355.370973 -- Camp Atterbury Family Day

Matt's National Guard Troop meets once a month to train for upcoming deployments or just to keep their skills sharp. This past weekend they spent at Camp Atterbury, a training facility for National Guard soldiers from across the country. The only difference was that this time, their families got to go with them!

I don't have all the pictures back yet, so I will have to post more later, but the day was a blast! We got to fire M4s, crawl around on some Hum-vees decked out with lots of cool toys, visit a simulation trainer, and watch as a couple of soldiers fired rounds from a 50-cal mounted machine gun! The coolest part was definitely getting to fire the M4, but I enjoyed the whole day.

This is one pic of me firing the M4 on the actual range that the guys use when they have to qualify on their weapons. I hit all the targets! Instead of the targets popping up and down randomly, the control tower just kept them all up. So it was a lot easier than the guys usually have it, but for my first time ever firing a weapon, I think I did pretty well! There will be more pictures and another post later! So exciting!

917.5 -- Myrtle Beach recap (finally!)

Matt and I returned over a week ago from our week of sun, sand, and surf in Myrtle Beach. Everything was wonderful, and the weather cooperated nicely. We spent one day in Charleston, getting our history fix at Ft. Sumter and several WW2-era navy vessels. The rest of the time we spent in our room, around the pool or on the beach. In fact, except for our Charleston day, we spent over 4 hours on the beach every day!

The view from our hotel room was great! We spent lots of time on our balcony reading or just relaxing.

This is a picture of Ft. Sumter from the ferry. It was really cool, but we didn't feel like we had enough time. Since you come and go by ferry, there is a limited amount of time for wandering.

Where the Ft. Sumter ferry docks there are also some historic naval vessels that you can go aboard and explore. We saw the carrier and the submarine. Matt's grandfather was on a carrier just like this in WWII, which made it all the more interesting to see what naval life was like at that time.

On the way home, we stopped in nearby Wilmington, NC to visit with Karen and Clay -- two friends from our Fort Drum days. And of course, at the end of the exhausting car trip, we enjoyed seeing Cincinnati from one of our favorite views.

917.69 -- Mini Trip to Kentucky, day 2

After a restful evening on Saturday night, we got up semi-early to go to Mass on Sunday. (Because it was Ft. Knox, and because it was a Mass for soldiers in basic training, it was slightly amusing :)

We had a hearty breakfast back at Joe and Jenny's house before we headed to Heaven Hill, a bourbon distillery on Kentucky's "bourbon trail." Although they don't distill the bourbon at the Bardstown facilities anymore, the museum, tour, and bourbon tasting (none for me!) were fun and enlightening!

Bourbon has to age for several years. In that time, it's stored in oak barrels. The barrels are stored in "ricks" and the ricks are located in ... rickhouses! Original, huh? This is an inside view of one of Heaven Hill's rickhouses.

We only had time for one stop on the bourbon trail this time, but Matt and I will be back. We've visited three so far, and it's a pleasant drive from our house. It's only a matter of time until we get to them all!

After bidding farewell to Joe and Jenny, we had a pleasant drive back to Ohio. What a fun weekend!

917.69 -- Mini Trip to Kentucky, day 1

Matt and I spent part of Memorial Day weekend with his parents visiting his sister and brother-in-law in Kentucky. To make the most of our two-day trip, we headed from their house straight to Louisville for a much-anticipated trip to the Louisville Slugger Museum. It was more educational than I expected. Not only did we learn about bat-making, but we got information overload in the newly-renovated museum area. And we scored mini-Louisville Sluggers!

After the museum we made our way to the Louisville Slugger Baseball Field to catch some great minor league baseball action. The Louisville Bats (as in flying mammals, not wooden clubs) are one of the "farm teams" for the Cincinnati Reds. The game was not as intense as a major league game, but the experience was really fun. The stadium was amazing, and all the seats were SO close to the field! Plus, it was much cheaper than the cheapest seats at Great American Ballpark.

I don't know if you can see the golden retrieve (circled) next to home plate. He was the "bat boy" for the Louisville Bats. He came out after most at-bats and retrieved the bat! He and his handler also played catch on the field with a frisbee between innings and before the game. At the seventh inning stretch, the dog actually took a basket with towels and water bottles out to 3rd base for the umpires! How fun!

The ball park was really fun. You could walk the entire way around it, and there were fun things for kids to do when they get antsy during games. My favorite -- although I didn't ride it -- was this carousel!

At the end of the day, it was back to base camp for a relaxing night of summer picnic food and watching the Reds lose to the Cleveland Indians :)

618.2 -- First Big Purchase!

