Yummy Green Bean prep!!

I can take no credit for this recipe, but I can tell you that Tiana wouldn't stop eating them, and I had a really hard time, too!  I went to Trader Joe's today and they have little packages of French Green Beans in their fresh produce section.  You can actually cook the beans right in the bag.  Anyway, on the back was this recipe!

Haricots Verts with Shallot Dressing

2 pkgs. French green beans (these are 8oz. packages)

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. dijon mustard

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

1 shallot, minced 

Steam French beans until just tender, 3-8 minutes.

While beans are steaming, whisk together remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. 

Toss steamed beans with dressing and season further with salt and pepper. 

I would think this would be a DELICIOUS salad dressing, too!  Ooh!!  On Spinach salad!!

We are, as a family, starting to go to the gym.  That means we also really must make sure that we have the right food going in so that the whole thing really works well!  So, tonight with the beans we also had broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, and the Fried Chicken that we like, but forget to make!  Of course, what happens when we get home?  The neighbor "kid" dropped off his leftover Halloween candy for us to eat!  He didn't bring much that I like, though, so I suppose that's good!  Gotta get the chocolate out of here is all I can think!

A ghoulish affair

'Twas a Spooky Night

We were invited to join the festivities at the Darkened House on the Dark Side of the Moon.  Many frightful teenagers (aren't they all?!) arrived to enjoy a mysteriously delicious feast attended to by none other than the Butler and "his" staff.  Some great fun was "rustled" up that kept them occupied for the better part of a few hours.

Thanks greatly to the owners of the Manse for allowing us to be a part of a truly mystifying, magical evening not soon to be forgotten!

Morning after update

The Crinkle

So, this morning everyone feels pretty good.  Dad says he's actually not felt so good in a long time!  Tiana is still quite sore and wearing her collar.  But, I think she's going to survive! ;)  Kent took the car to the body shop and we're set to go in on Monday.  It'll take us about 4 days of rental cars.  Anyway, we're good to go. (click the caption!)

Hmmm...

A long week, followed by a long night...So this was NOT my favorite week at work ever, I was pretty tired, mom and dad are here so we all piled in the van and headed up to Five Guys for a burger and some fries.  Following that was to be the big hunt for "the" Halloween costume meant to turn young men's heads!  Not far from our dinner stop we're sitting at a light when all of a sudden BAM! We were rear-ended and almost instantly Tiana starts complaining of lower back/butt pain and crying.  We pull into a parking lot to assess the damage and exchange info with the poor lady that hit us.  Her daughter is quite upset, Tiana's not feeling well, Dad's neck isn't feeling so great, Mom's hair's fallen and Kent and I are okay, although obviously shaken up.  The damage to the car really doesn't look super awful, but knowing the inner-workings, it will be pricey!  There is definitely some damage to the back door, too.  Anyway, the further away we drive, the more the pain increases on Tiana and her neck seems to get worse.  We decide to just go ahead to the urgent care clinic.  They look dad and mom over and send Tiana to x-ray.  They did a series of pictures.  When they get to the one, the Dr. is pretty concerned about the shape of her top vertebra and calls for a backboard and aid car transport to the ER.  Well, that was fun!  We get to ER which is all of about 2 minutes away and wait.  Eventually we head to CT (passing the crazy lady who's in her padded room).  We come back to find out that the malformed vertebra was actually just her front teeth!  They'd x-rayed her neck through her mouth and the shape of the teeth looked like a forked bone on her vertebra!  So, anyway, after spending over an hour on the backboard, needing to use the facilities, we were sent home with a "no P.E." excuse slip, icing instructions and ibuprofen instructions!  Basically, we're dealing with a severe strain of all of her neck and back muscles.  Now, I'm thinking bedtime and some takin' it easy in the morning!  Someday maybe I'll even have her permission to share the photos I took of her being strapped to the gurney and hauled off in the aid car!  And her E.T. finger in the ER!  But for now...Have a good one!

Captivated - ACCOMPLISHED!!!

This story has us captivated!  The 1st rescue actually brought tears to my eyes as the man was reunited with his son and his wife!  I can't wrap my mind about the living conditions these men have been in, or the rescue capsule they are riding in to safety!!
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/13/chile-miners-rescue/

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE RESCUED MINERS AND THEIR LOVED ONES!  CONGRATULATIONS CHILE AND THE  ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THAT COMPLETED THIS AMAZING FEAT IN AMAZING TIME!  May the faith of these men be true all their days!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, HONEY!
18 YEARS
10/10/92


Thank you for the beautiful flowers! And for everything you do to make our house a home!
Love you!

This makes me GIGGLE!

I don't know for sure why this cracks me up, but it does!! Not just the song -- it's funny even without it! Ok, so I changed this. The link is JUST the news report. If you want, after watching that look for one of the remixes! Hilarious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzNhaLUT520