It's A New Year...Almost!

The end of the year is finally upon us. For some this was a great year that will hopefully lead into another great year. For others, this year will not be looked back upon with fond memories. For me, it contains the good and the bad, but sometimes one greatly outweighs the other. While most the year was perfectly fine, the death of my dad will always color my perception of this year. No matter how good or how bad, 2011 will soon be gone.

With the new year comes a lot of new beginnings, like those pesky resolutions that will most likely take a backseat by the end of January and maybe even sooner. I don't necessarily make resolutions, but I try to start the year off with good intentions. However, they may sound quite similar to frequently made resolutions...eat better, exercise more, stay organized, pick up a new hobby, save more money... No matter how good my intentions are, they quickly fall to the wayside.

Change is hard. Even though the hope for better habits is usually the motivating factor behind resolutions, staying the same in our eating and exercising habits or organizational and financial state is much easier. After all, it has been that way for a while and things have been fine, so why put forth all the effort. But even though failure looms very near the surface, I will still start the year off with good intentions to change some habits.

Resolutions or no resolutions, I hope you have a Happy New Year!!

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"I will never ask you to wear an ugly dress, as long as you're my bridesmaid!"

Well, the wedding nightmares have begun! I’ve heard it happens; I just didn’t expect them so soon. With so much going on at the new house and moving, I thought for sure my dreams would surround kitchen and bathroom renovations. But, I guess because my next big venture is the wedding, it IS on my mind.

Last week I took some of my bridesmaids to look at dresses. Who knew this decision would be harder than picking my own dress?! There is something about the unfamiliarity of choosing a dress that someone else has to wear that makes it so nerve-wracking. Will their dresses compliment my dress? How will they look with the guys’ suits? What kind of shoes? Short? Long? UGH!!! It was certainly more confusing than picking out my own dress.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - I’m not the girl who has been dreaming about her wedding since kindergarten. I have a vision, but it is incomplete. And my indecisiveness about everything wedding-related stems from that. I must have had my girls try on close to 20 dresses – anything they liked, anything I liked. And from that 20, we might have a top five, or a top two (depending on the day).

Everyone says, “It’s YOUR day, pick a dress you like and that you want them in.” The thing is, I don’t know what I want. Again, I have a vision, but it is incomplete. Also, I will not be the one wearing the dress. Not all dresses look good on EVERYONE (we all know that), and I value the opinions of my friends and I want them to look good.

Just for shits and giggles - check this out!

However, I can’t say I am much further along in this decision making process than I was a week ago. I’ve now seen what I like and what I don’t like, I’ve seen cute dresses, ugly dresses, formal dresses, long dresses and short dresses. And I’m still confused.

I knew the minute when I found “the one” wedding dress. It was that feeling that every bride gets. But am I supposed to feel a certain way about a bridesmaid dress? If so, I don’t think I’ve felt it.

P.S. – 8 months until “the big day”
Holy Sh*t!

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Where's The Snow?

Not that I am complaining, but it is the very end of December and we have yet to have a decent snow yet. Very odd for western PA! But I have a feeling it is coming. In fact, I went to bed last night with the notion in my head that I would wake up and there would be 1-2 inches of snow outside (3-4 inches in the mountains, thanks Demetrius Ivory). But no, not a single snowflake on the ground.

However, as I am making my way to the big ol' city, it was spitting a mix of rain and snow on me. In fact, at one point I felt my car slide a little when I went to pass the slowest car on earth. It scared me a bit, but it happened as soon as I hit the white paint on the road, so I knew that it would be more slippy than usual.

This slipping lead me to ponder, why don't our road systems have a heating mechanism under it so when it does snow or ice, we can just flip a switch and BAM! Snow and ice melted and taken care of. Wouldn't this be easier than having the plow trucks out at all hours, salting and clearing the roads? And actually, did you know in really snowy places like Alaska, they don't plow? It is much safer to drive on the snow than a cleared roadway. Makes perfect sense to me as long as the snow doesn't get so packed down that it just becomes ice like my old sled riding hills would!

The point is, it is December and I am greatful we didn't have a huge snow yet, but I have a feeling it will happen soon enough. My prediction is a huge storm come February...snowmagedon will strike again!

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What's in a Name?

Names, everyone has one. Most people have a vague idea what their own means, but few give them much more thought. These days more and more parents are thinking of using a unique name for their child. Some, I don’t think remember that in most cases a name is for life, not just for birth, therefore it must be thought about long and hard.

Take my name for example, Kendal. Maybe this won’t come to a surprise to you but before some people meet me, they assume I am a male. I have run into this my whole life. In college I sent my professor an email and told her that my sister was possibly going to go into labor and I would not be attending class the next day if she were to have her baby. She sent back a nice email, “Congratulations Uncle Kendal.” Argh. Well my sister didn’t go into labor that day so I was able to attend her class. When she called roll she looked at me as I raised my hand in attendance. She looked up at me and down at her paper a handful of times. She finally said, “Well, you’re clearly not an uncle.”