Thursday, Matt and I drove out to a gorgeous Hamilton subdivision to take a look at a brand new Pack N Play I saw advertised on CraigsList. Long story short, we loved it. It doesn't match the stroller we registered for, but the Pack N Play (and matching Swing N Bounce, both by Graco) will mostly be in our living room (or other people's living rooms). I'm guessing they won't come into much contact with the stroller :)

The future nursery is still a guest room until at least the end of August. Until then, we can't set up much baby stuff. Here are stock images of both our big scores. I love that they were so cheap, and that the black pattern will go nicely in our living room. I super love that these both come with the vibrate feature, and that the Pack N Play comes with all that extra storage!

636.7 -- Mirror Image

Several weeks ago, our neighbors bought a new puppy for their live-in grandchild. The first time I saw the little guy through the office window, I did a double take. I thought it was Charlie!

011.73 -- Hooray!

I have officially exorcised my book-slump demon. Yesterday I brought home two books from work. Today, I started and finished one of those, as well as finished (finally!) a book that I started months ago. (The library will finally be getting it back!)

Today, I also realized that this slump wasn't really a slump at all. I have been reading after all. Pictured here, the pile of books that have been occupying my time.


My theory is that the 12-week point marked a period of less worry and anxiety. It's not that I'm not interested in which piece of fruit the baby most resembles at this stage of development. I'm just glad to finally be interested in everything else again. Plus, let's face it -- I read the pregnancy books start-to-finish weeks ago!

618.2 -- Surprise!

I'll save you the time counting back from the due date ... As of today, I am 12 weeks and 2 days pregnant! :) While we've known for awhile, I've been waiting to hear the little one's 12-week-old heartbeat before making an official announcement. This is it! We're pregnant!

917.5 -- Vacation

I need a vacation. Everyday life is starting to get to me, and I no longer look forward to going to work, working out, or even just vegging around the house. Watching movies or tv, reading, home improvement projects ... I can't get into anything. Definitely time for a vacation.

Our plans are finally set. If you're curious where we're going, look no further than the Dewey Decimal number that tops this entry :-)

394.262 -- Better Late Than Never

Yes we did celebrate Memorial Day. Mostly just by celebrating the ability to do nothing :) We did of course set the flag to half staff at the appropriate times. Researching the exact whens of flying the flag on Memorial Day, we came across the following trivia.

Did you know that on Memorial Day, flags are meant to be flown at half staff only until noon? We did, but we saw a lot of business and individuals that didn't. I don't think this is something widely known. I'm sure our flag got some funny looks when it was at full staff for most of Memorial Day.

Did you also know that there is much support for celebrating Memorial Day on May 30 every year instead of celebrating the observed Memorial Day on the last Monday in May? While three-day weekend plans will suffer, proponents argue that the day will mean much more if a mini-vacation is not attached to it. What do you think?

011.625 -- Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Books

Lately I haven't been able to finish any of the books I've started. I'm definitely in a slump. This isn't because I'm reading bad books. I don't blame the books. Well, not this time.

I do have a short list of most hated titles. These are the books that have wasted my time, sucked out my enthusiasm for reading, or put me to sleep. Among them:

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Lolita Effect by Gigi M. Durham
Dirty Martini by J. A. Konrath
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie McDonald

I've recently discovered that most people are more likely to remember their favorite books than the ones they despised. What about you? Any books that you'd never recommend in a million years?

616 -- Sick and Tired

It started Thursday with a general feeling of not-wellness. Friday I had a terrible and terribly persistent cough. I made the best of Saturday, trying to enjoy our birthday and be a good hostess. Sunday and today have been hands-down awful.

Church is always awkward when you're sick. Spend all of Mass hacking and coughing and blowing your nose and guess how many people want to shake hands with you at the sign of peace -- no matter how carefully you cough into your hankie. My chest, throat, abs, and nose were so sore by Sunday evening that I knew there was no way I'd make it through work on Monday.

While honey, cough drops, and a vaporizer have made some improvements on my well-being, the crud persists. I struggle with taking sick leave now when I am desperately trying to hoard it for later. *sigh* What I wouldn't give for a good strong OTC medication!

016.394 -- Birthday Festivities

Saturday, to celebrate both our birthdays, Matt and I spent the afternoon at a Cincinnati Reds game. It was a scorcher of a day, so we avoided our seats in full sun and settled in some shady upper deck seats. The game was pretty awful, but the food was good, and the tickets were cheap. To make it even more fun, it was free fleece blanket day!

When the day was over, we crashed back at our house to enjoy good food, great company, a warm campfire, and a breezy starry night. What a great day!

747 -- Trial and Error

Decorating is a whole lot easier when you can visualize what your finished product will look like. I lack the ability to visualize things like this. So instead of putting 46 nail holes in the wall trying to decide where I want pictures and shelving hung, I put it all on the computer. It's a lot easier to change your mind 17 times when all that is involved is clicking and dragging. Here is the computer mock-up of our living room. Notice the shelves on the floor... waiting to be hung.


And when we decided to put a flag pole and Japanese maple in our front yard, I wanted to know exactly what it might look like when the tree grows in. I moved it three times before I really liked it. Can you imagine having to dig up a fully grown tree because you changed your mind?


My house is no showroom, but it would look a whole lot worse without my Paint Shop Pro image editing software to back me up :)

747 -- The To-Do List

It is growing.

694.6 -- Necessity and invention

Our back yard is a good spot for entertaining small groups. And this spring/summer, our birthday/bbq/misc celebration/mini-reunion parties will be made more festive by the really unique tiki torch holders my handy husband devised last year! I was so impressed and overjoyed at what he came up with that I wanted to post a picture here. (Last summer got away from me, so they've been waiting a whole year!)


These got rave reviews at last year's parties, and are perfect (I would think) for raised decking like a balcony where tiki torches would otherwise be impossible (or really dangerous). Cool huh?!

097 -- Ex Libris

Having cataloged our library, I have been considering how to mark our books. Write our names inside? Use one of the million return address labels we get for donating to charities? A rubber stamp? Then mine eye fell upon the bookplates inside donated library books. I did a little research and found some truly dazzling bookplate designs. I itch to design one of my own... something that incorporates things that are important to my family. Thing is, I'm a little hesitant to glue these into our books. What do you think? Would a bookplate defile the purity of the book? Seriously! This has been eating at me for months!

Here are some bookplates found in a quick Google image search:

394.2667 -- Have a groovy Easter!

621.815 -- Fantastic Contraption

I have always liked puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, logic puzzles... I like the satisfaction of having figured out the solution to a problem.

For the last month, I have been obsessed with a unique new puzzle game called Fantastic Contraption. I don't even remember who or what turned me on to this addicting game (if it was you, THANK YOU!), but there is no doubt that I am hooked.

There are 20 free levels in Fantastic Contraptions, and the premise is always the same. Get the pink item (ball, square, or rectangle) into the pink Goal area. Sounds easy enough, but I guarantee you'll be stumped at least once.

The contraption I'm proudest of? The puzzle level was called Back and Forth, and let me tell you, it's a toughie! Here is a still of my solution, but click here to see the thing in action.

Spoiler Alert! To see more of my contraptions, click any of the links below. Some are more fantastical than others!
Unpossible | Uturn | Mission to Mars | Mind the Gap | The Wall | Full Up | Around the Bend | Big Ball | Four Balls | Tube | Awash

395.22 -- Wedding Memories

The tiara that I wore for my wedding in 2005 has been missing since approximately 10 days after our wedding. When we returned from our honeymoon and made it back to NY, we packed up a lot of stuff and just put it wherever we had room. Our house was pretty tiny up in NY, so there was stuff scattered everywhere.

I thought all was lost when I twice rummaged through everything looking for the tiara -- with no luck. Recently, while digging through the same stuff, it turned up! YAY!

Then and now: The picture on the wall
behind me is from our wedding.

780.78 -- Piano Men

We got our tickets in the mail awhile ago, but it has just hit me... We are going to see Billy Joel and Elton John in concert!

I have been a huge fan of Billy Joel since I was a kid, and I've wanted to see him in concert for at least the past 5 years. Problem was, I never remembered to check for tickets until it was too late. They sell out fast! Luckily for me, there were three concerts within easy driving distance from me this year. Unluckily for me, Cincinnati was sold out, and Indianapolis only had seats available behind the stage. No good. Although it's on a Tuesday night, the concert we booked in Columbus will be a memorable night I'm sure.

Now to brush up on my Elton standards :)

629.277 -- (mini) Road Trip!

Thanks to a certain handy someone, I now have the perfect accessory for a beautiful spring day -- a new car radio of course! A few weekends ago, while I was busy catching up with the girls, Matt installed a new radio in Little Blue, complete with CD player (goodbye cassettes!) and iPod connection!

I've loved driving to and from work listening to my playlists and 18 presets, but 20 minutes just does not allow for maximum music enjoyment. Luckily, I am heading to Columbus for an FRG Conference this weekend. While I'm a little nervous about sitting through all those seminars, I cannot wait to be out on the road with my new toy. And since Matt's meeting me in Columbus (he's coming from his two-week-long Annual Training on the eastern part of Ohio), I get to listen to whatever I want! And sing as loud as I want!

Just be glad you're not going with me :)

394.2622 -- April Foolishness

I'm not big into college sports. Let's be honest. I'm not really into sports much at all. So until I met my friend Karen, I wasn't even aware of a school called Clemson. Karen's crazy about her alma mater, though, so I now know the logo, the mascot... I think I've even heard the fight song!

Now that I know of Clemson, of course, it pops up everywhere. I notice sports scores, news headlines, and while going through old newspapers for work, I found this clipping from the local Hamilton, Ohio newspaper. (Click to view a larger image. It's readable I promise!)

Of course I forgot to write down the year, but this snippet ran on April 4. Judging from the Clemson Wiki, it may have actually happened in March of 1982. Evidently, they never found out who did it!

629.2872 -- Roll Over

My little blue Focus (affectionately named "Little Blue") has hit a milestone. Yep, the big 100,000. We're going to be able to buy me a new (or at least new-to-me) car in a few months, but part of me is a little bit sad about the prospect. I heart Little Blue! I bought her all by myself just after college. I even haggled the guy down, and did a test drive on my own. I'd never done that before, and I'll never do that again. Not that I'd want to of course... but I was really proud of myself!

Plus, I still have my DOD sticker on Little Blue. It's a fun little souvenir that will never be replaced. Then again, maybe I'll warm up to the prospect of a newer car... here are two I'm looking at.

641.692 -- Miso Glazed Cod

Being that it's Lent, and being that we're Catholic, fish has been introduced into our dinner rotation. Although I am generally not a fish or seafood lover, Matt came home with cod fillets last week, forcing me to come up with a tasty (un-fish-like) recipe. What I found was Food Network's recipe for Miso Cod. Finding no miri at the local Kroger, I substituted Chablis. Finding no white or blond miso, I settled on something called "Minute Miso."
The result was über delicious. In fact, I might try the same glaze on chicken sometime. It's a decidedly Asian flavor, but if you like teriyaki, give it a try. And let me know what you think!

Ingredients

6 6-ounce black cod fillets or regular cod fillets
1/3 cup low sodium blond or white miso
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
toasted sesame seeds and scallions for garnish (optional)

Directions

Preheat broiler.

Rinse fish fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Combine miso, brown sugar, sesame oil and mirin and stir well until brown sugar is fully dissolved.

Brush about 2 tablespoons miso glaze on each fish fillet. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour. Place fish under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes, or until top is slightly charred and glaze has caramelized. Remove fish from oven and brush with remaining glaze. Lower oven to 375 degrees F. Cook an additional 5 to 6 minutes, until fish is flaky but not overcooked.

If desired, serve with toasted sesame seeds and scallions. *NOTE* We had this with brown rice and steamed veggies. Delicious!

508.2 -- It's official!

Spring is here!


Our spring perennials are in full bloom!


The brand new flag pole in our front yard
(installed yesterday!) looked picture
perfect in the beautiful weather.

I want more days like this!!

636.7 -- The Furry Monster

A little slow on the updates, but for those of you I haven't told, Charlie is having some old man problems. First, his teeth and gums were an absolute mess. One surgery later, he is almost completely toothless (he retained his molars) but much happier.

He is also, however, suffering from lateral patellar luxation (Grade III). Basically his kneecaps pop on and off every time he bends his hind legs. It seems to bother him less in warm weather, so we're going to leave it for now, and decide later if he'd be better off with or without surgery. It doesn't seem to cause him pain so much as discomfort.

It's also likely that he has arthritis in his hind knees, and his hearing is rapidly deteriorating. I know he's old -- 14! -- but he still acts so much like a puppy. It's hard to believe. Poor little smoosh :(

155.925 -- Friends

While Matt and I were at Ft. Drum, I made some of the best friends I could imagine having. Earlier this month, they converged on Fairfield for our first reunion in almost 2 years. Of course we have been keeping up to date on each other, but no amount of blog postings or emails could replace actually being together.

Jackie, Erin, Briana, Karen, and me
Jackie and Karen posted more pics on their blogs. Check them out!

641.8654 -- Unconventional Cookies

A staple of my childhood was quick and easy graham-cracker-and-icing cookies that my mom would throw together with leftover icing. Ours usually consisted of chocolate or white icing, but the cookies I made recently for Matt were created with leftover lemon icing. YUM!

Ingredients:
Graham crackers
Icing

Directions:
Break graham crackers into square pieces. Ice one side of each cracker. Start munching! (You can also "sandwich" the cookies by putting a second graham square on top of the icing, but I like it better with just one.)

P.S. I'm curious to know if anyone else is familiar with this method of "cookie baking." Anyone? Anyone?

621.391 -- Computer repair

So our 1 year and 10 days old computer has been temporarily out of commission for the last three days. Help is on the way, but for now my only reliable Internet connection is at work. Urg... what a mess!

006.7 -- Change!

It was time for my very vanilla blog to undergo a renovation. Look how pretty! What do you think?

