Two weeks….

Stopping by for a quick update.  I am the world’s worst blogger and an even worse food blogger.  I had to opt out of a Ghirardelli Tastemaker offer today because I was ashamed to admit when my last blog post was. :(

I made 4 completely different meals yesterday (I decided I didn’t want to cook again this week due to stress level) and took nary a picture.

So what’s new? My shower was on the 13th.  My mom and Jen did an amazing job.  I am very fortunate to have such generous friends and family.

 

I am pretty well set for the wedding.  Of course the following things have occurred lately:

Jen’s shoes were too big.  I ordered another pair and they sent a completely different style shoe.  Status:  Currently waiting for replacement

My catering manager quit.  I found this out when I sent an email and got her “I no longer work here” auto reply.  Status:  New girl seems responsive but I am not happy to switch so late in the game.

Amenity gift bags were 8 sizes too small.  Status:  Returned – awaiting replacement.

We’ve submitted our marriage license application and need to go there in person on Thursday to get it.   Rings are pretty much done.  My first fitting was last week – my dress was HUGE which again was a huge relief.  I had this nightmare my dress would be too small.  Of course this wouldn’t have been a problem 30 lbs ago but bygones. 

Anyway – that’s where we are.  I promise PROMISE a huge wedding/honeymoon/life recap after the wedding. 

Now if I can just keep from having meltdowns in the car in the parking lot of Stop & Shop for the next two weeks I’ll be golden.

For the birds

There are creatures living in our stove vent. 

Baby birds have taken up residence so that every time I cook I feel like Snow White.   Our backyard is like a scene out of Bambi.  I knew there were deer ‘round these parts but we also have:

Bunnies

Chipmunks

Your requisite squirrels

A groundhog named Chester* who lives under the shed

Birds (in the oven vent and elsewhere)

A fox named Lefty*

* I had no part in naming these animals.

Dave’s kids used to have a hamster (no longer) and a guinea pig (no longer) and a Golden Retriever named Genevieve (who is alive and well and curled up sleeping near me – I like her a lot).   I’m iffy on rodents you see.

I mean…I am not someone who would like to give a mouse a cookie.  I don’t want to be nice to mice.

($10 if you got the Ally Sheedy reference)

SIDENOTE:  Speaking of Ally Sheedy – I am reading If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster right now.   If you ever liked or enjoyed a John Hughes movie it’s pretty much a must read. 

I simply don’t like critters.   These birds are freaking me out a little to say the very least.

So – let’s see what else is new.   I am trying to find shoes to match the bridesmaid’s dresses.  Did I show you the dresses?  They are kind of hard to see in this picture.  They have spaghetti straps and pockets (!!!)  I kind of want one myself.   They’re dark blue but not exactly navy or royal.

 My dress is BEHIND that dress but you can’t see that till much later.  :)

Plus ummm….Dave reads this blog.

This is the current shoe contender.   They have a heel but are not too high.  They come in a size Mora could wear.  I am not loving any silver shoes but these are the best of the bunch.  I think they could be cute but we’ll have to see.  PS: Any ideas or shoe suggestions would be welcome in the comments. :)

There’s Zumba tonight.  I weigh in again on Thursday.  I don’t think I’ve gained anything but I’ve not lost much either. :(   I might take a break from going to M because it’s less helping and more hindering me at this point.  This whole wedding planning thing comes with weird pressure.  It’s all good – it’s full of people wanting to do nice things for me – but I don’t know.  I’m a tad bit stressed. 

I’m also perpetually sad.  It’s been months since we lost my dad and I still can’t quite believe he’s really not here anymore.  It’s not consciously constant yet it’s always there.  Yesterday I went to the supermarket to pick up a few things.  They had rhubarb in the produce section.

My father was slightly quirky – as am I – I am fully aware.  He often would just be sitting around and ask us inane questions such as “So Kristen.  What do you think they’ll do with the rhubarb this year?”

When I was younger I had no idea what rhubarb even was.  Once I learned what it was I would reply with all sorts of preparations.  It’s a stupid little thing but when I saw those red celery-esque stalks yesterday I really missed him. :(

Last night I did not take pictures as I made turkey chili and it wasn’t too exciting.  Tonight I’m taking (kinda) the easy way out by making meat sauce (homemade) and cheese ravioli (not homemade).  I’ve also made some bread to go along with it.

Have I mentioned how much I love having the ability to work from home?

I caught up on some On Demand stuff last night/this morning.  Oh man.  Friday Night Lights – such a fantastic show.  Real Housewives of NJ – what a train wreck.  I forgot it was the new season of The Bachelorette last night.  Tim – you give Long Island a bad name.  Bentley – you’re a scumbag.   Mask Guy – WTF?

