Item #5: We're counting this one as done. We never formally set out to go through various recipes, but between cooking from scratch (Item #57) and hosting Cookie Day, we certainly went through a LOT of recipes!!
Item #31: The same kind of situation as above. I don't think we formally decided, but we did make the 5 Minutes to Artisan Bread Boule recipe many times, and I can see us doing this a lot in the future, too!
Item #45: This may be redundant, as H received another Cuisinart kitchen tool for Christmas. I am delegating responsibility to him to do an online search for Cuisinart blades & see if any of them would actually do anything unique, compared to what we've got access to, now!
Item #81: We are very close to using up our remaining lotion! We did get some more for Christmas, but I am bound and determined to use up what we already had in our possession, first!
When we do our annual review for New Year's, I think we'll probably sit down with our list & see what we want to tackle next. Maybe the item about no deep fried foods for a month, since we're already on a pretty healthy eating track! Winter might also be a good time to read the Bible or take a cooking class. We'll keep you all posted. I'm going to go update our master list online, now.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
December 24th, 2009
Item #95: For the 2nd year in a row, we've stayed within our holiday budget! One more holiday season to go & we'll complete this item!
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
This little video just makes us laugh!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
November 24, 2009
Item #19: Yesterday, I mailed off 2 gifts for the Season of Sharing through the Chicago Sun-Times. They're still looking for people to purchase gifts for needy kids or to make a monetary donation, so if you can spare $25, think about it! For most of the kids, this will be the only gift they receive this Christmas! This item is now complete, since we sent 2 gifts last year as well!
Item #47: We are doing some travel planning & may very well be able to check this one off our list next year. Very exciting!
Item #81: We are using up our last 2 containers of lotion! Sweet!
Item #95: So far, we are staying within our holiday budget for this year. I need to acquire a gift for my brother & buy something for one friend, but I think we're going to be okay!
Item #97: H is pushing for us to buy new winter coats this year, but I'd rather see if we can't lose a little more weight & then buy coats in February when they go on sale!
Item #47: We are doing some travel planning & may very well be able to check this one off our list next year. Very exciting!
Item #81: We are using up our last 2 containers of lotion! Sweet!
Item #95: So far, we are staying within our holiday budget for this year. I need to acquire a gift for my brother & buy something for one friend, but I think we're going to be okay!
Item #97: H is pushing for us to buy new winter coats this year, but I'd rather see if we can't lose a little more weight & then buy coats in February when they go on sale!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
October 27, 2009
Item #99: We splurged and went to a new restaurant, Five Guys, and I do admit, they had damned tasty burgers & fries!!! We need to visit 7 new restaurants & we'll meet this goal. We're eating out a LOT less, now that we're making most of our food from scratch, but there are already a couple of new restaurants on our list to try, so I'm confident we'll finish this one before our time is up!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
October 20, 2009
Item #40: No way we're going to make a million, but it can't hurt to play for more. Did 350 grains of rice. I'll be happy if we get to 100,000.
Item #81: Now that dry fall weather is setting in, we're going through the rest of our lotion & body butter pretty fast. I anticipate we'll be through what remains by the time spring rolls around. Then we'll just have body wash, shower gel, and soap to use up.
Item #85: Sent a care package through Soldiers' Angels to a soldier in the Army. Warm fuzzy moment.
Item #81: Now that dry fall weather is setting in, we're going through the rest of our lotion & body butter pretty fast. I anticipate we'll be through what remains by the time spring rolls around. Then we'll just have body wash, shower gel, and soap to use up.
Item #85: Sent a care package through Soldiers' Angels to a soldier in the Army. Warm fuzzy moment.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
September 27, 2009
Item #31: Considering we've made the same recipe six times ... I think we may be done with this one ... but I have several other bread recipes I want to try, so I am not going to cross this one off the list just yet!
Item #51: Although we already made our target goals of a 15 pound weight loss each, we are continuing to work on losing more. H has lost 30 ... and I have lost 20! We're going to keep it up, too! Feeling fabulous, looking good!
Item #86: Forgot to mention going to the farmers' market on the way down to my parents house. This goal is now done. But as above, we'll keep on going, until they close for the season! Lovin' it!
Item #95: We are establishing a holiday shopping budget, so we can stick within it. I think we'll do well with this one!
Item #51: Although we already made our target goals of a 15 pound weight loss each, we are continuing to work on losing more. H has lost 30 ... and I have lost 20! We're going to keep it up, too! Feeling fabulous, looking good!
Item #86: Forgot to mention going to the farmers' market on the way down to my parents house. This goal is now done. But as above, we'll keep on going, until they close for the season! Lovin' it!
Item #95: We are establishing a holiday shopping budget, so we can stick within it. I think we'll do well with this one!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
September 8, 2009
We spent a weekend in downtown Chicago, were we checked a few items off our 101 list & made a dent in another.
Item#36: Visited the Adler Planetarium on Saturday. Got to see a really cool exhibit, narrated by Jim Lovell & got to see a space capsule on loan from the Smithsonian. Those things are super tiny!!
Item #37: Visited the Shedd Aquarium on Sunday, along with a bazillion other people. We went to the things we specifically wanted to see -- the beluga whales & the sea otters -- then we escaped the throng of humanity!
