"It's Just a Little Crush...

... it's not like I faint, everytime we touch..."

I have an amazing life. I'm married to a great man whom I adore, I have a wonderful baby whom I also adore and I get to stay home to take care of my family. I've got pretty great. Because I'm so happy, it gives me lots of time to think about things that don't really matter. Such as...

CRUSHES!

I will now list some of my favorite celebrity crushes for your (and Brandon's) amusement. They will be categorized, those of you who know me know that I like being organized. Here we go:

1. All time, always and forever crush - Matt Damon
I will be crushing on Matt Damon 'til the day I die, much like my mom is still crushing on Donny Osmond. In my mind Matt Damon can do no wrong, well, you know what I mean.


2. Trendy crush - Robert Pattinson
I'm sure I'll change my mind about this when a new "It" guy shows up in a couple of years and he'll be dethroned from this spot. Much like Leonardo DiCaprio.


3. Trophy crush - Paul McCartney
Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE the Beatles. If I had been alive during their heyday I would have snuck into their hotel room and cut off a piece of each of their heads of hair and then taken it back home to sniff. So, my purpose in crushing on Paul McCartney is not because I think he's cute, but because he is the ultimate collector's item*.


4. Foodie crush - Gordon Ramsay
Ok, so Gordon Ramsay is not the best looking dude. I just love what a bad@$$ he is and little known fact: he was this close to playing professional football (aka. soccer). That's a pretty good showing considering that our other culinary bad@$$ contender was Anthony Bourdain who has the body of a really tall prepubescent boy. Plus Gordon has a cool accent.


5. Cougar crush - Rupert Grint
I don't know what it is about this kid that I just love, but I just do. It makes me feel better that's he's only 3 years younger than me so I don't feel so cougar-y. I think he's a good example that I look for more than just a pretty face on a guy. Broad shoulders are important too.


6. Old Dude Crush - James Garner
This was going to be a tie between Robert Redford and Paul Newman because they're both awesome but I've decided on a compromise where no one wins. James Garner is just so charming and a dude's dude - this is important in the age of the metrosexual. Where are the plucked eyebrows? Where is the waxed chest? Where is the strange V-neck shirt that looks like a woman's tee? Not here, thank goodness.


7. Musical Crush - Glen Hansard
I usually don't like musicians as men, they're kind of sickly looking and don't always have a whole lot of muscle definition, but Glen Hansard's music is so amazing that I can't help but want him to write a song about me.

And there you go. Now think hard and let me know who your crushes are!

*To Paul McCartney: I know this sounds objectifying, please don't hate me.

School is In

There has been much talk lately about stripper pole dance classes. I know someone who is taking them. And honestly I don't really care what people do in their spare time. If they want to swing around a pole like a stripper, by all means swing around a pole, just don't hurt yourself. The purpose of my post is not to discredit pole dancing as an art or as a seduction device for a stale marriage, but to ask, "Who the heck has a stripper pole in their house?"

Do they come as an add-on in certain gated communities? Can you strip down a wall and use a pipe? Should we perhaps be teaching lap dancing or a certain burlesque style of stripping that does not require assembly? My inquiring mind needs to know.

Ellie's Blessing

Just a quick post before Ellie wakes up from her nap.

For Thanksgiving we went up to St. George to hang out with Brandon's family. My parents went for a little bit as well because Ellie's blessing was on Thanksgiving Day. A blessing is when the a child is given his/her official name in the records of the Church and when he/she is given a blessing to start his/her life on the right foot. Usually the dad performs the blessing and Brandon did a great job. It was hard holding back the tears throughout but I just felt so grateful (thankful, Sean?) to have a healthy little girl and a husband that will help me rear her up with a lot of love. Being entrusted with such a precious daughter of Heavenly Father is a slightly scary and humbling task, but I'm glad Brandon is by my side and that we get to do it together.

A note on the dress Ellie is wearing. All the grand-girls have worn this dress for their blessing and my mother-in-law then has their initials and the date of their blessing embroidered on the bottom of the dress. Ellie is the eighth grand-daughter to be blessed in that dress.


Ellie and Maggie in another stand off.


All the men getting ready to participate in the blessing.


Parents, grandparents, great-grandparents.


I don't understand why I look exactly like my mom and Ellie looks nothing like me. Mystery.


