Fall Whatnot

So today I've been doing something I almost never do...look through my old blog posts.  I've come to a couple conclusions:

1. I like it
2. It's a handy reminder of things
3. I'm not very good at updating it

#1 and #2 were more of a revelation.  #3 I pretty much knew and accepted.  Anyway, in light of 1&2, I'm going to make more of an effort.  I have a couple posts in the works (Hawaii trip, secrets of the universe and whatnot...you know the usual) but here is a real quick one that falls under #2. 
It's helpful to me when I post tablescape pictures, so I can remember what I did from year to year.  I always have grand plans of Halloween decorations for the house, but seem to miss the (very short) window to put them up.  Too early is over kill.  Too late, hardly seems worth it to me.  That leaves you with, like, a one weekend window to get it done, which isn't very long for a lazy bones like me.  So this year I opted for a more generic fall feel, which I can leave up till the Christmas stuff comes out.  Bonus.  I'll probably still suplement around the house with some Halloween-y stuff, but this is what we're going with for now.  Sorry about the pictures of poor quality.  They were taken on my new phone.  I was too lazy to get out the real camera.  Are we seeing a theme here?

You Can Call Me Bob

We went and saw Bob Schneider last night at the Mucky Duck.  I've seen him many times and always leave the concerts happier than when I went in.  If I had a happy place, his music would be playing there.  You know what else makes me happy?  His new video.


Bob Schneider - 40 Dogs from Bob Schneider on Vimeo.

Here is a photo from the HSH's fancy-schmancy Iphone.  As you can see, we pretty much had the best seats in the house.  Granted, the "house" is pretty small, but shhhhh...don't tell anyone!

That's Mrs. AMBASSADOR to you, thank you very much

I’ve been a fan of zoos since my parents started taking the HSB and I to the National Zoo when we were wee little tiger cubs. So when NKC started recruiting some of her friends to join a new group of zoo supporters called the Houston Zoo Ambassadors the HSH and I didn’t have to be pressed very hard to sign up. In exchange for our donation we get all sorts of neat perks, like free admission and the opportunity to go to all sorts of unique events. Yesterday we had a planning event in preparation for the Gala that the ambassadors host in January (shameless plug #1: buy your tickets now before they sell out!) and since we were on site anyway, the lovely zoo staff treated us to one of the ‘behind the scenes’ experiences that makes being an ambassador pretty darn cool. This time up, we got to visit Okapi and Bongos that live at the zoo. I’ve thought Okapis are pretty interesting since I first laid eyes on them. They look like you’d be more likely to find them on the pages of a Dr. Seuss book, than in a zoo. The legs of a zebra, the body of a horse, and the head of a giraffe, it is actually most closely related to the giraffe. I didn’t really get that until I saw its insanely long tongue. Long like, he could fix the part in his hair without the aid of a comb. Or hand. Anyway, being so up close and personal to these animals really makes you appreciate them even more.

For you viewing pleasure:

Mr. Okapi (I think he was smiling at me here)

Getting a snack

Bongos...more than just a goofy drum.

…and here comes shameless plug #2: The HSH and I, along with Tripp’s parents, are co-chairs of the recruitment committee for the Houston zoo ambassadors. So if hanging with the Okapi, feeding jaguars, or petting armadillos is your thing then let us know and we’d be happy to tell you about the wondrous place that is the Houston Zoo and all the great things you can do to help support it!

Paella de World Cup

I have to say, I enjoyed the World Cup more this year than I typically do.  Not that that is really saying much.  This is the first year that I really watched any games.  It helped that we had them on at the office I suppose (a perk of a trading floor).  And it helped that the US was entertaining to watch.  But what really sealed the deal was that the HSH was betting on games.  I didn't know about it initially.  Skaife outed him when he informed me I was cheering for the Germans in a certain a game.  I wasn't sure how he knew who I was cheering for, but the 'whoops I just outed my friend' look on his face was a dead give away.  Either that or the "trust me, you're cheering for the German's...and the over" comment.
Now I have no problem with gambling.  Both the HSH enjoy it.  Its just that:
a. we know nothing about soccer and
b. well...did you read a? do I really need a b?
Anyway, as it turns out the HSH was only slightly less successful than that freaky octopus.  And I do have to agree: the games are infinitely more interesting when you have a little skin in the game, so to speak.  So in honor of a profitable World Cup experience, and a Spanish victory (which is no doubt still being celebrated in the streets of Madrid) I made my first paella last night.  It turned out pretty tasty and now that I have one under my belt, I can see myself experimenting with other recipes in the future.  In the mean time, here is the recipe for our inaugural Half Street Paella (recipe courtesy of SIL-E):

Paella de Pollo, Salchicha y Champinones

1/2 cup olive oil

16 oz skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces

16 oz pork sausage (I went with a mild Italian sausage, but would with something spicier next time)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 medium green bell peppers, chopped

