NEW BLOG!!!

The wait is over... Excited to see what you were waiting for? Here is my new and improved blog:

www.aprilziegler.com

This blog will be retired, so check the new blog for any future updates. If you read this blog through a reader, don't forget to change RSS feed. I hope you enjoy the new look... Happy reading!  

Something New...

I know this blog is being neglected. And yes, I realize that I missed Monster Monday. My Mom reminded me of it. But I've been busy working on something new to be revealed shortly. Something fresh and fun. Something that is a little more 'me'. I'll keep you posted!

Adios Summer...

This photo was taken on Sunday, which would have been the last official day of summer. Can you believe it? It saddens me to have to say goodbye to this delicious summertime light. Here's hoping that autumn light is just as yummy...

I like this age a whole lot...

When they're old enough to be plopped down in random locations but not quite fast enough to get up and run away. And they're still attracted to funny noises behind the camera. Apparently, they grow out of that...

Meet Tucher...

Look who I got to hang out with on Sunday... Tucher. He's only 8 weeks old and is already pretty much the cutest little ball of fur you'll ever meet. And totally worth getting up every hour on the hour to go outside, right Judy?

A Very Special Monster Monday...

Today is a very special Monster Monday... One where Chloe would like to wish her Grammy a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I love you, Mom... and I hope you have a great birthday. Can't wait for the Phils game tonight! Woot!

Chasing Hot Air Balloons...

When I was young, I remember being mesmerized by hot air balloons. I suppose that most kids are. We would try to follow them, to figure out where they'd land. I always wanted to ride in one. Now that I'm older, I'd probably be scared to ride in one. Funny how things work out. I saw this one when I was out on my deck so I tried to zoom in on it... I didn't chase it, this time.

Happy Birthday, love!

Dearest Kevin,

I hope you have a fabulous birthday, despite the fact that we're working when we should be celebrating. Granted, this year we're not in an amazing location like in years past... last year we spent in San Francisco, the year before in Italy... but I think we can both appreciate the fact that we get to celebrate another year together. And that rocks.

Thank you for being the most amazing husband I could ask for. For the countless dinners cooked, dishes washed, loads of laundry done, and housecleanings. For always making me smile. For the surprise cards and flowers for no reason. For always finding my car keys, and any other things I may have misplaced. For doing the grocery shopping. For the backrubs, even when your own hands hurt. For working so hard that you're exhausted by 7pm. For humoring me and my camera, even though you don't like your photo taken much less posted on the internet. For understanding that my messyness inherent. For motivating me to get off my behind. For always supporting my decisions. For mushroom omlettes. For taking Chloe out on Saturday mornings so I can stay in my jammies just a little bit longer. For the many, many things that I haven't mentioned. For being the strength that has carried me through what has arguably been the most challenging year of my life. For everything that you are.

You deserve the most wonderful birthday ever.

I love you, boa. Happy 31st.

Meat coma...

Last night we went out for Kev's birthday dinner. His actual birthday is tomorrow. But last night we celebrated. We went to Fogo de Chao in Philadelphia. It's a Brazilian steakhouse where Gauchos come to your table with different cuts of meat on skewers that are carved at your table. You can try, or not try, anything. Each person has a two-sided card, red and green, so when you're ready for more you turn to the green side and when you've had enough, you turn to the red. When I first heard of it I knew it'd be perfect for Kev.

We started out with the insanely large salad bar and lots of veggies. And then we turned our cards to green. The Gauchos swarmed in on us. They were like seagulls at the shore and within minutes our plates were filled to the brim with filet mignon, picanha (garlic sirloin), alcatra (top sirloin), fraldinha (bottom sirloin), costela (beef ribs), cordeiro (leg of lamb), costela de porco (pork ribs), pork sausages, chicken drumsticks, and chicken and filet wrapped in bacon. I was stunned. Where do you even start? Along with the massive plate of meat, they bring each table a basket of warm cheese bread, fried bananas, polenta, and seasoned mashed potatoes. It was fun to get to try different things, and then go for more of your favorites. It was a fun experience, something different, and Kev enjoyed his birthday dinner. I don't think I've ever been so full...

Festivities...

Happy 3rd Birthday Chloemonster! Despite what you'd think by her expression, Chloe's birthday was FUN! Presents, birthday hats, balloons, and doggy birthday cake. Yes, I said cake. I baked my very first cake EVER for Chloe's birthday on Sunday. It was made from a recipe that I found online specifically for dogs. Perfect. She loved it.

I took some photos throughout the day. As a disclaimer, they have little to no photographic merit. They were merely to document the good time that we had celebrating our girl's day...

Everyone's favorite part of baking... Licking the beaters!

And the final product:

Looks yummy, no? I tried it. Not so much. Chloe seemed to enjoy her piece but I wouldn't recommend it for human consumption. Here's the recipe if you'd like to bake for your own pup:

Peanut Butter Carrot Cake

1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup shredded carrots, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/3 cup honey, 1 egg.

Mix all ingredients and then bake at 350 for 30 minutes in a greased 8in round cake pan. I actually doubled the recipe and used a 9in pan and it made a big honkin cake.

Frosting was made by blending cottage cheese and adding a small amount of peanut butter.

Here's a photo of her birthday loot... Lucky girl...

It's hard work being the birthday girl...

Birthday Girl...

Doesn't she look thrilled? Ha. My baby girl is 3 today. Happy Birthdy Chloemonster! I can hardly believe it. She is still so much a puppy. I have a feeling she always will be. We love her to pieces and couldn't imagine our family without her. She had a lovely birthday today, without a doubt. More photos to come of all the festivities...

Holiday weekend...

The long weekend completely threw me off and I was just about to write my Monster Monday post. But today is Tuesday. Doh.

Thank goodness for long weekends. We caught up on some much needed rest and spent some time outdoors enjoying the weather. Yesterday morning was bright and sunny so we decided to hit up the Perkiomen trail with the Chloe girl. Seems that half our town had the same idea. It was PACKED. Bikers galore. Chloe gets a little sketched out when the bikers fly by her. And there was some drama when she got bit in the leg by a bee. {do bees really bite?} All in all, it was a good excursion...

iPhone...

This is the first post from my new iPhone! Woot! I'm so amused that I'm posting from our couch. Though I haven't figured out how to include photos.

Big news - I got a new job! Same company, new position. Movin on up. I decided that an iPhone would be the perfect congratulatory gift to myself. I love it already... in a very unhealthy way.

Monster Monday...

So, I missed the Monster Monday post last week and no one even called me out on it! Didn't you miss having Chloe's adorable face to brighten your Monday morning? Here she is on a walk. There's nothing that she loves more than going for walks. Except maybe sticks. And her soccer ball. And fridge packs. Actually, she has a love/hate relationship with the fridge packs.

Chillaxing...

I spent most of today just relaxing on my lounger, enjoying the late summer sunshine on our deck, and reading. It was bliss. Sometimes it's nice to have a day to do absolutely nothing. Chloe agrees...

Adventures in Dogsitting...

My Mom agreed to dogsit for a friend while his family was on vacation. This meant that their two chocolate labs came to stay at my parents... joining their two pugs and subjecting them to my camera. Chaos...

Sushi masters...

Today was my belated birthday. For my real birthday back in June, Kev surprised me with a Sushi Workshop at a local culinary school. What a GREAT idea. Big props to Kev. The first open class was today. I was a little intimidated... my talent in the kitchen is admittedly limited. But the thought of being able to make my own sushi was enticing. The class was so much FUN! The instructor was great at explaining and demonstrating how things are done... even a cooking novice like myself could catch on. And I can honestly say that this is something that we'll definitely try on our own. We came into the room to Miso Soup and Salt and Pepper Edamame and after snacking a bit we started the workshop. We learned how to make Cucumber Rolls, Spicy Tuna Rolls, California Rolls and Hand Rolls. And we ended the workshop by all sitting at an adorably set up table to enjoy our very own sushi and some sake. Good times!

The Viking Cooking School has schools in several different states.... I recommend this class if there's a location near you! And I only have two photos from my point&shoot... I got way too caught up in the sushi-making and completely forgot about my camera.

Wasting time before class started...

and a kind-of-hard-to-see view of the classroom...

Rough day...

This is a scene that I've grown accustomed to... Sleeping husband. Half full bottle of beer. Both still upright. Ha! I can't tell you how many times he's fallen asleep like this and we have yet to have a beer casualty. Talent, I tell ya...

Monster Monday...

I've decided to institute a new blog segment called Monster Monday. I'll {try to} share a few photos of Chloe and her antics every Monday. After all, what better way to begin the work week than with a dose of the Chloemonster? It makes me happy just thinking about it. This doesn't mean that I won't share photos of Chloe on other days of the week as well... as we all know that I don't have too many willing photo subjects and she is easily bribed.

Chloe, doing her best imitation of Edith Ann; Lily Tomlin's character from back in the Laugh-In days...

Remember this? Or am I the only old one here?

Looking quite regal. Or scared to move. You decide...

View from our front porch...

Seeing this out our front windows made a rainy day so much more bearable...

Just because...

He makes me smile. Big. Goofy. Smiles. He calls it my 'Joker smile.' It can be brought on my many things, like when he brings me sunflowers and a bottle of Malbec for no reason at all. Just because he was thinking of me on the way home from work. Just because he knows that sunflowers remind me of way back when we first started dating and he showed up at my door with flowers for the first time. Just because it's Wednesday. Just because...

Monster shots...

I thought I'd share some photos of the Chloemonster since I haven't posted much about her recently. She's still getting her fair share of camera time...

And this last one is technically a disaster but it makes me laugh so I'll post it anyway. This is Chloe, mid-bark/bounce. Note that she can not do one without the other. She's funny, that one...

CDs...

My parents got us a printer for Christmas that allows you to print directly onto a CD. Pretty cool. And so much easier than those labels that you stick to the CD. It's an Epson RX680. Here is my first attempt. Far from perfect but still cute, I think...

Weekend Recap...

It's a good day when the husband takes the initiative to plan something for us to do. Always fun. Every week Kev watches a show called Digphilly. It's local show that introduces cool restaurants and stores, announces events, and reviews local bands. Last week he saw something on the show that he knew I'd love. So on Saturday he took me to the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown to see a special exhibit... Dog Dogs. It is a collection of over 60 black-and-white photographs taken by photographer Elliott Erwitt between 1946 and 2000. He is the master of candid moments that speak of the relationships involved. Anyone who is a dog lover will feel a connection with these touching, often hilarious photographs. I loved the exhibit. Here is one of my favorite images, taken in 1946 in NYC by the talented Elliott Erwitt...

Two of my favorite things... dogs and photography. My husband is the best. I love that man. Here are a few photos of the museum...

Which one is the real statue? Can barely tell, can you? I'm good...

After wandering the museum, we headed to Main St to do some shopping. We stopped at a bookstore and Kev's favorite record store and ended up in a café for lunch. Who would have thought that shrimp tempura would go so well with strawberries, pineapple and kiwi in sushi form? Genius...

and I will leave you with Kev's face when he grows weary of the camera. It's bound to happen, even after a fun day...