World of Waggoner

The Golden Years

2011-07-25T21:24:00.001-05:00

Andrew and I have reached a new stage in life, we are now empty nesters…

I’ve always heard that it goes by so fast. One week they are born – the next week college. I guess I don’t know that Tupeck and The Notorious B.R.D. went to college necessarily, but in only one months time we went from this…

(picture from my sister taken July 3rd)

to this…

In less than a month – we didn’t get 18 years to prepare – I don’t know if it would have been any easier if we had…

I suppose it is time to take up new hobbies.

New Additions

2011-07-21T22:08:00.001-05:00

There have been a few new additions in the Waggoner household – both Andrew and I have our birthdays around this time. I wait to open my gifts – Andrew does not. So we both opened or gifts in the last couple days. This year my gift was more of a “family” gift, but it is what I really wanted – a new camera!

You may have noticed our long absence from blog-land, part of that is to do with the fact that I don’t love blogs without pictures. Are you with me? No one is coming here to ~~listen to~~ read my ramblings.

But the camera isn’t the only new addition – there are two little additions of the feathery persuasion.

Last month, Andrew’s mom came to visit us and attend a fiber art fair. Over that weekend I went out to water my patio boxes – we have one box with basil and chives – a box with flowers (mini petunias and begonias) – and another with basil and ~~cilantro~~ parsley. So as I was watering my flower box I heard the rapid fluttering of wings and saw a streak of grey in my near peripheral vision.

After getting over the initial shock of almost dying by bird attack, I noticed a nest with one tiny little white egg in the midst of our lush from the torrential rain storms parsley. (As you can tell from the photos the plants loose their lushness when they go un-watered for a month.)

Seriously theirs are the faces only a mother morning dove can love.

Who knows how long they have been around – momma bird apparently enjoys sitting on top of them. They made their first appearance a week ago today. And on Sunday we saw clearly there were two of them – as we witnessed momma feeding them.

Andrew and I figure since the baby birds were born on our property in our patio box – it gives us naming rights.

So after a number of options we settled on Tupeck (reference) and The Notorious B.R.D (reference.) Andrew has informed me that I am not allowed to name any future children we may or may not have.

As an aside how about the pictures the new camera is catching, huh? I am no camera buff – so this is just on the auto setting, but I think the camera would make a soufflé if I could only figure out the correct setting.

I didn’t have too much to take a picture of – so Andrew agreed to be my muse.

Then Andrew decided Fran should get in on the fun…

And then Fran punched him in the face – guess she didn’t want her picture taken!

So I put the camera away before anyone else got hurt!

It's Gone

2010-06-15T19:43:00.005-05:00

It was time...Andrew agreed...and an appointment was made.
I have always been pretty impulsive with my haircuts. I usually get the "itch" to cut it short. So I go in and get a cut, then a few months later when it is at that awkward length I start remembering "the good ole days" of long hair. So then I start growing my hair out - this usually lasts between a year and a half and two years - then the short hair "itch" comes back. I believe that I look better with short hair, my hair is pretty thin and rather lifeless so the additional weight of long hair tends to only make it look more lifeless. Plus I never really do anything with it...so there is no point keeping it long.

Sorry for the bad montage of photos...I went back and took a clearer after picture when I noticed most of the ones we took earlier were out of focus.

I am generally happy with it, though there was a slight bang cut, that I am not used to, so I have been pining it back, as you can see in the photo (apparently there was a wind when this picture was being taken.)

The blog entry you have been waiting for...

2010-05-05T14:34:00.000-05:00

You didn't realize you were waiting for anything, but here it is, the big announcement...Andrew and I are home owners!

It took a little searching and a little weeding, but when we stepped into this place, we knew it was right, there was no doubt in our minds, this was our upgrade.

After not being able to secure financing on the partially developed a for blogged about condo, we opened up our search from condos to condos, town homes, and single family houses. Our realtor knew we were busy (this was in late March, right after the other place fell through), so he scheduled one Sunday for us to go around to 18-20 different places. WE SAW EVERYTHING...or at least it felt like it. I had my heart set on a single family home with a yard. We looked at several, but the problem was that in our community the homes in our price range were either too small, too old (a lot of repair work), they lacked a garage/parking space, or one of a myriad of other issues. I was getting discouraged, it didn't seem like we were going to find "the one." And then we came to our town home, follow me if you will...

We walked down the courtyard (it was still snowing and not green when we visited, so it didn't look this lush then, but it does now.)

The courtyard makes you feel almost as if you are walking into another land. Outside the world is buzzing around, but in here all is serene. If you squint you can even see a nice park there in the distance with all sorts of fun things for children and pets to enjoy.

But lets not dilly dally any longer. Here is the place, come on in.

Our place is a town home set up in the traditional Chicago town home design - translation: vertical living. There are 4 floors (though the 4th is mostly open space - but you will see that in later pictures.) Each floor is 18 ft wide by 40 ft long (with the exception of the 4th floor which is 15 ft by 8 ft. of indoor space.)

Entering the front door you come to the first floor (no basement or anything below ground level.)

First floor: 1/2 family room (18'x20') and 1/2 two car attached garage (18'x20'.) This is a view of the family room - because we don't have much furniture, we are leaving the room colors as is for now. They may change in the future, but we are going to live in the space for awhile and see how that goes.

Also for Grandma Brandon there is also a half bath on this level :) No stairs required (unless you need to shower.)
Here is the toilet...

And there is the sink - and me. Hello.

You wouldn't believe the number of houses we saw that had "half baths" that were just toilets - no sinks...(usually in the basement - some had doors - some didn't.) Who does that?

Next I will show you the back of the place and the garage door. The garage is accessible via a back alley. And the interior of the garage. The garage is possibly one of our favorite features of the place. It is one of the "bonuses" of this place over the other place we were under contract with. At the other place we wouldn't have even had a parking spot to call our own - we would have had to rent a parking spot. Also because the other place was on two busy streets - street parking was difficult to come by.But at our place, this place, because there is room for two cars, there is room for your car when you come visit. Now you don't have any excuse not to come over. (There is also plenty of street parking if we have multiple visitors at a time.)

The garage even has bike racks - if you want to come on bike...

And extra storage, if you want to stay awhile.

