TWTW - the one with the snow

Friday Before work and on work breaks storm prep included cleaning out the leaves, moving a bunch of shit into the outdoor shower, securing porch items upstairs and down, picking up holds at the library, and making cauliflower chowder a la Damn Delicious. We took the dogs down for a good long run since they would not be doing that the next day. Mae nearly walked into the ocean thinking I was in there and MFD had to run and get her. It was a sight to see, I wish I had it on video. Secured some treasures and lolled around at night.

Saturday The snow drifted well up over our apartment door so MFD worked on clearing that right away and the dogs just went in the driveway and came back in. It was still snowing pretty good so after clearing off a path to get into the house upstairs we stayed in. I painted my nails (OPI Ready, Fete, Go, which is beautiful, and Olive & June Besties - I know the world loves Olive & June but I am meh), showered, and started a new book. 

When it let up, we took Billy out for a bit, and I went upstairs to do some dinner prep while MFD watched endless Gold Rush episodes. We took a walk down to the beach when the storm was over over to check out the scenes. 

I wish we waited another hour because it was a banger sunset. There was no way I could get anywhere good to see it as my boots weren't on and I was in the middle of 50 dinner dishes - I made a pretzel crusted chicken in the air fryer, sauteed shaved brussels sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes (not pictured), bratwurst with sauerkraut in the crock, and then raspberry pie filling, a bit of cake mix, some pretzel shortbread, and Jeni's. After cleaning up we went back down to our apartment and I played fetch with both Ben and Billy. Billy plays fetch like a dog.

Sunday was quite lazy and nice. I made sheet pan pancakes (probably will not make again, maybe I would if I liked pancakes more?), then breakfast burritos to freeze. I shoveled for a little over an hour to help free the cars and shovel a path around my neighbor's and MFD was out there for hours digging out and moving snow. I read, hung out with pets, cleaned up a bit, changed sheets, and set up a new habit tracker app because Google sheets is too clunky for me. MFD headed back to Philly with all the pets around 8 and I stayed up late to finish a book.  

First time I've been without any pet at all in a while!  I'm on the move this week a bit myself. 

Have a good Monday!

Thursday Thoughts - say what you wanna say and let the words fall out

1. Every day is International Women's Day in my house, but today is the official day. Press for progress, women.

2. What a feminist is/is not.

3. What a feminist is definitely fucking not.

And sorry, I can't resist. But I'm with you Amy Siskind. Remember when people when nuts because Obama wore a tan suit? This guy’s got dick pics about to be released, attempted to pay off a stripper, likely violated election law in the process, and then neglected to sign the contract so it’s all coming out anyway.

4. Birthday sneakers. Blue? Gray? Neither? The blue are a more me color but I think I like the execution of the gray better. ONE WEEK OUT, people. Birthday. One week.

5. Thanks so much for the supportive words on yesterday's post. It's very freeing to put it out there, warts and all, and own your fuckups and still feel supported. Especially when reporters call wanting to talk to your husband specifically about everything he’s ever done wrong. What a world we live in. Truly, from both me and MFD...thank you. And try it, living your full truth. You'll always have support from me.

6. Me: let me open the shore house this weekend! March: Sit down. Yesterday's scene. Another storm forecasted for Monday. MFD was out for hours shoveling us and neighbors out. I was working and if we’re speaking freely which we always are here, avoiding the shoveling.

7. Some days I just fucking can't. This is happening, and it's not happening only to the criminals everyone loves to wave around when they say they don’t like immigrants. This is happening to human beings doing everything right. Read the whole thing here on janefultonalt instagram. I couldn't even go back and screenshot it again. I ask the same, Jane. Can this be my country? I mean, it clearly is. How can this be my country? Clean DREAM Act now. And stop the demonization, torturing, and harassment of immigrants. Is ICE the SS? What in the fuck is happening while we sit in our houses and bitch about stupid shit? Get on the phone or the ResistBot. Make the calls. You know what to do. 

8. Show Us Your Books on Tuesday - sneak peak: I stayed up until 2 am to finish this book. That's a sure recommendation. Bruce apparently likes to read too. He prefers kindles.

9. Reminder.

10. E-card of the week. Chill, nor'easters. 

Today is my Mom Mom's birthday - I grew up at that fierce knee. She has more to do with who I am and how I am than even my parents. I've missed her every day for over 20 years now, but I've always felt her when I needed her. They do not leave us, only their bodies do. 

Do you want to build a snowman? NO.

Unless you're Bruce Springsteen. Then the answer is yes. This dog cannot get enough of the snow. It's nice to have another snow loving dog like my Geege was.

Yesterday I worked from home due to the weird weather. I love working from home because no commute gives me at least two additional hours and I can spend my lunch time getting my shit in order.