Item #57: Forgot to mention this, but we officially completed our 2 weeks of eating only food made from scratch! We both lost some significant weight & will be trying to be more careful about where we're getting our food from. We'll be slowly using up the food we already have that has preservatives & will not buy more to replace it.
Item #99: We've now visited 22 new local restaurants. We had dinner at Petterino's on Saturday & enjoyed it thoroughly.
We went to Elephant & Castle on Sunday (a bit of a "cheat," since I tried it for the first time a little over a month ago, but we decided it counted) for a comfort-food dinner.
And on Monday, we tried South Water Kitchen for brunch. It was just okay.
We have 40 items remaining on our list to complete ... so we are almost 2/3rds of the way done!
Item#36: Visited the Adler Planetarium on Saturday. Got to see a really cool exhibit, narrated by Jim Lovell & got to see a space capsule on loan from the Smithsonian. Those things are super tiny!!
Item #37: Visited the Shedd Aquarium on Sunday, along with a bazillion other people. We went to the things we specifically wanted to see -- the beluga whales & the sea otters -- then we escaped the throng of humanity!
Item #57: Forgot to mention this, but we officially completed our 2 weeks of eating only food made from scratch! We both lost some significant weight & will be trying to be more careful about where we're getting our food from. We'll be slowly using up the food we already have that has preservatives & will not buy more to replace it.
Item #99: We've now visited 22 new local restaurants. We had dinner at Petterino's on Saturday & enjoyed it thoroughly.
We went to Elephant & Castle on Sunday (a bit of a "cheat," since I tried it for the first time a little over a month ago, but we decided it counted) for a comfort-food dinner.
And on Monday, we tried South Water Kitchen for brunch. It was just okay.
We have 40 items remaining on our list to complete ... so we are almost 2/3rds of the way done!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
September 1, 2009
Item #51: Stepped on the scale this morning. I've lost exactly 15 pounds. Yesterday, H weighed in & has lost 20! YAY!!!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
August 30, 2009
Item #51: We're well on our way to meeting our goal of losing 15 pounds each. H has now met this goal ... I think he's lost a total of 18 pounds, and I've lost 12.4 pounds & plan to just keep on trucking. I can attribute most of my weight loss to ...
Item #57: wherein we make all of our food from scratch for 2 weeks. After struggling to lose more than 8 pounds, despite restricting my caloric intake & increasing my exercise to an hour a day 5 days a week, I've dropped 4 pounds in the last week! So, needless to say we're probably going to stick with making a LOT of our own food from here on out. We are thinking about planning on 3 or 4 meals a week that are made outside our home, whether it's dining out at a restaurant or just throwing a frozen pizza in the oven.
Item #85: Forgot to mention I sent a surprise care package to a ... get this, friend's son's friend. Guy's in the Navy & feeling a bit blue, so I packed up some goodies & sent them his way. Just got an email from him this morning about how much it meant to know he was supported. If that isn't the purpose of a care package, I don't know what is!
Item #86: We went to a different farmers' market today, since we were at the Renaissance Faire yesterday & couldn't go to our local one. This one was tiny, but we still picked up some items -- apples, tomatoes, onion, scallions, shallots. Wish I'd gotten garlic, now!
Item #57: wherein we make all of our food from scratch for 2 weeks. After struggling to lose more than 8 pounds, despite restricting my caloric intake & increasing my exercise to an hour a day 5 days a week, I've dropped 4 pounds in the last week! So, needless to say we're probably going to stick with making a LOT of our own food from here on out. We are thinking about planning on 3 or 4 meals a week that are made outside our home, whether it's dining out at a restaurant or just throwing a frozen pizza in the oven.
Item #85: Forgot to mention I sent a surprise care package to a ... get this, friend's son's friend. Guy's in the Navy & feeling a bit blue, so I packed up some goodies & sent them his way. Just got an email from him this morning about how much it meant to know he was supported. If that isn't the purpose of a care package, I don't know what is!
Item #86: We went to a different farmers' market today, since we were at the Renaissance Faire yesterday & couldn't go to our local one. This one was tiny, but we still picked up some items -- apples, tomatoes, onion, scallions, shallots. Wish I'd gotten garlic, now!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
August 22, 2009
Item #57: We're embarking upon a 2 week challenge ... to eat food only that we've made from scratch. Our concessions include using pre-made condiments & to buy whole grain bread from bakeries where it's been made with no preservatives (i.e. they have made it from scratch). 2 meals in & we are doing good!
Item #86: Made another trip to the farmers' market ... and will probably make 2 more in the next 2 weeks, to help with our item above, but we may not do it together, so it won't count, if it's not a shared activity. We have a whole 'nother season next year to get to, if we can't tackle this by the middle of October.
Item #86: Made another trip to the farmers' market ... and will probably make 2 more in the next 2 weeks, to help with our item above, but we may not do it together, so it won't count, if it's not a shared activity. We have a whole 'nother season next year to get to, if we can't tackle this by the middle of October.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
August 18, 2009
Item #31: I don't know if we'll make it super regularly, but we have found an excellent bread recipe. It makes 4 small loaves ... and the dough can hang out in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. We baked 3 loaves in less than 24 hours. We'll make the 4th in another few days, I suspect.
Item #40: I doubt we'll make our goal of 1,000,000 grains of rice ... but I added another 500 to our total, bringing it to 99,000! If anyone wants to play on our behalf and donate, let me know. *wink*
Item #40: I doubt we'll make our goal of 1,000,000 grains of rice ... but I added another 500 to our total, bringing it to 99,000! If anyone wants to play on our behalf and donate, let me know. *wink*
Sunday, August 9, 2009
August 9, 2009
Item #52: We've both been working hard. I've lost 9 pounds so far. H has lost about 11, I think. It'd be awesome to reach our goal of each losing 15 pounds by the end of the summer!
Item #57: We are gearing up for this & are using up lots of the processed food in the house. We are now having discussions, just like we had about "what exactly do we mean by "fast food" for Item #29, about what we mean by "from scratch." I mean we could make pasta from scratch ... using egg, flour and water ... but is it enough to do it from a box? And we could probably make our own peanut butter ... but is it worth it, considering how much we actually would use? My rule of thumb is that if it's a condiment, we don't have to make it from scratch. I am not repopulating our fridge door with homemade ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickle relish or salad dressing, unless I think we'll use it all up in that 2 week time span. But I do think we should make salsa from scratch, primarily because H rarely uses it as a condiment, but as a main course. It is a fascinating discussion!
Item #81: We used up the last of the body scrub! Now we just need to use up the last of the body lotions/creams/butters, the body wash, and the shower gels. The stockpile IS getting smaller!
Item #86: We went to the farmers' market again. And SCORED. A 10 lb box of blueberries for $25. That berry seller is awesome. We also have a "bucket" of peaches -- I don't know how many, maybe about 4 pounds/10 peaches. And 2 ears of corn. And celery. And 2 bell peppers. And kettle corn. And 4 tomatoes. And 4 potatoes. Yeah, there'll be some fine eating today. H made ribs last night, too. Oooooh. Mmmmm.
Item #57: We are gearing up for this & are using up lots of the processed food in the house. We are now having discussions, just like we had about "what exactly do we mean by "fast food" for Item #29, about what we mean by "from scratch." I mean we could make pasta from scratch ... using egg, flour and water ... but is it enough to do it from a box? And we could probably make our own peanut butter ... but is it worth it, considering how much we actually would use? My rule of thumb is that if it's a condiment, we don't have to make it from scratch. I am not repopulating our fridge door with homemade ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickle relish or salad dressing, unless I think we'll use it all up in that 2 week time span. But I do think we should make salsa from scratch, primarily because H rarely uses it as a condiment, but as a main course. It is a fascinating discussion!
Item #81: We used up the last of the body scrub! Now we just need to use up the last of the body lotions/creams/butters, the body wash, and the shower gels. The stockpile IS getting smaller!
Item #86: We went to the farmers' market again. And SCORED. A 10 lb box of blueberries for $25. That berry seller is awesome. We also have a "bucket" of peaches -- I don't know how many, maybe about 4 pounds/10 peaches. And 2 ears of corn. And celery. And 2 bell peppers. And kettle corn. And 4 tomatoes. And 4 potatoes. Yeah, there'll be some fine eating today. H made ribs last night, too. Oooooh. Mmmmm.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
July 12, 2009
Item #27: With the blueberries from yesterday, I made blueberry cobbler, which we topped with .... HOMEMADE ICE CREAM!!!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
July 11, 2009
Item #86: This makes trip number six of 10, to the farmer's market to buy produce. And other things. This morning, we spent $60 ($35 of which was H's birthday money from a month ago!). $32 went to a ten pound box of blueberries *drool* (that was H's big splurge). $3 for a package of pita. $4 for a small Greek oregano plant. $3.50 for caramel corn. $2 for a red bell pepper. $2 for miniature white potatoes. $2.50 for green beans. $3 for snap peas. $5 for berry scones. $2 for a giant tomato. 50 cents for green onions. 25 cents to feed our parking meter. 25 cents to feed a stranger's parking meter as a random act of kindness. Money well spent all around.
Item #87: We went to a friend's wedding last night ... so it was a perfect excuse to break out H's super nice dress shoes! We need to find 2 more reasons for him to wear them! They're really quite lovely & classic ... and he's got to wear a suit with them, and it's rare that he wears a suit! He cleans up awfully nice, though.
Item #87: We went to a friend's wedding last night ... so it was a perfect excuse to break out H's super nice dress shoes! We need to find 2 more reasons for him to wear them! They're really quite lovely & classic ... and he's got to wear a suit with them, and it's rare that he wears a suit! He cleans up awfully nice, though.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
July 6, 2009
Item #44: It's done! We grew our own basil & made pesto! We used this recipe from Karen, over at Crazier In Real Life!
Here's the proof, in photos:
Inspired by Chef Anne Burrell, we finished it off with a hit of grated Parmesan cheese, and some salt. Perfection! AND we have more basil leaves, so we can do it all over again in another couple of weeks, if we want. Those 3 plants really have grown a lot since we bought them.
Here's the proof, in photos:
Inspired by Chef Anne Burrell, we finished it off with a hit of grated Parmesan cheese, and some salt. Perfection! AND we have more basil leaves, so we can do it all over again in another couple of weeks, if we want. Those 3 plants really have grown a lot since we bought them.
Friday, July 3, 2009
July 3, 2009
We had a delightful day. Part of it was trying a new restaurant (Item #99). We went to Honey Cafe. It was a bit of a drive, but totally cool & very worth it. H loved their lemon bars & cappuccino:
and I enjoyed playing the role of Mad Scientist in making my Science Fair Sundae!!!:
The food was delicious & inspired, and lots of it was thoughtfully grown, harvested, etc. Bonus!
and I enjoyed playing the role of Mad Scientist in making my Science Fair Sundae!!!:
The food was delicious & inspired, and lots of it was thoughtfully grown, harvested, etc. Bonus!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
July 2, 2009
Item #70: Isn't it beautiful?
Gone is the old, tired, 1/2" thick asphalt. It used to be the concrete section looked schnazzy ... now it's the part that looks old and tired! Just beautiful work. We are happy.
Gone is the old, tired, 1/2" thick asphalt. It used to be the concrete section looked schnazzy ... now it's the part that looks old and tired! Just beautiful work. We are happy.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
June 27, 2009
I wish I'd put an item on the list about having a garage sale. Those things are huge undertakings & today netted us $98. We'll mark everything half off & have it tomorrow for a few hours. More money for the adoption fund!
Item #40: We will probably not meet our goal, but I plug away anyway. 1,000 more grains of rice donated.
Item #57: We've actually put this on the calendar: to eat only food we've made from scratch for 2 weeks. We had a discussion about what our intent was and what we meant by our goal. So, we'll be doing our own cooking -- but it can be as simple as slicing up fruit or cooking some veggies. We'll also be trying to buy food as locally as possible. And we've decided that a single step of "from scratch" is okay -- if someone else has made it by scratch and it'd be pretty hard for us to do it, that's fine. Also, we're not making condiments from scratch. So, this'll happen during the second half of August. Stay tuned!
Item #99: I've got my eye on a new restaurant I want to try. But for the next several weeks, we are saving our pennies until our next vacation, which will allow us to check off another item off our list!
Item #40: We will probably not meet our goal, but I plug away anyway. 1,000 more grains of rice donated.
Item #57: We've actually put this on the calendar: to eat only food we've made from scratch for 2 weeks. We had a discussion about what our intent was and what we meant by our goal. So, we'll be doing our own cooking -- but it can be as simple as slicing up fruit or cooking some veggies. We'll also be trying to buy food as locally as possible. And we've decided that a single step of "from scratch" is okay -- if someone else has made it by scratch and it'd be pretty hard for us to do it, that's fine. Also, we're not making condiments from scratch. So, this'll happen during the second half of August. Stay tuned!
Item #99: I've got my eye on a new restaurant I want to try. But for the next several weeks, we are saving our pennies until our next vacation, which will allow us to check off another item off our list!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
June 20, 2009
Item #31: I forgot to mention it, but my parents gave me an awesome book on baking bread for my birthday about a month ago. I hope to start trying bread recipes in it & find one we love. Just not when it's 90 degrees outside. Using oven is bad when 90 degrees outside.
Item #44: Despite some bugs trying to eat holes in it ... and 70 mph winds that knocked down
many tree branches around town, our basil is thriving. Yay!
Item #86: Guess what you can get for $40 at our farmers' market? A beaded bracelet for a friend's birthday (I want one, now!!!!), 10 cookies, 2 mini-flatbread-pizza type things, a package of pita bread, a pound of bacon, a quart of strawberries (YUM!), a bag of caramel corn, and 2 tomatoes. Not bad, eh? This makes visit #5 of 10.
Item #44: Despite some bugs trying to eat holes in it ... and 70 mph winds that knocked down
many tree branches around town, our basil is thriving. Yay!
Item #86: Guess what you can get for $40 at our farmers' market? A beaded bracelet for a friend's birthday (I want one, now!!!!), 10 cookies, 2 mini-flatbread-pizza type things, a package of pita bread, a pound of bacon, a quart of strawberries (YUM!), a bag of caramel corn, and 2 tomatoes. Not bad, eh? This makes visit #5 of 10.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
June 14, 2009
See, we've not disappeared!!!
First of all, for all you 101 in 1001 folks, if you have not yet seen Up, a film by Disney-Pixar, you should. Check it out here.
Now, onto the list.
Today we are planning on accomplishing Item #21 (fix hole in wall and put in sword anchors) today, and trying Item #92 (put numbers on house). Our basil plants are coming along nicely for Item #44 (grow basil & make pesto out of it). Our driveway should be redone (Item #70) by the end of the summer. And we're making great headway on Item #81 ... we've still got lots of bar soap & body wash left, but we are on our last bottle of lotion, and have used up all of the shampoo & conditioner. We're also on our last bottles of hand-soap.
Life is good.
First of all, for all you 101 in 1001 folks, if you have not yet seen Up, a film by Disney-Pixar, you should. Check it out here.
Now, onto the list.
Today we are planning on accomplishing Item #21 (fix hole in wall and put in sword anchors) today, and trying Item #92 (put numbers on house). Our basil plants are coming along nicely for Item #44 (grow basil & make pesto out of it). Our driveway should be redone (Item #70) by the end of the summer. And we're making great headway on Item #81 ... we've still got lots of bar soap & body wash left, but we are on our last bottle of lotion, and have used up all of the shampoo & conditioner. We're also on our last bottles of hand-soap.
Life is good.