Four generations.


Grandparents


Here is Brandon with all his siblings. All the boys had babies this year and Anne is pregnant. Tons of babies to go around.

I'm so glad I married into a great family and that my parents could be there for such a great moment in Ellie's life. Go kids!

2009 Labor Odyssey

I wish I could link music because then I would link that song from 2001 Space Odyssey. "tannnn, tan, tan, tin,tan,tin,tan" Anyway you get the point.

I've waited to write about the labor because I had issues to work out with it. But I feel like I'm at a good place so it's time to share. Plus I finally figured out how to make it a little more concise.

Sunday: Slight contractions begin. They're nothing to write home about, I teach Sunday school through them. At night contractions are pretty strong coming about 4 mins apart. Go into Birth Center. Only at a 1. Go home. Painful and sleepless night.

Monday: Contractions kept coming through the night so I didn't sleep. During the day they space out. We go to an acupuncturist appointment to get the show on the road. Doesn't work. Walk on the beach. Another painful and sleepless night.

Tuesday: Go back to Birth Center, I'm at a 2. Get membranes stripped (which hurt like hell). Go home. Walk so more. Cry a little bit out of exhaustion and frustration. Another painful and sleepless night.

Wednesday: Go into Birth Center get checked, I'm at a 2. Decide we're going to try all natural remedies to get baby here. First, castor oil. Doesn't do much. Next, pumping, just hurt my boobs. Lastly, water broken. That kicked this off, but VERY slowly. After 4 hours I'm at a 4/5. Labor in the tub for a few hours. Still at a 4/5, can't handle the fact that progress is going so slow and I'm exhausted. Transfer to UCSD. Get epidural. No progress. Get pitocin. Very little progress. Get more pitocin. Some progress. Finally some sleep.

Thursday: Slept a little and 10 hours after getting to hospital it's time to push. Pushed for 2 hours. Suddenly 12 people rush into the room. Baby out, Brandon cuts cord, baby whisked to NICU because of meconium covering her whole body and she's not crying. Suddenly, I'm all alone, grateful I finally get to eat.

And that's it folks. SO not what I had planned, but Ellie got here safely and that's what matters. I'm grateful I went through all that because it taught me so much about so many things. I'm a better person for it.

Lastly I want to throw in a shout out to Brandon who was AMAZING as a coach. Seriously, he should become a doula and charge for his services. I'm pretty sure I would have shriveled up and died without him. And another one to my mom, she took so much pressure off with taking care of Maggie and the house and just being generally helpful. Even if she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown the whole time.

Here's to having babies.

Playbaby: Playmate of the Month

This is Ellie, Playbaby of the Month- Miss November, if you will.
Sign: Libra
Turn on's: eating, snuggling, being sung to
Turn off's: being made to wait for a meal, dirty diapers
Perfect day includes: picnic in the park, about eight naps, listening to my mommy sing out of tune.

Enough talk, my popular demand, pictures! PS These are in chronological order.

I'm not going to lie. My kid is a freaking genius, she holds her own pacifier.


I forget why we're so upset. It's probably because we're on the floor.


Stretch!


Arguing with Dad.


Napping with Dad.


Intense moment with Maggie


I call this squirrel-face. It's the face Brandon gets when he tries to feed Ellie. I think it's because she doesn't understand how he's to feed her without boobs.


Intense moment with Dad.


Sigh.


Post-bath. Ellie LOVES the water and being clean. A true Jacobsen.


First Halloween. I think she should always be an insect from now on.

That's it for now. Now quit bugging. :)

Confessions...

Sigh. I'm a terrible person. For two reasons.

1. I saw a pregnant woman walking down the street and wanted to yell, "Don't do it!"
It's kind of late, she can't get unpregnant, but I still wanted to warn her of the complete consumption of your being that a child requires.

I don't feel that way anymore (well, the "don't do it" park) and have kind of figured out how to balance motherhood with the rest of my existence, but that doesn't take away the flurry of emotions that wash over you like a tsunami when you get home and think, "Holy Crap, this is for real. I'm not entirely sure we haven't made a mistake."

Thankfully those are just hormones talking and once they're back to normal life gets back to normal. But don't be fooled, until normality returns, it kind of sucks.