Dave – I am forever thankful I will never have the want or need to go on a show like that.    :)

Reasons I love Zumba (and…Brunch)

1) I just like to say the word.  It’s fun.

2) I love people who love Zumba.  Believe it or not (Jen) – there are people who love Zumba more than me.  People who wear Zumba clothes to Zumba class and hang out in the front near the instructor.  Now don’t get me wrong – I might be persuaded to buy this top.

  Or these pants (which are less Zumba-y but still look comfy). 

But really I just like to stand off to the side and do my thing.

3) You never stop.  It’s one hour where you can’t think because you are too busy trying to keep up. 

4) But most of all – the number one reason I love Zumba is because of stats like this.  1hour and 2 minutes = 705 calories burned.

I just wish I could take this class 5 days a week!!!

Lots of stuff has gone on since we last spoke.  My mom threw an engagement party for Dave and me.  It was a good time with good friends and family and lots of good gifts.  :)

It’s difficult having parties now (and honestly all this is difficult) without my dad.  Not only do I simply miss him – he was a master at organization when it comes to preparing for a party.   Still – my mom and Jen did the bulk of the hard work and the result was absolutely lovely.

   We got tons of flowers.   A lot of hydrangeas as those will be our centerpieces at the wedding.  Also – I just love them. Jen made homemade muffins (Blueberry Corn) and Bacon & Cheddar Biscuits (in a muffin shape) Action shot of the egg and bacon casserole and a lovely fruit tray.French Toast and Silver Dollar Pancakes and some Chicken Tenders for the kids – except they were eaten mostly by the adults!   Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit’s BACON! And potatoes! My plate.And then there was dessert.  Angel Food Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Bavarian, Strawberry Cheesecake, Berries and Cream and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (made by Dave’s mom)

Looking at all that food is making me think of what I can do today to exercise a little.  It’s ugly and rainy out.  Blech.   Honestly that calorie reading on the heart rate monitor was pretty inspiring.  If I can exercise like that and enjoy it that much there is no reason I should be hanging on to all this weight.

Plus I saw my dress again this weekend.  I really want them to have to take a yard of fabric out of that sucker.

Hope all is well with you and yours.   Be back later.

Things, the Friday Edition

I don’t have a real post for you today.  I am conflicted in general as to what I want to do with this little space of mine.  There are so many places I can go.  Most of them, however, seem quite finite.

I could blog more about the wedding – but that’ll be done with in about 3.5 months.

Seriously.  I’m getting married in 3.5 months. (!!!!!!)

I like writing about food but cooking and taking pictures as you go is really difficult to do alone.  Plus I am almost always ravenous by the time I am done.

I could write about losing this weight but I just slid back a little so I have now lost 6.5 lbs instead of 8.  I think my biggest culprits for weight loss sabotage are the following:

Wine

Cheese

Chocolate

Not that I eat massive amounts of any of them.  Okay.  I might have had a lot of wine last Thursday at Diane’s house.  And then more wine on Saturday at Cortney’s party.  And then champagne w/my Mom at brunch on Sunday.

But still.

I’m in a celebratory mood.  And to me – good friends and good wine go together.  Like – peanut butter and jelly.

Except I don’t like jelly with my peanut butter.  I don’t like jelly at all.

Dave asked me today how I felt about the new trend in restaurants – where you order off a touch screen.  I told him I’m too picky to trust a computer to get my order right.  Will they have a million options like “I’d like the cheeseburger but with mozzarella cheese instead of American,  no bacon, no mushrooms but sautéed onions instead of raw.  I’d like the salad with no olives and the dressing on the side and I’d like balsamic not Caesar.”

Just call me Sally Albright.

Anyway – I’m vowing to eat more salad in the coming weeks.  My goal is 20 lbs before the wedding.  More than that would be lovely but 20 would be perfectly fine with me.

Here’s a lovely salad I made the other day for lunch.  Spinach with 2 chicken tenders (whole grain baked Perdue) with sautéed pepper and onion, goat cheese and Light Honey Dijon dressing.

 

 

The other night Dave and I ate outside.  I made turkey chili.  I ate the leftovers last night in honor of Cinco de Mayo.

What else???   Someone took my box of tissues off my desk at work but also left me $3 under a post-it.  That’s pretty nice.  At least they didn’t steal them outright. 

For Mother’s Day Dave and I are heading out to Long Island to help my mother clean the basement.  That’s what she wants to do so that’s what we’re doing.  We’re also going to Fork & Vine for dinner where I am not going to get the goat cheese mashed potatoes again.

Things I have noticed lately:

My TV viewing is rapidly declining.  Turns out when you are living in a house with 3 kids and 1 TV you don’t watch as much as you used to.  Also – when your fiancé tells you his children are not allowed to watch The Millionaire Matchmaker (he has a point) you sort of have to respect his wishes.

If you want ice cream just eat ice cream – don’t get these bars from Breyer’s that promise they are less fat and calories and look like someone took a Dove bar and put it in that shrinky TV thing from Willy Wonka and handed it back to you.  Just eat a scoop of good ice cream and be done with it.

People in NYC can’t take the change of seasons.  When the weather starts to get warm you either have people still wearing hats and winter coats and other people wearing shorts and tank tops.

Here’s something else.  Today on the PATH train (because I commute from NJ now.  I mean…what is going on???) a woman got on.  A man 2 seats away from me offered her his seat and she replied.

“No thanks.  I’m not pregnant – I’m just overweight.”

Now – I will admit – the day over the winter when I decided it was a fabulous idea to wear one of Dave’s flannel shirts and my Dad’s old jacket and the check out woman at Shop Rite asked me when I was due was not one of my finer moments but I gotta say – as much as I might be mortified at the thought I would have probably taken that seat.

Seats are a premium on the PATH train.

Really I just felt so bad for both of them – for the woman who clearly must be tired of people making that assumption and the guy – who was doing the chivalrous thing and got smacked back for it.

On that note I shall get going.  Have a lovely weekend one and all.  Be back with tales from the basement and other exciting stories.

Happy Easter

Dave and I spent our first ever holiday together.  Strange I know - but this was a weird year.   We went to church, went to brunch (which was surprisingly difficult.  Is it against the law to have brunch that is not a buffet in New Jersey??) and then – I made dinner.

A table for two.  We like to sit next to each other because we are adorable.

I made roasted shrimp cocktail.  If you have never made this you must.  Roast the shrimp on a cookie sheet at like 400 for 5 ish minutes.  I drizzled with olive oil, S&P and crushed red pepper.  Served with a side of cocktail sauce.Caprese Salad.This is champagne we’ve had in the fridge since our rocking New Year’s Eve.   I think I got a little tipsy.My mom sent us pretty new glasses from Tiffany’s.I love Tiffany’s.  I don’t love that they are holding my ring hostage for like 2 weeks while it gets resized. :(

Dinner was broiled rib eye with sautéed onions, 1/2 a baked potato w/light sour cream, a slice of garlic ciabatta and some roasted asparagus.It was better than anything we could have gotten out if I do say so myself.

We registered over the weekend.  I have five lists with hundreds of items total.  Dave’s freaking out thinking we’re going to get all of it and he has no idea where we will keep it all.  I - having upgraded to a 5 bedroom house instead of a studio apartment – can figure out where to put four truckloads of stuff.

Just sayin’

I quit chorus and went to Zumba tonight, then came home and ate a peanut butter sandwich.

Wedding planning is still going.  I have a ton done but I’m looking forward to meeting with a second florist this weekend.

Winter left, spring lasted a minute and summer came early.  It was about 80 degrees today.

I’m slowing down.  All of the sudden I got a little sleepy.   Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Decades in the making

Hello lovelies!  I am back after a whirlwind 3 weeks (give or take) in which I have done the following

1) Lost 8 lbs. (!!!)

2) Picked a wedding date & venue

3) Picked bridesmaids dresses

4) Bought MY dress (!!!)

5) Booked a DJ, booked a quartet for the ceremony

6) Gone cupcake tasting – and picked the flavors we’d like (not finalized but close)

7) Picked a photographer (pretty much – again it’s not finalized but close)

8) Decided on favors

9) Purchased a sample flower girl dress (we’re going to have 3)

10) Met with a florist (who was AMAZING!  Like someone out of a movie.  I kept waiting for Howard Weinstein to show up)

SO.  We’re in pretty good shape. :)

Everything is just as I imagined it.   Actually - my dress is not at all what I thought I’d pick but I couldn’t be happier.

Oh.  Let’s talk about dresses for a second.  Why does the bridal industry think only size 6 women get married??  Because according to them I am a size 20.  I was a size 20.  Once.  That was 48 pounds ago.    

The place I got my dress was lovely – even though I could not zip it up to save my life.  We did a test run at David’s Bridals (where the Vera Wang’s only go up to size 14 (read 10) fyi).  At least there I could try things on but the Bridal Consultant – if you can call her that – left a lot to be desired. 

I was basically given dresses that were the exact opposite of what I asked to try, a bra that was 14 sizes too big and left to my own devices.  I’ve heard people who have had great experiences there but this girl isn’t one of them.

The dress I chose couldn’t zip up but I know exactly what I’ll look like in it.  I was able to customize the top to make it the style I wanted.  It’s stunning – if I do say so myself. :)

I know it might seem crazy to be doing things so quickly but c’mon.  This is what I do.  I plan for a living.  I know what I want and I want to get it settled.  I might be giving Dave a coronary in the process but he tells me his health is fine.  I’m trying not to push it. ;)    Honestly though – even though it’s been quick there’s no settling involved.  I am so excited about every single thing we’ve done so far.