Monday, May 18, 2009
May 18, 2009
After a brief hiatus where we weren't focusing much on our 101 list, now we're back in gear! *grin* We figure we do have almost 2 more years to work on this stuff, right? *wink*
Item #44: We purchased basil at the farmers' market on Saturday. I've replanted it in a tub on the front step where it will get lots of sun. Cross your fingers it keeps growing & we can make pesto out of it! I may have to purchase more than the 3 plants. We'll see.
Item #86: We went to the aforementioned farmers' market. That makes trip 4/10! We are trying out some new merchants this year. Bought some bacon, farm fresh eggs, the basil, some sunflower seeds, and some olives.
Item #44: We purchased basil at the farmers' market on Saturday. I've replanted it in a tub on the front step where it will get lots of sun. Cross your fingers it keeps growing & we can make pesto out of it! I may have to purchase more than the 3 plants. We'll see.
Item #86: We went to the aforementioned farmers' market. That makes trip 4/10! We are trying out some new merchants this year. Bought some bacon, farm fresh eggs, the basil, some sunflower seeds, and some olives.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
March 24, 2009
Item #93: We now have a very cool recycling bin for our kitchen. We'd been using our dish drainer in the sink ... for the last, oh, 5 1/2 years or so ... so we'd put this item on our 101 list, hoping we'd find a more suitable solution. Well, we did, and it's very cool ... has a can/bottle sized opening, so even our guests should be able to puzzle out that it is not garbage, but recycling!
We're still working on a couple of items, but for the most part, we're focusing on other things for a bit. After the OneWorld, OneHeart event from mid-January to mid-February, and taking on the 29 Day Giving Challenge from mid-February to mid-March, we're spent! Don't worry ... we'll pick back up again!
We're still working on a couple of items, but for the most part, we're focusing on other things for a bit. After the OneWorld, OneHeart event from mid-January to mid-February, and taking on the 29 Day Giving Challenge from mid-February to mid-March, we're spent! Don't worry ... we'll pick back up again!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
March 5, 2009
Item #75: We made our monthly visit to the arboretum today, which completes this item! We've gone every single month for a year! I'm looking forward to making an album that shows how the place changes over the span of an entire year!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Item #4 Complete...and boy was it yummy!!!
Yesterday February 28th, L and I went out a new restaurant called Glen Prarie. I believe after our time there, that L and I can also cross off #30 from our list as we both agree that it is better than any of the other places we've been too.
L had cherval encrusted pike with a side of 4 cheese mac-n-cheese, I had prime rib of bison in a redwine sauce with whipped potatoes and roasted root vegetables (herloom beats). For desert, L had a piece of Grandma's 3 Layer Chocolate Cake, and I had the Creme-Brulee.
The food was !!outstanding!! The bison was cooked to the exact coloration I desired, and it was so tender and juicy that my mouth is watering even now! The flavors blended incredbily with a decent Syrah red wine. The whipped potatoes melted in my mouth, and the roasted vegetables were cooked with great flavor and yet still slightly crisp enough to provide a great texture when eating. With L's dish, the soux-chef out did himself, for you see Pike has a lot of tiny bones all through out the fillet, and it's usually very difficult to remove all of them. Well with the soux-chef's technique, not one bone was in any of the 3 fillets!
Even with the great food, the service was just as good. Our waiter and the rest of the restaurant staff were quick, efficient, and always happy to answer any question or explain anything on the menu we wanted to know.
In all, it was a great experience!
One other bit of a bonus, this place also counted towards our #99, and so far we've completed 18 out of 30!! Yay us!
L had cherval encrusted pike with a side of 4 cheese mac-n-cheese, I had prime rib of bison in a redwine sauce with whipped potatoes and roasted root vegetables (herloom beats). For desert, L had a piece of Grandma's 3 Layer Chocolate Cake, and I had the Creme-Brulee.
The food was !!outstanding!! The bison was cooked to the exact coloration I desired, and it was so tender and juicy that my mouth is watering even now! The flavors blended incredbily with a decent Syrah red wine. The whipped potatoes melted in my mouth, and the roasted vegetables were cooked with great flavor and yet still slightly crisp enough to provide a great texture when eating. With L's dish, the soux-chef out did himself, for you see Pike has a lot of tiny bones all through out the fillet, and it's usually very difficult to remove all of them. Well with the soux-chef's technique, not one bone was in any of the 3 fillets!
Even with the great food, the service was just as good. Our waiter and the rest of the restaurant staff were quick, efficient, and always happy to answer any question or explain anything on the menu we wanted to know.
In all, it was a great experience!
One other bit of a bonus, this place also counted towards our #99, and so far we've completed 18 out of 30!! Yay us!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
February 25, 2009
Item #40: It's not much ... but I played for 1,000 grains of rice today.
We've been busy, playing with the 29-Day Giving Challenge, but we'll complete Item #4 on Saturday. And then we'll probably pick another one to tackle!
We've been busy, playing with the 29-Day Giving Challenge, but we'll complete Item #4 on Saturday. And then we'll probably pick another one to tackle!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
February 14, 2009
Item #4: We're sticking to our plan to dine out with each other once every 2 weeks! And we've already got reservations for 2 weeks from today, which will complete this task!
Item #30: Earlier today, we were trying to decide which one of the following is our favorite: Cosi, Boudin SF, Go Roma, or LaBriola. We like each one of them for different reasons! Then, well, we went out to dinner ... see below ... and it is simply no contest. We've got a new favorite restaurant! We decided it must be our new favorite when we rapidly came up with about a dozen people we want to share it with!! The food was exquisite!