I am not complaining about my name. I like it, it’s different. But it just shows that people assume things when they see a name. I have gotten emails at work that I have been addressed “Ken.” People will ask my co-workers, “So is Kendal a guy or a girl? I want to know before I call them.”

What about celebrities? Apparently, they just don't get enough attention, so they name their kids something really dumb to stand out. There are some celebrities around today who have given their babies unique names which in the future may cause their kids to wonder what they were thinking, such as Pilot Inspektor (child of Jason Lee) and Sage Moonblood (son of Sylvester Stallone).

The problem is that many names seem like a novelty and clever at the time, but ten years down the line will you still like the name? I know choosing the perfect name for a baby can be a daunting task. Finding unique names can be interesting and time consuming. Some people choose to create unique baby names on their own or customize the spelling of more popular names.

My cousin just had a beautiful baby girl and her and her husband chose not to share the sex of the baby with any relatives or friends. They told people they weren’t finding out the sex and wanted it to be a surprise, trying something different for their third child. Finally when they had her they told me they knew the whole time and when I asked why they kept it a secret they simply said they didn’t want to be hassled on what they should name their kid. I don’t blame them.

Just the other day we were doing a large mailing and me and some of the other girls were helping a co-worker and had to put papers in addressed envelopes. One name I must mention, and may never forget was Chiffon Cabbagestalk. Yes, that was her name. I began to paint a picture of Ms. Cabbagestalk in my head. That poor woman. Someone should have intervened. I wonder, does she like her name? I would probably go by an alias name if I were her but who am I do judge, after all, I’m Ken.

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On the Twelfth Working Day of Christmas...

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me....12 drummers drumming!

Yes- we are the blueman group! SURPRISE!! Not really...sorry for the holiday let down. Hope you dont have another one of those this year.
Drums make me think of a couple of things. First would be my sister-in-laws nephew who has been drumming since he could move his hands. In fact, this year for his birthday he got a whole drum set. I am calling it now...future rock star!
I also think of Phil Collins rocking it out on the drums, Katie could attest to the love for Ringo Starr of the Beatles, and I totally remember my middle school band director (don’t judge me) just putting us all into a trance whenever he played. He was really good.
Drums also make me think of heartbeats. It is that constant beat within us that keeps us moving throughout the day, accomplishing our goals and living our lives to the fullest. This holiday season may be crazy and hectic, but I am glad that I get to live my life to the fullest and share it with my family and friends.
So for all of you, I hope you survived the 12 working days of Christmas, because we know we almost didn’t, and were able to learn a bit more about the meanings behind each story to us.

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On the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me... 11 Pipers Piping!

It’s that time of year when many thoughts focus on gifts - finding the perfect one, finding the one thing someone has asked for - as in “the only thing I want this year”, or just finding anything to get it over with.

With all this energy being expended to shop for, pay for, wrap, and deliver all of these gifts, I began to think of all of the most memorable gifts, both ones I gave and ones I’ve received. I could not think of anything that had to do with piping, other than people with good pipes, such as Adele (man that girl can sing), oh, and I also thought of cake icing piping. That all seemed too boring once I started talking to the girls at lunch about all of the unforgettable gifts I have gotten and received. Here are my top 11 most memorable gifts.

1. Received: Last year, for my birthday I received an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas, it was awesome!

2. Received: Back in 8th grade, I had a boyfriend and for Valentine’s Day he gave me a gold chain with a charm. The charm had vertical text, about 2 inches long and in all caps it said, TAKEN. Need I say more?

3. Gave: The same 8th grade boyfriend wanted, in return, for Valentine’s Day, Wu-Tang Clan cologne. Yes, I am serious. So I had this other boy I was friends with go to the mall and purchase it for me. Along with the cologne was a little bonus gift. It was ONE earring - a small W stud. Don’t judge me, it was what he wanted.

4. Received: When I was about 10 years old I had begged and begged my parents for a dog. Sadly they kept saying no and that it was too much responsibility. When Christmas-time came around I thought this was my perfect opportunity to tell Santa this is the only thing I had wanted. I wrote him a letter and anxiously counted down the days of Christmas. As time passed I realized that dogs are probably pretty expensive and I would hate for Santa to have to spend all of his money on a dog for me. So I wrote Santa another letter and told him that I would leave him an envelope of money outside on my roof (which was conveniently located outside of the window of my bedroom). After I put the letter in the mailbox I ran inside and got together the money I had saved and put it on the roof. About a week later I got a letter from “Santa” that said he did not need my money and to please get the money off of the roof. What a great guy. That year, I got my wish, a yorkiepoo named Cocoa. My parents said that they didn’t write the letter. Maybe there really is a Santa!

5. Received: Back in college my friends and I went to see one of my favorite bands, it was a birthday present. To my surprise the band sang me Happy Birthday- it made my day!

6. Received: When I was in kindergarten, for my birthday, my mom’s friend gave me a bikini that had two cow heads to cover my chest. I was mortified and cried when I opened it and realized what it was. There is a picture of me wearing it on a trip to Florida with a big smile on my face. I tried to find it for you all but didn’t have enough time to dig through old photos. It was actually a very cute bathing suit.

7. Gave: In 1st grade I gave my best guy friend a hamster for his birthday. I thought I was a pretty cool friend.

8. Received: For my 21st birthday my friend made a surprise visit and drove all of the way from Illinois to celebrate.

9. Gave: This year for Christmas I took my 3 year old niece to get her ears pierced. She didn’t even cry. I, on the other hand, had tears in my eyes.

10. Gave: For my grandmas 82nd birthday I gave her 82 pieces of Sarris chocolate, it is her favorite kind.

11. Received: The gift of life. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people who have shaped me into the person I am today.

As the holidays near, I am sure you have reflected on both gifts you have given and received. What are your most unforgettable gifts?

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On the Tenth Working Day of Christmas...

On the tenth working day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Ten Lords a Leaping!

Instead of ten, today I give you ten times that amount! 100 stocking stuffer ideas. Great for last minute gifts.

1) $5 gift cards (Starbucks, Borders, Cold Stones, etc)….2) A favorite candy (M&M;’s or mini candy bars)….3) CD of favorite music….4) A favorite magazine….5) Nail Polish….6) Paperback by an author they love….7) Hand Lotions….8) Tic Tacs or breath mints….9) Nice pens….10) Chapstick….11) Pocket knife….12) Socks….13) Mini Flashlight….14) Gloves….15) YoYo….16) Small photo frame w/ picture….17) Votive Candle….18) Personalized Key Ring….19) Golf balls…20) Golf Tees….21) Mini Perfumes….22) Travel Clock….23) Letter Opener….24) Fun, Colored Office Clips….25) Cool White-Out Tape….26) Uno/Phase 10 Card Game….27) Colored Pencils….28) Ruler….29) Small Measuring Tape….30) Rubber Band Ball….31) Lipstick….32) Eye Shadow….33) Makeup Remover….34) Nail Polish Removal….35) Measuring Spoons….36) Wooden Spoons….37) Bendy Straws….38) Tide-To-Go….39) Batteries….40) Fingernail File….41) Small Makeup Bag….42) Fishing Lures….43) Movie Tickets….44) Pocket Calculator….45) Matchbox Cars….46) TechDeck Finger Skateboard….47) Bouncy Ball….48) Shoe Strings (Fashion Color)….49) Brainteaser Mini Wire Puzzle….50) Stopwatch….51) Pedometer….52) Vitamins….53) Kitchen Timer….54) Cookie Cutters….55) Ice Cream Scoop….56) Nice Razor….57) Stress Ball….58) Magnifying Glass….59) USB Flash Drive….60) Cuff Links….61) iPod Ear Buds….62) iTunes Gift Card….63)Toothbrush….64) Lifesavers….65) Mini Kleenex Packets….66) Handkerchief….67) Tire Pressure Gauge….68) Eye Glasses Cleaner and Cloth….69) Address Pre-inked Stamp….70) Earrings….71) Hair Clip….72) Comb/Brush….73) Eyelash Curler….74) Bobble Head….75) Reusable Shopping Bag….76) Shopping List Pad….77) Travel Book….78) Travel Electrical Adaptors….79) Sleep Mask….80) Mini Book Light….81) Luggage Tags….82) Purse Hanger (To keep off of floor)….83) Luggage Scale….84) Compass….85) Portable Mini Speakers….86) Zhu Zhu Pet….87) Cool, Decorated Erasers….88) Pencil Sharpeners….89) Personalized Pencils….90) Digital Golf Scorecard….91) Money Clip….92) Mini Bubble Bath….93) Scented Soaps….94) BBQ Tank Gauge….95) Fingernail Clippers….96) Back Scratcher….97) Recipe Cards….98) Chopsticks….99) Mirror Compact….100) Personalized Christmas Ornament

Good luck on your last minute gifts and Happy Holidays!

~Kel

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On the ninth working day of Christmas

On the ninth working day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…Nine ladies dancing!

Now who WOULDN’T want nine dancing ladies? Who cares what kind of dancer they are, ballerina, stripper, cha-cha, or your just random drunk who thinks they can dance! Who cares? Dance, Dance, Dance and have a great time doing it!

Go ahead and dance like him if you want. Did you know that dancing burns a ton of calories? An hour of vigorous dancing (think quickstep, not waltz…or in my household it is the Michael Jackson Dance Experience for the Wii) can burn up to 500 to 700 calories depending on your height, weight and fitness level. And it's a lot more fun than trudging along on the treadmill – WOW!

Dancing with a group of friends can also brighten your spirits and make you laugh (or is that just me laughing at everyone else?) Shake your booty and feel good about it! “Dance like no one is watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening and live like it’s heaven on Earth”

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On the Eighth Working Day of Christmas…

So anyone who knows me knows that I have a crazy obsession with milk.  I love it.  I literally go through a gallon of milk every couple of days.  To me it’s delicious so I suppose that it’s only natural that I get to do 8 Maids of Milking.  But the big question is…what the heck should I write about?

Here are some fun facts about my favorite beverage milk.

·         It takes 29 cups of milk to make 1 pound of butter.

·         A cow can't give milk until she has given birth to a calf.

·         A cow drinks over 117 gallons of water in a week, no wonder cow farms smell.

·         The average cow produces 90 glasses of milk each day — or about 200,000 glasses of milk throughout her life.

·         A cow's udder can hold 25 - 50 pounds of milk.

·         Cows were first brought to Plymouth Colony in 1624.

·         Most cows give more milk when they listen to music.

·         Blue whale calves drink as much as 132 gallons of milk a day. A baby whale can increase its weight by 200 pounds in one day.

·         Yak's milk is pink.

·         Camel's milk does not curdle.

·         Cows have an amazing sense of smell — they can smell something up to 6 miles away, like food.

·         Milk is better for cooling your mouth after eating spicy food. (Milk products contain casein, a protein that cleanses burning taste buds.)

Hope you enjoyed these fun facts about milk.  Drink milk!

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On the Seventh Working Day of Christmas...

The last birds mentioned in The Twelve Days of Christmas are swans. Swans are beautiful birds, but don't start out that way. Remember the story of The Ugly Duckling? A little baby swan wasn't accepted into the group because he wasn't cute like the other ducklings. That is until he grows into a beautiful swan.

An interesting little fact about swans is that they are monogamous and some of those bonds last for life. This may be why a common picture of swans shows them forming a heart with their necks and heads.

My dad was able to capture a moment like this earlier in the fall. He was an avid photographer and while at an arboretum with my mom he caught a pair of swans forming a heart. He even entered the photo in a contest at the arboretum and placed in the top 25!

Now that Christmas is a mere 10 days away, I hope your shopping is almost done or at least started and you are able to enjoy the holiday season!

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On the Sixth Working Day of Christmas...

Oh yes, lucky me, I get to blog about Six Geese-a-Laying. I never was one to be a fan of birds, especially ducks and geese. I remember trips to the farm when I was younger and the birds were so comfortable with people being around that they would just hang out. I know I have heard a handful of stories where a duck or goose has chased someone. In fact, a goose chased my sister around a farm once, making her scream obnoxiously with her hands flailing about. My sister tried to kick the poor thing. Don’t worry, nothing bad happened to it. Anyway, not to mention, when geese make their mark they leave behind a disgusting obstacle course of goose poo. It is no fun walking around having to dodge hordes of pesky geese while carefully trying not to step in any of their goose “goodies”.

Last year I remember hearing on the news that as the population of Canadian geese grew, wildlife biologists and technicians were asked to control the increasing number of these pests who now call New York City parks their homes. In July, biologists working with the Federal Agriculture Department rounded up almost 400 geese and gassed them with carbon dioxide.

Although an extreme measure, authorities justified the extermination in an effort to make the skies around New York City safer for humans to fly. The elimination of geese will hopefully help to avoid a similar event, which occurred January 2009. I am sure you all remember hearing the story about a flock of geese which flew into the engines of a US Airways jetliner causing the airplane to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River.

So yes, goose poop can be annoying and, getting around these big birds in the skies can also be dangerous, but is it fair to annihilate these pesky birds for our convenience? I am not one to be all crazy and save an animal’s life just to risk a human’s, but the thought of killing 400 geese all at once makes me grossed out. After all, how will we ever get to the golden egg if we kill all of the geese? I want a golden egg damn it. I hope they checked them first at least. Morbid? Yes. Sorry, Merry Christmas :-) .

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On the Fifth Working Day of Christmas...

On the Fifth Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me... Five Gold Rings!

This theme in fact has very deep meaning to me. Almost a year ago to the day, I got engaged. December 15, 2010 Nick and I headed to see the Hartwood Celebration of Lights, a typical holiday tradition for most western Pennsylvainers.

As we headed through the multi-mile light display, we came to the 12 days of Christmas show. Little did I know, this is where Nick planned to pop the question. Ten short days away from Christmas, it was cold, Chase was in the back seat, and as we approached the fifth day of the 12 Days display, Nick stopped the car ( ignoring the "do not stop your vehicle" signs posted everywhere). He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box... as cute as could be he said, "Instead of five gold ones, how about two diamond rings? Will you marry me?" And in our typical crazy, funny relationship fashion, he opened the box, and the rings were upside down. I said yes! I had only been waiting on this day for almost seven years at this point.

Here we are, almost a year later, preparing for a big move into "our house," planning a wedding and getting ready to start our lives together, as a family.

A ring – it symbolizes so much!

Do you know the origin of engagement rings?
A diamond engagement ring symbolizes a promise of love and marriage.
One of the most prolific wedding traditions in the United States is that of the diamond engagement ring. Today, a diamond engagement ring symbolizes a promise of love and marriage, and cements plans for a wedding. However, the tradition of diamond engagement rings has a colorful history. Engagement rings were first given to women during Victorian times as a sign of the man’s wish to marry her, much like today. The reasoning behind the gift of a ring was that the man had to provide some type of collateral to the woman to prove his good intentions. The ring served to guard against a man promising marriage and then taking off before the marriage occurred, leaving the woman with nothing.

Nick better not take off…

Can you find the sweet gold rings in our photo?

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On the Fourth Working Day of Christmas...

On the fourth working day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Four Calling Birds!

I have nothing to write about four calling birds. I Googled it. I YouTubed it. I came up with nothing. Nothing funny. No good recipes. And my creative juices have been sucked right the hell out of me trying to figure out when I'm gonna clean, wrap, bake, etc.

So four calling birds.  If I had four magic, effing birds to call upon to help me through this Christmas disaster, which, by the way, the world tells us is supposed to be magical and enchanting, these are the four I would call.

1. A cleaning service.  I love to clean.  I know, I sound insane, but there is an unmatched satisfaction in a clean toilet or dog/child footprintless floor. But if someone could keep my house clean I would be forever indebted. I can get it there, it's the keeping it there that I struggle with.

2. A baker. I can't bake. I have adult ADHD and cannot measure an ingredient to save my effing life. Baking requires skill and preciseness. Neither of which I have, unless it is about cleaning. Read #1.

3. Santa. Dude, I can't do your job. I don't want your job. I can't live up to the high expectations of my children--who are already bought for who keep adding to their list. I'm gonna go bankrupt over gifts that by December 30 they won't give a sh*t about anyway! And I hate wrapping. I don't have the attention span. See #2.

4. Jesus. I love you. I do. But somehow, somewhere along the lines your birthday became a complete pain in my ass. I want to celebrate you. Who doesn't want a big shindig for the big B-Day? But seriously, can you control the marketing and retail people, and Martha Stewart, who tell me is has to be perfect? I'm glad you were born. All Christians are glad you were born. I'm sure your mother is reminiscing about giving birth to you, what time you were born, how much you weighed, detailing each gift from the magi. But me, I just want it to be quiet and simple. It's not. HELP ME!

I have a friend, who at every holiday gathering and every birthday would yell "Happy F*cking Blah Blah." (OK, it happened once, on a very drunk New Year's Eve, but it has become the norm among my friends...OK, one friend). The guy who yelled it knows he yelled it because I remind him every year, but he probably doesn't exactly remember the first time he yelled it.

I digress. Happy F*cking Blah Blah. My your holidays be warm, special and exactly what you expected. Up to and including the NFL Snuggie you get from your cousin in the grab bag and the worthless piece of sh*t fruitcake you got from your aunt who knows "how much you love fruitcake!"

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On the Third Working Day of Christmas…

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me…Three French Hens!

I’ll be perfectly honest with you…I have nothing very clever to write about in regards to three French Hens so I decided to post a recipe on how to prepare Cornish Game Hens with a Sweet Onion Compote.  I hope you all enjoy!

Ingredients

• 9 tablespoons butter
• 3 large onions, chopped (about 6 cups)
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 3 Cornish game hens, quartered, backbones removed

• 1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

• Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cook until onions are golden, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add wine and cook until onions are very tender and mixture is reduced to thick jamlike consistency, stirring frequently, about 40 minutes. Set compote aside.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add hen quarters and brown well on all sides, about 8 minutes. Place hen quarters on rimmed baking sheet (do not clean skillet). Sprinkle hens with salt and pepper. Bake hen quarters until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Transfer hen quarters to bowl; cover to keep warm. Add drippings from baking sheet, vinegar and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar to skillet used to brown hens. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add stock and bring to boil. Mix remaining 4 tablespoons butter and flour in small bowl, forming paste. Whisk paste into stock mixture. Boil until thickened to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Rewarm onion compote; spoon onto center of each plate. Arrange 2 hen quarters around compote. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

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On the Second Working Day of Christmas...

On the Second Working Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to Me... Two Turtle Doves!

This theme is rather significant to me – the turtle part anyway. For as long as long as I can remember, I always had a turtle as a pet growing up. Tom Turtle was my first. My dad picked him up off the road for me when we were moving in to our new house – about 22 years ago now. Tom lived in an aquarium in my bedroom for a number of years. He was a great first pet! Easy to take care of, quiet, low maintenance. Tom was even friendly with my other animals – Michi, my rabbit, and Buttons, my dog.

Tom was a box turtle and was pretty old when we found him (apparently you can count the rings on their shells, much like a tree’s rings). Tom was adventurous – he managed to make his way off my deck (a 15ft drop) and survive… He made it all the way to the front yard where we found him making friends with a small child who was on a walk with his mom. Tom came to school with me on various occasions for show and tell. He would spend most of the day in a shoebox, but I felt so cool none the less.

Unfortunately, Tom made his way to greener fields one Christmas morning when I was in third grade. Not-so-Merry Christmas to me…

After Tom, I had other turtles… Tom II, Tammy… but none of them were the same as my original Tom, and I would end up releasing them back to the wild.

I took a hiatus as a turtle owner for a while, but when I headed to college, I decided to invest in a baby Red-eared Slider. Ferrari was about the size of a silver dollar when I got her. She lived in a little aquarium in my room and swam happily around! Two years later, on a whim I purchased another aquatic turtle, a Map Turtle, named Porsche. He was about the size of Ferrari at this point, and they lived happily together for the next year or so. Until… Ferrari quadrupled in size. Porsche; however, remained the same. They had to be separated.

Recently, Porsche passed on, joining his older brother in greener fields. He was a little trickster, that turtle. Always looking for the great escape. He must have “jumped” (for lack of a better word) out of his aquarium at least five times. He was lost in my parents’ basement for almost two days. He escaped during feeding time on a number of occasions, and twice Nick and I came home to an empty aquarium, only to find him in the bathroom and in the back spare bedroom.

I have a feeling Ferrari is going to live forever. She is the size of a dinner plate now, and continues to grow out of every aquarium we put her in. I make fun of my friends, saying that they will be crazy cat ladies when they are older, while I… I might be the crazy turtle lady.

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On the First Working Day...

"On the first working day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree."

I am not an expert on the Partridge family, partridges or pears, but I do love dessert. So in honor of the holiday season of baking, here is a recipe that includes pears, as well as gingerbread and a little bit of booze. Although I usually don't care for fruit desserts, this might be worth trying!

Enjoy!

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The 12 Working Days of Christmas

So we've made it to the holiday season...my favorite time of the year! Sense the sarcasim people- I am a summer girl. I love the fourth of July the most, but regardless, Christmas is nice, when we don't have snow in Pittsburgh!

To celebrate the holiday, the WWB girls will be giving you a taste of our own 12 Working Days of Christmas. Think of the song...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8. Do you really know the true meaning behind the 12 Days of Christmas? We didn't either, but here is what we found out.

A long, long time ago in England (like serious, 1558), Catholics were prohibted from any practice of their faith by law, in the privacy of their own home or in public. Basically, it was a crime to be Catholic. If caught, they could be imprisioned, hanged, shortened by the head (which would make me like 4 foot 5...midget status), or even suffocated to death.

So as a way to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith, they created the 12 Days of Christmas song as a memory aid. The songs gifts have hidden meanings to teach the faith. The true love mentioned throughout the song is God, the partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, and me is every person who is baptized.

The other symbols mean:

2 Turtle Doves: The old and new testments

3 French Hens: Faith, hope and charity, the theological virtures

4 Calling Birds: The four gospels and/or the four evangelists

5 Golden Rings: The first five books of the old testments, the "pentateuch" which gives the history of man's fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying: The six days of creation

7 Swans A-swimming: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

8 Maids A-milking: The eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing: The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords A-leaping: The ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping: The eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming: The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

Did you have any idea there was so much meaning to a song that we grew up singing? I honestly can't ever remember singing it in church or Sunday school. Can you? See if others know the meaning, or what the song means to them.

Follow us for the next 12 Working Days of Christmas for what each means to us. We will have great group photos to share that I am sure will make your day. Please let us know what each day means to you when we post. We always enjoy feedback.

Happy Holidays!

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Sweets & Boutiques

This Sunday, December 11 at 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., please join me for a unique holiday shopping event featuring local crafters, businesses, artists and a great raffle to benefit homeless dogs. Come and shop for all those important people in your life...2 legged and 4 legged! There's something for everyone and admission is free. The event is at Epiphany Catholic Church, 185 Washington Place, next to Consol Energy Center.

For more info please visit: www.hellobully.org.

My friend is a great artist and will be selling some awesome handmade things such as: upcycled jewelry, picture frames, artwork, holiday decorations, vintage bird cages and more. Together, she and I will be selling hand painted wine, shot and regular glasses. Several years ago, wine charms entered the marketplace and became all the rage. They were cute little charms that you slipped onto the stem of your wine glass during parties, making it easier to determine which glass was yours out of the sea of glassware on the coffee table. Instead of being like everybody else, try something different! I've seen chalkboard glasses before, and always thought them to be a fun and chic way for guests to keep track of their glass throughout the night.

The wine glasses are mixed with cool designs and chalkboard areas on the stemless glasses as well as on the foot of our stemmed glasses. Use them to play games with your guests or you write funny messages on them. All glasses are reasonably priced, $7 for a single or 4 for $25. Order more as needed, price adjustments will be made for bulk orders. Here are some photos of what we will be selling on Sunday, hope to see you all there! If you cannot come to the event and would like to order any items, please contact me at hil0348@gmail.com.

