A SnOMG Journal...

Day One: Prepare for Snow-sault...
 ~ Stock fridge with food. DH came home with twice as much steak as I requested but "forgot" the lettuce.
 ~ Stock bar with wine & liquor. You know, for warmth!

~Unexpected power outage around 9:30pm. DH worries about heat for the babies, while I stress about our wireless internet access.

 ~ Remain calm and light candles. Note to self: Buy some non-scented candles. Our house still smells like a mixture of Christmas pine and black cherry with a hint of lily. PS that combo does not smell good. 


~ When all out of conversation (aka DH is tired of me talking) go to bed earlier than either of us has since Baby Deux's birth.

Day Two: Snow-vasion continues
~ Thank God for the return of power and immediately make coffee, check twitter and reset all the clocks. Note to self: Add coffee press to list of items needed in our home emergency kit. 


~ Make ginormous breakfast of fried eggs, bacon and homemade biscuits.

~ Super DH heads out (without his superhero cape) to shovel the house out. Roof and all!

~ Bundle up and go play in the snow with DH and the baby. Baby Duex stays inside and sleeps through it all. He's so lazy, right? 


~ Dry off and eat again. What is it about snow days that makes me want to eat everything in my fridge?! S'now not okay. tee hee hee

~ Put baby to bed and start making Chicken Tortilla Soup and Quesadillas for dinner. Soup was delicious by the way but I can still feel the burn from the jalepeno. Its the next day and I've even showered. How long does it take capsaicin to leave your skin???


~ Atempt to rent a movie on On-Demand. Denied AGAIN and resort to watching Baby Mamma on HBO! What tha? I swear I paid the bill this time! Darn you Comcast! **shakes fist wildly in the air**


Day Three: Snow-bored

~ Wake up leisurely at 9:30. WHAT? Sweet DH lets me and Baby Duex sleep in as he wrestles with the drooling mess that is our older son.

~ Make another monster breakfast ~ Meegas the size of Chipotle Burritos!

~ Survey the quickly dwindling contents of our fridge.

~ Realize that the neighborhood cheese shop is closed again today rendering my fondu SuperBowl menu defunct. Worse yet is the realization that the only store open in walking distance is 7-11 and begin a very unhealthy "grocery" list.

Silver lining... we still have plenty of good wine so I will not be forced to buy any from 7-11. At least that's something!

Cheers, 
Ousier

Snow-ma-geddon

The DC area is bracing for the "snow storm of the decade". If we hadn't already had several big snow storms this winter I might be more excited but we've stocked up on snacks and wine so as far as I'm concerned we're all set.

Having said that DH is home early and so no post for me today... Instead I'm going to play with DH and the boys all afternoon.

I'm off to make some hot cocoa. Okay ONE tip to share. When making hot chocolate add a few chocolate chips to the milk and cocoa powder to kick up the chocolatey flavor. Shhh, it'll be our little secret.


Enjoy!

Cheers,
Ouiser

Make Your Living Room Smile

As I'm cooped up in the house awaiting what I'm lovingly referring to as "the big bad snowstorm" I thought I'd do a quick post on some of my favorite finds for the living room. Did you guess that we are redoing ours? Well its bit by bit but yes.

Of course considering that the little ones are both napping (AT THE SAME TIME!) I'm avoiding what I should be doing... um lets see... shower, cleaning the house, those pesky bills I didn't get to yesterday and probably a number of other things I'm not even thinking about. But no I'm blogging.

The Iris Chair from Grandin Road

I love this chair in red but I'm thinking brown would be better for my house full of boys. Yes, I've been married almost 6 years and we're still transitioning from a girly country french to more male friendly neutrals. And did I mention the price? It's only $199. That's right, $199. If I've got the room two would really look better than one and at that price it's hard to beat. You can buy your own at www.grandinroad.com or by clicking here.

The Luccia Sofa from Red Barn Mercantile

I stumbled upon this sofa while in one one of my favorite stores, Red Barn Mercantile the other weekend. If you live in the DC area you really should checkout this little gem located in Old Town and if not you can visit them online at Red Barn Mercantile. They have great furniture, children's books, linens and other super unique home wares. Since this is a custom upholstered piece the prices vary quite a bit. Again, with two little ones at home, I'd go with the slipcovered option in a neutral dark tone.

And I think some of these pillows from Ballad Designs would help add some color to this or any sofa and are a great way to change up you room's look for each season. I have the Ballard Design's Basic Square Pillows on my girly pink and white striped sofa in green and white and in chocolate brown in my bedroom, all with embroidered monogram, natch. You can get your own here or here.

So there you have it, a few fun finds to spruce up your living room!

Happy Shopping!

Cheers, 
Ousier

Recipe of the Week ~ Chicken & Corn Chowder

Okay, so I know I'm super late getting this out but it's not my fault, I swear.