Okay, back in the house and up the stairs to the second floor:

The second floor is 1/3 living room, 1/3 dinning room, and 1/3 kitchen (+outdoor patio off the kitchen - visible in the above picture of the garage from the outside.)

This is the light fixture that will go over our dinning room table (when we have one.) The dinning room is in the middle of the great room. To the south of the dinning room is the living room.

The rug, curtains, and selves all stay. The fireplace is gas logs.

You can see the stairs up to the third floor can't you? But before we go upstairs, let's go north of the dinning room to the kitchen area. Trust me you want to see this!

Have you ever seen so much cabinet space?

No more obnoxious pot and pan shuffling then hurrying to slam the door closed before they all fall back out on me! They could each have their own cabinet here - okay maybe not, but they will at least have room to spread their lids.

The light coming from around the corner of the refrigerator, (all appliances included) is coming from the door out to the patio.

A nice little outdoor space overlooking our garage/alley. There is just enough room out there for our grill (right off the kitchen - how convenient is that?) and our bistro patio table and chairs.

And one can even see a little corner of the green park space behind our unit - it is almost like we are living in the country!

Okay - enough fresh air for now, back inside and up the stairs to the third floor.

This floor has two guest bed rooms, a guest bathroom, linen closet, master bedroom and master bathroom (so the total for the house is 3 bedroom and 2 & 1/2 bath.)

This is the third bedroom - we will more than likely set this up as an office/study/sewing room.

This window faces north (this bedroom is over the kitchen - which is over the garage) it is the north east corner of the house.

I can't wait to fill that built in closet organizer with my fabric! I have already unloaded some of it - it works perfectly! Added bonus - I can close the door and Fran can't get in and get her hair all over my fabric. :)

Now the second bedroom - again northern exposure - north west corner of the home.

Please note that none of the bedroom furniture or bedding is staying - it is just what the former owners left to "stage" the place for open houses and showings.

Random fact, we saw so many places, by the end Andrew was able to identify what items of decor the agents had placed in the house to stage it. It was a sort of "which one of these is not like the others" kind of game.

This room does not have the built in closet units. Sorry guests.

And the guest bathroom (approximately the size of the only bathroom at the place we rent - Andrew and I share this amount of space in the morning getting ready - do you see why he is so excited about the double vanity idea?)

Master bedroom - without this bed spread in the room, the walls look less purple and more blueish grey.

Double closet with built ins...

Including a tie rack for Andrew.

Binds on all windows throughout the house are like these where you can open them from the top or the bottom. Good for letting light in and keeping peeping toms out. Another bonus of this place over the previous condo is that all window treatments are included.

Now to the master bathroom...
and the double vanity...

the toy-tee..

the bathtub...

and the shower.

Not sure if you can get a feel for the layout, but the shower extends to the back wall - so it is a full size shower. This bathroom is quiet the upgrade for us, we are very happy with it. Though I already killed the power to the lights & fan - it was a quick lesson in electrical wiring - but everything is working again.

Okay now up to the 4th floor - the laundry room...and a special suprise/my favorite part of the house.

You can tell in these next couple of pictures that the wall extends from the thrid to the fourth floor and there are three windows that let light flood into the thrid floor.

See I told you, three windows. :)

The laundry room (and paint supply.)

There is plumbing for a laundry sink next to the dryer. (Or another toliet - as Andrew suggested.)

Washer & dryer included.

Okay back out on the landing...are you ready for the suprise/my favorite part?

Our own roof top deck!!!!

To those in more rural areas who are reading this - this might mean nothing to you, but I can see stars from the roof deck! We are above the street light level, so it is actually dark enough at this height to see all the pretty little stars - and even some airplanes. :)

Well that ends the tour - back down the stairs. After you!

We are very happy with what we were able to get - and consider the other house falling through a blessing, because this is clearly our home!

We closed on the house last Friday, April 30th and plan to move in this Friday May 7th. Yeah!

Can I get an upgrade?

2010-03-14T22:03:00.003-05:00

Well it is official, Andrew and I are not getting the afore blogged about condo. The final reasons have to do with certain ownership percentages. It would appear that if the contractor/developer owns more than 10% (in our case it was 14% - the difference of one more unit being sold) it is near impossible to get financing, and since Andrew and I didn't have the cash to pony up to pay for it out right, we are walking away.
But we are not walking away crestfallen or defeated, we learned a lot through this process, and not just that, we know that God closed this door for a reason.
Due to the weird quirks of condo financing, we decided to take a look at some of our other options - mainly single family houses. At this time we are positive we want to stay in Evanston, which narrows our options. I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes even the dumpiest looking house when placed in the right part of Evanston could sell for $1 million (seriously, what some people wouldn't pay to be in the Willard School District or have a lake view) - but as luck would have it, there are "cheaper" diamonds in the rough.
Andrew and I went to around 10 open houses this afternoon and then met with our boy Barry (our realtor.) We are very encouraged by our initial fact finding missions, and happy to report there are actual houses, that have the same price tag as our condo - and come with a backyard.
So while neither of us know what will come at the end of this journey, we are enjoying it together.

Condo, sweet condo

2010-02-19T22:20:00.007-06:00

Well, we had an appraisal of our new place done and he was nice enough to send photos along with the other documents.

So.....if you've been curious about what our new place looks like, or if you've been debating as to whether it's akin to an "imaginary girlfriend", yes, we can prove it, we have pictures.

The appraiser sent eight pictures. enjoy.

The Exterior: Our place is top right. If you were standing here, your back would be facing Ridge Ave. (you are looking east).

The Deck: This also doubles as the fire escape. It is actually much larger than the angle of the picture portrays. Plenty of space for a grill, two chairs and a table. Also, note it has an overhanging covering it. Definitely a big plus.

Dining Room: Here is where the table would go. Note the deck out the window. To get your bearings, you are looking south out the window. The floor is hardwood oak throughout the condo. If you look between the back door and the refrigerator the hallway leads to the guest bed and bathroom and the washer/dryer.

Kitchen: Here is the kitchen. Good times. Good looking cabinets, new appliances, and pretty slick counter tops.

Living Room: The fireplace is gas forced. We are facing west toward a busy street (Ridge Ave.) We really like the crown molding around the fireplace and else were in the place.

Guest Bathroom: shower, sink, toilet. check.

Master Bedroom: We are looking west again. Note the "sun room" within the master bedroom. There is also an additional window looking south.

Master Bathroom: You can't tell, but there is a double vanity.......awesome.

We'll try to post new photos when we get them. Hope you've enjoyed.

- Andrew

When the moon hits your eye like a heart shaped pizza pie...

2010-02-15T21:30:00.000-06:00

...that's a Waggoner Valentines' Day tradition. We received a flyer in the mail a few nights ago advertising a special heart shaped pizza. It seems just ridiculous enough to make for a fun Valentine's Day tradition. The plan for Saturday night was to watch a movie, eat some pizza, and exchange small tokens. The night went much as planned (except instead of a movie we watched the Olympics - Moguls seriously, so much fun to watch.) I had been "hinting" (it is still called hinting when you mention outright what you want, right?) that flowers would be nice.

Marriage has brought a lot of adjustments to our lives, most of them good, but one of the hardest adjustments has been trying to "surprise" one another with gifts. Andrew did a nice job with my "little hint." Don't you think? I am not your traditional red rose girl (and heaven help the person that gives me baby's breath! Sorry mom, I know you have a fondness for it!)

This is not your traditional rose bouquet. Does anyone know what this little yellow guy is? It is fascinating and gorgeous.

The best part about flowers is the smell! There is nothing like walking into an apartment with a full floral bouquet. Best air freshener ever!

One last picture for you to enjoy. (In case you are wondering, Andrew picked out and bought his own token - a couple cigars.)

Then Sunday night, came Valentine's Day part two. While grocery shopping, we remembered that we had bough avocados the week before. So we got the rest of the ingredients and made guacamole.

There are few things that Andrew enjoys more in this world then spending time with me. :) One of those things is guacamole. And thanks to the amazing food processor I received as a Christmas gift, I can whip up some of the best guacamole (if I do say so myself) in under 5 minutes.

In response to my gift of guac, Andrew gave the gift of chocolate. Honestly, I think Andrew was craving chocolate, he kept making excuses about needing to get me chocolate for Valentine's Day. I will let you guess whose bar was finished tonight, and which one of us still has half of her bar left.

Another New Year...Another New Post...

2010-01-01T20:01:00.003-06:00

We have decided to come back to blogging...at least for the time being. The hard part about being gone so long is that it is hard to know where to begin, but we will try.

First and most exciting, we are hoping to buy our own place in the upcoming year. The extension of the first time home buyers' tax credit in addition to low interest rates and a buyers' housing market, has proved to be the perfect trifecta. The process has been exciting and scary. We narrowed our search down to a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom condo straight south of our current location - put in an offer - and had it accepted. It moved a lot quicker than we had thought it would go, but are very excited. We plan on closing March 26th - if all goes as planned. We had our inspection yesterday morning - there was a little bit of a miscommunication so the place wasn't ready - but we did the walk through anyway. Nothing too major just paint touch-ups and the like. There was a little problem with the shower divertor (it wasn't installed - therefore no way to take a shower in either bathroom) but the developer was very willing to fix everything noted. When we showed up - the developer, contractor and three workers were there, additionally our realtor, both of us and the inspector were roaming around the place. It was a little crowded, to say the least.

Due to the condo not being truly ready and the number of people we felt a little wierd taking pictures. For the people that want to see photos, we promise we will post them as soon as we take them....but it might be a while.

Walking

2009-09-22T14:20:00.003-05:00

Andrew and I have decided to join our Church group in a two mile walk to help raise awareness for the problem of child trafficking. The walk will take place this Saturday, September, 26th and is one of many being organized around the country by Stop Child Trafficking Now. Both Andrew and I have decided to try to help raise $100 each for the cause. If you are able and so led please consider helping us financially at:
http://sctnow.donordrive.com/participant/michellewaggoner
http://sctnow.donordrive.com/participant/andrewwaggoner
Regardless, we hope you will take time to pray for those who have found themselves in these unthinkable situations.

Technical Difficulties

2009-08-18T09:29:00.003-05:00

Well we are having a few technical difficulties on the home computer, so we have not been able to blog for awhile (or do much of anything from home.) But I promise, when we do get the computer back in line you can look forward to posts about our time in Colorado, my niece's trip to the big city, and Andrew and my first anniversary weekend.

A Very Wet Weekend!

2009-07-07T19:34:00.000-05:00

So this weekend we had the pleasure of hosting our second visitors at The W Hotel & Suites. Andrew's sister Betsy and her husband James came to stay with us over the long weekend. Andrew and his sister had been planning this visit for sometime, it was to celebrate them both getting jobs, which we are all very thankful for!
Those who know me well, know that the 4th of July is one of my absolute FAVORITE holidays. This love comes from all my fond childhood memories. Bare with me a moment as I travel down memory lane. As chance would have it, there are a lot of July birthdays in my mom's extended family, also as chance would have it my mom's Aunt Iris and Uncle Stan lived but minutes away from where the Bryan fireworks used to be shot off. So every year Aunt Iris and Uncle Stan would host a 4th of July party. There was always GREAT food, tons of fun family members, and a HUGE cake for all of the July birthdays. The cake would have all the names of the family members with July birthdays - and your piece of cake, assuming you had a July birthday, was always your full name - this is where it REALLY paid to have an eight letter name let me tell you.
Anyway, when it came time for fireworks, all those young enough would make the trek to our annual watching spot. We were always as close to the roped off area as we were allowed to get, and then we would watch the Farkles and Bangs - not sure when that term originated, but that is what we called fireworks. It seems so simple now - but that day every year really brought me so much joy!
All that to say, I really enjoy spending the day with family, so it was SO nice to have Betsy and James there to enjoy it with. It is also nice that we have moved to a town that really appreciates the 4th, even devoting a whole website to the event. Highlight of the day are a 2-3 hour parade and fireworks over Lake Michigan - SO spectacular. Last year we enjoyed the festivities with my parents, sister, brother, and niece - they were all here helping us move. The day was gorgeous and blistering hot - so as not to have a repeat of last years heat wave misery - I packed plenty of water...but no umbrellas. It started sprinkling on our walk to the parade and then continued to sprinkle and rain continuously through out.

