Goodbye 47 - Hello 48!

Last Monday I turned the ripe old age of 48!

As those of you who have been following along at home know, my 47th year was not one of my best (actually, I'd say it was my worst). Thus, I was actually excited about being a year older and entering a new year of my life.

I started my "birthday weekend" with a decadent (for me) dessert on Friday night.

While I love me some chocolate and some cream, I wasn't bowled over by the whoopie pie. It needed more cream. Or maybe even flavored cream- like maple!

Saturday was a fairly relaxing day. That night we went to CR's The Restaurant in Hampton, NH. It's one my favorites (and as a matter of fact, we went there last year for my birthday!)

Before we left home, we tried for a decent selfie. And ended up with many outtakes.

Maybe someday we'll perfect the art of the selfie. Or not.

I didn't take any pictures of dinner, so you'll just have to use your imagination! (Well, I took a really bad one of the drinks.)

We started out with Baked Brie en Croute which was delicious with the honey & blueberry compote.

Keeping with the blueberry theme, I had a Blueberry Limoncello Drop Martini & John had Harvest Sangria. (Here's said back picture:)

For our main courses, I had the swordfish special (with roasted potatoes & shredded brussels sprouts) and John had prime rib.

For dessert we had carrot cake for two, which in reality was carrot cake for 16. But, that didn't stop us from pretty much finishing it off.

Sunday was errand/laundry day (and avoid the Superbowl day).

On Monday, the day of my actual birth, I took a vacation day from work. It was nice to sleep in!

We had  a late breakfast at the Roundabout Diner in Portsmouth, NH. I got the Grand Marnier french toast. Overall the experience was meh (so-so food and not so great service.)

The rest of the day was spent talking on the phone to the ones I love that are far away, getting nice texts and emails and wishes on Facebook.

So far, 48 is GREAT!

Sunday Stuff

As mentioned in my last post, it was snowing & frigid here last Sunday. The cold weather continued through Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), and since we had the day off, I decided to make White Chicken Chili in the Crockpot.

I make this recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen blog. It's extremely simple and is very hearty. (And who doesn't love to eat their dinner with Fritos?!)

At work recently, the group I'm in was talking about a chili cookoff. There was a lot of trash talking going on about "real" chili and I brought up white chicken chili. It was dubbed "amateur hour." LOL.

Another recipe on this blog that I really want to try is Slow Cooker Brisket Chili. I will definitely report back on how that turns out once I make it.

Coincidentally, dinner tonight is a recipe from this blog, as well- Stuffing Topped Pork Chops. Not exactly gourmet or healthy, but they look good nonetheless!

We finished another puzzle- in record time. This is the cheapo one I mentioned in my last blog post. The quality was actually decent but it was too easy.

I think we will take a break from puzzles for a short while. :)

I just heard that basketball great Kobe Bryant perished in a helicopter crash this morning. Another reminder that life is short and every moment should be enjoyed. Hug your loved ones a little tighter tonight.


Book #5 of 2020: Beneath the Tamarind Tree by Isha Sesay

Summary: In the early morning of April 14, 2014, the militant Islamic group Boko Haram violently burst into the small town of Chibok, Nigeria, and abducted 276 girls from their school dorm rooms. From poor families, these girls were determined to make better lives for themselves, but pursuing an education made them targets, resulting in one of the most high-profile abductions in modern history. While the Chibok kidnapping made international headlines, and prompted the #BringBackOurGirls movement, many unanswered questions surrounding that fateful night remain about the girls’ experiences in captivity, and where many of them are today.

Rating: C. When I updated Goodreads to indicate that I was reading this book, I happened to scroll down on the page and see some reviews written by readers. This *may* have prejudiced my feeling about this book. I noticed that one reviewer stated that Sesay, the author, was somewhat narcissistic and spent the time bragging about herself and focused on her life. I'd have to say I agree. This book could've been half as long and told the incredible story of the Chibok girls and been much more effective. Sesay focused on trying to get a "scoop" and took focus away from the real heroes. It's too bad, because this is an important story for people to hear- one that in the Western world many are no aware of.

