Birthday Weekend!


This weekend was my birthday, and it was awesome! When I got up on Saturday morning, Greg had baked me some birthday chocolate chip cookies (since a whole cake is a bit too much for us). He had ALSO gone shopping and gave me a present in traditional Froehle wrap; i.e., the Sunday funnies. As you can see in the background here, he was also making our traditional Saturday morning breakfast of blueberry waffles. I had a wonderful waffle and a cup of coffee with my birthday cookie.

The present turned out to be a lovely, olive-green shirt jacket from Chico's. Since green is hands-down my favorite color and Chico's is also on my top three favorite stores right now, this present was an instant hit.

After breakfast, I went for a walk and took my shower. Greg went to take a nap, exhausted from cooking and wrapping gifts and stuff. :-) So I took off to get a massage and to get my nails done. It is sort of like the "spring cleaning" of personal care since I got my hair done on Thursday. I should be good for a little while.

In the evening, we had plans to meet our friends, Mickey and Maribeth, in the Cultural District for dinner at Six Penn Kitchen. We got dressed up and had a great meal there before our show at the Benedum Center, "La Boheme." This was the first time we had seen this opera even though it is in the top 3 Italian operas staged in the U.S. I looked it up on Wikipedia before the show and read the story and the history; and the show lived up to its reputation. We really enjoyed it!

This evening we called Katy and David on Skype and talked to them while they ate spaghetti. Katy wanted me to play BINGO with her on Skype, but I couldn't see the cards. Maybe Daddy will scan some of them and send me a few so we can play next week.

Thanks to all my great friends and family who sent cards and called and gave me e-mail wishes. It was an amazing day, and I am sooooo lucky to be alive with all of you out there.

Celebrating our Birthdays; David and Oma!

David's birthday is Friday; he will be one year old. Oma's birthday is Saturday; she will be older than one year old. :-) This weekend Opa and I went to Columbus to help David get started on his celebration and to start my party, too.

On Saturday morning, we got up and had our Saturday waffles that Opa always makes for us. Then we hung out for a while and opened David's birthday package. It was a Fold 'N Go Barn from Melissa & Doug. Katy helped David with the unwrapping part. Then we opened all the doors to the barn and put the animals in and sang a chorus or two of Old MacDonald to intiate the barn.

Later we ate lunch before heading off to Graeter's for David's first chocolate ice cream!

On Saturday afternoon, Emily took Opa and Melanie and me out to see their new house in Westerville. It was sunny and warm, and we walked around the new yard and peeked in the windows. It is a great place; and they will be moving in about six weeks when all the paperwork and things settle. Then we went on to church and made our way back home for dinner and a quiet evening . . . well, as quiet as it ever gets anyway.

On Sunday morning, Katy and David stayed at home with Opa and me while Brian and Emily went out for brunch and a walk. We had fun playing computer games with Bert and Ernie and playing some more with the new barn and reading books and just snuggling.

When Brian and Emily came home, we got all our hugs and kisses good-bye and left to meet Mary and Matthew for lunch out in Dublin. We stopped at their apartment and then follow them to a neat little place called Anna's on Sawmill Road. It had a nice buffet that allowed us to try a lot of new and interesting food. They also had the most garlicy, wonderful hummus I have ever eaten. It was HEAVENLY. :-) Unfortunately, I was so busy talking to Mary and Matthew that I neglected to take any pictures. But we had a great afternoon and headed back to Pittsburgh from there.

So besides the fact that Ohio State lost in double overtime Friday night in the NCAA tournament, we had a really good weekend. But at least Pitt is still in the running. All is not lost.

It's Monday again. Here we go again!

Dinner at Passport Cafe with Kathy -- another one.


Tonight I met my friend, Kathy, at Passport Cafe for dinner. Kathy and I are Zonta buddies and golfer buddies . . . although she is much better than I am at golf. She is also better than I am at picking out wine, which makes her a great dinner companion as well.


We had the special chicken entree with blueberry and lime sauce and roasted brussels sprouts and rhutabaga. It was WONDERFUL. So was the cappucino I had for dessert.


Here is Michael. He was our waiter. We ate outside on the patio on MARCH 18! Can you believe it? Anyway, Michael is my all-time favorite waiter. I think I have said that before. Now you can see what he looks like.



Michael will take excellent care of you if you visit the Passport Cafe. Tell him Kathy sent you.

St. Patrick's Reprise!

I love this holiday! It's so . . . green!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!

When IRISH Eyes are Smilin' . . . . watch it here and smile.

BEAD FOR LIFE . . . a new favorite place!


On Wednesday at my Zonta meeting, there was a representative from Bead for Life presenting the program. As most of you already know, I love to make jewelry and am always on the lookout for interesting beads and components for my art. I am especially fond of beads and findings and pendants made by women who are gaining economic independence by making and selling these pieces. (Antelope Beads is another one of these places.)

Bead for Life is based in southern Uganda; and it is an organization that markets the hand-made beads of a group of women who HAND ROLL each bead from paper and glue. The beads and the designs are exquisite. They also have lots of necklaces and bracelets and chokers already put together for people who want to buy the jewelry. The prices are very affordable (most things $20 and under). The colors and patterns are lovely.