And by "not my fault" I mean I was totally wrapped up in twitter and online reading (aka fanfiction) not to mention my two little boys and bills and thank you notes (yes still working on my Christmas thank you list!, No judging please!) and wrapping up our '09 Tax organizer. A task I might add that I feel woefully ill-equipped to do. Isn't this why we have an accountant?!

Oh and I had a nice long chat with Mamere. I might add she's really been doing a number on my needy only child syndrom. You know the one that makes me irrationally irritated when she doesn't drop everything to entertain me every morning with a phone call. I believe I mentioned somewhere along the way that I'm both irrational and unreasonable.

blurg... I've gone rouge again haven't I?! Well it's super cold and snowy here and I'm a little stir crazy, speaking of...

Dear Snow Fairies, 
Thanks for all the snow, we've had a blast. We met our neighbors and made snow angels and snow balls and got lots of adorable pics of the baby in the snow. But now I'm tired of you, please please please go somewhere else. Now I hear your coming for another visit this weekend. Please stay home, we don't like you anymore. 
xoxo, 
me

Okay with that off my chest I can get to today's recipe. When it's cold outside (which I believe I've clearly stated above) I always crave soups. This week I'm making this one along with a Chicken Tortilla that one of my best friends recommended. If it's as good as he claims, I'll see if I can share it with you next week.

This version of Chicken and Corn Chowder is extremely simple and easy to make but don't let that fool you, it's absolutely delicious as well! It's courtesy of Mamere, so thanks!

Chicken & Corn Chowder
Serves 4
1                 Rotisserie Chicken, debone leaving only the chicken
1/4 C          Onion, chopped (I always prefer using sweet onions)
3 TBS         Unsalted Butter
2 16 oz.      Cans Creamed Corn
1 103/4 oz. Can Cream of potato soup
3 C            Milk (non-fat is okay but 2% is better)
1 TBS        Dried Parsley
1/4 tsp       Celery seed (I prefer celery salt to the seed) 
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional: Hot sauce  (I love Texas Pete)
Mix all ingreadients in a large sauce pot and heat till soup is simmering. I serve this either alone or with a salad for dinner.

Keep Toasty!

Cheers, 
Ouiser

Obligatory Valentine's Day Post

Whether your tastes run toward the sappy and sentimental...

or to the sarcastic and sardonic...







Remember the day is about celebrating those you love!

Valentine's Day is one of those holidays I appreciate but have never relished. I mean for a number of my adult years I spent the evening with my very best girlfriends drinking wine, snacking on cheese and laughing... belly laughing. It's pretty hard to top that in my book, no matter what the people at Hallmark tell you.

So once DH and I started dating it wasn't as if I expected flowers (Note: flowers are always appreciated~ not just on holidays and special occasions) chocolate and smaltzy poetry. In fact I prefer to skip the overcrowded restaurant scene on Valentine's Day and instead have DH make dinner that night. He really is an amazing cook, slow and methodical but amazing nonetheless. He has the patience to make things I'd never attempt.

I thought I'd share a few fun gift ideas for your special someone or heck for yourself! When I was in college I instituted a rule that I always gave myself a special gift if I was single on Valentines Day. One year it was a pair of Feragamo heels, another year a David Yurman ring. Both of which I loved and clearly still remember even if I did leave the ring in a woman's restroom counter years later. Arrg!

Okay, so a leather bound book of love letters might be a weird gift to give one of your girlfriends but I am a sucker for Smythons and I thought this was so pretty and romantic. I wish I knew what letters it includes but nevertheless I think it's adorable and would make a really really sweet gift! Just imagine snuggling up to your special someone and reading to each other. Click here to purchase.


A day at a nice spa will certainly make that special someone glow inside and out!  A gift certificate to a nearby spa is a fun idea but if you want to go that extra mile, try booking the day for your sweetheart. You don't have to know what her favorite treatment is, just the fact that you took the time to pick a few treatments for her and scheduled them is a gift in itself! If you're in the DC area I highly recommend checking out Sugar House Day Spa. They are located in a beautiful old townhouse in the heart of old town and offer a wide aray of ways to pamper!

And if you allow for a little shopping afterwards check out Bellacara for fabulous makeup, skincare and candles and then stroll on down to Bloomers, an adorable little shop that sells underware, sleepware and loungeware. All of which is cute and flirty without being overly sexed-up (not that there's anything wrong with that). All three shops are within two blocks of each other.

If you're planning to spend the evening at home (like I am) why not pick up a special bottle of wine. Do you have a particular wine that you both love? Or had on a special occasion? DH and I do and I always gush when he surprises me with a bottle of ... mmmm, I'm not going to tell you. Some things just shouldn't be shared. :) But if you are in the Del Ray area, I implore you to stop by Daily Planet Wine. The staff is very friendly without being pushy and they are always up for talking wine and giving great recommendations.