170.83 -- I believe

So inspired was I by one of my friends' recent blog posts, that I am lifting the idea from her.

*ahem*

I believe...

• That the first spoonful of a new jar of peanut butter is always the best.
• That music can make almost any experience at least a little bit better.
• That good friends can do the same.
• That the fact that someone famous said something does not make it true.
• That water is better, yes... but caffeine is not the devil.
• That having a degree does not make you smarter.
• That reading does.
• That staying close to far flung friends isn't impossible, that it does take some effort, and that it's worth it.
  

This was fun! What do you believe?

643.52 -- Never Ending Story

Months ago, when I was sharing the good news of our new house with family, friends, and pretty much everyone else, one of my former coworkers said, "Congratulations! You'll never be bored again!" I laughed with her at the time, but I'm beginning to understand that she wasn't joking. Even on the day after Christmas, Matt preferred to spend his time in the basement working on our soon-to-be new half bath. For clarification, I had nothing to do with this project, except to fetch beer and make dinner. Matt got help from his friend (and several unwieldy power tools).

I didn't take a "before" picture, but this is pretty much what it looked like... minus the gaping hole in the floor.

Then came connecting the new pipe. The far end near the wall is where the commode will be.

Then they backfilled the hole with some of the original gravel and cement chunks. Pictured is Matt using all weight to tamp down the debris.


Finally it was time to mix and pour the cement. Next up, the walls :)

796.426 -- Running

I like running. I was liking it less about a month ago when I re-started after about 5 years of minimal physical activity. Nevertheless, I'm liking it again, more than I did 5 years ago, though I'm still not up to the level I was. Oh to be able to run two miles in 18 minutes! It seems like I'll never get there, but I'm trying to stay positive.

Helping me stay on the wagon (or running behind it?) are a few accouterments. They might help you, too. The first was the iPod. I fought the popularity of the iPod for a long time, but iTunes has it all over other media players in my opinion.

The second was the treadmill. I cannot run outside. The cool air sets my lungs on fire in minutes. Plus I don't look cute when I'm working out, I look sweaty. Thanks to craigslist, I got a great deal on a barely used treadmill. Someone else's failed New Year's resolution was my good fortune.

Third, my new arm band for my iPod allows me to pound "pavement" to some great tunes. Due to 12 years in band, however, I needed music that plays at the same bpm that I run. (Curse my impeccable rhythm.) This is when I discovered jogtunes, which has been the savior of my workouts. After finding that Shake It by Metro Station was exactly the speed I needed, I looked it up on jogtunes to find more just like it. As luck would have it, I now have enough music to keep me going for a solid two miles (if I can make it that long on any given day).

P.S. If you have an iPod and want some great free music for your running (or any other) workout, try the PodRunner and PodRunner Intervals podcasts. They are free of charge, and a new one is published every week. Today I used PodRunner Intervals Gateway to 8K, but I only got through 2/3 of it before I had to stop. *sigh* I'll get there.

025.3 -- Just like a real library!

You may recall my joy at having input my, er, our entire library into Shelfari last year. That excitement, complete as it was, has been surpassed. A few days ago, I discovered GuruLib. It's a lot like Shelfari, except that you can also add DVDs, CDs, software, and games to your library. More importantly, it's a snap to set items to "Out" if you loan them to people. And specify a due date! The downside is that it's not as pretty as Shelfari, but I'm getting over that. The reality is that we loan out our DVD collection more than our books, and it's tough keeping track of what's where. GuruLib has solved that problem. View our GuruLib library here.

Not only do I now have a complete home library, but I was able to use my newest nerdy toy to input our DVDs. Enter CueCat, the friendly little personal barcode scanner. Sure, I could have entered the title or ISBN into GuruLib and done a regular old search. But what's the fun in that?

For anyone wondering, this CueCat has already been "declawed." For Mac users, I'm interested to know how Delicious Library stacks up... the fact that you can hook up your iPod would make adding digitally purchased songs much easier!

394.2663 -- Family time

Through the magic of webcams, I was able to talk to my family all together for one hour on Christmas day. It was 0100 hours for my brother in Korea, 1600 for my mom and her husband in England, and 1100 in good old Ohio. Not the greatest picture of me, but I'm trying not to dwell :) Next year we'll get those microphones working!

641.8654 -- DIY Turtles

Love the taste of turtles? Here's a quick and easy way to make your own.

Ingredients
pretzels (waffle-shaped or regular pretzel-shaped)
Rolos (unwrapped, obviously)
pecans

Directions
Heat oven to 250. Place a layer of foil or wax paper on a baking sheet. Arrange pretzels on baking sheet, placing one Rolo on each pretzel. Bake at 250 for 3-4 minutes. Rolos should retain their form, but be soft enough to squish. Place a pecan on each Rolo-pretzel. Squish it down (not too far!). Let these cool completely before attempting to eat them. (If you just cannot resist, they are edible while still warm... they're just not as good.)