Parade highlights:
Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias - he is known to play hoops with President Obama
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn - took over after Blago was ousted
Old Clown Lady
Library precision cart team
North End Bunco, Parchesi, and Weight Dropping Auxillary

Parade disappointments:
Jesse White tumblers - they just rode past in a van because of the rain, no tumbling
Lack of hand outs - seriously the only hand outs were from the Amy G Salon - and by the time they made it to us they had ONE piece of candy left...they gave it to a kid next to us.
Not taking my camera
Delayed start - we saw -2 go past 4 or 5 times (yes the line up started with -2)
Rain/forgetting umbrellas even after James reminded us
Sitting through the whole thing

Fortunately the rain stopped at the end of the parade and didn't start up again, so the fireworks were not canceled. It was a little disappointing though, because we normally watch the fireworks from the sandy beach, but due to the rain opted for the asphalt trail instead this year. So the normal beauty of seeing the fireworks reflected off the lake was blocked by a pier. But even with all that it was a good show.
Unfortunately, the rain wasn't the only thing that made this weekend wet. For those that don't know Fran is the epitome of a scaredy cat. I mean if Andrew or I sneeze she runs for the hills! Now we are used to her not coming downstairs when we have company, but she will still come down occasionally to eat and do her litter box business.
This weekend was a different story all together! We aren't sure what got into her (our best guess is that she could smell Betsy and James' dog on their stuff) but she didn't come down at all. Which means that at 4:00 am on Saturday AND Sunday morning, Fran decided to relieve herself on our bed. The first night I was awake to catch her in the act. The second night I woke up to Andrew saying "You've got to be kidding, not AGAIN. Michelle turn on your light!" Now I do not like to be woken from a nice sleep, but even less do I enjoy having to change my sheets at 4 in the morning. (It seemed like Andrew enjoyed it even less than I did.)
This is our duvet spread out to dry for the second day in a row. On a positive note, once Betsy and James left, Fran decided she could use her litter box again. Lesson learned, when we have visitors bring the litter box upstairs! While Betsy and James were here we also went to the Evanston Farmers' Market. While there we purchased some peonies.

Aren't they dreamy?

Also over the long weekend I made a pair of bloomers for Lily. They are to go with a cute little dress my sister made her. All in all they came out alright, here's hoping they fit!

Brown Thumbs

2009-06-13T16:17:00.007-05:00

This is my brown thumb...
I say that because, after showing great potential early on - our blackberry and blueberry bushes seem to have taken a turn for the worse. I don't know what to blame the gale wind or the colony of fruit flies that took up residence in this very pot - but whatever it was, it has killed my hope of having fresh berries ANYTIME soon.

All the green growth that once showed the life on the blackberry plant has since died, and all that remains is this (blurry) bare stick.

As for the blueberries what were once vivacious green leaves have now turned red in color and seem a bit dry (and also blurry.)

On a side note, there are these little green growths through out the pot. What fun Mystery plant as the wind blown our direction? Only time will tell.

About a month or two ago, I transferred the plants from indoor to outdoor. The main reason for this was the colony of fruit flies - still not sure where they came from. But I had also thought that being out in direct sunlight would do them well. Unfortunately, the climate here has not warmed up and has been really windy and rainy. I am sure this did not help them either. But where the two plants we purchased are dieing, new life springs.

Despite this bad luck, Andrew and I decided we might still have a little green in our thumbs, and I had received a few planters as Christmas gifts. So first on the list this morning was our:

At last weeks Evantson Farmers Market - we purchased some tomato plants. For the purpose of finally getting to use this Christmas gift. So began the process.

This is the Topsy Turvey Planter:

This is the Topsy Turvey Planter with tomato plants:

And this is the final product in all its glory. Getting the soil from the bag to the planter was a good lesson in communication for Andrew and I. But eventually we filled the planter and hung the twine on our porch, just as I had imagined it to be. (Did I mention it was raining while we were doing this?

Here is a picture from the inside looking out- just so you can get a better idea.

Next - we also bought a pepper plant from the Farmers Market. This was the only pot we had left. Pepper plants don't get THAT big, do they?

And finally, the last Christmas gift planter: The BuzzyI think we are a little late for Strawberry season, but we had it, so I figured we should use it.
This kit came with everything you need to grow your own strawberries in a hanging basket. Including magic grow moss:

Here is the final product:

The kit also included these three little red pots. I am not sure what they are to be used for as they were not mentioned anywhere in the directions.

Andrew and I are a little concerned about this one, because when we opened the seed packet, we didn't see anything in there (maybe 2 or 3 TINY seeds.) Because of this Andrew relabeled the box the kit came in.

Either way, the kit also came with a guarantee that the strawberries would grow, or they would sent you more seeds, so I guess we have a back up plan.

In case you were wondering Twiggy Jr. Jr. is doing well, despite Fran's best attempts to eat him.

Now onto other non green news. About a month ago we purchased this:

A converter box for our television. After reading about who would need one, both Andrew and I were convinced we wouldn't need one. However after a serious of failed tests, the television channels would switch to digital for the home viewer to see if they were ready or not, I got online requested the coupons and we went out and bought two boxes (for our two TVs.) We picked up a lot more channels and we were enjoying our life in the realm of digital.

Then my tech savvy father came to visit (he brought my mother along too.) He informed me that our televisions are in fact digital and that we wouldn't have needed to purchase the boxes all we needed to do was switch one of our television settings. He also informed me that by just using the television and not the box we would actually get the digital picture, because the box is converting the signal to analog.

It all made sense to me, so last night, after the analog transmitters were turned off, I turned off our converter box, switched the settings on our television, and enjoyed DIGITAL as it was meant to be enjoyed.

Have you ever seen anything more clear? I can't believe it!

The converter box wasn't a complete waste as our VCR/DVD combo will require the conversion if we want to tape anything. Surprisingly I am still in the VCR realm as we do not have cable/TIVO/DVR or whatever other fancy devices are out there. But should anyone need one converter box with remote - we do have one extra.

Here is what we had for lunch: Andrew has dubbed this "The Death Burger"

It's a Boca burger.

Also yesterday, we purchased these:

Andrew has promised me we will go more this year - after all we aren't planning a wedding anymore.

While my parents were here we went to the Art Institute.

Andrew got free tickets for all of us, as part of Northern Trust Employee Appreciation.

It was a very lovely time - probably my first time there were I didn't get completely lost and end up in the area surrounding the courtyard. We saw many classic works of art, but also got to enjoy the new modern wing. As part of the modern wing that have an architecture and design exhibit (which is sponsored by Northern Trust.) This was my favorite part of the museum. There was even a model of the building I work in (it was designed by a famous Japanese architect.)

Some other pictorial highlights from my parents visit:
Our home is a five star hotel offering nothing but the finest in air mattress luxury.

Aerial Shot of the W Hotel & Suite

One of our meals: Bison Burgers (from grill master Andrew), potatoes, salad, and strawberries.

Can you believe we fit four around the island? It was a bit tight.

Day Two meal: Steak! (from grill master Andrew) CORN! more salad and more strawberries.

Andrew and I enjoyed having the company - and Fran warmed up to the idea, even coming out and letting my dad pet her (a small miracle in and of itself - both if you know my dad or if you know Fran.)

A Case of the Monday's

2009-06-01T20:56:00.003-05:00

Well today did NOT start as I intended. Andrew and I woke early - Andrew made breakfast for us - it is okay to be a little jealous. We ate, got ready, and left for work. I actually got to work a little earlier than usual around 8. This is where it all went downhill, I turned on my computer logged on and opened my email and time entry. Doing so informed me that I was not connected to our network server. So I preformed the CEB IT fix - I restarted.
Second attempt - I couldn't even log in - I thought I was going crazy - I tried my password every which way (and no my caps lock wasn't on!) NOTHING was working. So I called our IT guy. After explaining the situation, he asked me what my IP address was - UM...."I DON'T KNOW I CAN'T LOG ON AND SEE IT - WERE YOU NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO MY PROBLEM?!?!" I don't have the best opinion of this guy - he usually talks down to everyone, and just tries to get the problem solved fast not necessarily completely.
Now I should mention that he was on site, at our offices, on Friday installing a new email server. As an example of getting the problem solved fast and not completely, while he set up every one's email address, he did not set one up for previous accounts to be routed to the new accounts - another woman in the office and I have both gotten married since starting work at CEB, so our emails have changed - since they are our initials. SO...because some clients may only contact me once a year, I may not have thought to send them an update email - so the old email is kept and routed to my new email. Well this wasn't done - so I had to email him Friday afternoon.
Long story short - somehow instead of just changing my email - my user account was changed too. So MDW was deleted from the CEB server and MDB was re-added. All in all it took 4 hours to straighten out. So for those not so great with math, that means I didn't have my work computer until noon! And I had to leave work at 3:30 to get home to be available for the washing machine repairman to come.
So 3:30 rolls around and I head home for the day. The repair man is scheduled to come out between 5-6 (we were originally told someone would be coming out between 8am-2pm Saturday - this turned out to be a miscommunication - which we didn't figure out until 2pm on Saturday.) Andrew also took off a little early as well and joined me at home a little before 5.
The repairman came...at 6pm. I can't complain too much though, he was very nice & very friendly. Andrew thinks he probably gets good tips from the North shore housewives. Hehehe
Anyway, it didn't take him long to figure out that we had a clogged pump - it would more than likely not need replaced - just unclogged. He said that it is usually a quarter or a bobby pin that gets stuck in the pump - but he has also seen things as large as socks get in there! So what was in ours you ask? Place your bets then scroll down.

This is one of Fran's "spring" toys...This is one of Fran's "spring" toys after getting itself stuck in the pump of a front loading washing machine...
We can't blame Fran though. Per the VERY helpful repairman (we asked him a lot of questions) it could only get into the pump through the washer - not just by Fran batting it under the door to the laundry. So, the best we can figure is that it was on the ground near a pile of dirty clothes, and got scoped up with the laundry.

What the “L”?

2009-05-20T22:21:00.001-05:00

Believe it or not there are some things that I miss about tax season once it is over. I miss having work to do – don’t get me wrong I have work – but it is not the same. There is less “energy” in the office without the emanate deadline looming. Another thing I miss is driving into work with Andrew. Because of the hours we work and the traffic and L schedule, driving is our best option for busy season. However, when we go back to working a normal 9-5 schedule, it is faster and cheaper for us to commute downtown on the L.
I used to enjoy commuting on the L, it gave me time to just enjoy being a passenger – I don’t have to worry about driving, so I can read, sleep, look out the windows, daydream, listen to music, or any combination of the above. Don’t get me wrong every month or so there would be what I would refer to as an “L Experience” – something that can only be fully understood in the context of a commuter train. For instance, one morning I and the other L passengers got to “enjoy” the serenade of a fellow passenger. He was listening to his uncensored elicitedly lyriced rap songs on his iPod, singing aloud without regard to offending anyone; he surprisingly never missed a word or a beat. I am sure it was just his form of artistic expression. Or there are the times when you step on an L, the doors close, and you notice that everyone has their noses under their scarves or tucked into their coat or shirt, and then it hits you – the fresh aroma of urination. When these experiences were infrequent they were tolerable.
But in the recent days it seems that these “L Experiences” have become more and more regular – I would even claim that they have started happening daily. Take this week for instance. Andrew and I are sitting next to each other as we normally do – we ride the Purple Line together – and then part ways at Belmont when I have to transfer to the Red Line. The train has made its scheduled stop at Howard, and the masses are crowding on the L. I am half staring off at the people loading onto the train, and half day-dreaming, when all of a sudden, this woman rudely asked “Can I HELP YOU?” I quickly informed her that I was not looking at her (I really wasn’t.) She just sat there smirking the whole way to Belmont like she had caught me doing something devious. It was really odd.
Now fast forward to Tuesday – I have already transferred to the Red Line, to a very PACKED car. To set the stage, there are doors between each car of the train, they are there for emergency use only – you are not supposed to pass from car to car, even though the doors make it possible to do so. I am pressed against one of these doors – minding my business – getting my feet stepped on repeatedly by an old man who never once apologized. Now it should be noted that from time to time a beggar will board a train and walk their way from the back of the train to the front of the train by use of these doors. On this particular day, the cars were so PACKED I would have thought it impossible for someone to move through the trains this way. I was wrong. We were pulling out of the station right before the one I get off at, and all of a sudden the door slams into my back, and there is a woman there trying to push her way through the crowd – and screaming about the terrible atrocities done unto her just that morning and asking for $30. Just as soon as I got my footing back, the old man who had previously been stepping on my feet, had managed to dial the number for the Chicago Transit Authority, and was reporting that there was a “mentally disturbed woman” on car #5246. To which the woman replied “I may be mental, but that doesn’t mean that all these things didn’t happen to me.” To which an older lady on the other side of the train screamed “CALL THE POLICE IF YOU NEED HELP.” The “mental” woman, knowing her fate if she remained on the train – after the old man had reported her – decided she was going to leave the train and announced her intent to the rest of the car. The old man informed the CTA dispatcher that she was getting off, to which she replied “Of course I am getting off; I don’t want to stay on a train with a bunch of rich snobs.” We finally pulled into the station; she followed me off and proceeded to enter the train heading in the opposite direction.
Needless to say, I was very happy to have a client visit today. It was a gorgeous day, and I enjoyed every mile of my drive to and from the clients location with sigur rós blasting on my radio. The only way it would have been better, is if Holly were in the car with me, and we were singing along at the top of our lungs with our own made up lyrics. But I guess that will have to wait until August, wee err.This is a random post – if you read it all you are a better person then I.

Chairs and table* (*some assembly required)

2009-05-13T20:29:00.002-05:00

We have had a set of wooden chairs and table (bistro style) on our wish list for a while. Well, the money-savin'-maven (a.k.a. Michelle) found a sweet set on Overstock.com. One thing we didn't anticipate was there would be set up........d'oh.

So here is Michelle jumping to her task of assembling the table.

What the what? How does this fit into the plan???

Whao...........that can't be right. Back to the drawing board.

Cheers, all signs are pointing up.

As luck would have it, the chairs (my task) were already assembled. booyah.

And the finished product in its, soon to be, natural environment.

And a side shoot:

And now a front shot, inside:

Let the eating outside begin. We had a Crab dinner. If you cannot tell, yes, those are Cheddar Bay biscuits in the red towel, mmmm.

Then it was Bison Hamburger night. Oh, so so good.

And with all the fixin's

As a fun sidenote: if you are ever in the Evanston area we would love to grill and eat outside with you. Think about it...........

We all have to shave eventually...........

2009-05-12T23:39:00.003-05:00

Well, I finally had to shave for work on Monday. So I thought I would chronicle the adventure and see if wearing facial hair was in my future.........

Besides, I thought it would be fun to see what people think.

Here is the "control" picture:

1). Ok, a goatee and mutton chops:

Side profile:

2). Ok, goatee only. (ha, I was apparently channeling my "inter youth pastor" here)

And side shot:

3). And, my favorite, the Foo Manchu.....yes, it is surprising.

And side shot:

4). Uggh, the mustache and the soul patch........down right creepy.

Sadly, my facial hair is pretty light so we thought a close up would be a good idea......we were wrong.

Ok, please select the winner. To recap, it was; 1). goatee and mutton chops, 2). goatee, 3). Foo Manchu, or 4). mustache and soul patch.

Cinco de fisho

2009-05-07T10:52:00.002-05:00

Here is how we celebrated the Mexicans beating the French.......fish tacos. Oh so good. Yes, I grilled the fish and it was delicious. The only downside was the corn tortillas which broke very easily. So I guess you could say it was "Cinco de Messo". However, easily cleaned up by Cinco de Towelo. If you are having problems distinguishing what we have as toppings they were; olives, onions, pico de gallo, guacamole, and shredded cheese.

Well, until next year Vive la Revolucion de Fisho.

New job, new grill

2009-05-06T19:04:00.009-05:00

For those of you who didn't know Michelle and I made a deal. When I got a new job, we could buy a grill. Well, bada boom bada bing, I have a new job. So, one day I researched grills and came across the one that I thought worked the best for our situation, i.e. small balcony and light grilling needs. I discovered that it was at Lowe's so Michelle and I did a "fact finding" mission one night, only to discover they didn't have any at the location nearest us. So as we drove back home Michelle called the other Lowe's in the area......no body had them. C'mon. Well, when we got home I called another Lowe's......voila, they had 4. The next day I went to pick up the grill. Well, the box was too big for the car so I had to rent the Lowe's truck. (sidenote: Michelle later commented that I could have opened the box and taken out the individual pieces.......maybe next time) 3 hours later........2 driving back and forth to the Lowe's and 1 as they were trying to find the truck. No joke, they had "temporarily" misplaced the truck. Anywho, after I got back home I started the put the grill together. Please see my adventure below.

Here is the top:

Here is the emptied box:

All the pieces out of the box:

And here are the instructions...yes, I sometime read them:

What the what?????? Just pictures......oh boy.

Hmm, step requires two....well, I have been going to the gym recently............

Booyah.......step requires only one person and some forethought.

Well, here I am putting it back together after we learned I had used a tapper headed screw when I shouldn't have.

Please note how difficult the screwing in looks.....because it was. They do not make this easy.

Ohh la la, power tools this should help things.

Finished, with the grill cover on.

Our "naked" new grill. Mom and dad couldn't be happier.

Now with the retractable shelves out.

And with the grill open.

And now with the grill door open.

Alright, grill is completed. Now we need grill tools.

And what, you may ask, is the perfect way to chrisen a grill? Steak night, of course. I bought some steaks the next morning with the intent on grilling that evening.

I also purchased some skewers and some peppers, onions and mushrooms.

Oh, they look so good.

The meat on the grill.

The meat with the veggie's. Delicious.

Not your momma's mac n' cheese!