From Walking on Sunshine to Walking In a Winter Wonderland

In my last post, I mentioned the weather was wacky here in New England. Well, that trend continued.

Last Sunday it was still balmy and in the 70's. John and I went for a walk in our neighborhood. A bunch of our neighbors were out- it was so gorgeous!

This is a little pond on the next street over. It's always peaceful looking.

Last night & today? Total 180!

(That abominable snowman you see out there is John- pushing the snowblower- and I'm inside warm & toasty!)

Welcome to New England!

This week was fairly low key.

We tried a new to us frozen pizza brand- American Flatbread

John's taste buds are still not at 100% after his treatment, so we try to lean towards white sauce vs. red sauce. This brand had a couple of options for white pizzas, so we decided to give it a shot. This one was pretty good and we're going to try another one next week. If you're looking for a legitimate frozen flatbread, I'd say this is it.

We finished ANOTHER puzzle! (And in record time!)

This is the one I referenced in last week's post- beach stickers. While this one was easy, it was fun remembering times we'd been to many of these beaches and counting how many we'd been to (and how many more we have to go to!)

We have another one lined up- I bought it at a cheapo/discount store so we'll see how the quality compares to these more expensive ones. It's of a newsstand with various magazine covers.

We finished another TV docuseries this week: Killer Inside: Mind of Aaron Hernandez

photo credit

For those who aren't familiar, Hernandez was a New Englander (from Connecticut) and played for the New England Patriots. He was charged with three homicides (convicted of one). Because of this local connection, I was familiar with the case and because he played football, John was familiar with the case.

The docuseries looks at different angles that may have caused Hernandez to murder in cold blood. Some of those angles are:

• His father dies when he's in high school and his mother quickly forms a relationship with a cousin's ex-husband, leaving Hernandez angry and seeking refuge at that cousin's house (who becomes a second mother to him.)

• He struggles with his sexuality. He's a rough and tough football player but has sexual relations with males in high school. Eventually he finds a girlfriend and they stay together, move in together, and have a child together. One possible motive for the murder he's convicted of is that the victim caught him engaging in sexual activity with a male and Hernandez needed to stifle that.

• To keep his rough and tough image intact, he eventually associates with unsavory characters who will get him guns, drugs, basically anything he wants.

• CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy)- a degenerative disease of the brain that is caused by repeated concussions, of which he received many while playing football.

I don't think any one thing is the cause in Hernandez's case, but I tend to think that living a double life; hiding his sexuality was definitely a driving factor.

One segment of the series that really had an impression on me was an interview with Ryan O'Callaghan, a former NFL player (he also played for the New England Patriots). After leaving the NFL, he came out as a gay man. He shared his "double life"- gaining weight to become as unattractive as possible so no one would question why he didn't have a girlfriend. He planned that after football was over, he would commit suicide, as he figured his life would be over. A therapist said if he was going to commit suicide, he may as well share his sexuality with his parents. He did and has been able to go on and lead what looks to be a happy life.

I was really struck by the fact that someone would go to great lengths to hide who they are. I certainly understand societal pressures to do this, but it is just so sad and leads to many suicides.

Aaron Hernandez was outed by a sports reporter and it became the topic on a Boston sports radio show.

Two days later he was found dead in prison. He committed suicide. His story is extremely sad on so many fronts.



Book #3 of 2020: Death by Dumpling by Vivian Chien

Summary: The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family’s restaurant. But after a brutal break-up and a dramatic workplace walk-out, she figures that helping wait tables is her best option for putting her life back together. Even if that means having to put up with her mother, who is dead-set on finding her a husband.

Lana’s love life soon becomes yesterday’s news once the restaurant’s property manager, Mr. Feng, turns up dead―after a delivery of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee. But how could this have happened when everyone on staff knew about Mr. Feng’s severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy? Now, with the whole restaurant under suspicion for murder and the local media in a feeding frenzy―to say nothing of the gorgeous police detective who keeps turning up for take-out―it’s up to Lana to find out who is behind Feng’s killer order. . . before her own number is up.