Item #99: Today, we tried TWO new restaurants! For lunch, we were at Cosi ... and for our Valentine's Day dinner, we went to Amber Cafe! Here's the review I gave Amber Cafe on OpenTable.com: We selected Amber Cafe for our Valentine's Day dinner celebration & were not disappointed in the least. Their 4 course prix-fixe menu was very reasonable and the food was absolutely outstanding. We did not feel rushed in the slightest, and the wait staff attended to our every need. We will return here soon. This restaurant isn't too far from our home (amusingly, it is about 10 blocks from where we used to reside, 6 years ago, shortly before they opened ... why, oh, why haven't we made the trek sooner???!) and for the quality of food, it is very reasonably priced. We dropped a lot on dinner tonight (special occasion, special menu, great wine for H), but we could enjoy a meal here for a lot less most evenings!
Item #30: Earlier today, we were trying to decide which one of the following is our favorite: Cosi, Boudin SF, Go Roma, or LaBriola. We like each one of them for different reasons! Then, well, we went out to dinner ... see below ... and it is simply no contest. We've got a new favorite restaurant! We decided it must be our new favorite when we rapidly came up with about a dozen people we want to share it with!! The food was exquisite!
Item #99: Today, we tried TWO new restaurants! For lunch, we were at Cosi ... and for our Valentine's Day dinner, we went to Amber Cafe! Here's the review I gave Amber Cafe on OpenTable.com: We selected Amber Cafe for our Valentine's Day dinner celebration & were not disappointed in the least. Their 4 course prix-fixe menu was very reasonable and the food was absolutely outstanding. We did not feel rushed in the slightest, and the wait staff attended to our every need. We will return here soon. This restaurant isn't too far from our home (amusingly, it is about 10 blocks from where we used to reside, 6 years ago, shortly before they opened ... why, oh, why haven't we made the trek sooner???!) and for the quality of food, it is very reasonably priced. We dropped a lot on dinner tonight (special occasion, special menu, great wine for H), but we could enjoy a meal here for a lot less most evenings!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
February 12, 2009
Item #18: We just extended a $25 loan through kiva.org to a Mr. Kwame Acquah! Feel free to help fund other small businesses around the world by checking out this cool process!\
Item #32: We had a nice conversation last night & I've rearranged some funds & paid a large chunk of change to a credit card. If everything goes great, we'll have TWO credit cards paid off by the end of our 1001 days!
Item #81: I swear, we are trying to use up our body lotion, body butter, body cream, soaps, shower gel, and bubble bath ... I just don't know if we can pull it off in 1001 days. Credit card getting paid off ... yes ... using up this mountain of stuff ... I just don't know. Anyone need a bar of soap? LOL. The funny part is that all that remains is stuff that we really like, so we are reluctant to part with it, but I think that if it gets around to December 2010 and intact bars of soap still remain, we know what people are getting as stocking stuffers. *grin*
Item #32: We had a nice conversation last night & I've rearranged some funds & paid a large chunk of change to a credit card. If everything goes great, we'll have TWO credit cards paid off by the end of our 1001 days!
Item #81: I swear, we are trying to use up our body lotion, body butter, body cream, soaps, shower gel, and bubble bath ... I just don't know if we can pull it off in 1001 days. Credit card getting paid off ... yes ... using up this mountain of stuff ... I just don't know. Anyone need a bar of soap? LOL. The funny part is that all that remains is stuff that we really like, so we are reluctant to part with it, but I think that if it gets around to December 2010 and intact bars of soap still remain, we know what people are getting as stocking stuffers. *grin*
Sunday, February 8, 2009
February 8, 2009
Item #75: One more visit to the Arboretum & we'll be done with this item! We're having fun seeing the Arboretum in all of its seasons. I think when we are done, I will make a scrapbook showing how everything changes every month!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
February 7, 2009
Item #99: Chalk up one more new local restaurant tried ... Dmitri's Pancake House! Their pancakes were yummy! It was kind of like a diner version of Cheers. And H felt like it was a mafia hangout, where everybody knew everybody else & a lot of middle-aged men were hanging out & greeting one another. Either way, it was nice, it's close to home & we may very well go back.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
January 31, 2009
Item #4: We are still sticking to our routine of going out to eat with each other once every 2 weeks. We went to Boudin today -- quite delightful! We are pondering where we'll go in 2 weeks, which just happens to also be Valentine's Day!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
January 29, 2009
Item #84: Behold! We made ravioli from scratch! It is a long process, making the sauce, filling, and pasta from scratch ... but it was also a delicious dinner!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
January 22, 2009
Item #18: I did some looking on kiva.org & want to discuss with H which project to which we might want to extend a loan. Now that the holidays and the "season of giving" is past, it seems like an ideal time for us to kick up our charitable giving.
Item #32: I did some math & have targeted a card for pay off. I think we may be able to do it by the time our 1001 days are up. Although if our adoption process is successful by then, well, those funds will probably have to be diverted elsewhere! Still, why not try now?
Item #40: I slipped up in my daily practice of playing for free rice ... things just got a bit busy & I was also dealing with a virus (computer, not human-related), so my computer was often whirring away, scanning & healing. Anyway, I played for 1,500 more grains today, bringing us to a total of 95,000. Uh, yeah. It's going to take us a lot to get to 1,000,000 grains.