2009-04-28T21:32:00.002-05:00

So this story starts way back, join me if you will - when a young girl started her 4 years of college. It is you typical boy meets girl story - just played out over 6 years.
Six years after meeting, boy asks girl out. One and a half years later boy asks girl to marry him. Eight months after that boy marries girl. A few months after that they receive their wedding gift from a good friend and an avid connoisseur of food. His gift you ask...a gift card to his new favorite restaurant...Boka! Another few months pass, and boy and girl finally find occasion to use the gift card.
If you hadn't guessed already, this is a story about Andrew and I. But enough about us, back to our experience at Boka. We had a lot of VERY good food there - including the BEST fish I have ever had - so fresh, so unbelievably good! Another item we decided to try was one that brings two of my favorite foods together - mac and cheese with edamame. It was beyond any mac and cheese I had ever had.
Now fast forward to Monday - I came home from work craving this mac and cheese. Andrew seemed on board with making it - the problem...how do we make it when we don't know any of the ingredients. Andrew suggested that the recipe might be online. I thought that is impossible, why would a famous chef give away his secret?
Well as soon as we got home, Andrew proved his Google skills, finding this little gem...Boka's Mac And Cheese With Edamame Recipe! I could hardly believe my eyes! After jotting down the ingredients - I had no idea what panko crumbs were - we headed down to our local Whole Foods. We assumed they would be more likely to have white truffle oil - and panko crumbs - whatever they were - then Jewel Osco. I was a little concerned the items might take a while to find, but in my second surprise of the night, common sense helped us find all the ingredients with in 15 minutes. Believe it or not the only item we had to ask for assistance finding was the edamame. Turns out they didn't have any fresh edamame so we had to get frozen.
And so now I leave you with the photo journal of the process:
Noodles and edamame in strainer

Me stirring the cheese
Andrew shredded the cheese
Final product with panko crumbs browned in white truffle oil

On a somewhat related note - white truffle oil is really tasty!

Get ready for a blog-full...

2009-04-21T20:48:00.004-05:00

One of the perks of being a tax accountant is that you get April 16th off as a paid holiday. As it happens the 16th fell on a Thursday this year - the same day that NPR tapes their news show "Wait wait...don't tell me!" For those of you not familiar with the show, it come on right after Car Talk on Saturday morning, and it is more or less a news quiz - with a little humor thrown in. In order to add a real laugh track, the show is taped in front of a live audience, at none other than the Chase Auditorium in lovely downtown Chicago. So - we got tickets - and after a long day of Spring Cleaning - sat back and enjoyed some laughs.
We got a mug as a little memento, you can never have too many mugs right?
We also hung around after the show and got a few autographs...it was kind of like being a kid again. Andrew also got a picture with Carl on his phone.

And the cast of possible panelists...there are three in every show - I was hoping Mo Rocca would be there, but he apparently had the night off - guess we will have to go back!

Unfortunately, because the 16th was on a Thursday, I had to return to work for Friday. As chance would have it, Friday turned out to be a gorgeous day, and lets be honest, after tax day, there isn't much pressing work - so I took off at noon. Andrew and I enjoyed the afternoon and into the evening. We had the pleasure of seeing Andrew's Uncle Robert that night.

He was kind enough to take us out, and to snap one of the rare photos of Andrew and I, and managed to escape being in a picture himself.

We then rounded out the weekend with a visit to Indiana, to see my family. Ryan and Lindsay introduced Andrew and I to Geocaching. If you have never heard of this before I encourage you to check it out. It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend time with family.

I was the one to find the first hunt we went on - though I was informed multiple times that it was an "easy one." Easy or not it was enough to get me hooked! We didn't have great luck with the second one - despite a few of us drawing blood during the hunt.

This however did not divert my interest in the sport. We would continue to hunt and find two more treasures that day - and have one more allude us. The following are pictures from the hunt!

I also found this one:

As you can tell - this is really an adventure that takes you all over. It is a great lesson in getting out there and paying attention to things you might otherwise not notice. Definitely my kind of fun...now I just have to convince Andrew we need a GPS.

Some other highlights were getting to spend some time with my family, seeing my niece's face light up, and hearing her say my name.

So how are our plants?

2009-04-07T21:30:00.004-05:00

I am glad you asked...our blackberry bush should be bearing fruit in no time!

Here is the blueberry bush and the blackberry bush:

And a close up - I think they are doing so well because of all the natural sunlight they get.

This was our Sunday meal...Almond Crusted Tilapia - and almond green beans. SO GOOD!

For those who requested it - the shrimp recipe:

Shrimp Etoufee

(serves: 5)

1/4 c. butter

1/2 onion chopped
1 1/2 stalk celery, chopped (left out for Andrew)
1 clove garlic, pressed (I chopped)
1 T flour (I used 2)

2 1/4 t. paprika (I just gave a little sprinkle)

1 1/4 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined, & chopped (I used 2 lbs - that was what was in the bag I bought and really what would I do with 3/4 lb leftover shrimp?)

1/4 c. mushrooms (YUCK!)

salt, pepper, & crushed pepper to taste (this is where I got in trouble - I went by color not taste!)

In a large skillet, melt butter & saute onions, celery & garlic, 45 mins. or until cooked down. Stir in flour & cook briefly, do not brown. Stir in chopped shrimp & cook for 20 mins. (I used frozen precooked shrimp and it didn't take that long to cook.) Pour in 3/4 cup water & mushrooms (skipped this step - didn't even add water.) Stir in paprika & season with salt, pepper & crushed red pepper. Cook for 30 mins. or until thick like gravy. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Also, for those wondering Fran is doing well. This was my attempt at taking her picture when she was sitting like a person. She does it so she can lick her belly, and she looks like a fur ball when she does it, it is pretty funny. But she moved when she saw the camera come out.

We did however capture a little bit of Fran's "playtime." She always seems to be more active in the evenings. This is a regular occurrence in the Waggoner household...I would say at least once a night we play the "Comforter Creature" game...she falls for it every time.

Summer is around the corner...right?

2009-04-01T20:20:00.004-05:00

It may still be snowing here, but I got a little taste for summer.

This...

plus this...
plus this...

Equals, yummy strawberry shortcake!!! Come on summer!!!
Monday night I made strawberry shortcake - and it is TASTY!

Tonight for dinner we fixed a shrimp dish - it looked pretty, but I think I got a little too much hot seasoning!

We didn't quiet make it through the whole bowl, before our mouth started burning!

But it was good while it lasted.

NOTICE: Blog closing due to lack of interest

2009-03-30T22:19:00.004-05:00

We regret to inform you that we will be shutting down the site, effective immediately. The main cause is lack of interest. It has come to the attention of the contributors to this blog that it can no longer compete with other blogs which highlight big girl achievements and get 6 comments in the time it takes this blog to get 1 (one very nice one - thank you Grandma & Grandpa B). We regret to inform you that if you wish to get an update on how the plants or Fran are doing, or even what the sites contributors are having for dinner, you will have to call them and talk to them personally. Ultimately, the blog just needed more comments to keep it going.

Who am I kidding - we could never stay away.