Rating: C+. This is the first in the series, so I will give it one more shot, but it was nothing exciting and I wasn't endeared to any of the characters.


Book #4 of 2020: The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Summary: Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo—until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight, leaving Nuri to navigate her grief as well as a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece toward an uncertain future in Britain.

Rating: A. I really loved this story. While it certainly had depressing/sad parts, it was a beautifully told story. Highly recommend!

First Full Week Into the New Year

The first full week of 2020 is in the books!

Here in New England, we've had a wild ride in terms of the weather. Thursday it was RIDICULOUSLY cold (so cold that my co-worker wouldn't walk to the new burrito place with me at lunch because she wasn't wearing socks...lol). Then Saturday it was 67!!! (Meanwhile, I am seeing that its snowing in places like Texas. Feel free to try to tell me climate change isn't real!)

Earlier this week we finished one of the puzzles that I got for Christmas. It's from White Mountain Puzzles and it's "Things I Ate As a Kid."

The past few years I've gotten one or two of these types of puzzles (1000 pieces) and John and I do them together. It's great because it gets me off of my phone and using my brain and lets us spend time together (we usually do 15-20 minutes each night.).

The other one I got for Christmas is "A Day At the Beach" with bumper stickers from beaches all over the U.S., including some of my favorites- Hampton Beach in NH & Rehoboth Beach in DE.

Another yearly/Christmas tradition is to get the new Mary Engelbreit calendar. Here's January's illustration:

I love it! Her illustrations speak for themselves and need few words. A new year- ever forward!

In my last post, I mentioned the show The Politician on Netflix. We finished it and I was totally sucked in.

Not just by the plot but by hair/costume. Alice, one of the main characters, looked amazing for her wedding. This isn't a great photo, but I LOVED her hair and her dress.

photo credit

Book #2 of 2020: Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich

Summary: Grandma Mazur, Stephanie Plum’s favorite family member and occasional partner in crime, has decided to get married again – this time to a local gangster named Jimmy Rosolli. If Stephanie has her doubts about this marriage, she doesn’t have to worry for long, because the groom drops dead of a heart attack 45 minutes after saying, “I do.”   

A sad day for Grandma Mazur turns into something far more dangerous when Jimmy’s former “business partners” are convinced that his new widow is keeping the keys to a financial windfall all to herself. But the one thing these wise guys didn’t count on was the widow’s bounty hunter granddaughter, who’ll do anything to save her.

Rating: A. This is one of the best Stephanie Plum books I've read in quite a while. Evanovich gave Stephanie & Grandma some depth- they actually showed emotion. I felt that it made them more "real." 

This is 2020

photo credit

(Sorry- I couldn't resist.)

How has your first (partial) week of the new year been?

John & I started out 2020 by taking a nice drive along the NH Seacoast (that wobbly purple line is us!)

It was pretty chilly out so we didn't want to do anything outside per se, but wanted to get out of the house. The ocean was beautiful, but looked ridiculously freezing. (And yes, there were people getting into wet suits to go in. I was mouthing "dummies" under my breath and I could see John smirking.)

After our drive, we went to The Beach Plum in Portsmouth for a hearty lunch of fried clams. It's a pretty low key place with picnic tables inside and out, but the fried clams are excellent.

We also continued to watch The Politician on Netflix.

photo credit

At first I thought it was totally bizarre, but after watching the first few episodes, it really grew on me. Quirky is a good word for it, I'd say.

Of course, I've been reading! I've decided for this year, I will do my book reviews in the blog vs. posting individually on Instagram/Facebook.

