Friday Favorites: Week 10

This is the last week of the HV Nestie Blog Challenge.  I can now say that I’ve completed my very first challenge.  It was actually kind of fun to think about and share some of my favorite things.  Now I’m going to have to find something new to talk about on Fridays :)

For this final week's installment of Friday Favorites the prompts are:

• Favorite thing about yourself (can be a feature or a talent, etc)
• Favorite cartoon character
• Favorite cocktail

Favorite Thing about Yourself:

My hair.  While I hated it growing up, I’ve come to love & appreciate my natural curls.  I can wear it curly, wavy or straight….but I typically wear it curly.  Once in a while I will straighten it, but it’s a pita so I get it done at the salon and I don’t do it very often.

Favorite Cartoon Character:

One of my favorite cartoons growing up was The Smurfs.  I remember waking up early on Saturday mornings and watching it.  Of course Smurfette was my favorite but I also loved Azrael the cat!

Favorite Cocktail:

Dirty Vodka Martini.  Shaken…not stirred.

Friday Favorites: Week 9

For this week's installment of Friday Favorites the prompts are:

• Favorite picture (can be a personal picture or a piece of art)
• Favorite fast food restaurant
• Favorite actor/actress

Favorite Picture:

One of my favorite pictures is one from our honeymoon.  We were taking a jeep tour of Moorea (French Polynesia) and stopped in a pineapple field.  My husband and I have a tradition of taking self portraits wherever we go and snapped this one in the middle of the pineapple field.  I love our smiles and the happiness captured in this photo.

Favorite Fast Food Restaurant:

Every time I go to visit my brother on the west coast I have to eat at In-N-Out Burger.  I don’t know what it is about that place but I just love it.  I wish they would open one up on the east cost :(  I tried Five Guys and it’s just not the same.

Favorite Actor/Actress:

George Clooney for sure.  Just look at him....what’s not to love??? 

Friday Favorites: Week 8

For this week's installment of Friday Favorites the prompts are:

• Favorite story about your children or pets
• Favorite money saving tip
• Favorite website

Favorite story about your children or pets:

I have so many favorite stories about A that stem from both funny and proud moments.  We are very proud of the fact that A was an early talker but one of my favorite stories is from when he was about 22 months old and working on his “f’ words.  He was learning to say the word fork and frog during this time and let’s just say neither were coming out exactly as they should.  He was trying, but we couldn’t help but laugh.  Check it out for yourself.

Favorite money saving tip:

 

Seems simple enough, but writing down what you spend.  It’s very easy to loose track and spend too much when you don’t keep track of your money.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or even against a budget (at first), just at a minimum write it in your checkbook. - and balance it!  I can’t begin to tell you how many of my friends don’t bother keeping a checkbook and just check their balance online.  While it’s easy to go on and check your balance, you loose focus on what you’re spending your money on.  

Fee like you don’t have the time to track?  Try using mint dot com – they’ll do it for you…for free!

Favorite Website:

Well I guess that would depend on what I was shopping looking at.  Some of the cool & interesting ones I’ve found recently: 

Kids Woot (like groupon but for kids stuff)

Bobbleroos (kids blankets & pillow sets)

The Soft Landing (Eco-Friendly Products)

Freebies 4 Mom (free samples/freebies)

Uncommon Goods (cool/unique gifts)

The Vintage Pearl (Custom hand stamped jewelry)

Friday Favorites: Week 7

For this week's installment of Friday Favorites the prompts are:

• Favorite thing about your husband/fiancé/boyfriend/significant other
• Favorite restaurant (non fast food)
• Favorite Children’s book

Favorite Thing About Your Husband:

Definitely his sense of humor.  He is always trying to make me laugh when I’m stressed out or in a bad mood and tries to find the humor in situations where I might not find any.  We enjoy making each other laugh and I know we’ll be sharing laughs for many more years to come.

Favorite Restaurant (non fast food):

I have a few, but one of my very favorites is a small place on the west side of Manhattan that my friend Lisa and I come to love…Kashkaval.  It is a completely unique place - a cheese and gourmet foods market in the front, and an intimate, candlelit wine and cheese bar in the back.  I love their Mediterranean tapas and they serve the most amazing (and price-friendly) cheese and chocolate fondues that I have ever tasted.  It’s a must see if you are on the west side for dinner one night.

Favorite Children’s Book:

This book is my favorite mostly because of the great memories we’ve made with it.  It has become one of A’s favorite books and he reminds me every night that it must be the last book we read before bed.  A has it pretty much memorized and recites the words back with me as I read through it.  Some nights he’ll even “read” it to me :)

Friday Favorites: Week 6

Better late than never right?!  I had planned to do this post before I left for vacation & schedule it to post automatically but work was crazy before I left and I had no time for anything.  Not being one to shy away from a challenge, I'm posting this one day late to keep up with the challenge.

For this week's installment of Friday Favorites the prompts are:

• Favorite blog (and not your own)
• Favorite sport (can be one you play or watch)
• Favorite memory (past or present)

Favorite Blog:

I am fairly new to the blogging world so I haven’t started reading many blogs.  But one of my favorites so far is Work, Wife, Mom…Life!  On most Wednesdays I participate in Julia’s Working Mommy Wednesday prompts.

Favorite Sport:

I’m funny when it comes to sports.  I prefer to watch them live vs watching on TV.  Although, I’ll watch Yankee baseball and my PSU football in the summer and fall.  My favorite sport is one that I play - volleyball.  I played all through middle and high school and then played intramural in college since my college had a highly ranked NCAA team (I’m good but not THAT good).  I am still playing volleyball today.  I am part of an intramural NYC league and play once a week.     

Favorite Memory:

I have so many but the one that stands out as being not only one of my favorite memories but as a once in a lifetime experience was the 4 weeks I spent backpacking across Europe.  Back in 1999 I spent the spring semester studying abroad in Manchester, England.  After the semester was over I spent the next month traveling with my Euro rail pass, a pack on my back and a few of my friends.  We went to over 20 cities throughout France, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy & Greece.  It was one of the most amazing trips of my life and some of the best memories I have from my college days.

Friday Favorites: Week 5

For this week's installment of Friday Favorites the prompts are:

• Favorite (or most prized) possession (must be an object, not including photos)
• Favorite holiday
• Favorite gift you've ever received or given (life doesn't count)

Favorite (or most prized) Possession:

My most prized possession is something that belonged to my dad, his wedding ring.  After he died my mother gave it to me and I thought for a long time what to do with it.  Wear it on a chain, put it in a keepsake box, use the gold to make into a pair of stud earrings....I had no clue.  Then the jeweler we had been using for years suggested reshaping the ring into a heart and creating a slide pendant with it.  I jumped at the idea!  I loved that it kept the ring as it was when my dad wore it (the markings, even the inscription inside) yet changed it slightly to make it a little feminine for me to wear every day. 

the original inscription "love angie" from my mom to my dad

Favorite Holiday:

My favorite holiday is Christmas Eve.  Christmas Day you can keep, I would much rather have Christmas Eve.  As an Italian-American, this is a huge production in our family. We host a huge family dinner every other year (we rotate houses within the family) where we serve the traditional 7 fishes.  It is a night of good food, good wine and good company.  Although I don’t typically eat a lot of what I cook, I enjoy preparing & baking the meal, hosting everyone and decorating the house with all of the Christmas décor. 

Favorite Gift You’ve Ever Received:

My favorite gift I’ve ever received is my mother & baby cameo necklace.  My husband bought me this on my first Mother’s Day and I absolutely love it.  It is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry and every time I wear it A points to it and asks if it’s him in the picture. LOL

Friday Favorites: Week 4

For this week's installment of Friday Favorites the prompts are:

• Favorite (or Dream) Job
• Favorite vacation spot
• Favorite Book

Favorite (or Dream) Job:

When I was a kid I always dreamed of being a Marine Biologist.  Every trip to the aquarium or to Sea World would get my mind thinking of how these animals could survive in just water and what exactly makes them work.  In High School I excelled in my biology classes (my dad was a science teacher so science always interested me to begin with) but at some point in high school and when I got to college I decided Marine Biology just wasn’t a feasible career and instead I settled on something more reliable – accounting.   I know, I know, apples and oranges, right?!  I jumped from a science to a math career.   In some ways I think I would have made an excellent Marine Biologist, but at the same time the road getting there would have been much different and I don’t know if I would have had the strength to stick it out...

Now when I take my son to the aquarium I still wonder about the fish and get jealous of the Marine Biologists who are feeding the sea lions.

Favorite Vacation Spot:

My husband and I love Sanibel Island, Florida.  We went there for the first time back in 2003 and we absolutely LOVED it.  For vacations we are very content to just sit on a beach, relax and maybe do a little boating/fishing and easy hiking.  Sanibel was definitely the place for us.  It’s a very small island (12 miles long) with another small island (a 4 mile long island named Captiva) connected at the north end of Sanibel.  There are cute little shops, great restaurants, bike paths, fishing, golf, a wildlife refuge and beautiful beaches.  Sanibel is known for their seashells and if you wake up early enough and stroll out onto the beach you could be lucky enough to find one of the big conch shells that has washed ashore during the night.  When we were there I did some shell picking and used the shells to decorate a picture frame to put picture of the two of us in from the trip. 