Item #32: I did some math & have targeted a card for pay off. I think we may be able to do it by the time our 1001 days are up. Although if our adoption process is successful by then, well, those funds will probably have to be diverted elsewhere! Still, why not try now?
Item #40: I slipped up in my daily practice of playing for free rice ... things just got a bit busy & I was also dealing with a virus (computer, not human-related), so my computer was often whirring away, scanning & healing. Anyway, I played for 1,500 more grains today, bringing us to a total of 95,000. Uh, yeah. It's going to take us a lot to get to 1,000,000 grains.
Monday, January 19, 2009
January 19, 2009
Item #62: COMPLETE! I don't know if we'll keep up with the 8 hours of sleep every night ... but it sure has been nice! :D
Saturday, January 17, 2009
January 17, 2009
Item #4: We dined out, just the 2 of us, at a restaurant H really wanted to try: Ra. They specialize in sushi (which I abhor), but they also had a number of cooked items on the menu. H's eyes are still alight. I told him that many of the expressions on his face while eating the sushi really should be reserved for the bedroom.
Item #62: One more night of 8 hours of sleep. Or close enough. Once again, H stayed up to an obscene hour, jeopardizing our completion of this item. He did that last Friday night, too. I think he got 7 hours of sleep, but he claims he's taking a nap this afternoon to add up to a total of 8 hours. I'm willing to count that. Only 2 more nights remaining!
Item #81: We are using up some more lotion, with this dry & bitterly cold weather!
Item #99: The new restaurant we tried, Ra, brings our total of new places tried to 14, so we are almost halfway there!
Item #62: One more night of 8 hours of sleep. Or close enough. Once again, H stayed up to an obscene hour, jeopardizing our completion of this item. He did that last Friday night, too. I think he got 7 hours of sleep, but he claims he's taking a nap this afternoon to add up to a total of 8 hours. I'm willing to count that. Only 2 more nights remaining!
Item #81: We are using up some more lotion, with this dry & bitterly cold weather!
Item #99: The new restaurant we tried, Ra, brings our total of new places tried to 14, so we are almost halfway there!
Friday, January 16, 2009
January 16, 2009
Item #40: 2,000 more grains for today, for a new total of 93,500!
Item #62: Once again, I slept fitfully, but feel okay. We've tackled this for 11 days ... 3 to go!
Tomorrow we are planning on trying out a new restaurant: Ra!
Item #62: Once again, I slept fitfully, but feel okay. We've tackled this for 11 days ... 3 to go!
Tomorrow we are planning on trying out a new restaurant: Ra!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
January 15, 2009
Item #40: I didn't play for any rice yesterday, so I played for extra today, for 4,500 grains, a new total of 91,500!
Item #62: Again, I'm sleeping fitfully, but feel pretty rested by the morning. Not altogether satisfying sleep, but rested. We've done this for 10 days ... just need 4 more!
Item #62: Again, I'm sleeping fitfully, but feel pretty rested by the morning. Not altogether satisfying sleep, but rested. We've done this for 10 days ... just need 4 more!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
January 12, 2009
Item #40: niveous = snowy ... that was my last word of the day, for 2000 more grains of rice!
Item #62: We both slept fitfully ... probably ate too late, plus lots of plowing going on last night ... but we did do our best to be in bed for 8 hours & get as much rest as possible. Hopefully we'll sleep better tonight!
Item #62: We both slept fitfully ... probably ate too late, plus lots of plowing going on last night ... but we did do our best to be in bed for 8 hours & get as much rest as possible. Hopefully we'll sleep better tonight!
Monday, January 12, 2009
January 12, 2009
Item #29: Time to reset our timer on fast food. We got McDonalds. And they'd just made the fries. Damn, they were tasty. Totally worth the splurge!!
Item #62: Last night was another 8 hours of restful sleep!!! We're halfway to our goal!
Item #62: Last night was another 8 hours of restful sleep!!! We're halfway to our goal!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
January 11, 2009
Item #62: Another successful night of 8 hours of sleep. H's eyes are losing their red streaks!
Item #75: We went to the Arboretum ... and it was so sunny, we were squinting against the glare most of the time we were there. My eyes were watering a lot, and it was hard to capture great photos, just because of the quality of light, but it was quite beautiful and serene. People were out in droves, with their snowshoes & cross-country skis!
edit: Item #40: 2,000 more grains done tonight!
Item #75: We went to the Arboretum ... and it was so sunny, we were squinting against the glare most of the time we were there. My eyes were watering a lot, and it was hard to capture great photos, just because of the quality of light, but it was quite beautiful and serene. People were out in droves, with their snowshoes & cross-country skis!
edit: Item #40: 2,000 more grains done tonight!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
January 10, 2009
Item #40: I'm on a roll! 2,000 more grains ... and I got to level 52 tonight!!! Go, me!
Item #62: We barely squeaked by, with H going to bed sometime around 2:30 am. BAD H!!!!
Item #75: Tomorrow we are planning on going to the Arborteum. It should be gorgeous after this most recent snowfall. And we should be able to enjoy getting out of the car a bit ... our last visit, it was -35F with windchill!
Item #62: We barely squeaked by, with H going to bed sometime around 2:30 am. BAD H!!!!