And what is a Valentines Day with out dinner? Try taking a cooking class together! Sur La Table offers several different courses. I think the Southeast Asian Street Food Favorites looks delish! DH and I took the "Baby It's Cold Outside" class several years ago and I loved it! Not only did we have a great time it also showed me how much I enjoy cooking with DH ~ and a bottle of wine, natch.

I hope you've got a few good gift ideas from this post. And boys, (cause I like to pretend that boys sometime read this blog.. ha ha ha) girls like to know you put in some real thought and perhaps even a little effort. That matters much more than the amount of money you spend!

Happy Shopping!

Cheers, 
Ouiser

Running a Close Second to My Twilight Obsession...

If you've read any of my post you know that I tend to get obsessed with things...

Twilight ... Sparkling Water ... Twilight ... Shoes ... Twilight ... Wine ... Twilight ... Reading ... Reading Twilight ... Reading Twilight Fanfiction. Okay you get the idea. My recent obsession? Twitter. Most definitely Twitter!

Are you on Twitter? Okay, just going to lay it out for you now.

Stop Reading.
Go to ww.twitter.com
Click on "sign up now"
Join.

Helpful Tip #1: Think about your username before you pick it. This will be the name that everyone uses to find you and what will show up when you tweet. Take it from me (@namorrell) I wish I'd known that before I picked such a generic user name.

Names I wish I'd picked...
Ouiser B. (my favorite monicker of course)
Shankapotomus (click here to learn more)
Shaglover (the movie people! where is your mind? tisk tisk)
Twi-sessed (pretty sure someone already has this one)
DesigningWoman (ooh, I gotta blog about this sometime)

Now that you're on twitter, go make some friends!

Helpful Tip #2 Introduce yourself to some of my friends.
@Paula_Deen
@nprbooks
@savannahGuthrie
@torianddean
@thebump
@heypopsugar
@real_simple
@Usweekly
@kenbakernow (from US Weekly)
@Twilight (natch)
@dailycandy
@vanityfairmag
@ENewsNow
@jaketapper (ABC correspondent- HILARIOUS!)
@cnnbrk
@ourkitchensink
@politico
@wmag
@WillieGeist1
@JoeNBC
@bittersweetOT
@dairygodmother
@DCLadies
@muse (great twitpics)

Helpful Tip #3 Twitter Dictionary. I'm still learning but here are few I know.
<3  = Heart/love as in I <3 you
ily = I love you
RT= Re-tweet

Helpful Tip #4 Don't be afraid to share the inane. Everyone does.

A tweet I sent during the State of the Union .... "Yellow is clearly the new red for Congresswomen. Of course Shelia Jackson Lee is holding strong with a forgetable red sequined shawl.." Thought it'd be something political? Oh I had those too!

Happy Tweeting!

Cheers, 
Ouiser 

If My Embarrassment Helps Even One Person Its Worth It...

Yep, thats right it's time to pre-order your copy of New Moon. What? You thought I was referring to something else? Like what? my battle with dry skin? or post baby weight loss? Ha ha ha, no no my dear friend it's something infinitely more important. 

Now for those truly Twi-sessed folks this is old news... like Tiger Woods is gross old news. But as I said above, if I can share the good news with even one person it'll be worth it. Click here to buy New Moon on Blue Ray and here for the "regular" dvd.

I am ordering my copy on Blue Ray, my very first one. I don't count Batman, that's totally DH's. 

Do you remember the first video tape you owned? Mine was Silver Streak with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. It was a favorite of my dad's and we watched it on our enormous VCR over and over and over. But I've digressed again haven't I? Shocking I know.

I gave DH a PlayStation 3 for Christmas this year and as the nice BestBuy lady told me it also plays Blue Ray DVDs. Of course I didn't know what a blue ray dvd was or more to the point what the difference was but I nodded and smiled so she'd see I was impressed. Even now I'm not sure I'd pass a pop quiz on the subject but for my purposes I'm pretty sure it means that RPatzz will be way hotter on this version. S-O-L-D! 

I was only able to see New Moon once in the theaters. However, I did attend the midnight screening despite giving birth to our second child less than 10 days before. What? Stop looking at me like that, I was totally out of the hospital and home by that point. Never the less I think I used up most of my goodwill with DH in attending the midnight showing. I'm afraid if I told him I was going for a second or even third time he'd actually start worrying about my "quirky little obsession." So needless to say I'm dying to see it again and over analyze every little thing I can. 

And just think, by the time my hot little Blue Ray New Moon DVD arrives on March 20th, I'll only have to wait another 3 months till Eclipse hits theaters! 

Cheers, 

Ousier