2. I now know I can kill a man.
That means you, Mr. I'm-17-and-in-a-band-drive-a-motorcycle. And you Mr. Bully-in-the-playground. I know who you are, and I know where you sleep.

For cute.

Just thought I'd post a picture of Ellie. She's getting so big so fast, it's weird. According to the ped (we have to call him this otherwise I keep calling him the vet), she's long, but I could have told you that, she practically wraps all the way around me when I feed her.
Also today was her first shower, which was successful and so much easier. From now on showers only.

Help.

I'm being held hostage by a tiny criminal.

Height: 1'10.5"
Weight: between 9 and 10 lbs
Hair: Dark brown, in a mohawk
Eyes: Undetermined
Ethnicity: mixed
Wearing: footsie jammies with dragons

Here's an artist's rendering:

Ellie Anne Jacobsen

The newest member of our family came home today.
She arrived October 1st at 4:57 am weighing 8lbs 3oz.

Eeeeekk!!!!

Patriot Day

I'm confused as to what the purpose of naming 9/11 was. Whose idea was this? And why did I have to find out about it through my At-a-Glance Monthly Planner at work? Did someone name it Patriot Day in hopes that one day this too would be the day to bbq and go to the beach, like all our other nation-related holidays? How long did it take before people started grilling on Memorial Day and stopped giving a second thought to our fallen soldiers? I'm just saying, when I hear Patriot Day I think about a bbq while my kids play Little League Football dressed as the New England Patriots. On the other hand, when I hear 9/11 I think about the monumental historical event I wish I hadn't witnessed. I think about the soldiers who left their home soil to ensure that nothing like this would ever happen again and that our freedoms would be protected. I think about those men and women that came together to help their brothers are sisters out of the ash and smoke. I think about a nation brought together with renewed compassion and well, patriotism. But I just can't get past that name.


Whatever we end up calling it. Here's to remembering those fallen, civilian and military. And to those who stand to protect our safety and freedoms today.

Fete des Madeleines

One of my proudest moments as a cook occurred on a blustery day in early Fall of 2007. We were walking around the charming seaside village of Honfleur in Northern France when we stopped at this bakery run by this dog.

I had traveled to France and I was going to have a Madeleine. Finally a real-live, bonafide French Madeleine. So we went in and bought one. It was good. Different. The consistency was different than the ones I make, and the flavor was not quite like mine. Immediately I began trying to figure out what I could change in my recipe to match the one in the dog-run bakery. Whilst lost in thoughts of cold butter and squirts of lemon, Brandon leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I like yours better."

And so here we are in San Diego two years later, during one of the hottest weeks of the year, with no AC, baking 8 batches of Madeleines for Brandon's work. Fetes des Madeleines he calls it. He's even put on French music from days gone by when GI's were still patrolling Paris. Though I'm honored that Brandon likes my Madeleines enough to share them with his co-workers, I can't help but think that the timing could have been better.


"Note to self: purchase more madeleine pans. They will pay for themselves."


I think when all was said and done we had about 85 madeleines. That is give or take the ones we each ate during the whole process. Alas, one must account for these things while figuring out how many times one will multiply the recipe by.

Ah, Madeleines, on est bien faible quand on est amoureux de toi!

Nothing More Than Feelings

Here are a few pointers of how to talk about your feelings with your husband.

1. Make sure you're on the same page.
B: Hey, what's this thing from Old Navy on the card? Did you go there recently?
N: No, I returned something online, that should be a credit, not a debit.
B: Oh yeah here it is.
N: Screw you.
B: Sorry, I wasn't saying you can't buy stuff, I was just wondering what that charge was about.
N: Oh, no, the screw you was for something else.

2. Don't attack unnecessarily.
B: Was the "screw you" necessary?
N: Well, no, but I thought I would make my point better that way.
B: Ok, so not ok. What did you want to talk about?

3. Don't jump to hasty conclusions
N: Do you hate me and your unborn child?
B: No...
N: Well then I'm going to continue buying iron supplements (side note: pregnancy has made me anemic)
B: Ok, that's fine. All I said was that they were really expensive, could we try something else?

4. Be flexible.
N: No! That supplement is really effective and it absorbs very well and it's what the midwives recommended.
B: Ok, fine. Keep buying them.