Item #75: Tomorrow we are planning on going to the Arborteum. It should be gorgeous after this most recent snowfall. And we should be able to enjoy getting out of the car a bit ... our last visit, it was -35F with windchill!
Friday, January 9, 2009
January 9th, 2009
Item #40: Got in 2,000 more grains! :)
Item #62: We got in 2 more nights of 8 hour sleep. Tonight'll be the real challenge ... H loves staying up super late to play computer games (he's playing Fallout 3 right now). I'm going to read & go to bed close to our new "usual" bedtime!
Item #62: We got in 2 more nights of 8 hour sleep. Tonight'll be the real challenge ... H loves staying up super late to play computer games (he's playing Fallout 3 right now). I'm going to read & go to bed close to our new "usual" bedtime!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
January 7th, 2009
Item #40: Today, I played for 2,000 grains more! That brings our total to 79,000!
Item #62: Two nights down, 12 to go.
Bit of a broken record, but there you have it! We're working on Item #51, by going to the gym & being more careful with our food intake, but it'll be a while before we can truly check that one off!
Item #62: Two nights down, 12 to go.
Bit of a broken record, but there you have it! We're working on Item #51, by going to the gym & being more careful with our food intake, but it'll be a while before we can truly check that one off!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
January 6, 2009
Item #40: 2,000 grains more! Little by little, it adds up!
Item #62: One night down, 13 to go.
Item #62: One night down, 13 to go.
Monday, January 5, 2009
January 5th 2009
Item #40: Another 2000 grains of rice today, bringing our total to 75,000! YAY! Only 925,000 to go! LOL!
Item #62: Tonight we are re-attempting the 8 hours of sleep every night for 2 weeks. I have no problem hitting this quota (I am really more of an 9 hours of sleep kind of gal), but H is often short on sleep, so we're going to try to hit this mark & see if it helps with his feelings of being tired.
Item #62: Tonight we are re-attempting the 8 hours of sleep every night for 2 weeks. I have no problem hitting this quota (I am really more of an 9 hours of sleep kind of gal), but H is often short on sleep, so we're going to try to hit this mark & see if it helps with his feelings of being tired.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
January 4th, 2009
Item #40: Another 2,000 grains of rice!
Item #98:
(need the recipes for our meal? Go to Latharia's blog for links)
Item #98:
(need the recipes for our meal? Go to Latharia's blog for links)
Saturday, January 3, 2009
January 3, 2009
Item #4: We went out for our first of several every-other-week-dining-out experiences. See Item #99 below!
Item #40: I just logged another 1,300 grains of rice. And made it to level 51!!! I'm not sure how ... just suddenly realized it read "Best Level: 51", and then my performance started tanking! LOL! We're now at an even 71,000!
Item #99: We tried LaBriola tonight. It was fantastic. We think it's a strong contender for our new favorite restaurant (Item #30), beating out Go Roma! The amusing part is that the two restaurants are in the same complex, about 4 doors down from each other! And there's another Italian themed place (although more upscale) with a block. It'll be interesting to see if there's enough interest to sustain them all ... or if one (or 2) will fold! Knowing our luck, whichever we determine to be our fave will fold!
Item #40: I just logged another 1,300 grains of rice. And made it to level 51!!! I'm not sure how ... just suddenly realized it read "Best Level: 51", and then my performance started tanking! LOL! We're now at an even 71,000!
Item #99: We tried LaBriola tonight. It was fantastic. We think it's a strong contender for our new favorite restaurant (Item #30), beating out Go Roma! The amusing part is that the two restaurants are in the same complex, about 4 doors down from each other! And there's another Italian themed place (although more upscale) with a block. It'll be interesting to see if there's enough interest to sustain them all ... or if one (or 2) will fold! Knowing our luck, whichever we determine to be our fave will fold!
Friday, January 2, 2009
January 2, 2009
Item #40: I just logged another 1,720 grains of rice. My best level thus far is 47. I don't know if I can beat it, though. Our total is now 70,700. I figured out if we do about 1400 grains a day, at the end of our 1001 days we will have done a million grains of rice. So I'm just going to keep at it for a while. :D
Thursday, January 1, 2009
January 1, 2009
Item #4: We are going to start this one, on Saturday & continue it through the end of February. We're planning on combining it with Item #99!
Item #21: We may head to the hardware store this Sunday, to get enough spackle to do this job. Wish us luck.
Item #40: I just logged another 2,500 grains of rice. And made it to level 47 -- BEAT THAT! *grin* We are now at 68,980 grains. I have to come up with an average we need to make per day to reach our goal. I think it's still going to be an awful lot!!
Item #79: H took in a tin of caramels enrobed in dark chocolate and dusted with sea salt -- a corporate type gift I received at work that we'll never be able to (nor should we!) finish! So, that makes 5/5, and this item is done. Although we may continue it, just for fun!
Item #21: We may head to the hardware store this Sunday, to get enough spackle to do this job. Wish us luck.
Item #40: I just logged another 2,500 grains of rice. And made it to level 47 -- BEAT THAT! *grin* We are now at 68,980 grains. I have to come up with an average we need to make per day to reach our goal. I think it's still going to be an awful lot!!
Item #79: H took in a tin of caramels enrobed in dark chocolate and dusted with sea salt -- a corporate type gift I received at work that we'll never be able to (nor should we!) finish! So, that makes 5/5, and this item is done. Although we may continue it, just for fun!
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