We always rent a condo on the beach which works out perfect for us.  We’ve been renting from the same woman every time we go so we know exactly which unit we’re going to be getting and it’s a very beautiful complex.   We have a private beach a few steps away, a screened in porch to relax and watch the sunsets from, a pool & jacuzzi, and our own kitchen to use for breakfast and lunch so that we’re not eating at restaurants for every meal.  It really is like a home away from home when we’re there.  We haven’t been back to Sanibel in quite a few years but we would like to plan a trip back soon with our son so that he can experience our favorite vacation spot.

Here’s a picture from our first trip to Sanibel.  It’s the only one I have scanned in…goes to show you how long ago we went.  I didn’t even have a digital camera back then!  Ahh, we were so thin back then too.  This is our dieting inspiration picture :)

Favorite Book:

I have to kind of cheat on this one.  I don’t have a favorite book at all.  I love to read but I’m horrible at keeping up at it.  I don’t have a favorite author or a favorite book, but I do have a favorite genre.  I tend to gravitate to mystery/suspense novels.  I like Stephen King and Dean Kootz but I also like to read a lot of non-fiction.

Friday Favorites: Week 3

For this week's installment of the HV Nestie Blog Challenge the prompts are:

• Favorite TV show, or one that is most like your family
• Favorite Store to Shop at
• Favorite Recipe

Favorite TV show, or one that is most like your family:

I wouldn’t say that there is a TV show out there that is most like my family so I’ll go with favorite. (ok, ok, well maybe my extended family is a bit like Everyone Loves Raymond…hehe),

My all time favorite show is LOST.  I know it’s not on the air anymore, but that wasn’t a requirement ;-)   I don’t consider myself a sci-fi person, but I loved this show.  Was it all purgatory? Was it real life? What exactly WAS the Island?    and don't forget the NUMBERS!   4 8 15 16 23 42 

I won’t subject you all to my theories, but it is this open to interpretation aspect of the series that I found most fascinating.  Not to mention there were some really hot guys on it!  One of the best scenes in the entire 6 Seasons is the one where Charlie dies.  Not Penny's Boat!!

 

Favorite Store to Shop at:

 

Well, I guess that depends what I’m shopping for.  I haven’t done much shopping for myself recently, but when I do I usually go to Ann Taylor Loft or Macy’s.  I used to shop at Zara a lot, but since I moved out of the city I haven’t been back in a while.  For my son’s clothing I love Gymboree, Gap Kids & Macy’s.  For general shopping I’m a big Target fan.  Every time I go in there I find stuff.  I also do a lot of my shopping online since it’s so much easier to shop in your pajamas than to fight with crowds & parking.

Favorite Recipe:

So many to choose from…..but I think I’ll go with my hot spinach & artichoke dip.  I make this for almost every party I host.  It’s a huge crowd pleaser and since it’s served hot you can make it the day before and then heat back up in the oven.  (This recipe will be on the recipes page that I’m building and hope to have active soon)  Sorry, no pic of this one.  I'll have to take one the next time I make it.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

(2) 10 oz. boxes frozen spinach

¼ cup real butter

1 Tbs minced fresh garlic

2 Tbs minced onion

¼ cup flour

1 pint heavy cream

2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

½ tsp hot sauce

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup grated fresh Pecorino Romano Cheese

1/3 cup sour cream

½ cup shredded Vermont white cheddar

14 oz jar artichoke hearts – coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Thaw and squeeze all liquid from spinach; must be very dry.  Mince and set aside.
2. In heavy saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic and onions and sauté about 3-5 minutes
3. Add flour to make a roux.  Stir and cook about 1 minute
4. Slowly add heavy cream, stirring with a whisk to prevent lumping.
5. Mixture will thicken at the boiling point.  When it thickens, add lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and Pecorino Romano cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted.
6. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes
7. Stir in sour cream.  Fold in dry spinach and artichoke hearts.
8. Sprinkle white cheddar on top
9. Microwave to melt cheese and serve or can put in a 350°F oven for a few minutes until cheese melts.

Note:  Serve with salsa, sour cream and tortilla chips for dipping.

Options:  you can use fresh spinach instead of frozen if you like.  You can steam the spinach, mince and add or add raw minced spinach and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.  

Friday Favorites: Week 2

The prompts for this week are:

• Favorite piece of clothing
• Favorite Superhero
• Favorite Movie

Favorite Piece of Clothing:
I had to think hard about this one.  A few months ago I would have said the baggy sweater or sweatpants that I felt comfortable in.  But now I’m starting to fit back into some of my other clothes and old favs are making a comeback.  I have a tie between an old and a new piece.  One is a long black belted sweater coat that I bought from J Crew when I was in college. (ok, so maybe it’s still a baggy sweater LOL) It’s such the perfect piece and I wear it throughout the fall and spring.  It never fails that every year someone asks me where I got it and I have to admit to them that it’s 10+ years old!

  

 

My other favorite is a brand new tank that I bought late last year at Old Navy.  I own a lot of purple shirts but this is my favorite..  I loved the jeweled tone of the neckline and the way the fabric falls.  It just makes me feel pretty when I put it on, which is what clothes are supposed to do.

Favorite Superhero:

Superwoman!!!  She’s a crime fighting bad ass with some sick cuff bracelets.  Need I say more?

Favorite Movie:

My favorite has to be The Breakfast Club, hands down.  I’m a huge fan of John Hughes’ movies and grew up watching these in the 80’s & early 90’s.The Breakfast Club….Sixteen Candles…..St. Elmo’s Fire….love all of them.  I remember back when I was dating my husband we used to watch The Breakfast Club at least once a week (it’s one of his favorites too).  I pretty much wore out the VHS tape during college (yes, I was still watching VHS back then) and now have the DVD.  When A is entering his teenage years I will definitely be introducing him to these!

Join in by answering all of the prompts below and linking up your post.  Don’t forget to also grab the button on the right too (please)

Friday Favorites: Week 1

The prompts for this week are:

1. Favorite Song
2. Favorite Food
3. Favorite day of the week

Favorite Song:

I am addicted to my Sirius radio, so I don’t listen to much main stream radio anymore.  With that said, I am a huge fan of classic rock and listen to those stations the most.  I have many favorites, but this one is just a classic.

Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Favorite Food:

I don’t discriminate (much) against food so there are lots of foods I like.  While I would like to say that my favorite is something exquisite and fancy like lobster thermador, it isn’t.  My favorite is good ‘ole pizza.  I could eat it every day, breakfast lunch & dinner.  Give me a good pie with a crunchy crust and lots of cheese and I’m a happy woman.

Favorite Day of the Week:

Yes, I love weekends as much as the next person but I would have to say my favorite day of the week is Thursday.  Perhaps it’s because it reminds me of my pre-baby days when DH and I used to go out with our friends on Thursday nights or the “Thirsty Thursday” work happy hours I used to enjoy so much.  Now-a-days my Thursdays are filled with Thomas the Train and Goodnight Moon…and I’m perfectly happy with that.

Join in by answering the three prompts below and linking up your post.  Don’t forget to also grab the button on the right too (please)

1. Favorite Song
2. Favorite Food
3. Favorite day of the week

HV Nestie Blog Challenge

Alright all you Husdon Valley Nesties out there in blog-land.  We’re starting our very own “Friday Favorites” blog challenge.  It’s all about your favorite things (ala Oprah).  Posts will be made weekly, on Fridays, according to the prompts on the list below.  To participate, simply answer the 3 prompts for that week on your blog and then link up your posts using the linkytool either here or on Diapers, Dishes, Lessons & Homework.  Also don’t forget to grab the HV Nestie's Favorite Things button from the right --->> to include in your weekly post.

Challenge starts this Friday February 4^th.   Nesties from other areas are welcome to participate too!

Week 1:

1. Favorite Song
2. Favorite Food
3. Favorite day of the week

Week 2:

4. Favorite piece of clothing
5. Favorite Superhero
6. Favorite Movie

Week 3:

7. Favorite TV show, or one that is most like your family
8. Favorite Store to Shop at
9. Favorite Recipe

Week 4:

10. Favorite (or Dream) Job
11. Favorite vacation spot
12. Favorite Book

Week 5:

13. Favorite (or most prized) possession (must be an object, not including photos)
14. Favorite holiday
15. Favorite gift you've ever received or given (life doesn't count)

Week 6:

16. Favorite blog (and not your own)
17. Favorite sport (can be one you play or watch)
18. Favorite memory (past or present)

Week 7:

19. Favorite thing about your husband/fiancé/boyfriend/significant other
20. Favorite restaurant (non fast food)
21. Favorite Children’s book

Week 8:

22. Favorite story about your children or pets
23. Favorite money saving tip
24. Favorite website

Week 9:

25. Favorite picture (can be a personal picture or a piece of art)
26. Favorite fast food restaurant
27. Favorite actor/actress

Week 10:

28. Favorite thing about yourself (can be a feature or a talent, etc)
29. Favorite cartoon character
30. Favorite cocktail