Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Hungry Girl



So I've been getting Hungry Girl daily updates on email for quite a while now and I finally bought one of her cookbooks....There are so many great recipes. I really want to try every single one. I really wish she would she would just open some restaurants! I am on a quest to get my family to eat better. We do pretty good most of the time but I think we can do better. I know I will never get them to eat the stuff I eat but maybe just maybe I can trick them with some of these recipes. So I am wondering if any of you out there have ever tried any of her recipes and if so what are your favorites?

On a little side note....I watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution the other day and I absolutely LOVED it! I am recommending it to everyone! PLEASE watch it! He is so great and if he can help schools get healthy it would be amazing!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Best Birthday Ever!

I was sooooo dreading my birthday this year. It really just isn't fun getting older every year. I wanted it to come and go without any acknowledgement but I am soooo glad it didn't because it really was one of my best birthday's ever.
Last year was a really weird birthday and I was so afraid I was going to have bad dreams again about my mom and wake up all emotional but I didn't! Hurray. I woke up to my cute little family around my bed with a present that I have been wanting for about 3 years now. Yes I got my macbook! I was sooooooooo happy! Now I can get in my cozy bed and put on my dvr'd shows and BLOG! Woo hoo! Conwey really is one of the best gift givers I have ever met. Thanks Conwey! I sure love you!

So then my gym girls had arranged a lunch at one of my favorite places to eat Sweet Water Tavern. Yum! It was loads of laughs and fun. I love those girls! Holly had made me healthy and I must say delicious "cupcakes" that I have been craving ever since!



Sweet Carmen made yummy real cupcakes for everyone and even brought cute boxes to put them in so everyone could take some home. These girls really need to open a bakery!


So after lunch I raced home to pack and head out to NEW YORK CITY! It was my surprise bday gift from Julie. Talk about the best surprise ever! She had written in a few months ago to the Regis and Kelly show to try and get tickets. She just happened to get them for the day after my bday. We have talked for years about how we would love to go to the show because we both feel like Kelly could be our BFF! (I am sure we are the only ones that feel that way out there too right!)
It all just seemed to work out because I am so not very good at leaving whoever my youngest child is and going on trips so Julie's husband Jon just happened to be up there for work and was staying a couple of blocks away from our hotel that was in Times Square.

Arriving at our hotel..Sienna was asleep and wasn't too sure about Times Square...


This was our first Girls Trip and it was so fun! I can't wait for many many more of them!

This was us leaving for the show when Jon got there at 6:30 am (bless his heart!) he watched the girls...took them out to breakfast and to the Toy-r-us store there.

This was outside the show. We thought we were going to have to wait outside in the cold because there was a huge line that we were standing in until we figured out it was the stand by line. We got to go right in. It was a long process but sooooo worth it!

They led us in through the way Regis and Kelly walk in...for those of you that watch the show, right past the gum wall...it was pretty cool.
They let you pick where ever you want to sit when you walk in so we jumped on the front row until we realized it was beautiful baby week and there was a big desk with frames all over it right in front of us so we moved up a row and over so we could get a good view. It looks big on tv but its really small and intimate in there. I think there were 130 people in the audience. I loved looking at everything they do behind the camera...if I had another life that is what I would love to do, work behind the scenes on something like that. I just find it fascinating!

So back to Kelly... yes she is that cool and funny in person...so cute! Looks exactly like she does on tv....I thought she would be just soooo skinny but she really looks just like you see her everyday. (yes she is still very little but not gross little)

So it was a commercial break and Kelly walked over to talk to one of the producers and Julie yells...KELLY....and waves her hands up...can you come here...Kelly says why sure and walks over very carefully because of the 10 inch heels she was wearing!
Julie asks if we can take a pic with her...she says sure...we go down..I feel like I am living in a surreal bubble at this point and Julie says... we feel like you are our bff! Kelly laughs...she probably gets a lot of crazy stalkers...not that Julie and I are stalkers but they did have to kick us out at the end...we just wanted to be the last ones there...what's wrong with that??





No Regis on Friday's so we were hoping for her hubby Mark...but we got Anderson Cooper instead.....

I feel like I am really writing a lot of details but I just don't want to forget anything when I read back on it.

So after the show we went and got the girls and headed to The American Doll Store...oh my word what a store! Sienna was giddy and squealing, and even though she didn't show it as much I know Em was too.
We walked there and stopped along the way.....


So we got to the store and after walking around looking at everything the girls decided they wanted to get the dolls hair done at the doll hair salon, and they also pierced the dolls ears! Unbelievable! It was so cute! We tried to talk Em into getting hers done but she was just too sure it was going to hurt!



matching headbands...

So after walking around the entire store looking at all the different outfits they had I was relieved that Sienna picked this one instead of the sparkly ice skating one she was thinking of....

And this was Sienna's mode of transportation on the way to dinner....poor Julie!

Sienna sure looks comfy though...

We decided just to eat at Planet Hollywood..it was right next to our hotel and new the girls would like it. We thought about going to see Wicked but decided to save that one till Sienna is just a little older.



Sienna was taking pictures of herself....

and this was after about 5 minutes in the car...it was a packed, fun 24 hrs!

So I would like to publicly thank Julie Linton for the amazing birthday! The long talks, the laughs, the thoughtfulness...and on top of the tickets she gave me the amazing gift of turning a year of my blog into a hard copied book! It really made me realize how important this blog is and what a great thing to be able to leave my kids! I am so excited to print the other 2 years!

I want to also thank my hubby and kids for being such great sports about us going. I love you guys!

I felt a bit bad when the next day I told Conwey.. oh and btw my friends Holly and Carmen had previously planned a little spa day at the red door salon for us. Which was sooooo nice and so much fun to all go together. I am telling you I have the greatest, sweetest, bestest friends a girl could ask for! I feel so very lucky to have such amazing people in my life. They got me a massage and pedicure! So fun! I am thankful to everyone who went in on it. (Holl, Carmen, Stacy, Melissa, and Jules) Thank you!!! I brought my camera to take pictures and then we forgot it in the locker and didn't get any! :(

So Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so awesome. Whether it was a gift, a heartfelt letter, a blog post, a phone call or a facebook shout out...I felt very loved and knew my mom was smiling down on me!