Book #1 of 2020: The Library Book by Susan Orlean

(And no, I didn't read this all in the first five days of 2020- I started it in 2019)

Summary: In 1986, the Los Angeles Public Library went up in flames- literally. It was the largest fire in the US in a public library. While the book is based on this incident, it's much more. It chronicles the main suspect in the fire and introduces the reader to the various staff that work there and the directors past & present. 

Rating: A-. I loved this! The librarian in me found it fascinating. 

How did your 2020 start out?

Table for 2...Order for 12

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving- whatever that looked like!

John & I had a "table for two" Thanksgiving.

(Don't mind the extremely wrinkled tablecloth)

Grace was with her Mom & some friends and [little] John stayed in DC. It seemed like most everyone else had plans of their own, so we had a quiet day.

We did a "traditional" Thanksgiving meal, although a lot of it was low-maintenance (as you'll see from below). 

Frozen whole turkeys were on sale a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving, so we figured, "why not?" We got an 11 lb turkey...

We had gravy from the packet in the turkey.

We had pre-made stuffing (aka stuffing in a box).

We had pre-made scalloped potatoes (they're actually pretty good and SO much less work than real scalloped potatoes.)

Cranberry sauce from a can.

We had Pillsbury crescent rolls.

For vegetables, we did probably the most "homemade" work. We had mashed butternut squash (which we both really like but generally only have on holidays). I just mash it it with butter, maple syrup & nutmeg. 

We also did brussels sprouts. Generally, I roast them (just tossed in olive oil, salt & pepper) and then top with melted butter, but since we inherited an air fryer, we decided to try them that way. I found a simple recipe from the Food Network and we did that. They came out ok, but were drier than the roasted (I think because no melted butter was poured over them.)

Oh, and some cheap Rose wine (we should NOT have cheaped out there...lesson learned.)

Here's our "table for twelve." (I should've put the gigantic turkey on the table- would've made for a better image.)

We had lots of leftovers (which is never a bad thing!)

For dessert we had a great homemade apple pie that a friend made, which was very thoughtful of her.

How did you celebrate Thanksgiving? 

Let's Blow the Dust Off This Sucker, Shall We?

photo credit

It's been over six months since I've blogged (not my longest hiatus, but definitely up there.)

For those of you that know me "in real life" or are friends with me on Facebook, you know that the last seven months have been extremely challenging- the most challenging of my life.

John was diagnosed with HPV throat cancer in April and things have been chaotic, traumatic, sad, stressful, and finally (the last few months or so) full of relief and thankfulness.

He blogged about his experience at The Village Rant. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. Not only is it enlightening and educational, but also raw and real. Plus, he's a really good writer.

I've gone back and forth about whether I want to dedicate a post to the experience. On one hand, it might help someone else, but on the other hand, I don't want to make the experience all about me. I will share a few things that I've learned:

• Being a caretaker for someone who generally is your caretaker is HARD. John and I had major role reversal in this situation and while it got easier over time, it was foreign territory and uncomfortable in the beginning.  (There was never any thought I wouldn't fill the role- I just wanted to do it "right.")

• If at all possible, go to a hospital that is in your doctors' network. John's first hospital stay was at a hospital that we've gone to for years, so we know it and are familiar with it. However, John's PCP closed his private practice and is now part of another network and different hospitals. It was difficult getting the dots connected and for communication to happen.

• Lastly, as the caretaker, do your best to stay healthy. Eat, even when you don't want to or are not hungry. I lost close to 20 lbs from April-August. I had a stomach bug (which didn't help) and then I didn't eat well, skipping meals or not eating enough. I'm back on track and have gained back 10 of those pounds.

John had a clean scan at the end of September and we are EXTREMELY thankful for that. He will have another in two or so weeks and then hopefully he will go to a more regular schedule (maybe every six months?)

We realize that things will not be exactly the same as they used to be, but we are doing our best to adjust to the new normal around here.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank all those that offered support in person, via phone, via text, via Facebook, and via good old fashioned US mail. They are what helped us to get through this time. We knew that we had a huge support system and lots of people pulling for us. So, thank you- from the bottom of our hearts.