I've added Bead for Life to my web shopping list on the left. I would encourage you to check them out and to consider them for gifts and for "statement jewelry" for yourself. Wear their pieces proudly. You are helping to eliminate poverty in women and girls by buying these designs.

If anybody is interested in a pair of Bead for Life earrings in either red or gold, let me know if your ears are pierced and which color you would like. I'll make you a pair of poverty eliminating earrings!

Oh, I joined Facebook this week, too. I really can't decide if I can keep up with another "collaboration platform" in my life. I personally enjoy the blog a bit more because I can ramble more. But feel free to look me up on there if you are a FB fanatic. Although this blog has more of my life right now than Facebook.

I am homesick for Columbus and the kids and Katy and David. Little David will be a year old coming up on the 27th. Time has really flown by; and he will undoubtedly be walking soon. We are headed over for a birthday celebration really soon or I would be very sad.

Lunch with Shane and Louisa!




Thursday I got to meet my friend, Shane, and her 6-month-old daughter, Louisa, for lunch. Shane and I have been long-time lunch buddies at Federated over the last few years; and I have really missed her since she went on maternity leave and then extended into FMLA leave when her husband was called to Iraq on reserve duty. We met at Atria's, and it was great to catch up on her life and my Oma and Mom stories for the last six months.





Louisa was a VERY GOOD girl . . . well, she was pretty interested in grabbing silverware and stuff. But what do you expect when exploring the world is your full-time job? Anyway, Shane and I promised to get together again really soon . . . especially since the weather is getting better.



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"A Powerful Noise," the movie I saw Thursday night, was . . . well, powerful. It was a documentary about three women from Vietnam, Bosnia, and Mali who have done amazing things in terrible circumstances to help women overcome poverty and political and economic diversity. After the movie, there was a live simulcast (sp?) of a panel discussion with Madeleine Albright and Natalie Portman and Dr. Helene Gayle and others. My soapbox would include asking you to read two screens of web text here: http://www.apowerfulnoise.org/womenandpoverty.html Make the world a better place for everybody. Educate your girls!! Check out the web site for more information.

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Okay, finally, Greg and I had a revelation last night (Friday). After going to a movie on Thursday, I remembered that I kind of like doing this occasionally in the evening. Someone at church last week mentioned "Slumdog Millionaire" to us and said it was worth seeing. Then there was a brief reference to it Thursday night in the panel discussion. So I asked Greg if he wanted to catch a quick dinner and see this movie on Friday after work.

We met at Boston Market for a quick dinner. This turned out to cost us $8.49 because Greg had a coupon for one free entree with a purchase. SWEET! We were ready to drop a twenty at the theater because it was evening instead of a matinee like we usually do. When we bought our tickets, they were $13! AHA!!! The teenager at the booth gave us the SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT! OMG!! We're over 55! Our whole evening cost $21.49. I hate to say I am a cheap date; but I AM!

With this revelation, my social life has just improved dramatically, folks. I see a whole bunch of dinner and a movie dates in my future. So what movies are worth seeing? Anybody seen anything lately worth watching. (The previews were not too promising, I must admit.)

A POWERFUL NOISE! TONIGHT!

http://www.youtube.com/apowerfulnoise

WHEW! We made it through February!

Yes, February is the longest short month of the year. Even with a few warm days there toward the end, it sort of felt like a long, cold march over the mountains. But, CHIN UP! It's now March!

Greg has spent all weekend fixing things around here that have all of a sudden gone nuts! Thursday when I was getting ready for work, I kept hearing this dripping in the bedroom. I finally found the drip, and it was coming from the window dripping down from the ceiling above where the wind blows water up under the capper on the top of the roof. The wind has taken a few more shingles up there this winter. We are hoping for the wind to be kind to us until we can get that fixed. Greg REALLY doesn't care for repair work up there. If you've been to our house, you know that the back is 3 stories on the edge of a hill. It is a great view from the deck. It looks like Mount Everest from the top of the roof over the master bedroom.

Anyway, yesterday when I went to open the garage to run some errands, the cable on the garage door opener broke. Greg spent most of the afternoon repairing that so I could get my car out tomorrow morning. Then we were cleaning up from supper, and the garbage disposal backed up in the sink. We are almost afraid to turn anything else on for fear it will break. Maybe things come in three's. Do you think?

The bright spot is that I found a really quick, tasty recipe for Applesauce Barbecued Chicken in my Taste of Home Simple and Delicious magazine for March/April. I made it for supper last night, and I promised Emily I would send it to her. So here it is in a post for the rest of you as well:

Applesauce Barbecue Chicken
Prep/Total Time: 20 min.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz. each)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup chunky applesauce
2/3 cup spice barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. chili powder

Sprinkle chicken with pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil on both sides. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover and cook 7-10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.

Yield: 4 servings (1 chicken breast and 1/3 cup sauce) equals 308 calories, 1 gram fiber, 8 grams of fat for you Weight Watchers.

Hope you are all keeping warm and starting to plan your spring activities. Here's hoping we are almost done shovelling snow.