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31.12.12

A year in review pt. 4


So this is it, the grand finale! I'm really glad that I did this because I genuinely forgot how awesome my year really has been. If you don't know what I'm talking about go check out parts one, two and three to catch up. Anyway, lets bring on the final quarter of 2012.

October

So I don't know if you're familiar with this video:

It's completely fake but I still get a really big kick out of it. So back in October I was all bummed about thinking about how it'd been a year since we put my beloved dog down and someone posted a really sad video and I just couldn't take it so in order to combat the sadness I posted the above one and then was inspired by the line "I want them in a basket and I want little bow ties and I them to be on a rainbow..." to make the most glorious picture because I just love The Beef so much and I want him in a basket, in a bow tie on a rainbow. 


Needless to say I perked right up. 


In October Connecticut becomes the land of fests. Apple fest, garlic fest, etc. Really it's just an excuse to walk around a big field that has a bunch of tents set up where you can buy fair food and tons of homemade things. It's like pinterest but outside. We went to several and I noticed how The Beef and I react to these differently, he eats everything until he feels sick and I suddenly become very passionate about flavors and want to buy all the sauces, ever. I also got really obsessed with making Pumpkin Risotto.
We also took a day trip up to the Fly Creek Cider Mill which is one of my favorite places in the world. The store their is amazing and the cider is to die for. It's also about 10 minutes from the baseball hall of fame, we don't go this year though because we went last year. We did go exploring at Howe Caverns though which is always fun. 
You're probably wondering what the hell is in that bottom left picture. Well, I'm not ashamed to admit that that's the blank/pillow fort that I stayed in during Hurricane Sandy because The Beef was stranded at work. 
And finally, we were able to decorate our house for Halloween for the first time which was really fun if you ignore the fact that we didn't get a single person at the house on Halloween night.

November


I got really into collages in November.
I also took a solo road trip to MD to hang out with the fanciest pregnant lady that I know. 
Burnt out from all the risotto I made the month before I lost the will to cook, leading us to explore the world of pre-made food at the grocery store which always turned into a mini thanksgiving complete with all the trimmings. Pair it with hot chocolate or pumpkin egg nog and you're completely festive. 
We got together with friends for a poker game and I was a little rusty and unlucky so I got to sit on the sidelines from early on and watch The Beef rake in the chips. 
We decorated the house for Christmas as is our November custom and spent lots of time snuggling by the fire in our wood stove. 

December


One night I forgot to bring food to work and I was really hungry, the beef wasn't up to anything so he stopped by with an entire chicken and we at it in his truck. He had piano Christmas music playing because he is adorable, romantic and festive.
We also took the 7 hour road trip to visit his mother & step father out in Pennsylvania. It seems to  work the best for "everyone" if we leave at 11pm when I get out of work and I drive while the Beef sleeps. 
I baked so many things in december I've officially lost count. Cookies, cake pops, peanbut butter balls, it was a never ending fury in my kitchen. Dear Button of December 2013, I really hope you find this note. I know you're looking back fondly at the memories of last December where everyone loved your baked goods but honestly, you were traumatized, it was awful, and you swore to never do it again. So do yourself a favor and go easy this year. Love, December 2012 Button.
And finally December ment Christmas, with all the driving around and delivering presents and general awesomeness that the Holiday season brings. 

So there you have it my 2012 all packaged up for you.  How was your year? Do you like looking back? I think it's a nice reminder. Can't wait to see what the next year has in store for me though. 




25.12.12

Merry Christmas!


Merry Christmas from The Beef & Me! 



Hope Santa was good to you!


24.12.12

A year in review pt. 3


For those not paying attention at home, we started out with the first three months, then moved on to the next three. With half of the year already done it's only logical to move onto the 3rd quarter of the year. So without further ado I bring you July, August & September. 


July


Thinking back I couldn't remember a darn thing that I did in July. I had to check out my social media footprint for answers and then it all came back to me. I went insane in July and picked up every free shift they had available to me at work. I was there in 16 clips like my life depended on it. Because of this I really didn't do much except for go to one BBQ which is where the above pictures were taken. I didn't take any other pictures the entire month. Though if I'm being honest I think the top picture of the beef drinking while swinging on a tire swing deserves a month all it's own.

August


The temperature rose and the private beach we have rights to was suddenly jam packed all the time and that made swimming not fun. Everyone and their mother took their boat out so that made taking our boat out not fun because as big as the lake is, there just didn't seem to be room for everyone. So we decided to make our own fun and put an inflatable pool out on the deck. The Beef enjoyed it in his pajamas. FYI water from the hose is FREEZING. 
I eased up on my work insanity this month and actually kept one of my three day weekends. I hatched a plan to surprise The Beef with another camping trip. So one Friday night when I got out of work we hit the road and drove all through the night. Imagine his surprise when he woke up and we were in Niagara Falls! We did a whole bunch of touristy things on both sides off the falls and had an absolute blast. It had been about a million years since I'd gone and he'd neve been so it was a real treat for both of us and a very welcome getaway. 

September

September

I kept working a lot and since I wasn't around much The Beef did fun things like go to fairs without me. He didn't want me to feel too left out though so he road home on his bike with a prize that he won me. 
I got into the swing of football season and changed from summer clothes to sports logo outfits. Seriously though, how about them Irish?!
We celebrated The Beefs birthday in a low key fashion, as was his preference.
And my little blue eyed psycho started building weapons in his work shop for fun our of random bits of wood and metal he came across. It's actually pretty impressive. Bring on the zombies!!


Alright the year's almost over, tune in next Monday for the final round up of 2012!








21.12.12

Things that make me happy.


I'm trying to lighten the mood in my brain so I started going through the pictures on my phone looking for a chuckle and here's what I found out. I figured I needed a double pick me up so instead of 5 things from my phone that make me happy I'm going to show you ten.


Text messages like this.

My salty sea captain boyfriend. 


The Beef staring at himself as a salty sea captain on my computer.


The Beef posing with a santa statue he found.

The ginger bread xmas tree The Beef & his man friend made over the weekend.

The awesome cake pop snowman I made.

The delightful gingerbread house Fishy and I made over the weekend.

The disembodied Santa & Mrs. Claus ornaments I got for Christmas.

Conversations like this.

Babies wearing the Christmas outfits I gave them.





20.12.12

Getting to know you...



If you read the title of this post and didn't get the song from The King & I stuck in your head than I envy you. I thought I would invade a little bit of my personal headspace today.

Also, incase you were wondering apparently how I come off on my blog is true to my personality away from the computer. That is if you believe the text message my best friend of more than a decade sent me. 



What was your favorite food when you were a child?
I'm not sure, I don't even know what my favorite food is now. I guess it's really going to depend on my mood. Favorite food to make when people come over for dinner: Italian Meatloaf. Favorite food when I don't feel like cooking: Chinese. Favorite comfort food: Mashed Potatoes andCorn. 

What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod?
I really wish I knew but The Beef and I linked up accounts and that skews the results a lot. The top 20 or so songs are all Metallica though. He uses his itunes way more than I do though, I find that in the car my favorite music negatively impacts my driving so I stick to the radio.

What is one of your favorite quotes?

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.- Ayn Rand


What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity?
Indoor: playing cards. Outdoor: Camping.

What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
It's a tie between folding laundry and putting away dishes. Apparently I hate finishing things.

What is your favorite form of exercise?
Pilates

What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?
I prefer night time. I like any day I have off with The Beef. I love October.

What’s your least favorite mode of transportation?
I've been mulling over this question for an hour and I just don't know how to answer it. I love driving but if I'm in the back seat I get sick. I love flying but I'm terrified during take off and landing. I love riding on trains but they take forever. I love boats but if it's a small vessel and it's rough sailing I get sea sick. I guess I'm not that big of a bike fan because my butts too bony for any seat I've ever tried.

What is your favorite body part?
On me? My eyes. On The Beef? Everything, but if I had to choose, his beard.