Can you tell??

Pictures to come (of everything but the dress – sorry but you know.  Dave reads this blog people!!)  My cameras and cords are in NJ which is where I’m headed after work today.

Dave and I are registering tomorrow.   EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I hope you all have a lovely Easter weekend – whether you celebrate or not.

Wait till you see what I’ve been up to.

I’ve basically planned an entire wedding in about 2 weeks.

I will share (most) details starting tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

:) K

Gym, Tan, Laundry

 

1) I fear I won’t be back here with any regularity until this wedding planning is near finished.  I’m like a dog with a bone.  I can’t leave it alone till it’s done.

Or buried – as the case may be. :)

Today Dave and I are going cake tasting.  Before I walk myself there I am going to go do some C25K at the gym.  

2) I used Kiehl’s Self Tanner on my feet and legs prior to Carrie’s wedding last weekend.  My feet are 2 different colors and I looked like an Oompa Loompa.

3) I have clothes all over my apartment, all over the bedroom in NJ.   I haven’t done a full load of laundry in weeks.

4) I haven’t been in NYC with any regularity.  I have to bring food from Dave’s and will need to go get toilet paper on my way back from the gym before I kill this box of tissues.

5) I have lots to tell you but not too much time to tell it in.  Hopefully  I can catch up with you all tomorrow.

Until then!!

This just in: Diamonds make you lose weight

Hello lovelies.  I am sorry to be MIA for a bit.  This weekend was spent moving some of my stuff from NYC to NJ (eeek!) and at Carrie & Chris’ wedding.  The “City Girls” were chauffeured by this hot guy driving a white 12 passenger van.

But that’s another story.

I am here to tell you in the first week since being engaged I went to M’s and lost…5 lbs.

So basically it’s not that I can’t lose weight – it’s just that I’ve not had the motivation I guess.

I am not motivated today let me tell you.  I went a little heavy on the Malbec last night.

Wedding planning is…going.  I haven’t tried on a dress yet – we don’t have flowers or a photographer or a cake but we’re looking!!

I’m so lazy today and it looks nice outside.  I hope I can find some motivation soon.

I’m going to be making a yummy (light) dinner for me and the fiancé tonight so stay tuned!!

Planning – Phase 1

I’m a planner by trade and I’m pretty sure it’s in my DNA.  When we first started dating I used to say all the time to Dave “I am really not trying to nag – but I need to know basic plans in order to function.  The plans can change – but I need to sort of know what is going to happen when.”

Back then it was simple things like “What time should I meet you?” or “What do you think we’ll do this weekend?”  

Planning has taken on a whole new meaning this past week. :)

I had all these grandiose ideas about my wedding.   The one thing I am adamant about is that I don’t want to have the wedding or reception in a hotel ballroom.  I want light and outdoor space.

My first choice – right off the bat – was the Midtown Loft and Terrace.    I called them immediately and they gave me pricing – which was thousands of dollars just to walk in the door.

Then I contacted a caterer I have used for corporate events.  They gave me a quote that had labor and rentals amounting to more than food and alcohol.

(insert sad face here)

Deep down I already knew it.  I do this for a living.   There is a reason that people use hotels for this kind of thing.  The staff is already there, the tables and chairs and barware and plates and silver are already on site.    Your costs drop considerably when you factor all that in.

Luckily, however, I live in NYC.  And so I think (cross your fingers we are signing on the dotted line tomorrow) we’ve found our location.

Oh.  And a date.  Sunday, September 4, 2011.

Yep.  You heard me. :)

The ceremony will be upstairs – with a view of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.   We have the option to have the ceremony outside but a) it’s more expensive b) I do not want to fret about the weather.   It’s Labor Day Weekend.  It might be sweltering.

Cocktails downstairs in a bright sunny room.   There’s also a full bar that you cannot see.  Everything is white and modern.  I like that.Outside those windows is an outdoor patio.   So during cocktails people can sit outside if they choose.  The reception itself will be back upstairs which also has two terraces so that people can mingle outside then as well.

So that’s where we are right now.   We have to find someone to do the ceremony.  We need hotel rooms for out-of-towners,  flowers, a cake, music and a photographer.   The upside of a city wedding is that we don’t need limos and the like – and Battery Gardens offers valet parking.   Jen found a dress she thinks she might like.   Now I…gulp…need to try and find mine.

I’m heading to M’s today to see what wedding madness has done to reverse the upward motion of the scale as of late.  I have to say this all has been terribly motivating. :)

From now on expect less food, more wedding planning posts.

I trust you’ll be OK with that.