beer float

i have been dreaming of beer floats ever since i read this post. here is my very lame attempt:

the problem was, i didn't write the name of the beer down so when i went shopping i tried to do it by memory. nothing looked or sounded familiar. i made several attempts, all without ever going back to read the post again. i was finally so desperate that i decided to ask some people who looked like beer connoisseurs. they looked at me like i was crazy and then sent the vons clerk over to help me. he had absolutely no clue either but he suggested a light, blond beer. something danish, i believe. well, i ran home to make it and was sadly disappointed with the result. i realize my first mistake was not writing it down and my second mistake was shopping at vons...as my husband put it, "vons?!? really?" i do have to say that once the foam went down and it sat for a while, it became less bitter and the ice cream was actually very good. i'm going to try it again, using the proper ingredients, because i am still obsessed with this darn float.

for those of you interested in making one, use old rasputin and go heavy on the ice cream.

current obsessions (other than o:gt)

book: the help by kathryn stockett
i can't put this book down. i have read several great books this year (and last) but this one might be at the top of my favorites list.

beauty item: happy birthday nail polish from deborah lippman

cause: jamie oliver's food revolution
if you haven't already, sign the petition. it amazes me that we can get "one million people for" some lame  cause on facebook yet only four hundred thousand people have signed on for this one. have you seen - or tasted - the crap they serve kids in school? i had the opportunity to have school lunch with my son not too long ago and i almost threw up. yes, i will admit that i wasted the food (even though there are starving kids everywhere) and i am not ashamed to say so. i'm not sure i would feed that food to a stray dog. i was horrified. even more horrified because a month or so earlier i had given in to my son's begging to let him purchase lunch at school. worse, he never once complained about the food. ?!? needless to say, he's back to brown-bagging it (not literally, considering he has three lunch boxes).

jewelry: lisa leonard's itty bitty hearts necklace

i typically don't like jewelry but i want this necklace.

almost there

operation: green thumb...

we finally sifted through the dirt and made our planting rows. it was hard work but the hardest part is proving to be the plant selection. what to grow, what to grow? so far we have lots of lettuce, squash, green beans, red bell peppers and eggplant. we also have chives, basil, cilantro, italian parsley, pumpkins, cucumber and chocolate mint...yes, chocolate mint. we're going to purchase more vegetables this weekend. can't wait.

 chocolate mint. mojitos, anyone? seriously, these plants grow wild so we'll soon have plenty to go around. expect this to be in every recipe. so far, i just enjoy chewing the leaves...natural breath freshener.

 chives. basil. one thing i have discovered is that herbs are happy little plants that thrive without much care. the cilantro went wild and took over the basil so i had to move the basil into its own space. i think it's much happier now.

hello, cutie. the pumpkins are finally sprouting. i was getting worried about them but then bam! they sprouted a few hours later. i don't have a place for them yet so i'm hoping they'll last here for another week or so.

serenity sunday

in motion

operation: green thumb is...in motion!

after years of talking about starting a garden, we finally broke dirt.

today is one of the very best days ever (right up there with marriage and childbirth). i'll tell you why. my husband is a big, ole couch potato. he loves to sit in the recliner and play video games (which i abhor) or watch the history channel. getting him outdoors is not easy, even though, once outdoors he loves it. last night, i chose a plot in the yard and i started turning over the dirt (it was very, very hard...the dirt, not the job). anyway, he came outside once i was done and was shocked. this morning? he woke up, had some coffee, made the kids breakfast and then hauled us all outside to really "dig in" and it was so much fun. the four of us were outdoors all day. we only took a break to drive to a local garden to learn some tips and to purchase some plants. in a few days we'll start the planting (once i started digging, i discovered a mass of roots and large rocks. so, we spent the day making dirt piles, removing rocks and destroying roots).

it's in the stars

my glamour horoscope says:

 on may 4th, mars introduces you to someone you were destined to meet -- and who may change the course of your life. could be biz or pleasure, either way it's major. be open-minded about new people.

my whole world stopped for a second when i read this and i haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. i know this is just silly magazine stuff and there are millions of scorpios out there but i am fascinated by astrology and truly believe that everything happens for a reason. so, i know that i was supposed to buy that glamour even though i haven't read that magazine in at least a year and i know i was supposed to read my horoscope. i just know it. so, i will carry on. i will patiently wait for may 4th and i will hope that my eyes are open enough to realize who i am supposed to meet. 

and, while i wait, is it okay if i wish for this person to be someone who will help boost my educational and career goals? in honor of my word for 2010: pursue, i have registered at a local college and i have submitted my fafsa application. being that i am unemployed and, seemingly unemployable, (since i have applied to hundreds of jobs in the last 21 months) i am taking matters into my own hands. i am leaving behind a dreadful field (thank you previous job for helping me realize this and sorry to my friends who continue to work in and love this field) to start anew. i'm doing this even though my funds have dried up and i should be out there working full time to help support my family. instead, i am embracing faith and the belief that the stars are aligned in my pursuit of...life, love and happiness. 

operation: green thumb

i always rant and rave about growing my own food, having a nice yard, a good place to entertain, etc, yet i never do anything about it. i sit here thinking about all the possibilities and then i become overwhelmed. i tell myself every excuse in the book, the best one being that i just don't have a green thumb. well...here's to operation: green thumb. pursue is my word, right? that's what i'm doing. wish me luck.

so far, i have planted lettuce, red bell peppers, green beans, basil, cilantro and italian leaf parsley. i also have sunflowers sprouting and we are attempting to grow (from seeds) pumpkins and cucumbers. my chore list is long but i'm learning that yard work is so relaxing and incredibly rewarding.

purple hearts