Voila! This year will be your easiest cookie exchange ever!

778.53 -- Talkies

Monday Matt and I attended an advance screening of Tom Cruise's new movie Valkyrie. The movie is based on the fascinating true story of an attempted assassination of Hitler on July 20, 1944.

The movie was just okay. I liked it enough that I'm glad I saw it, and I could even watch it again. I didn't like it enough to buy the DVD -- or to pay theater prices. I really enjoyed the historical aspects, and seeing Tom Cruise in an unweird role (Eyes Wide Shut much?). I wasn't riveted the whole time, but it was pretty interesting.

We wanted to see the movie of course, but seeing it at an advance screening was really cool. Neither Matt nor I had ever been to one! Did you know, they overbook the theater to make sure they're playing to a packed house? When we got there an hour before the start time, there were already a lot of people in line! There were also seats up and down the aisles reserved for journalists and reviewers.

It was really cool to be there! And since we had wanted to see Valkyrie anyway, neither of us could pass this up. What a fun evening!

641.568 -- Turkey a la brine

When I think "brine" my mind skips to sea water and murkiness. So, no, brining a turkey did not initially seem like a tasty option. But even I can't argue with the bevy of 5-star reviews brining often seems to elicit. So brine we did.

My biggest fear was that it would be too salty, but it wasn't. It didn't taste salty at all! And it did turn out to be the moistest turkey I have ever had.

Here is both the recipe and my tips. Give it a go this Christmas. Amaze your family. Thrill your friends. A lot of this will be obvious to you more seasoned turkey roasters. For me, this being my first experience, much direction was needed, so I included it below.

Ingredients
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 bay leaves
2 tablespoons black pepper corns
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
1 tablespoon coriander seeds

Directions

1. Dissolve brine in 2 quarts of boiling water. Ours did not dissolve completely, and it ended up looking a lot like sea water. It smelled great, though, so we stayed the course.
   
2. Once it is dissolved, add in 1-2 quarts more water (depending on the size of your bird).
   
3. While the brine is cooling, place your turkey in a large bag. We used two roasting bags doubled up, but that didn't work as well as we'd hoped, because the brine would not completely cover the bird. We ended up using one of our big blue coolers -- the kind that you see dispensing Gatorade on countless sports sidelines.
   
4. When the brine is completely cool, pour over bird. Add more water if necessary to cover the whole thing. We had to add another quart for our 20-pounder.
5. Let bird sit in brine for 12-24 hours. Use whatever means necessary to keep the brine and turkey under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. We stuck several cold packs around the turkey and left the cooler in the garage overnight.
   
6. When you're ready to start preparing, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse, pat dry, and roast. Discard the brine, obviously.
   

TIP: After the first hour in the oven, we basted it every 30 minutes. If there aren't enough juices to baste the first couple of times, don't fret. Use either melted sage butter or olive oil to supplement.

TIP: For the last hour to two hours, we used tented foil to keep the skin from over-crisping.

TIP: Before roasting, I mixed up some sage butter and rubbed it under the skin of the turkey. This, along with the brining, was designed to keep the breast meat from drying out.

383-4973 -- Neither rain nor sleet ... nor newbies?

I have sent many packages overseas. Enough so that I know which customs form (there are two sizes) to use for which packages, and can fill out said forms with my eyes closed. Enough so that I can guestimate within a dollar or two how much postage will be, and if it would be more economical to use a flat rate box. (That only applies to APO addresses, obviously. You can't send true international mail with flat rate boxes or priority mail markings. Duh, right?)

So when the (probably new?) postal employee started stuttering half way through her spiel, it was no surprise to me that I could finish it for her. I tried to be gracious and deliver it with a smile, but really... I was in a hurry, and she was clearly flustered.

H: "Does this package contain anything fragile, liquid, uh... perish... perishable, or uh... Fragile, liquid, p..."

M: "Perishable or potentially hazardous? No, it doesn't." *smile* "And it's just cookies, so no insurance needed. And I'm set on stamps and other mailing supplies, so I won't need any this time. Thank you."

Though I said "thank you" at least three times during this exchange, I'm sure she rolled her eyes at me after I left.

641.568 -- Family tradition

The day after Thanksgiving means different things to different people. For me, it is safe to decorate for Christmas and annoy everyone with holiday music. For my aunts, it is the biggest shopping day of the year. For my husband, it is the day that turkey leftovers are transformed into a delicious family recipe.

This creamy, flavorful concoction is most commonly referred to as creamed turkey. My husband's family has given it a considerably more colorful name...

Sh*t on a Shingle
Ingredients
1/2 cup flour
1/2 stick margarine or butter
milk
turkey (shredded)
bread (toasted)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine flour and butter in a large skillet. Shred turkey leftovers. Add turkey and milk to skillet until you've reached a cream-of-mushroom/chicken consistency. Should be thick enough to put on plate (not a bowl, like soup). Add salt and pepper to taste. While that is warming, toast bread. When bread is toasted, spoon warm mixture over toast. Enjoy!

394.2663 -- Home sweet home

As long as I can remember, I've wanted a house with a huge front picture window in which to display our Christmas tree. Now this is what I get to come home to every night! Notice the dusting of snow we got that day!

I don't know if you can really see it in this picture, but our tree is that jumble of lights in the front window. Don't bother trying to click on it for a better look... it'll get a little larger and a lot fuzzier! Also, I have no idea why the sky looks so spooky :)

784.83 -- Old band members never die...

... they just wait for their second time around. Needless to say, this marching band was my favorite entry in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. These former marching band and flag corps members, from either high school or college, missed marching way too much to stop. All ages, all abilities. Don't they look like they're having the greatest time?! Here is their official site.

394.2663 -- Christmastime in the city

The day after Thanksgiving -- the start of the Christmas season. I could barely contain my joy at the prospect of setting up our Christmas tree and lights. Because I had to work that day, my patient husband stayed up late with me listening to holiday tunes and putting ornaments on our tree. After a trip to the store for some garland and a tree skirt, here is the finished product. I have no idea why it looks like the middle of the day outside the window. It was dark when I took the picture!

¡Feliz Navidad!

011.73 -- Book Lust

One evening last week, after an early dinner, Matt and I ventured out to start our Christmas shopping. We went to six stores in about 3 hours. An disproportionate amount of that time we spent at a bookstore.

Among the things that I love about my husband is the fact that he can walk away from a bookstore about as easily as he can walk away from a football game. (That is to say, not easily at all.)

So anyway, I spend most of my waking hours around thousands of books. What is it about bookstores that is so captivating? Here is my theory: Library books, by sheer fact that they are being looked after by people who love them, have found their home. Yes, they may get more abused, but the world is a scary place. At least they have a home. Meanwhile, their cousins over at the bookstore are being bought and sold by evil capitalists, only intent on making their next buck. Those books need a home and someone to appreciate them.

And last week, I was only to happy to give three lucky books a good home. Merry Christmas to me :)

641.568 -- Oven-less Ham

So for Thanksgiving, our oven was constantly busy, and constantly changing temperatures. After the turkey came out (see that recipe in a coming post), the green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and dinner rolls went in. Our spiral-sliced ham was homeless. Gigantic crock pot to the rescue! I scouted out some tasty-sounding crock pot "baked" ham recipes, and here's the one we used. It ended up so moist and tender. And it's so easy. I can't wait to make it again!

First, find a crock pot big enough for your ham. Ours was huge, but only because we had to fit 7 pounds of spiral-sliced goodness into it :) Put the ham in the crock pot with whatever juices it's been packed in. In a bowl, mix two cups brown sugar with one cup water. Pour into the crock pot. Add a can of diced pineapple, with all the juice. (Adjust the amount to the size of your ham. The next time we do this, I'll use a much smaller cut. I'll probably halve the recipe.)

If you want to fancy-up the presentation, stud the outside of the ham with pineapple rings instead of just pouring them in. Use toothpicks or cloves to "pin" the rings in place. I did not have time or inclination for this after wrestling a 20-pound turkey into -- and out of -- a basting bag.

We cooked the thing all night on the "warm" setting. Put it on low if you're aiming for it to be done when you get home from work. Put it on high if you've only got 4 hours or so. Since the ham is usually already cooked, you really just have to get it hot all the way through.

394.2649 -- Giving Thanks

Every year at Thanksgiving, my mom's side of the family gathers for a weekend of food, games and general togetherness. This year, I volunteered my house as the venue for the big feast.

Though it included making my and Matt's first turkey and ham, nothing -- not one thing -- could have made that day better. We cooked (stay tuned for the recipes that got the ravingest reviews), ate, talked, and played games. My mom called from England just after dinner, and my brother called from Korea later in the evening. The girls combed through Black Friday ads, while the guys snuck down to the basement to get their battle-board games going.

The last guests didn't leave until almost 12:30 in the morning, and everyone had a good time. It was my favorite Thanksgiving to date.

Sixteen people wanting to eat together meant going to the basement
and moving the pool table out of the way. But we all fit!

After dinner (and dessert) we played some trivia games.
What we discovered: we are no good at English trivia.
Pictured above is team "Better than awesome."
They named themselves obviously.