5. Don't beat a dead horse.
N: Besides, iron rich foods aren't enough and my prenatal vitamins don't have enough iron in them apparently.
B: Ok, fine. Keep buying them.
N: This is your child! How dare you.
B: Ok, fine. Keep buying them.

6. Know when to quit.
N: Ok.
B: Ok.
N: Good. Moving on.

Aaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Suicide Note

"Oh, you're starting to waddle!"

Excuse me while I remove myself from this earth.

Cat Clip Thing: Tragedy in One Act

Wherefore hast thou forsaken me, Cat Clip Thing? Thy sweet metal curve no longer hugs my keys nor allows me hang them from my purse. Mine purse is shambles without thee.

I rather not live, not drive, not have a house key than to navigate all these worlds without thee. For thy services kept me sane.

And scene.

Wheatens A-Go-Go

It's been a while since I posted about my Maggie so I thought I would.
First we went to a dog show to commemorate her Wheateness. The theme of the Wheaten ring was "My Wheaten, My Hero." Not sure who came up with that name but I know that I love my magnet with a flying Wheaten. Complete with cape.

My Maggie, my hero


I don't want to be telling tales from school, but there was a dyed Wheaten in this group. I don't know who that lady thought she was fooling. You can't tell now, but it looked like the poor dog had rolled around in tomato juice.

Then, thanks to the economic downturn we decided that we were going to clip Maggie at home because I was done paying more for my dog's haircut than my own. Besides it's just too hot to keep Maggie with long hair. Here is documentation:

"More over, let me do it." I told Brandon.

Sometimes I just need to be patient

Here is Brandon documenting my incompetence for Children's Services. Maggie started shaking her head and blood went flying everywhere. Turns out I had cut her ear. Thankfully it wasn't a huge deal and she quickly forgot about it.


The carnage.

We love our Magpie. And even though she looks like a weed-wacker cut her hair, she's the cutest, softest, gentlest and all around bestest dog ever.

Go Me!

Congratulating myself for no reason in particular is one of my favorite things to do. And what better day to do that than on your birthday?
I have to say that this birthday was one of my favorites ever. It started with a lazy morning of laying around and watching daytime TV (Brandon and I both took the day off - a tradition I think we should keep)followed by lunch at Cuatro Milpas (where does awesome Mexican food live? Why, the ghetto of course).

Then we went to the Wild Animal park where we scheduled a tour to feed animals. We were the only ones to sign up at that time so we had all the food to ourselves (meaning more one-on-one time with the animals) and the tour guide had all sorts of great stories to share. It was way awesome. Best birthday ever.

Sadly we forgot our camera so what you're seeing is from a disposable one. And unfortunately I'm too lazy to get the picture of me in front of Cuatro Milpas from Brandon's phone.


One of the first things we did was feed the geese. The food was actually for the ducks, but the geese were very persistent and eventually decided that only my jeans would do. It was really fun playing chicken with geese. I'll be damned if I let a goose intimidate me.


As soon as we got to the park Brandon made a beeline to the remote control boats. It was on our way to these that we encountered the geese. Brandon is a great boat driver, he event went through a tunnel in reverse. Which is actually what he did on a real boat this 4th of July weekend. Hmm... life imitating remote control things.


This is where the fun got started. Actually the fun had been going on for about an hour before we got to the rhinos. We got to see so many awesome animals living in harmony just doing their own quirky things. Like these african deer making broken dishwasher noises. And it was lambing season for the mountain sheep so we got to see lots a little lambs. It's just so amazing how many awesome creatures Heavenly Father made, each with a purpose and each with so many amazing qualities. I was ready to sign up for a conservation job at the park right then and there.


See my shoe on the lower left? That was to become this rhino's next snack. It didn't hurt or anything to have her chomping on it, but I felt a little picked on.


About a second after this picture was taken this giraffe licked me. Giraffes are the only mammals with black tongues. Not sure why their tongues need to be black, but whatever. They were so breath-taking. Sadly, I saw more than one disappointed giraffe because they weren't getting any food. We weren't allowed to feed them apples because they get drunk on them (interesting fact: apple alcohol is incredibly strong. most pubs won't sell it in England and it's what inmates make from their lunch apples). But it wouldn't have mattered because the gluttonous rhinos ate them all. Fatsos.

Here's to great birthdays with the people you love, with great food and appreciating the most basic and incredible creations this world has to offer,

Pregnancy Don'ts

(This was taken on my birthday in early June. I'm bigger now. Eek!)

If you know someone who is pregnant please refrain from saying/asking the following (at least to her face):

1. "Is that your third helping of salad?!" - Really? You're going to give me crap over eating more salad? So what if it is? The growing human in your abdominal cavity is making it hard for any organs to survive. Less room means a stomach that gets full faster, which means lots of helpings just to get the right amount of nutrition.
More sensitive alternative: "Can you get me another soda while you're up?"

2. "Did you throw up a lot?" - What a weird question, and is it really one you want to know the answer to? I think not. Besides not everyone is deathly ill whilst with child.
More sensitive alternative: "How are you feeling?"

3. "Wow, you're bigger than I was at 6 months." - Thanks/Sorry/Congratulations? What the hell do you say to this? When faced with this comment all I could do was smile in horror - much like that smile you plaster on your face when you've just realized you're talking to a psychopath and you don't want to piss them off as your frantically looking for the nearest exit. My original idea for this post was to complain when people say, "Wow you're so big!" But that comment seems like small potatoes compared to this comment I received over the weekend.
More sensitive alternative: Anything, it really can't get worse than this. Lie if you have to.

4. "Can I touch your belly?" - I appreciate that you asked as opposed to the others that don't even have that common decency, but I'm afraid that answer is still no.
More sensitive alternative: Keep your hands to yourself.

5. "Are you excited?" - Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to. Do you really want to hear about how this is an unwanted pregnancy from a druggie father who has ODed and I wish I were dead because my parents kicked me out? No one does.
More sensitive alternative: "I'm really happy for you."

6. "That's nothing! Wait until the baby comes." I realize this is meant to be helpful, but it's really not. What do people expect? That when the baby gets here I'll come crawling to them and say, "Sen-sei, you were right! Impart more of your wisdom on me?" Duh, babies make parents tired. And then what? The world goes on.
More sensitive alternative: "Let me know if I can babysit."

I'm really grateful for these comments that I've come across because they've helped me become more aware of what I say to people. NOT an easy task. Though slightly annoying, they've been a good lesson in humility. Let's see how well I do when encountered with another pregnant person.

Happiness

Our 3 year anniversary just passed and I thought I’d share one of my favorite stories from our marriage.

So let me set the scene: We’re at Brandon’s brother’s house. We’re in town for a friend’s wedding and his brother has been kind enough to let us stay at their place for the weekend. The only downside is that the faucets in the bathroom in the basement are extremely sensitive. Brandon and I are getting ready for the wedding so we’re both in the bathroom – Brandon is attempting to shave and I’m attempting to shower.
Nat: I can’t get the hot water to run.
Brandon: It’s cuz you’re turning it the wrong way. There, it’s getting warm.
N: Oh, thanks. Good CRAP! That is scalding now! Alright, I’m gonna hop in as soon as it cools down a little. Are you shaving?
B: Yup.
N: K.
I hop in the shower and start washing my hair when a split second later the water turns frigid.
N: AH! What the hell was that?
B: What happened?
N: The water is freezing! Turn the faucet off!
B: Well, how am I supposed to shave?
N: I don’t know, but don’t touch the faucet until I’m done.
I continue to shower…
N: AAAHH!!! DAMN IT BRANDON!
B: Sorry! I just wanted to see if I could regulate the water…
Meanwhile the water in the sink is still running and the water in the shower is alternating between freezing and scalding.
N: Turn. It. OFF!
B: Jeez Nat, you don’t have to be a jerk!
As my flesh is melting…I’m going at the top of my lungs and so is Brandon.
N: TURN IT OFF!
B: DAMN IT NAT!
N: DAMN IT BRANDON!!
B: YOU’RE A MONSTER! (As he’s turning the water off) YOU’RE A MONSTER!!!
N: Ppfff!! (I start to roar with laughter) What?
B: You heard me…monster.
N: Haha!!

Our shouting matches end the same every time. One of us starts laughing, the other starts to laugh too and before we know it we’ve apologized, forgotten what the fuss was about and we go eat something.

Let me epilogue the story by saying that Brandon could possibly be the best person I know. He is certainly the peacemaker in our home. His ability to look past my Hulk-like outbursts never ceases to amaze me and I’m constantly asking Heavenly Father for help in becoming the wife that Brandon deserves. Only heaven knows how I got so lucky.

All this righteousness is why I LOVE the few, brief, and very delicious moments when Brandon loses his temper and has an outburst of his own; even if his are more like Buster (a la Arrested Development) than Hulk. It makes me breathe a little easier when Brandon reminds me that he is human and perhaps we ARE meant to be together – when even when we fight I can appreciate how amazing he is and how much I love him. Aah, bliss.

Ooohhh, aaahhh

Some of you may wonder why I like Twilight (at least I know Brandon does). Well, the leading man is really good looking, even if he is a weenie (and he smokes, yuch). The story is really engaging, if only passably written by Stephanie Meyer. And the more Brandon dislikes something the more I have a pull towards it. Plus it's just a fun story to get caught up in - probably because I'm past that stage and I can look back with humor at those very dramatic teenage years. Besides my fanpirehood only goes as far as having read the books and owning the movie. I don't have t-shirts that say "Team" anything nor do I have Cullen action figures. I save that kind of ridiculous obsession for Harry Potter. I'm warning you now, watch out when July rolls around.

Now that I'm done justifying that, here's the trailer for New Moon, looks fun, no?

Sex and Hazards

Well, it’s a girl. Don’t ask me how I feel cuz I don’t know quite yet. It’s not sad or anything, just… something. I’ll figure it out later.

But, speaking of bathrooms, I have a funny story. At least I thought it was funny after I recovered.

I’ve wanted to write a post about the strange hazards of pregnancy - at least my particular hazards. Every woman is different so we’ll see if any of you who have been pregnant relate. Don’t worry the funny story is at the end.

Hazard #1 - Looking like a balloon animal gone very very wrong. This is an obvious hazard but surprisingly unpleasant nonetheless. I’m just not Demi Moore.
Hazard #2 – Strange pains, in places you can’t really pinpoint, that aren’t painful more like annoying (i.e. somewhere between your kidneys and your ribs, but kind of in your lungs and also in your leg…)
Hazard #3 – Leg cramps like you just swam a sprint. Horrible, horrible cramps that wake you up in the middle of the night and make you blurt out incoherent things like, “Argheek!”
Hazard #4 – Sudden dehydration in the shower. Actually general wussyness in the heat is a big one, but being thirsty is like my thing all of a sudden (come to find out, it's because the baby loves to drink the fluid it swims in). Case in point:
One day Brandon was showering and right as he was done I hopped in to shower too, so there was no need for the water to be turned off. Because Brandon had been showering for about 15 minutes our miniscule bathroom looked like a steam room which was fine until I started showering. I was feeling ok up until I started to rinse my hair and all of a sudden I started feeling really, really faint…before you know it, I’m on the floor of the shower yelling, “Brandon! Brandon!”
Brandon walks in saying, “What’s up?” He opens the curtains and finds me on the floor practically twitching like a fumigated cockroach, rasping out, “water…water…so… thirsty…”
Thankfully he rushed me a glass of cold water which saved the day and I was able to successfully finish rinsing my hair. If Brandon hadn’t been there, I’m pretty sure I’d still be on the shower floor.
Hazard #5 - It results in a baby. I know, I got myself into this and we're excited and everything but there is nothing like a kid to remind you of your many, many, inadequacies as a person, let alone a parent. Wish us luck!

Hell's Chicken

If Satan were the kind of individual to cook delicious dinners for people, I imagine this dish would be one of his specialties. It was the hottest thing I’ve cooked in a really long time, possibly ever.
It all started out with me looking up recipes for chicken breast. The chicken breast and I are barely on speaking terms so I wanted something to spice up our relationship and I got way more than I bargained for. I still don’t know if I want to forgive the chicken breast but I will admit this dish turned out specially delicious, if I do say so myself. Once you get past the burning.
Also, warning: DO NOT cook this indoors. This is meant to be a grilling recipe (courtesy of Bobby Flay) and he means it. Please cook the chicken and the tomato jam outside unless you want a scene similar to my own which included: burning eyes, burning sinuses, a comatose dog, foggy vision due to smoke, burning throat, and shortness of breath.
On that note, cut back on the cayenne unless you’re brave and you can also substitute fish. This is not for that faint of stomach, but so so worth it.

Enjoy!

TANDOORI SPICED CHICKEN BREAST WITH GRILLED TOMATO JAM AND HERBED YOGURT SAUCE
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground cayenne
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3 (8-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 pita breads, warmed on the grill
• Tomato Jam , recipe follows
• Herbed Yogurt, recipe follows
Directions
Heat grill to medium-high. Combine all spices and the oil in a medium bowl to make a paste. Rub a thin layer of the spice paste onto 1 side of each chicken breast. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until slightly charred and just cooked through. Remove from the grill, let rest 5 minutes, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Serve openface on pitas: the chicken slices, a few dollops of Tomato Jam, and a drizzle of Herbed Yogurt.
Grilled Tomato Jam:
• 5 plum tomatoes
• 1 serrano chile
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for grilling
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 small Spanish onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Pinch saffron
Heat grill to high. Brush tomatoes and serrano with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill tomatoes and serrano on all sides until charred. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan on the grates of the grill or on the side burners. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the tomatoes, serrano, balsamic vinegar, and saffron and cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature before serving.
Herbed Yogurt:
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate if not using immediately.

Awesome!

If I don't stop looking at trailers for awesome movies, I'm going to have a heart attack pretty soon. My favorite part of summer is escaping the heat for a bit and watching a really fun movie.

These are cool character spotlights for the Wolverine movie. How awesome are all these guys? Only Gambit could make that weird bowler hat look cool. And if I may add my two cents, if the Twilight kids want to act intimidating, they should take notes from these guys - and back off the weird constipated frown.

To the trailers!

AAHH!!!!

Excitement abounds in my soul.

Shout-Outs

I would like to send a shout-out to a few things that I’ve come to appreciate.
1. Blog-stalking. Had I not blog-stalked a girl I don’t even know I would not have found the below clip.
2. That thing that tells you when people have updated their blog and what the post-title is. For the above reason.
3. High School Musical. All three parts, although the second is my favorite.
4. My sisters-in-law, because without them there would be no High School Musical support for me.
5. SNL.

In that vein let me just tell everyone how awesome my sisters-in-law are: Brandon has 3 brothers and 1 sister meaning that most of the girls in the family had to come from outside sources. Marrying the youngest, I was one of the last to come in and from day one those girls have made me feel so welcome and so loved (minus the short stint at the beginning when Anne didn’t like me). As a bonus they are tons and tons of fun. When we get together for family events Brandon goes off with his brothers and I go off with my sisters-in-law and then we reconvene when it’s time for bed. It’s that fun. Sometimes we’ll send our husbands to bed and then keep hanging out while we go to a late movie. I suppose a shout-out is needed to our husbands that put up with us. Brandon told me the other day, “I don’t know what it is about when you guys get together, but it’s like you’re all 15 again.” Perhaps that’s why we all have this thing with High School Musical. As a bonus, one of them was a real live East High cheerleader when she went to East High. Sorry, Song Leader.

This one is for you, ladies.

Ruff Life

Apparently the Obamas are going to unveil their new puppy today. It’s a Portuguese Water Dog. A breed that has been on Brandon’s mind for quite some time and that we spent time looking at last night, oohing and aahing (I know, we’re dog crazies). Brandon would love to have one, especially here because he could throw it in the water and perhaps even teach it to surf. I’m game, I’m sure Maggie would love a puppy that she could help raise. But I digress.

I was kind of shocked at the press that Bo, the new Obama puppy, is getting. The poor thing already has enemies because he’s not a mutt. Rescue groups are claiming that Obama reneged on his promise to get a pound puppy, and I’m sure breeders of other breeds are offended that Obama didn’t pick their breed. Calamity abounds in the dog world.

My question here is: who cares? A dog is getting a great home and that’s something to celebrate in any situation. We should be grateful that it didn’t come from a pet store (pet stores usually get their dogs from puppy mills, which are horrible places, and are not to be supported).

So I say, live and let die. Obamas: have fun with your energetic, hypoallergenic, doe-eyed, black and white, shaggy puppy.

Go Bo, go Bo go.