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Hard to Say Goodbye!

When my husband decided that he wanted to open his own bar, I knew it was going to be hard but I absolutely 100% supported him.  For those of you who currently work in the service industry or have in a past life, you know it’s the most absurd environment.  The “rules” of every other normal business just don’t apply to this industry.  Perhaps it’s because you’re usually up all night and sleep all day.  Perhaps it’s because you’re constantly dealing with drunks and idiots and playing shrink to pretty much everyone who walks the door.  I don’t know what exactly it is but having worked in “corporate America” for the last 15 years; the service industry blows my freaking mind!!!

When we opened the bar almost five years ago, our very good friend (of almost 12 years) joined the team pretty much on day one.  Even at the beginning, when the staff was light, he was always willing to pitch in and work a double or check beer in.  He was a huge help to my husband at the beginning.  Then things started to change…

My husband has always run the bar with the idea of everyone having fun.  Like most bars, this means allowing your bartenders to have a shot or two if customers buy you one.  Now this doesn’t mean every time you make a shot or a drink, you get to make one for yourself, it means having one or two throughout the night to make a customer feel good.  Most of us have no problem with this.  However, our good friend…the one who’s been with us since day one…just couldn’t stop.  His drawers started to be off, his temper was short and we tried everything with him.  We talked nicely to him; we yelled at him, we suspended him.  Nothing was working.  Then about two weeks ago, we received an anonymous email through our website from another bar owner outside the city limits.  They came down to see the “‘Burgh’s Best Neighborhood Bar” and most of the email was glowing with compliments.  I was literally grinning from ear-to-ear and couldn’t wait to show my husband and the rest of the staff.  Then…they mentioned our bartender.  They said he was visibly intoxicated behind the bar and running off to the bathroom every 10 minutes or so.  They said he was very friendly but being bar owners themselves and having just paid a very hefty fine to the LCB for the same problem, they wanted to give us the heads-up.  So…I sat our friend down again.  This time, the proof was in the pudding.  He read the email and like me was grinning from ear-to-ear.  Then he got to the part about him (which they did say his name in the email).  He started to cry and I told him that he was suspended this time for a whole week and that if he were caught drinking and or drunk behind the bar one more time, he would be fired!  I had had it.  My husband and I didn’t work our asses off to have someone destroy it (even if they are our friend). 

Well, this past Saturday, we had to fire him.  It was the hardest thing to do and it truly broke my heart.  I honestly never want to do it again but I know that just goes with the territory when you own your own business.  The part that kills me is that our friendship may not survive but what could we do…he became a liability and if we lose the bar, we lose everything.

I know everyone in the service industry drinks a little more than most and probably “parties” a little more than most but, I find that most everyone in this industry uses “the industry” as an excuse…”I’m in the service industry and that’s just what we do.”  I call bullshit!!!  I’ve now been immersed in it for a couple of years and I’m not an alcoholic or drug addict.  I still manage to get up when the sun is shining and although there are days when I’m freaking exhausted, I’m still an adult with responsibilities.  So if that means I lose a few hours a sleep to get everything accomplished and still work at the bar…so be it!

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All We Need Is Love

I'm guessing if you looked at my family, from the outside in, we look, well, perfect. A mom, a dad, two healthy boys, two (stupid) dogs. A white picket (alright, it's vinyl) fence. We even have fish. An all-American family. But by whose definition?

I'm not trying to pat my own back, but my marriage is something to be envied. I'm lucky. The first guy I married will be my last. I don't doubt that. Rob and I have an unexplanably amazing relationship that truly, most can only hope to have. I am blessed. Truly blessed. But not because I married a man, but because of the person he is. He makes me a better me. He enriches the lives of our kids and anyone who meets him. He's a really, really special person. And don't even get me started on my kiddos.

The funny part is that we were both raised by divorced parents. Mine divorced when I was two and remarried by the time I was five. For all intense and purposes, I grew up with four parents. Four happy parents who loved one another as opposed to two miserable ones who just stayed together "for the kids." I also have a sister named Kelly and her husband is named Rob! (I couldn't make this stuff up!)

Rob's parents divorced when he was a teenager. His mom remarried and he went to live with his dad, brother and sister.

If you look at the "broken, shattered" homes we come from, how could we possible make it (hint: that remark is chock full of sarcasm)? Truth is, it isn't the container but the contents.

What it comes down to is being raised with love. No matter from whom or in what fashion, Rob and I grew up knowing we were loved, valued, disciplined. And it shows in how we live our lives and how we raise our children.

I know scores of people who feel the same way, only their situation is a bit different. Raised by two moms who adore one another. Raised by a mother and father who were high school sweetheats. Raised by a single parent or divorced parents or adoptive parents. The list goes on and on. We all have different family backgrounds and dynamics. Those raised by warm, loving parents may wind up getting divorced. Those raised in broken homes may go on to achieve great things. Again, it isn't the container, but the contents.

Most people, upon meeting them, you would not be able to access their family background, because, as long as they were loved and cared for by someone, they are hopefully making their mark, making a difference and moving forward.

Let's not judge the book by it's cover, but the contents. My biggest dream for my kids is love, acceptance and understanding. Not college degrees or who they marry (and they will be able to marry whoever the hell they love). That the world love them for who they are and where they came from.

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Goofy or Regular?

Believe it or not, tomorrow is December 1. I for one have continuously expressed my concern with how quickly this year has flown by.

However, December means winter is here! And winter means snow, and snow means fun activities! Over the last two winters I have decided to take up the fine art of snowboarding… and it is a fine art. For me, it has not been easy, but I have grown to love it as a winter sport. So much so that I went out and ordered myself a snowboard after only my third time on a mountain. Most were skeptical of my purchase seeing that my first time down a mountain resulted in a minor concussion and a few smashed 8 year olds.

But, last season I successfully made it down the hills. I’m not good. I’m pretty bad. In fact, I can’t walk for almost a week after we spend time at 7 Springs or Hidden Valley and my knees are usually bruised beyond recognition.

It is one of those things Nick and I enjoy doing together (though, he usually leaves me in the dust to fend for myself, because I hold him up), and we love getting a group of friends together and heading to the mountains for the weekend.

This year I am teaching my friend Jackie to board. In her failed attempt this summer to teach me how to wakeboard, I feel as though this could be a task (Love you JMO). Nick says we both need to purchase helmets. This is probably a true statement.

But for those of you who have never attempted to board or ski, I must tell you that the hardest part about it all is getting off the damn lift. For me, it is no longer making it down the mountain that is my Achilles' heel – it is conquering the ski lift! Getting on – OK. Getting off – Challenge. This is where I fall, bruise my knees, smash into people, knock others over. It’s dangerous, hard and hilarious all at the same time. I’ve seen more injuries occur from people trying to get off the lifts than from falls down the mountain.

This winter season, I have two goals:
1. Learn to use the front edge of my board. Right now, I have two speeds – fast and stop. I don’t carve across the mountain (you need to use your front edge to do this), I just go as fast as I can, and then stop.
2. Master the lift.

Here in Pittsburgh we’ve been having unseasonably warm weather, but by Christmas (26 days) I’m going to be itching to get on my board. Stop this rain, gimme snow!

Happy winter, everyone!

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A New Normal

On Saturday afternoon, November 12, I received a call from my mom that no one wants to get.

“Something’s happened. You need to come home.”

I knew my dad was not having a good day – still in SICU and his blood pressure was extremely low. But I wasn’t prepared for THAT call. I quickly gathered what I could think about in my frenzied state of mind, not knowing what I was going home to or what the days ahead looked like. By the next day, we knew there was only one outcome.

My mom spent almost 3 whole days at the hospital, only going home to shower. My brother and I spent a lot of that time in the hospital as well, while trying to take care of things at home.

We were able to bring my dad home with the help of hospice. My cousin, who is an RN, flew up from North Carolina to help us take care of him. The dog even gave her own kind of comfort – licking his hands and laying under his bed. My mom, brother and I spent my dad’s last moments holding his hands and telling him how much we loved him.

After six physically and emotionally exhausting days, my dad passed away on Friday, November 18.

I have been running on auto-pilot ever since. Everything still feels surreal. The most benign events can cause an overwhelming flood of grief and emotion. This new normal is hard, which was expected, but I had no idea how hard it would be.

We have experienced our first Thanksgiving without my dad, which we handled pretty well. But the next several weeks carry more "firsts" – his birthday, Christmas, my mom’s birthday.

It will get better – eventually. As much as I want to hold on to how things used to be, time keeps moving forward. So for right now, it is just about putting one foot in front of the other and learning how to cope with a new normal.

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Serve You Well

We all live in a complex web of relationships: family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, significant others, etc. Some relationships work, and some don’t – it is the sad reality of life. As I have said before, we live and learn from these experiences and hopefully become a better person because of these lessons. Recently I have learned we must be conscious of who we enter into a relationship with and why. At times we can control the amount at which people rob us of our energy and how often they irritate and frustrate us.

What tends to happen is that we shut off and are not fully present for the people in our lives that truly matter; those who give and take, equally exchanging their energy. We fall into a path of not nurturing relationships that serve us well, healthy relationships. Instead, we lose all of our energy in relationships where the other person doesn’t serve us.

Is there anyone in your life that you notice yourself feeling emotionally tired around? Sometimes we stay in relationships that we would truly be happier without in the long run. A favorite quote of mine is, “Don’t waste your time on someone who won’t waste their time on you.” We all deserve to be happy; life is too short to surround yourself with a few bad eggs. Protect the good relationships in your life, nurture them and be an active participant. Serve yourself and your good relationships well.

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