641.814 -- Did you know?

The "57" that still graces the bottles of miscellaneous Heinz products is actually a misnomer of sorts. At the time the number was introduced to the logo (and as a slogan), the company boasted over 60 different products. Henry Heinz was being completely random when he "cast about" for a suitable number. He liked how 57 looked and sounded, and so the slogan and icon were born. Since then, Heinz has had a long history of 57s -- including their 2001 purchase of the Pittsburgh Steeler's field... for $57 million dollars.

Read here or here for more information.

If you didn't catch on to my extreme subtlety, I'm going to start play "catchup" here on the blog. Don't be surprised when you're inundated with posts :) hehehe

641.5 -- Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Recommended recipes are, in my opinion, the best kind of recipes. In that spirit, I present to you another recipe pilfered from a dear friend. This one is from Jackie. About a year ago, when she was living close enough for me to visit her, I did just that. We scouted the greater Ft. Knox metropolitan area (hah!) for flea markets and other craft opportunities. We looked at furniture, watched movies, and she made this delicious (and too freakin' easy) dinner for us. So good and so impressive, that you'll want to keep the ingredients handy for spur-of-the-moment dinner guests.

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless thin sliced chicken breasts
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tsp Italian season bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Line 9x13 baking dish with foil. Place chicken in pan. Combine the mayo and the Parmesan cheese. Spread over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes.

791.4375 -- Picture show

As a kid, I can remember sitting in our living room watching old James Bond movies during TBS Bond marathons. With only one TV in the house -- and my dad a decided Bond fan -- it was either 007 or nothing. Two years ago, I gave Matt the complete set of Bond movies on DVD as his "deployment extension present." So now there's really no escaping it. And truth be told, I actually really liked Casino Royale and Daniel Craig in the title role. So I was happier than I expected to find out that Matt already bought us tickets to Quantum of Solace for Friday night. I can't wait!

394.264 -- Happy Veterans Day

I'm so proud of my husband Matt for so many reasons, not the least of which is his service in the Army. Today I get to thank him as the rest of America thanks him and all veterans for their service. I wish I had time to post something more thought-provoking or pensive, but my lunch break is waning. Happy Veterans' Day!

Posing outisde a school house in Kamdesh, Afghanistan. Matt is on the left. He's standing nex to our friend Ben Keating, who died 20 days after this picture was taken. On the far right is the Afghan National Army Executive Officer (XO) who was working with our Battalion.

613.79 -- Relaxation

This past Saturday was a rarity around our house: neither Matt nor I had anything planned outside of the home. In fact, we didn't have anything planned to do at all. It was a glorious day, and I'm thankful we got to spend it together. Neither one of us so much as lifted a finger to do laundry, clean dishes, or pay bills. We didn't even get the mail in or check our email. After making pancakes mid-morning, we didn't cook either. It was the first day since we moved into our house 7 months ago that we didn't do a single thing that resembled work. A thoroughly great day.

641.568 -- Thanksgiving recipes

What's not to like about Thanksgiving?! Cold weather, warm family gatherings, and license to eat all of the comfort foods I love the best. This year, my family's Thanksgiving celebration is at my house. Entertaining is one of my favorite things about (finally) having a house that's big enough and close enough to friends and relatives. I couldn't be more excited to host aunts, uncles, cousins, and my grandparents for the holiday (though technically, we'll be celebrating the weekend after the big day).

Excited as I am, however, I'm also a little bit terrified. I've never cooked a whole turkey before, and instead of starting with 2 or 4 people as I normally would, I'm jumping strait to a group of 16. I have no doubt that my trusted sources at allrecipes will do right by me.

Below is the recipe I plan to cook. (I've left the alternate temperature suggestions in for my mom and anyone else who might find themselves cooking in other than the most familiar circumstances.) Do you have any tips or tricks to help this first-time bird baker? Note that any suggestions to use a deep fryer will go unheeded. I'm going traditional this year :)

Ingredients:
1 12-pound whole turkey
6 tbsp butter
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp dried minced onion
4 cups warm water
3 tbsp chicken bouillon
2 tbsp seasoning salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse and wash turkey. Discard the giblets, or add them tot he pan if they are anyone's favorites.

2. Place the turkey in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. (I'll be using the roasting pan.) Separate the skin over the breast to make little pockets. Put 3 tbsp of the butter on both sides between the skin andt he breast meat. This makes for very juicy breast meat.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the water with the bouillon. Sprinkle in the parsley and minced onion. Pour over the top of the turkey. Sprinkle seasoning salt over the turkey.

4. Cover with foil, and bake in the preheated oven 3-1/2 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C). For the last 45 minutes or so, remove the foil so the turkey will brown nicely.