Damn you Instagram! Damn you!

22 May 2012 5 Comments

by wifemothereventplanner in I need to tell you about this right now Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I’m hooked.  I’m addicted.  Every shot is art (in my head).  I’ve convinced myself that I’m a photog genius.

Also thanks to Insta (that’s what the cool kids call it) – I can’t freakin’ delete anything.  I’m forced to keep random shots because they’ve got a cool filter on them and they’re cropped well…..

Behold….the crap I can’t get rid off (actually this is the best of that crap, I’ll spare you the 1,000 shots of my children)

I like to call this one….birds on a tree

This one is titled, I Should Have Had A Salad

Change jar in our kitchen – note courtesy of my 8 yr old (they’ve been learning about community service at school)

Mini rose bush and black and white cookies…what?

   

You know how you hang up stuff above your stove?  Me too.  Except then I take a picture of it and pretend it’s art.

My sister made these cute little bracelets for my brats.  Then guess what happened?  I took a damn instagram and now I have to keep the picture forever.

I need an intervention.  Maybe there’s an app for that.

Music to my ears

21 May 2012 5 Comments

by wifemothereventplanner in I need to tell you about this right now Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I grew up in the 80′s – with neon shirts, shoulder pads and pop music.  I loved it – Ok, not all of it. I didn’t love music. I liked music.  I did the alternative thing with The Cure, Depeche Mode, and Camper Van Beethoven – and I did the mainstream thing with Duran Duran, Madonna and Culture Club. I went to some concerts, not many.  In my defense, the only music playing in our house was Bollywood soundtracks and Sanskrit prayer chants (fun fun!)

Cut to college.

I meet a boy.  He was consumed with music.  Consumed.  An entire wall of his room was dedicated to (alpha order) CDs.  He went to as many concerts as he could get to.  He listened to everything. He literally had a soundtrack for every occasion. Music was (is) his life.  He made me tapes.

Then I met a girl.  She would be the yin to my yang for my college years and beyond.  Smart, sassy, funny – all my favorite things in a human.  Later in life she would go on to marry my boy’s best friend.  True story.  She also loved music.  She listened to singers and bands that I’d never heard of.  It wasn’t alternative – it was totally underground and phenomenal. She made me tapes too.

These two schooled me on music.  Hello, Elton John.  Hello, Ani Difranko.

That was awhile ago.  Those CDs are now packed away in big cases (he almost teared up the day we put them away), and I don’t even own a tape recorder anymore. But I still have all the tapes. And the music is still strong.

My kids know more about The Beatles and The Stones than I ever will.  My husband usually calls my daughter when he wants to hear a new group. They’ve already been to more concerts than I went to in my entire childhood.   My pal is happily married with a kido – and listening to amazing musicians,  I’m sure of it.

Me?  I play along…get it…play….like a guitar…or a piano….

I know you all don’t demand proof of my insane ramblings – but I like to provide it anyway…Here’s what used to be  95% of my husband’s life.

Now it’s 80%….85% tops.

    

So besides supplying me with amazing music – my gal was also an artist.  Every tape she made me had an original design. She did funky, cool collages before it was cool to do funky, cool collages. Thought you should know.

  

How a Vegetarian Does Steak

20 May 2012 8 Comments

by wifemothereventplanner in I need to tell you about this right now Tags: , , , , , ,

My cousin came to visit today and I busted out my grilled steak.   hmmm.  You’re shocked I cook steak?  Me too. It took me a long time.  Many years of wearing ziploc bags as gloves to handle meat, fish and fowl have gone into what you see before you.  How does it taste?  I dunno.  Either I’ve become a really adept vegetarian who cooks non-veg….or my family will eat anything anyone will give them.  It could go either way.