Scenes from the snow day:

Snoozy dogs, clean sheets, a man who waits for low temps and high winds to put the glass front door in, los perros waiting for ham handouts from MFD's split pea soup, Gris, my dinner.

After iced coffee, peppermint tea. Candles all day, Mae will not be persuaded to go outside, snoozy Bruce after running and playing in the snow many many many times, and tarted up my nails (Essie Cashmere Bathrobe and Sally Insta-Dri Set Sail topped with Sally Insta-Dri Grape Shifter).

And I ate. Everything. What is it about snow that makes me hungry?

I purchased The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day thanks to Rachael's recommendation and pre-ordered Fire and Fury: Inside the trump White House - not my type of book but it will go up his ass so, yes. Sold.

I kept my eye on any number of groups and accounts on Facebook for photos of the shore every time I got an emergency alert from the city. Ocean City got fucking hammered. We will not go down this weekend because they're still trying to clean up the streets and we don't need to be in the way. We'll go down and check it out next weekend.

Today it's the big ass freeze. I hope you're staying inside. I might not leave the house until Monday. It's not fit for man or beast out there.

Happy happy birthday to my father-in-law today!

Have a good weekend my friends!

TWTW - the one with the snow

One of my favorite events of the year is the Army/Navy Pep Rally in Liberty Place right next to my office. The place is packed and there's a lot of good energy. Video here.

Friday night was a soup and grilled cheese, fall asleep on the couch before 10 kind of night.

Saturday 
I did some food prep, hung with the dogs, painted my nails (Zoya Pandora, ho hum neutral), and laughed at Bruce experiencing snow for the first time. He was mystified and also tearing ass all over the yard.

Debbie and I went on guided street art walking tour in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philly with Conrad from Streets Dept blog. Tours are over for the winter, but if you like public art, check back with him in the spring! I love street art, and we both really enjoyed it. It was a beautiful winter wonderland but walking around in wet snow for two hours was fucking cold. I shared some more of the art on Instagram in this post and this post.

The drive back to the northeast was mildly treacherous so I was happy to get home. MFD was Clark Griswolding it up, baking peanut butter cookies, listening to Christmas music, and photographing his outdoor Christmas shit in the snow. ho ho ho. I made stuffed pepper soup and we watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2. I read Wonder starting in the morning and finishing at night. 

Sunday

After throwing beef stew in the crockpot, which involved searing the meat, I jetted over to get a himalayan pink salt massage, smelling of stew. Charming. Otherwise I read a book, ran the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen, did the laundry, and hung with the dogs. I'd like to tell you I cleaned out my health and beauty aids, cleaned up the shit from the shore that had taken residence on the spare room bed, and changed the bedding in there, which I've been meaning to do for 407 months now but alas I read a book from start to finish and did none of that shit. We did watch Superbad and I ordered the light fixtures for electrical work we're getting done at the shore in January. Merry Christmas, shore house!

Weekly food prep

Breakfast is kodiak waffles with syrup; snacks are hard boiled eggs and honey crisp apples; lunch is stuffed pepper soup; dinner is beef stew over egg noodles and turkey thighs with mashed sweet potatoes and snap peas. 

Happy birthday to my dear long-time friend Meem today!

Two weeks from today, it'll be Christmas. Tomorrow, it'll be Show Us Your Books.

See you back here for that! 

Thursday Thoughts - the Ides of March plus one

1. Tuesday I worked from home because of Stelllaaaaaaaa and yesterday I was off for my birthday because I don't work on my birthday. It took MFD over three hours to dig out my car yesterday from the plows encasing it in ice after it was dug out initially on Tuesday. Birthday celebrations will continue well into spring due to this March winter fuckery. Is spring ever arriving?

2. So basically I didn't have to commute for two days, only wore lounge attire, and never left my house. Oh, and ate. We ate a lot. Birthday eve dinner was crab legs and pizza rolls because we fancy. MFD got petit fours and my favorite cookies from a local bakery. I went traditional Irish for my birthday dinner with roasted corned beef and colcannon and followed that up with the Edible Arrangement Dad & Carol sent. Sing it with me: these are a few of my favorite things.

3. For my birthday every year I basically just want to hang with MFD and my dogs, and even though I like to spend some of it outside and couldn't do that yesterday without freezing my ass off, that's what I did. If there was one being in our house that was more annoyed with the cold and snow than I was, it was certainly Maisel, who spent most of her time being hateful Hazel. MFD made this banner but unknowingly taped it together backwards so that gave us a good laugh to start the morning. He went out of his way to make my birthday great given that we weren't doing anything close to what we originally planned to do. We were together and that's what matters. Thanks to everyone who called, sent a text, emailed, tweeted, messaged, facebooked, etc. Your wishes made a great day even better!

4. The same day I was opening 40th cards, I got a pack of stickers from Teen Vogue. Things that make you go hmm. I also opened my new pin. Tra la la. If you watched Rachel Maddow's 3/14 tax show and were disappointed by it, let me know if you want me to pass along something I read that stated why it was important that she set it up like she did. My birthday activism included nearly killing myself on ice to mail my postcards to the White House and faxing my representatives through ResistBot asking them to demand that the president release his taxes.

5. New dog art hung.

6. I tried LipSense - pink champagne - and I like it. I put it on before bed one night and it stayed on all night. Then I put it on in the morning and it stayed on most of the day. It's not unusual for me to spend $24 on a lip product - I typically use Fresh Sugar Ruby - so the price of LipSense doesn't bother me. It didn't dry my lips out. The only thing I don't like is that I have to use the gloss it comes from or it doesn't stay on. I'm famous for reaching in my bag and using whatever moisturizing product is in there, regardless of what I already have on my lips. I was looking for a neutral color and pink champagne is good for me.

7. Thanks to the awesome people I know (some of you guys here), I raised $1000 and MFD raised $1220 for the for Covenant House Pennsylvania Sleep Out we're doing on March 24 to raise $$ and awareness for homeless kids. Covenant House provides an immediate safe harbor for homeless kids under 21 who don't fit the regular shelter qualifications but also works to help these kids become self sufficient going forward and go on to live successful lives. Read about last year's sleep out here. Want to sleep out? Join our team! If this cause touches your heart, please consider joining us or donating to our team. You all rock and these kids need all the support they can get. Thank you thank you thank you. And thanks to Joe & Catie for introducing us to this event last year.

8. Tomorrow is the spring goal linkup with me & Sara!

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9. Reminder: Every month is women's history month, but especially this month. This week I have to feature the Queen since we share a birthday.

10. E-card of the week: I had to, right?

Sorry for you, but not for me, this is not the last you will hear of me turning 40. 

Linking up with Kristin & Joey 

TWTW - the first one of spring

Well, Friday sucked the wang. I was at the emergency vet with Gus on Thursday night and only got two hours of sleep so I was snarky to begin with. When I got off the train, heavy snow waited to be cleaned off the car. I was wearing boots but my wool coat was soaked and I was full of raaage. Way to suck, first day of spring. I was in bed by 7 p.m. and everyone was safer for it.

Saturday morning I did my weekly food prep - savory oatmeal for breakfast; hard boiled eggs, apples, and snow peas for snacks; a whole roasted chicken; butternut squash mac and cheese-ish (recipe coming tomorrow); and I began the long process of making bone broth for the dogs using the bones from the whole chicken. Lunches are soup from the freezer and butternut squash mac and cheese-ish.

Forces conspired against me on Friday so I missed my first 40 minutes of exercise in 31 days. Rage! So Saturday I went to the gym and made that up, then splurged on $7 worth of flowers in honor of spring. I usually make a game of seeing what I can get for $3, LOL. I also got my refillable coffee mug so I get 99 cent iced coffee until June. Boom. Thanks DD Perks!

Saturday night we went to MFD's work bowling thing to benefit a local homeless organization. Realtors + homeless charity = good fit.

Then we headed over to listen to Frank play at Dolan's in Burlington, NJ, for a few hours, and in honor of my birthday he sang one of my favorites - Soon Forget by Pearl Jam. I loved it. Thanks Fronk!

Sunday morning I was up and out of the house by 7:20 to get my 40 in for the day.

I met up with my lovely friends AEB and Alicia for breakfast at the Vintage Grille in Doylestown and had eggs benedict over a crab cake along with excellent conversation as always.

I laid around on my ass with the dogs for a while before unloading the dishwasher, cleaning up the kitchen, laying out my clothes for the week, and changing sheets. I planned on being more productive but sometimes you just have to say fuck it, you know? The dogs love when I say fuck it and lay around.

Sunday night we were off to Tacconelli's in Maple Shade, NJ, to have dinner with Michelle & Bob and Amanda & Frank. Holy shit, that was awesome pizza. That white pizza with roasted red peppers? Whoa nelly. I wanted to lick the pan it was served on. Of course dinner was punctuated with lots of laughs. I love my framily. I also had cannoli cake which you can see on Instagram.

And in more birthday news, I got superb smelling lotion from Alicia - local yogis, check out The Prancing Peacock Yoga Studio with gorgeous locations in Langhorne and Yardley - they also offer spa treatments and have a really cool shop. This lotion is from there and I can't get enough of it. I got an awesome sign and blinged out new bookmark and a bottle of wine from Amanda & Frank too. Birthday celebrations continue!

Other weekend things:
-I went out with chipped nails two days in a row and my life did not come crashing down around me.

It's Monday, mon frer. Tell me something good.

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending