It's Grillin' Season

 I love to grill. Actually I love Glen to grill.

1. Because food always taste better when it is cooked on the grill.

2. Because Glen does all the grilling.

Thanks to grandmother Myrt, we have some really great meat to grill over the next couple of weeks. We started with Pork Tenderloin joined by brown rice and grilled asparagus with honey balsamic glaze.

Pictures from the weekend

Here are some pictures from the weekend (courtesy of K & H)!

Oreo Cream Cheese Icing

What is better than homemade cream cheese icing? Homemade cream cheese icing with oreos. Yum!

Oreo Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick of butter (softened)
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 lb of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
10 oreos

Cream butter and cream cheese. Slowly add powdered sugar until thoroughly incorporated. Add vanilla. Crush oreos and fold into icing. Ice cupcakes, cakes, oreos, or just eat- its just that good!

Glen's Handiwork

I am lucky to have such a handy husband. Whenever something breaks or needs to be replaced he will do it himself whether it be our car or dryer. Recently our front door handle fell off. I guess that was the sign of us needing to replace them. After much searching we found a handle set we liked and Glen replaced the old knobs and repainted the door. Now we just need to repaint the trim.

K, H, & C Come to Visit

K, H, & C came and stayed with us this Friday on their way to Augusta. It was the first time they have been to visit since they adopted C. We were so glad they made the stop. We used this time as an excuse to get the grill out and eat steaks. We played cards like old times and enjoyed hanging out. Abby got to meet C and insisted on licking him any chance she got. Sadly I didn't get any pictures, but maybe I can borrow one and post it soon.

Sunbutter Cookies

I finally found some Sunbutter. After three different Publix stores, I finally found it. I think I now know why it was so hard to find. I came upon it by chance. While going down the sauces aisle to find some ketchup I decided to continue down the aisle towards the salad dressings and low and behold in between the barbaque sauce and vinaigrettes was tucked a row of almond butter, soy butter, and SUNBUTTER! So Sunday I decided to bake some cookies. Originally I wanted to try make Gold Medal Cookies which have lots of goodies in them but decided to try just plain sunbutter cookies (like peanut butter cookies) to evaluate the taste. The jury is still out on whether they are good or just strange. They are certainly not bad just different. I will soon make some Gold Medal Cookies which contain oatmeal, chocolate chips, and M&M's and then make a final judgement on the sunbutter.

 

And on another note, I sadly found out that the Ben & Jerry's in Columbia closed so no free Ben & Jerry's- my heart is truly broken. I guess I will have to buy a pint at the grocery store and pretend it is Free Cone Day.

Date Night

Since I haven't posted much of Glen and I I decided to go ahead and post this picture of us. We went on a date last night to Rockaways, known for its burgers and pimento cheese fries. If you haven't been just ask us sometime and we will take you! We then watched Up! I admit I might have fallen asleep a little bit possibly in the climax of the movie (Glen will tell you this happens a lot) but despite that I really like it and you should watch it too if you haven't seen it.

Free Cone Day!

Ben & Jerry's is my all time favorite icecream. Its hard to choose from all the delicious flavors....Half Baked (Cookie Dough & Brownie mixed), Cake Batter, Cheesecake Brownie, Chocolate Therapy, Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz (yes, this is the name of a real flavor). I could go on and on. And this upcoming Tuesday, March 23 they have free cone day. You can get a free cone of any icecream no strings attached and you can get in line as many times as your hearts desire or stomach can handle. So if you have a Ben & Jerry's near you, go enjoy a free cone or 6!

463 pages later

463. That's how many pages are in The Last Song and that's how many pages I actually read and enjoyed. Yes, it took some discipline, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The last 100 pages I actually read in one day. Only because the author finished chapters with such suspense I had to find out what happened next. Am I a book connoisseur? Even a book nerd?- No, but I think I have found a new hobby which means less tv (all 4 channels we have) and more books. Good thing I can get them for free at the library. Anyways, I cannot wait for this movie which premiers March 31. So by my calculations I finished the book with 13 days to spare.

Life of a Tiramisu Cheesecake Bar

MMMM...Spinach, Chicken, & Bacon Pizza

Today, instead of going out to eat after church we had the pleasure of having our good friends, Andrew & Elizabeth, come over for our latest cooking adventure. We made Spinach, Chicken, & Bacon Pizza. While we didn't get around to actually eating till 2:30, it was delicious and the most filling pizza I have ever eaten. Instead of a traditional tomato sauce, it had a spinach, cream cheese, and parmesan mixture topped with mozzerela, bacon, and chicken. Also the crust was homemade flatbread complete with italian seasoning in the dough.

"I wanted a safer car, so I traded my prius for a pinto"

For the last year we have been playing trivia with some friends on a pretty regular basis. To date we have won 1st once and 3rd once. We have gotten close several other times. But for the first time this past week we won best team name! Glen and I are usually no help in thinking of the team name (usually some reference to what's going on in the news), but last night Glen created this name- "I wanted a safer car, so I traded my prius for a pinto" and although I doubted its greatness, it pulled through for us and we won these glasses.

Gorganzola Popovers

Last night we invited Jon and Amber over to eat before trivia. Somehow they ended bringing us dinner even though they were our dinner guests. Anyways, I got to contribute a salad and these gorganzola popovers! I can't wait to make them again and try them with other cheeses!

Cosmo vs. the Laptop

For the entire three years of Cosmo's short life he has never had any competition for lap time. Then at the beginning of 2010 we purchased the laptop.

Needless to say Cosmo lost the battle, and I think he may be a little jealous.

A Day at the Park

I have been waiting for Spring weather for quite awhile now and South Carolina hasn't been doing me any favors. It got semi-warm for a little, but that was just a tease. Since the snow it really hasn't gotten terribly cold but for whatever reason I have not wanted to go out until this weekend and especially today. I decided when I got off work that I would run home, eat a quick lunch, and head to Finlay Park. I would walk Abby for awhile and then sit down and read (By the way I just received The Last Song in the mail today- see this post for explanation!). This is what I found at Finlay Park:

Obviously this is not what you want to see. The water was drained from the (man-made) ponds and it smelled aweful. There was a stark contrast of the playground in the background and the hole filled with dirt and filth. I also encountered some people there. I always expect to see homeless men sleeping in the grass or sitting on the benches. It is downtown Columbia and there are not many places for them to go. Today, however, I saw a scene with a woman who screamed and cursedd at a man because he refused to give her a pack of cigarettes. I was even afraid that it was going to become physical between them. It didn't. I also spoke to someone Someone spoke to me. It started as a conversation about my dog. I always get the question "Is that a pit" and yes she is. He told me that he had a pit. It was actually the only thing he had after his wife left him with no money and took their kids. I didn't know what to say.
This park and these people reminded me today of how broken the world we live in is. They reminded me of how broken I am. I wouldn't think that I would forget that so easily seeing as I do live downtown, a place where the brokeness isn't hidden (like in many suburbs). And yet I have forgotten. I go to work everyday in my nice car and come home to my nice house to see my loving husband. I go to church in my nice clothes and see all the nice people. I don't have to worry about whether we are going to have food tonight. I should be so much more thankful for God and his provisions and his blessings in my life. Instead I spend much almost all of my time if not all of my time thinking about me and not loving others as I should. I don't even know what to say when someone tells me their story of losing everything. How about- God and his love and how that will never dissappoint. Today God reminded me of what is important and that we live in a broken world with broken vessels. He is all that is important and I pray that He will use me in this broken world.

Spring Moose

Is it Spring yet? Marty thinks so...

SunButter

I recently discovered that the girl who writes a cooking blog that I like is allergic to peanuts...hey, me too! She recently posted a recipe containing a peanut butter substitute! First time I have ever heard of this. Apparently SunButter is like peanut butter only made from sunflower seeds. So be nice to your nut allergy friends and make them something with sunbutter!

Once I get my hands on some I plan to make Gold Medal Cookies- something Glen's grandmother makes. I'll let you know how it goes!