Here’s how I did it – (note that when I was taking a picture of the ingredients for grilled steak, I forgot the steak.  So later I dug the wrapper out of the garbage and took a picture – I’m sure Martha Stewart went through the same stuff)

You’ll need 3 steaks for this – here’s what I used (my son and I had PB&J fyi)

 

Get cheap steak, expensive steak, flank, rib eye, sirloin, whatever.  This marinate will turn any little cut into a dreamy thing (your dreams, not my dreams)

Put the steaks in a deep dish to marinate with:

1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons of kosher salt (is there any other kind)

4 heaping tablespoons of Montreal Steak mix (thank you Canada)

2 teaspoons of garlic powder (if you have fresh garlic, use it and stop judging me please)

Combine the honey and Worcestershire sauce and set aside.

No matter how grossed out you are – rub the steaks with the salt, steak mix and garlic powder.  All the good cooks of the world  say to “massage” the meat.  I don’t do all that.  My technique is more sprinkling on and cringing while quickly spreading the stuff around.  Imagine a face after sucking on a tart lemon – that’s me.  Semi-disgusted and puckered up (with love ofcourse).

Now dump the ‘shire and honey mixture on top and let sit – for however long you have.  Overnight is ideal, a few hours will work, even 1/2 an hour before cooking does the trick.

It should look like this….

Heat your grill on high – here’s our grill.  Ignore the beer. The original title of this post was supposed to be – Beer really helps a vegetarian cook steak. 

4 minutes on each side for medium rare – sometimes I get nervous and pull it early.  I hear you go to jail for overcooked steak.

There you go!  Simple but effective.  Now go buy all the sides and serve up dinner.

I’m here for the fresh air….

19 May 2012 2 Comments

by wifemothereventplanner in Brave New World Tags: , , , , ,

My son loves playing baseball, football, basketball – we don’t know where he came from.  Maybe there was a dormant athletic gene or something.

Every Saturday morning, you’ll find us at his baseball game (all except my 13-year-old girl, who is just waking from her REM cycle at 11am).  It’s so much fun.  We bring snacks and coffee and we kvetch with the other parents (You don’t know kvetching?  Google it. You’ve done it. I live for it).  Thank goodness there are moms and dads out there who volunteer their time and skills to help our little men – either on the field or on the sidelines.

If it was left to me – the only thing my son would learn is that Derek Jeter of the Yankees wears the #2 jersey like him…I know that because he went out with Minka Kelly and they always showed him in his uniform in People Magazine.  Are they still together?  They were so off and on – and she’s so young….I digress.

I don’t know an inning from an outing – but I love going.  Good game, bad game, he doesn’t care.  He just wants to be in the game.

Some photo disclosures:  Those pants are bleached clean after every game.  2 seconds after we drive up to the field, he looks like a wildling.  Our coach is the state rep.  He sponsored the t-shirts so our boys are a walking/talking billboard for several months.  Could have been worse.  The local funeral home sponsors a team too.

  

    

Not that kind of vegetarian…..

18 May 2012 7 Comments

by wifemothereventplanner in Brave New World Tags: , , , , ,

Last weekend when my sister and her man were here, we were kidding around about our eating habits.  When she first met him, she was trying to explain our kind of vegetarian.

She told him simply,”we’re not vegetable vegetarians, we’re more like Taco Bell vegetarians.”

Very true.  Ok, so maybe we don’t mean Taco Bell literally, but the point was good.  We are not health fanatics.

Usually, when people hear you don’t eat meat, they instantly throw some grilled veggies on a plate – which is very nice, and I am always appreciative.  But really, that’s not what I want.  I want a meal.  Something with some love, some pizzaz, or at least some cheese.

Something like this…

or something like this…..

These two amazing meals were made possible by the good people at The Fairmont Hotel in Boston.  I love Boston.

Mad Men Minutes….

16 May 2012 Leave a Comment

by wifemothereventplanner in Brave New World Tags: , , , , ,

For those of you that don’t watch – what’s wrong with you?  Please. For the love of all witty sarcastic things, go watch!

I finally caught up with the new episode.  In my next life I’d like to be Don Draper’s cigarette – just kiddin’- not really – i’m dead serious.

Here’s my 2 cents:

  • I cannot take Don and Megan’s apartment – it’s painfully cool and beautiful. I’m distracted by it.  As that gal called it,”the throne on 73rd and Park.”  Even with the deadly smog outside it steals every scene.
  • Betty.  Can we please give January Jones an Emmy for every scene where she eats a bite of food and then swoons.  Nothing says cracked armour like a mouth full of whipped cream straight from the fridge.
  • Sally.  Wicked and smart.  Wicked smart.  I’m ready for the Sally spin-off show now please.
  • Ginsberg oh Ginsberg.  Whether its selling Manischewitz wine or being stepped on by Don – the man has a way with me.  Loved his devastated look in the elevator when Don left him for dead with the,”I don’t think about you at all.”
  • I will now have a folder at work called – Shit I need to do.
  • Don’s back.  He’s been smiling a lot lately – it made me uncomfortable.  I like this Don.  Actually I like any Don.
  • Does anyone else think the gap in Megan’s front tooth is getting bigger?  no? Just trying to make myself feel better.
  • Why do they always play the Roger car commercial during the show – must we be hit in the head with his cool dark glasses from all decades?
  • Another favorite Roger moment,” How Jewish are they? Fiddler on the Roof, audience or cast?”  Nobody’s a cuter racist than that man.
  • Also – can Pete Campbell please stop having unclean thoughts about Rory Gilmore? Where’s Luke when you need him (bonus points for those who know what I’m talking about).

Inflight Happiness

15 May 2012 Leave a Comment

by wifemothereventplanner in I need to tell you about this right now Tags: , , , , ,

20120515-074101.jpg

Water – because it was too early for wine

Snacks – preferably salty with a kick

Magazine – can’t get enough of current tv addiction Game of Thrones. Team Imp!

Earphones – I like the ones you don’t shove in your ears. These have a great skinny headband… Why not look cute when drowning the world out?

IPad =iLife

Leaving on a Jet Blue Plane….

14 May 2012 7 Comments

by wifemothereventplanner in Yes, I'm an event planner Tags: , , , , , , , ,

It’s crack o’ dawn here – and I have exactly 4.5 minutes to get this post done (although hours of love went into the thought, I promise you).

This week we’ve got 2 big events  - one in Beantown (Boston) and one in Lala land (Los Angeles).

If you told me you were traveling – I’d ask you where you were going and why and blah blah blah.  What I’d really want to know is….what did you pack?

Are you a devil-may-care, take just the essentials kinda person?

Or are you a when-i-lift-off-all-the-drugstores-in-the-world-will-disappear type?

I’m in between.  I never worry about packing the right clothes. I tend to under pack.  One pre-post event uniform (you know, black top/denim bottom).  One event suit (black!).  If there are multiple events, multiply the amounts.  Done.  One pair of shoes packed – only – ever.

Where I do go a bit bananas is the lotions and potions.

See below – I’ll explain:

  

  

 

  • Shea butter – I have horribly dry desert skin (I almost wrote dessert skin, which would have also been true). Aside from the usual upkeep essentials (toothbrush, contact solution, etc.), I need my shea.
  • Facial product:  the multi delivery peels are essential.  After an event, you’re amped, sometimes bloated and always exhausted.  These babies make you look like a human the next day. ROC wrinkle cream hidden in a moisturizer, ’cause I’m old man. Real old.
  • The 5 minute mask – ridiculous.  Get it. Now.
  • The Neutrogena scrubber thingie – the best.  I know a ton of people are buying that Clarisonic one, but I like this one.  You know why?  It’s $20.  It’s not $100.
  • Biosilk hair oil.  Sigh.  It’s that small, clear bottle to the left of my Chanel bronzer.  I’ll be writing a whole love letter/post on Biosilk soon.
  • Chanel bronzer:  I am not a product snob.  I am open to it all! I think I’ve told you how I heart St. Ives.  But this stuff. This is beautiful.  Just the right touch of color and somethin’.  I don’t know what – but it gives me some definition in an otherwise sea of fat cheek.
  • Recent obbession that I hope to never kick – Lolla body products.  This is the perfume.  Lavender/Honey.  Dreamy.
  • It all gets packed in my small, neon green bag.  You know how I love to wear black?  Well my luggage is not allowed to wear black, or brown, or blue.  When you’re standing at the baggage carosel of life, waiting for the 54th black bag to come off the plane while frantic people who don’t travel grab at every one, you quickly realize one thing.  Get a bright, obnoxious bag that others will poo poo.  Trust me, no one ever grabs for that little bag.