5 cups mushrooms sliced

1 large tomato skinned, seeded, chopped (I used a canned whole tomato to avoid the skinning part)

1 1/2 cups of rice (I used the short grain Spanish Bomba rice)

3 1/4 cup of chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon of saffron (wow, this stuff is expensive!  My first time using it, not sure what it added but hey...when in Rome, er whatever)

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a paella pan over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides.  Transfer to plate and set aside

2. Add the sausage to the paella pan and cook until done.   Transfer to the plate with chicken.

3. Add the onion to the paella pan and saute for 5 minutes or until tender.  Lower the heat, add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the green peppers, mushrooms, and chopped tomato and cook until the bell peppers and mushrooms have softened.

4. Mix in the rice and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, chicken, sausage, saffron, cumin, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until the chicken and rice are tender and all the broth has been absorbed.  Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.  

Sand Creations

Ok, so maybe I'm not these guys.  But I did use a lot of this:

and a homemade funnel to create some of these:

as part of my 4th of July Tablescape Extravaganza!

Now go back and watch the link at the beginning.  I know you skipped over it, but it's pretty unreal.  Promise.

The House These Days

I'm listening to the Rice/Texas Baseball game on the internet (don't get me started about it not being on TV), and figured since I'm sitting here anyway, I might as well update my loyal readers (all 2 of you) with what's going on in the house lately.
I've been trying to figure out what to do with "Ripken's Room."  It's not really that he has his own room, I swear.  But there is nothing in that room but his kennel, so it's his by default.  Well, the kennel and a bunch of dry cleaner wire hangers in boxes.  Believe it or not, Ripken's Room sounds slightly less crazy than "place where I store the wire hangers."  Anywhooooo.........
A while back I decided we should put a daybed in there.  Not really sure why I fixated on a daybed, but I did.  But then of course I couldn't find the EXACT one that I wanted.  Well, I actually found the exact one that I wanted, but the HSH didn't think the price was quite what he had pictured.  So the HSH said "we'll have it made...I gotta guy." For those of you who don't know; the HSH ALWAYS "has a guy."  Need a foundation guy?  A window tinter?  A carpenter?  A granite guy?  A yard guy?  The HSH's response is always "I gotta guy."  It's pretty damn handy, I'm not gonna lie.  So we visited the wrought iron guy, who in this case is actually a lady.  She listened to my idea, made some suggestions, agreed to a price that was more in line with the HSH's vision, and we ordered the bed.  Painless so far.  It turned out exactly how I had pictured it.  Only I pictured it in 3 pieces.  It didn't take a engineer to figure out that this:

Was not going to fit down this:

I mean really, people.  In our defense, we asked for three pieces specifically because we've tangoed with this hallway before.  And lost.  We always lose when we fight this hallway.  But here at the Halfstreet we like to think positive.  So we loaded that puppy into the truck, strapped it in, said a little prayer and headed back home.  It took all of 5 seconds and one fairly large mark on the wall to confirm our fears.  So for now, I have a lovely wrought iron daybed...in my living room.  The welders are coming out this week to figure out a solution.  Keep my poor bed in your prayers.  

In other news, I've been trying to make the other spare room a little cozier.  I found a canvas that I liked to hang over the bed.  

I also had in mind some cool branches in a big floor vase for that far side of the bed over there (right side of the picture).  Branches: check.

But the floor vase in my mind has yet to materialize in a store.  This is a frequent problem with me.  I know what I want in my mind, but the stores don't want to play along.  This is how I got into the "daybed in my living room" situation.  Let's hope this search doesn't somehow end with a floor vase in my bathroom, or some other detour.  Speaking of detours...looking at that picture I realize I need a bigger lamp for that bedside table.  Hmmmmmm, I have just the one in mind.

Snapshot of a Successful Marriage

Mom and Dad were in town this past weekend on the first leg of their “Anniversary World Tour.” This summer marks their 40th year of marriage and they have decided to celebrate all summer. First with a culinary trip through Houston (although, to be fair, every trip to Houston is a culinary extravaganza) and then later this summer with a trip to Hawaii. My little family has a whopping 53 years of marriage under its belt. Of course Mom and Dad have contributed the lion’s share of that work, with the HSB and SIL-E putting up a nothing-to-be-sneezed-at 11 years this summer. Pretty impressive. Anyway, one thing that is not lacking in any of our three marriages is a fair amount of goofiness. Mom spotted the Chick-fil-A cows from the other side of the stadium at an Astros game this weekend, and desperately wanted her picture with them, despite her daughter pointing out she was the only adult wanting to do so. Dad, always the good sport, jumped right in with her. Lesson learned: You’re never too old for a great photo opp.


Happy Anniversary guys! I never stop learning from you.