What sound do you love?
Crunching leaves under my feet or crackling fires.



19.12.12

A year in review Pt. 2


Last Monday I filled you in on my January, February & March  so I guess that means today is reserved for April, May & June. I'm really enjoying this because I'd forgotten how much fun I had this year. I wish I'd kept up with my blog a bit more. 


April
Some friends of ours bought a house and we enjoyed many a bonfire there.
Fishing season opened with a bang. Actually it opened with a busted motor on the boat and an early morning trip to the store to get a new one. 
I left my old job at the Spa and started my new job as a CNA.
And we moved into our cabin by the lake!!!


 May
The beef and I went on a fishing road trip around the state and I didn't catch anything big.
We spent time on drinking on boats even though it was freezing.
More camping.
And MORE camping. Also lots of ticks which kind of put a damper on my desire to go camping.


June 

I put on a batman shirt, got wasted & turned 28. (I also had a tiara at one point)
I made a headboard
We went to Orion fest where is that time that I saw God.
And I spent more time enjoying the lake and relaxing in cool hawaiian shirts.

Not a bad second quarter now that I think about it, in fact, I had a friggen blast. I wonder what I don't remember from July, August & September. 

18.12.12

A Blogger Day of Silence




17.12.12

We interrupt our regular scheduled update.


Sandy Hook Elementary School is 17.5 miles from my house, the unspeakable tragedy on Friday occurred in my backyard. I'm not going to attempt to bring humor into the picture, my normal defense mechanism has failed me in this situation. I'm not going to try to convey to you the changes our community has under gone over the weekend, you'd need to be here to see it. 

Instead I'm just going to leave you with a quote that has provided me with a small measure of comfort and my prayers for the 27 lost and the countless left behind who are suffering. 

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers, so many caring people in this world." - Fred Rogers


Anyone looking to help can donate here.

14.12.12

Never again...

I did something very bad yesterday.



While out at the grocery store I stumbled upon some holiday flavored coffee creamers and I just could not resist. This is very strange because I usually just stick to my boring original flavored powered creamer and call it a day. I'm not even drinking as much coffee as I used to, sometimes I go a week without. Whatever the reason those two bottle came home with me and I was pumped to give them a try. So pumped that I had 2 gigantic cups of coffee very late in the day, if my caffeine tolerance had been higher this might not have been such an issue but I've been avoiding caffeine as much as possible lately so this was bad news. 



Flash forward to 2:30 this morning and I'm in my kitchen all wired, bug eyed and finishing up my 2nd batch of cake pops. I baked the cakes, rolled the dough, dipped the balls, bagged them up, tied the bags off and then curled the ribbon on the bags. I am nothing if not efficient. 90 cake pops later I still had trouble falling asleep.

For those curious the chocolate covered pops are chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and the white covered pops are red velvet with cream cheese frosting. 

These cake pops are always a big hit and I'm pretty sure about 50 of them are already spoken for. 

P.S Have you seen this? 
I'm guilty many of those things and I think it's hilarious. 


Speaking of selfies:

How perfect/awesome is this shirt? I'm pretty pumped about it. Not sure if you could tell. 


13.12.12

And the gifts just keep on coming!


I thought I'd round up some more of the givings from out little advent tree
just for shits and giggles. 



 On the 7th day of Christmas The Beef got this awesome magnet to celebrate the awesomeness that is his beard. 

On the 8th day of Christmas he bestowed upon me a new charm for my pandora bracelet to commemorate the fact that is is my "bearmouth"



On the 9th day of Christmas I geeked out and bestowed upon him a patch bearing the Jedi symbol because we're hot and nerdy like that. 

On the 10th day of Christmas he hit me back with the best note I have ever read in my entire life.


On the 11th day of Christmas I celebrated our mutual love for gotham's finest with a pin that was immedieatly adhered to his lucky fishing hat:


So on the 12th day of Christmas I got lucky and won $10.

And on the 13th day of Christmas the beard shrine grew:

To be continued...

So does anyone else get as big a kick out of dorky little gifts like we do?