Ok – over and out.  Say a prayer to all your gods for me – and for gods sakes tell me what you pack when you travel – please? – thank you.

Time is beer!

13 May 2012 6 Comments

by wifemothereventplanner in Brave New World Tags: , , , , , , ,

So yesterday was our 16th wedding anniversary (remember I told you guys I was a child bride).  The year we eloped, May 12th fell on Mother’s Day – which is an awkward story for another day.

My sister and her man came down or is it came up? No no, it’s came East and then slightly North to help us celebrate.

Although I plotted my whole life to get out of Pennsylvania, I love our ‘hood.  We live a beautiful area, surrounded by history.  One of those towns had a brewfest in the park, so off we went.

As with every trip to anywhere we don’t go daily.  We got a little lost.

The women in the car handled it really well.  Calm, cool, collected.  The men in the car started sweating.  We heard,” but it starts at 12:30, and it’s 12:34″.  ”we passed it, we passed it, turn around.” and finally, my favorite, “time is beer!”. oh my.

Once we finally found the place – the parking was a bit tricky – and we noticed all the other men in the other cars were just as agitated.  By the way, it was a 4 hour event.  We were 15 minutes late.  Once we finally parked, our men leapt out of the car and skipped into the park, they were so happy.

(ok not skipped but it’s my blog.  In their blog they can say they strutted in like John Wayne. Oh they don’t have a blog? Well then, skipped it is).

It was so much fun. There’s something about having booze outdoors that makes you feel like you’re doing something healthy. No?

At first, I took these pictures:

    

Then my sister reminded me of the fact that this is a brewfest, I should have pictures of beer. But look at that pizza.  I immediately knew this was my kind of ‘fest.

Ok – here’s proof that it was not a pizza/pretzel fest:

There were 62 breweries surrounded by trees and sun – it was gorgeous.

   

Another reason why I love this place, punk rocker security guards kept their eye on the Colonials

  

Our favorite of the 62:  A stout from Stone, an IPA from Victory, a Belgian triple from Weyebacher, and a partridge in a pear tree.

The bird woman of bucks county

12 May 2012 2 Comments

by wifemothereventplanner in I need to tell you about this right now Tags: , , , , , , ,

Last year I started noticing a small, chirping little trend in the things I was buying.

All of a sudden – I liked birds.  All kinds of birds.

At first it was roosters on a sugar canister – very cute.  Then I got a rooster light switch plate, hmmm….nice.

Then came a  rooster decorative plaque on the wall – uh oh.

Then I noticed my ikea mirrors that I decoupaged with toile paper napkins – with roosters.

I pretended it was a French/country inspired thing.  I’m not a cooky old bird woman.  Roosters are a cool, urban-meets-country-meets Provence thing.  It’s not like I’m into pigeons or something.

But roosters were my gateway bird.

I moved on to all kinds of birds.  I found these ceramic birds at a craft fair or Pier One, I forget.

For Christmas, a good friend who’d noticed my sudden bird love gave us this beautiful peacock plate.

A few weeks ago, I thought my downstairs bathroom needed some jazzing up.

With birds.

What’s the big deal? At least I don’t have any bird sweaters or jewelry or something…urr..wait. Never mind.

Here’s my decent into madness.  Send help.

        

I won’t even mention that “The Big Year” is my new favorite movie.  Take a wild geese, I mean, guess what it’s about.

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