My [ or My ]

Yes, I've filled out a bracket. You say, "But wait...it's too late...the tournament has already begun."

Not so, my friends.

I've filled out a bracket for the Frozen Four. Yes, we're continuing the college hockey theme!

I'm not actually joining a pool -- just filled it out for funsies. I'm kind of bummed, as University of Alabama-Huntsville wasn't selected for the tournament.

Um, wait one minute. Did you just say that University of Alabama-Huntsville has a HOCKEY team? Yes, that's right folks. A locale where the average temperature is 71 degrees. That's just not right. Unfortunately, there are no anomalies in this year's tournament (unless you count Ferris Bueller's State University.)

Anywho, as much as I'm kind of a BC-hater, I've got them winning it all. Give credit where credit is due, as they say.

 In case you're the least bit interested, you can do your own Frozen Four bracket here.

College Hockey -- Old School

Isn't this awesome? I mean, I'm biased, but I love old photos. This is the 1934-1935 Boston University Freshman hockey team.

The man standing all the way to the right with the full head of black hair?

My granddad.

What's really cool? My granddad wrote all of the players' names on the back. All of their first names/nicknames are in quotes...except for his and two other players. Wonder what that means?

You've got "Red" (two of them, actually), "Bunny," "Chubby," "Ellie" and on and on.

I can't wait until we finish our basement and have all of our sports memorabilia hanging on the walls. A copy of this photo will proudly be displayed with the other hockey stuff.

Happy Belated Birthday, Janet

Yesterday was my sister-in-law Janet's birthday. Although she hasn't been physically on this Earth for a few years, she's still ever present. Yes, that sounds hokey, but it's true. Whenever something silly or crazy happens, I look at John and say, "I know Janet's laughing right now."

When I first met Janet (having come into a large family holiday celebration feeling totally overwhelmed), Janet made me feel right at home. Our friendship was so "easy." I could be myself with her right away and she told me she felt the same. I'd sign into AOL Instant Messenger and hope she'd be on to chat. (I live in Massachusetts and she lived in Maine, so we weren't right next door to each other.) We'd email, message, or talk on the phone. We had our own inside jokes. (Everytime I see an infomercial for a bedazzle machine, I KNOW her spirit is not far from me.)

I vividly recall the day she called and told John and I she had breast cancer. It was so shocking and scary. I felt as though the bottom had fallen out. We cried, we laughed, and we talked.

Over the next few years, Janet had her ups and downs with the disease. She fought it valiantly, still being present for her husband and kids when they needed her. Eventually she lost the fight and left a huge void in all of the lives of those she affected (which were many).

Sometimes I think about how our friendship could've grown and what I'm missing out on. Then I immediately think of all the good times we DID have and how I wouldn't trade those for anything.  She enriched my life beyond belief.

I love you and miss you, Janet.

P.S. Please don't kick my arse for posting these photos of you. You're beautiful :)

The one photo I have of she and I. <3

50 States? 50 Blogs!: Arkansas

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Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

I've been on a bit of a hiatus from the "50 States? 50 Blogs!" series. As Arizona was the last state I wrote about, naturally Arkansas comes next alphabetically (did I mention this blogger is a librarian with a slight case of OCD?). I searched long and hard for an Arkansas blog that I liked and wanted to write about, but never LOVED any that I found. Thanks to the best invention in most recent history (yes, Pinterest!), at long last I found one! Crazy, but it's ANOTHER cooking-related blog. This is crazy...this whole "relationship" that cooking and I are developing. First I subscribe to Cooking Light, then I actually start MAKING things from the magazine, then I buy an apron for assisting in holiday cooking, and now I'm profiling cooking blogs. Move over Julia Child (OK, well, don't move over in your grave, Julia.) Anywho, Kristan, the Cookbook Queen in the name of the aforementioned blog is HILARIOUS and has some great recipes!

Things that caught my eye about this blog:

• Hilarity. Seriously. In the About Me section, Kristan says, "I live in rural Arkansas. But I mostly stay home and pretend that I’m in an apartment smack dab in the middle of New York City. It gets me by." Kind of like Lisa Douglas from the TV classic, "Green Acres!" (That show is one of my faves.)
• She and I have a lot in common. Also from the About Me section, "I love watching questionable television, but I balance it out with lots and lots of books." Could be my twin! (I'll have to email her and get more details on said questionable tv shows."
• Love love love the header with its whimsical font and cute pictures of cookbooks and cupcakes. (How alliterative.) She also has icons for following her on Pinterest, Twitter, etc... that are cooking-related and tres cute.

Things on this blog that I'd like for my blog:

• The "Don't Miss a Post" feature. This probably is commonplace, but it's the first time I've noticed it on a blog and I like it! Readers can enter their email address and have the latest post emailed to them.
• A footer. Yes, something as simple as a footer. My blog just goes off like an infinity pool. I'd like a footer.

Oh, and did I mention that there are scrumptious recipes for baked goods AND tasty beverages? Check.it.out.

Retro Shopping

Remember THESE?

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Always an Anchor Girl

Today, March 5th, 2012 is International Badge Day, sponsored by the National Panhellenic Conference.

Translation -- Wear your sorority pin!

This year's theme is "Wear Your Letters On Your Heart."

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I haven't worn my pin in probably close to 20 years. (Luckily I knew where it was.) I keep it in my jewelry box pinned to this retro 90's pin pillow:

I decided to wear my pin this year for mostly one reason -- in memory of my friend and sorority sister Megan.  Megan passed away last year from cancer. She was 40 years old. She was married. She had two small daughters. She was an amazing, vibrant, funny, intelligent woman. I was lucky enough to be reunited with her via Facebook and am thankful for that.

I felt like wearing my pin was the right thing to do (as small a thing as it may have been).

(No, that's not plush purple carpeting -- it's my sweater.)

Wearing my letters on my heart helped to remind me throughout the day the power of sisterhood and how proud I am to be a part of that.

I'll always be an anchor girl!

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You Win Some and...

Yes, that's right, you lose some. Tonight's dinner was an example of the latter. I love my Cooking Light magazines and now that school's over, I've been trying a few more things that catch my eye. From the Jan/Feb issue, I saw Enchilada Pie and thought that sounded good. Ehhh...not so much.

Not sure what went awry. The only minor thing that happened was that I was supposed to buy a small can of tomato sauce, but bought tomato paste instead. So, I figured I'd improvise (which is WAY out of my comfort zone in the kitchen). I searched the cabinets for pasta sauce only to find Vodka sauce. Eh...close enough. I don't *think* that was the ingredient that failed the recipe, but you never know.

It tasted OK, but just bland. The side of beans you see in the picture (which they don't give you the recipe for online) were actually OK. Dare I say better than the Enchilada Pie.

Hopefully there will be something yummier in the March issue!

Spa / Sports Saturday

Shellac Mani! (My nails are SUPER short, so I'm getting a few manis to try to help in growing them out.)

UMASS/Merrimack Hockey game.

Um, yeah, those are turkey basters they're using. High tech operation!

The Enigma That Is the SOAP OPERA

Soap operas and I go way back.

I remember when I was in second grade, I had watched an episode of "Another World" with my Mom and there was a scene where someone came up behind someone else and put a cloth soaked in chloroform over the person's mouth. For some reason, that really stuck with me. I then proceeded to tell my second grade teacher, Miss Lively (RANDOM FACTOID: Miss Lively worked as Bill Cosby's cook.) what I had seen and that it had freaked me out. Luckily she knew my mother personally and that she wasn't some crazy nutter that forced me to watch soaps.

A few years later it was the Luke & Laura storyline on "General Hospital" that I was enamored of. My aunt, who was in her late teens at the time, had all of the soap opera magazines with photos and photos of Luke & Laura and LOVED General Hospital. I watched it whenever I could.

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When I was in junior high, this morphed into a routine:

"Days of Our Lives" from 1-2PM (whenever I stayed home sick from school or on a holiday)

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"As the World Turns" from 2-3PM (I'd rush home as fast I could to catch at least half of it).

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"General Hospital" from 3-4PM

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"As the World Turns" quickly became my favorite. The Dusty Donovan/Lily Walsh/Holden Snyder love triangle was the new soap opera love story. (Rich girl falls in love with heartthrob and then meets stable boy. You see where that's going.)

Dusty (Brian Bloom) & Lily (Martha Byrne):

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Holden (Jon Hensley) & Lily (and no...this is not from my own personal collection, although I DID subscribe back in the day!)

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I continued to watch these throughout high school and college, basically until I got a "real" job and couldn't watch them regularly anymore.

Here's where the enigma factors come in.

Ever noticed that you could not watch a soap opera for say seven years and then catch an episode and a) the characters are the same [maybe different actors or actresses] and b) the storylines are the same. Oh, look -- someone's been kidnapped and taken to an island that's its own country. Funny because that happened the LAST time I watched this. (The "country" of Alamainia is alive and well on "Days of Our Lives."

Ever noticed that kids on soaps age REALLY fast? There's even a formal name for this -- Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome (SORAS.) Yes, you read that right. One minute they're riding the pony at the fair and the next they're filling out a FAFSA for college.

I've noticed this -- I don't find soap operas as alluring as I used to. Occasionally, I flip by SOAPnet and catch "Days of  Our Lives." I find the romances cheesy. The dialogue is embarrassing (as is the acting in some cases.) The sets are hokey. The storylines are boring. Is it me? Are my TV show watching tastes more refined? Have they gone downhill over the years?