"The Last Song" & The First Book

About a month ago I went with a friend to see "Dear John", and we saw a preview for another movie based on Nicholas Sparks's book "The Last Song". I really liked the movie "Dear John" and so we have already decided that we will see "The Last Song" when it comes out. She suggested that we read the book before we see the movie...

Well, she is a reader. I am not. I would like to be but I am not. Glen is worse than me though. When anyone asks him about reading or some book he usually responds, "I can't read". Really it is the last thing that he would ever do. I think that I used to be like that but am now really wanting to learn to like to read. I figure now that I am out of school, I don't have any kind of intellectual stimulation. Well at least not on a regular basis and watching improvement shows on ETV doesn't count.

So my plan is to read. I think that if I do it I would really enjoy it. I am just a slow reader. Maybe because I haven't really practiced. I mean I don't think I have read a book cover to cover since middle school? Except for that one time in college I took a fiction english class and I enjoyed the section on children's literature, specifically "A Bad Beginning" (part of the Series of Unfortunate Events which I will definitely purchase once I have kids so that I can finish the series). Anyways...

I went to the library the week after seeing the movie. The Richland County Library is pretty awesome. We usually check out movies and wii games, but now i will try to use it for the books too. So i checked the book out but found I only had it for a week since someone else had it reserved. Well I got through 60 or 70 pgs before I had to return it. Remember I am a slow reader. On the other hand my friend borrowed it from someone and finished it in 2 weeks. She is now a serious advocate of the book. She said there were tears and happiness and insisted that I try to finish it. So the book is on hold by 100 other people which means I wouldn't get it probably till next year. So I broke down and bought it on Amazon. Now I have to read it. I am still waiting to receive it in the mail and I will keep you posted as to when I finish it and my journey on learning to read.

Freelance Bookkeeping

For those of you who do not know what I studied in college- it was accounting and no i have not gone on to get my CPA which most people who study accounting do because it will further your career, earn you more money, and (i think) cause you to work a lot more. Well I don't exactly see myself as a career kind of person. I don't see myself climbing to the top of any corporate ladder. I am not saying that I am an underachiever or anything. It's just not really in my personality. I worked in a local accounting firm my last year & a half of school and continued for another half year after I graduated. So I have experience, real experience. I didn't just file. I actually did real accounting work. After my two years, I discovered something. I don't enjoy doing taxes. Not that anyone really enjoys that process but as an accountant its part of your work. I actually enjoy preparing the actual returns. I just hate the stress and deadline of April 15. I hate having to deal with people who are super concerned with their money- to the point that they take out their frustration on you. So after I moved on from that job I moved to working at USC doing business administration type functions. No more real accounting work here. I do work with the occassional spreadsheet and love that time but otherwise have not been using my accounting skills.

And now on to the point of my post- I just had my second appointment/session as a freelance bookkeeper (bookkeeping is the side of accounting that I really enjoy)! A friend Sara Parker is a photographer and recently decided to keep track of her business in Quickbooks. I was able to help her with the ins and outs of the program since I have a lot of experience with it. She then referred me to Kate with Tot Toppers who had a similar situation. I have really enjoyed doing this work! I hope that I will continue to find people who need this type of expertise and maybe even someone who will want a permanent bookkeeper. So if you know anyone who needs some accounting help...let me know!

Pet Shenanigans

Lots of people blog about their kids. They post the cute pictures, write about the cute things they did, and update on their progress. Well we don't have kids and so I will post about our pets. No worries I will not be making every post about them as if they are our kids but once in awhile I think its okay and I know you want to hear about what's going on in the lives of Abby and Cosmo!

Every once in awhile we teach Abby a new trick. She knows how to sit, shake, high five, turn around, lay down, and play dead. We are certainly running out of new tricks, so last night I taught her to get into the laundry basket. And then we decided to put her bed in the laundry basket for these cute pictures.

I am not sure she like it...

I don't know why everyone thinks our cat (Cosmo) is a girl....

I guess its the purple ribbon. I really need a little girl to put this on.