Thoughts? Questions? Comments?

40 Before 41 Check-in: 339 days left

So, let's see how I'm doing on my "40 Before 41" checklist, shall we?

1. Read 50 books in one calendar year. DONE! See here.


2. Finish my master’s degree. DONE!

3. Lose 25 lbs. Um, not so much. However, I am actively scouring Craigslist for a treadmill to aide in this effort. If you've got one and want to sell it, drop me a note!

4. Take an advanced calligraphy class. This is a tough one. I check community college offerings and adult education centers. I'll keep trying.

5. Post at least eight times per month on my blog. Good thing I left this one purposely vague. I DID in fact post MORE than eight times in January of this year. The months before and February? Not so much.

6. Complete the Couch to 5K program. When said treadmill enters this house, the training will begin again (sidelined last year due to sprained ankle.)

7. Hang out with my friends more often (or talk more often to those I can’t hang out with more due to geography.) I'm only half crossing this one out. I've been doing A LOT more with my friends since the start of 2012 and I'm really happy about that. I need to work on calling those I can't see that often.

8. Have one room in our basement finished. Once John finishes his big conference at work in a few weeks, we will begin the process. We will have our attic checked to make sure there's no mold and then all of the non-crap in the basement can be moved up there and the fun can begin.

9. Revisit horseback riding (which I haven’t done some since summer camp in elementary school). I've found two places in my town that offer lessons. I'm making a promise to myself to email them over the next week to get prices.

10. Go on vacation again to Rehoboth Beach, DE. DONE! (And going again this year!)

11. Buy a houseplant and nurture it so that it will live for at least one month. (I’m setting my sights low.) Getting this out of the library this weekend. I love the subtitle: Essential Gardening Know-How for Keeping (Not Killing) More Than 160 Indoor Plants

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12. Watch Netflix movies within two weeks. Hmm. I stopped the whole "get a movie by mail" from Netflix after they raised their prices. Is it worth another $8/month?

13. Have a gathering of friends at our house. Um, no. This summer?

14. Drink only one soda per day. I'm on and off with this. I rarely drink more than one per day, but I'm going to try to go a month with only one per day.

15. Go on a vacation with my mom. Someday. She and my Dad are moving, so maybe after that.

16. Play tennis with my husband at least twice. This summer.

17. Go parasailing. Hopefully next summer (yes, which will be after I turn 41) in Aruba.

18. Join the technology revolution and get an iPhone. Check!

19. Go through the plastic tubs of photos from my grandparents’ house and scan the ones I want to have copies of. Sort of did this when my Granddad passed away, but didn't do a thorough job.

20. Create a photo wall of family pics in the front entryway. I've been collecting ideas for this on Pinterest.

21. Take a cooking class. Again, checking community colleges and adult ed.

22. Finish an entire game of Monopoly. Maybe when my stepson comes home. He likes that game and is very competitive, which will force me to finish.

23. Get up early on Black Friday and go shopping. Went last year, but did not get up early.

24. Go to a Bon Jovi concert. This WILL happen (if Bon Jovi cooperates with me.)

25. Follow through with my cleaning schedule for an entire month. Um, not yet.

26. If #3 is not accomplished, at least go down one pant size. See comment after #3.

27. Exercise enough so that I do not have to take pills for high cholesterol anymore. See comment after #3.
28. Go to a professional development event, i.e., ALA. Hmmm...Seattle or Anaheim? Probably not. However, in 2016, ALA will be back in Boston.

29. Turn in a school assignment a whole day before it’s due. DONE!

30. Try downhill skiing. Thinking about it.

31. Go out for tapas. Hopefully when I go to D.C. this summer I can go back to the yummy restaurant we went to, the name of which is escaping me.

32. Put money into savings each month. Working on.

33. Get the entire “Bones” series from Netflix and watch them all! Very confusing. Netflix says it's not available to watch instantly, but then you can click on each episode and it looks like they play. Hmm....

34. Join a book club. Help me out peeps! Anyone know of one near me???

35. Do SOMETHING with my wedding dress. Help me out again peeps! Anyone know of a talented seamstress near me??? I have an idea in mind.

36. Revisit crocheting. This might change to knitting. I've had an offer to teach me!

37. Try 5 new restaurants. DONE! #1: Agave Mexican Bistro. See review here. #2: Wang's Table: Local yocal Chinese restaurant that's actually pretty good. #3: FINS Fish House & Raw Bar: A to-die-for Pear Pomegranate Martini and delectable Swordfish. #4: Birches Bar & Grill at Mohegan Sun. Had a lovely Pomegranate Martini there. #5: Margaritas: OK chain Mexican.

38. Try yoga. One thing at a time, people!

39. Pay off at least one credit card. DONE!

40. A wild card item—my choice. Still mulling over.

Not bad. Could be better, but not bad.