My day as a tourist......at least its not another blog about plants.

2009-03-29T20:33:00.011-05:00

This Saturday I went for a walking tour of Chicago's modern skyscraper's by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. It was pretty funny. We were all given a headphone and a receiver......and away we went.

We saw the Chicago library. Fun fact: The things that appear to be gargoyles are actually owls.

Here is the happy (and cold, it was 30ish degrees that day) group of walkers. They came from as far off as New York, Paris and, er, ah, Chicago.

We went to the civic center area which was designed by Mies van der Rohe. Fun fact: This piece of art was not originally in van der Rohe's "vision" of this plaza area and it is supposed to be a.............flamingo.

As we turn the corner from the civic center we see this fantastically interesting build. But what is this building????

Oh, you, know.........a prison. Fantastic, a prison in the city, I feel safer already.

Turning quickly down LaSalle St we get a good shot of the Sears' Tower. Soon to be Willis Tower........... Fun fact: the "dull" midsection is where all the AC, water pump, etc. are housed.

Looking back down LaSalle we get a shot of the Chicago Board of Trade. Definitely not a "modern" skyscraper, but a great looking building none-the-less.

Taking a quick warming break we see a tapestry of what the original design of Chicago was going to be. Please note the diagonal streets and the small buildings. How interesting that we get the "more confusing then imaginable" street design (honestly coming to a light and having to make 5 choices........very irksome) and then not getting the "cleanness" of the short buildings. Oh well.

Ok, ok, this next picture is clearly not a skyscraper. However, this is the First National Bank Clock that is still standing even though the old First National Bank building is no longer around. For those who are trying to place this clock it is in the Chase building plaza. Fun fact: the city of Chicago gives buildings tax credits for creating plaza space.

This next buildings was actually one of my favorites on the walk. The appearance of the building "just made sense" to me. It was stainless steel with a really cool looking green glass. It was done in the "international" style, i.e. raised building so lobby can be "see through" with support pillars on the outside. The part I like about this building is that it was built in the 50's, but looks "modern" today.

Here is a view of it from the side. It apparently doesn't met current safety codes, but was grandfathered in. Please note the grey colored part on the back of the building. This is where the elevator, bathrooms, etc. are housed. Yes, it doesn't met code as there is only one way out......d'oh. Not to worry, the tour guide says it is a very safe building. Sigh.....what a relief.

The next picture is also not of s skyscraper, but of a piece of art by Picasso. It stands in front of the Daley Center. I can appreciate that Picasso was a famous painter, sculptor, etc. and that art is always open to interpretation. However, I wonder if Picasso had a big laugh after making this sculpture. Who knows. I personally think it looks like an orangutan. Others thought it looked like a dog, an angel or any other manner of being. Fun fact: The tour guide mentioned that some people think this was a sculpture of Picasso's wife. I got a chuckle out of that one......I suppose this is one way of showing someone you care.....ha, or what you really think about them.

Now on to the Trump International Hotel and Tower. Honestly, I think this is a very nice looking building regardless of what I think of the man whose name it unfortunately shares. It is now the 2nd tallest building in Chicago and if you haven't seen Chicago in a while it certainly changes the skyline.

This next building was not covered in the tour. I seriously doubt if it could be considered modern, but during my 8 years here I've never noticed this building and what appears to be gold on the roof. Truly a stunning building.

This is a picture of the Aon Building. It is the 3rd tallest building in Chicago. Fun fact: when they first built the tower the exterior was marble. However, due to the severe Chicago winters they had to take it all down and put in a more durable material (granite). Doing this, supposed, doubled the cost of the building...........

This building was not covered on the tour and honestly I'm not sure what it's name is, however, I've always wondered if you could slide all the way down the slanted part. You know, with some sort of potato sack or something..........weeeeeeeee.

This is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Such a cool looking structure.

Here is another shot of it, this time looking at the performance stage.

And here is the famous "bean" in Millennium Park. Fun fact: the sculpture was suppose to represent mercury.

Here is the new modern wing of the Art Institute. Fun fact: the roof has controls, so that as the sun moves the roof adjusts the light in the galleries.

Looking back towards the Aon Building there is the Blue Cross Blue Shield building. Note it appears that they are building on top of the building......because they are. When the building was first built they only built 30 stories with the idea that they might build more. Note that the building doesn't have anything on the exterior which would fade or rust....thus making it easier to add and not have the building look weird.

This is the fountain in Millennium Park. During the summer, no joke, water comes out of that guys mouth. Lots of fun.

A view looking north bound on Michigan Ave. by the Art Institute.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour. I'll leave you with a saying from ol'blue eyes, "Chicago, it's my kind of town."

Spring has Sprung!

2009-03-21T22:18:00.001-05:00

The first sign of Spring: New green growth on our blackberry bush! Come on blackberry pie!

Second sign: Cat grass fever! I joked with Andrew that we might need to buy a lawn mower.
This week we literally watched grass grow, and it was interesting! There was little movement in the pot up through Wednesday. Then little nubs started poking out. I am kicking myself for not taking pictures throughout the process. But the nubs were a very eerie neon green color - we had called it our alien grass. Wednesday morning I decided to move the pot back into the sun. When we got home from work the grass had broke out of its casing (the clear base on the picture below.) and had grown an inch. It seems to be growing now at an inch a day.
Andrew agreed that we should give it to Fran.

So far she seems interested - but only from a safe distance.

So as not to seem to be playing favorites with our green children. Twiggy appears to be liking his new home, and is still doing well.

And no name plant is doing well - despite Fran taking an interest in eating his leaves. Here's hoping this is a safe plant for kitties!

The Waggoner's World Goes Green

2009-03-15T18:44:00.004-05:00

A while back we purchased a money tree to help make our house a home. Since the purchase the tree has flourished with all the great care it received in our home. So since it looked like Twiggy (the name we have given the money tree) was going to be with us for a while, we decided to buy him a nice pot.
So one weekend we decided to make a trip out and purchase a pot. We ended up with two pots out of our shopping trip, but once we brought them home we discovered that neither were going to be the right size for the tree. So Twiggy remained in his plastic home, and we just sort of placed the planters around the plastic bin he was in.
Today, we decided Twiggy had suffered too long - and that we should get something to go in the other planters. So we measured Twiggy and the two planters and headed down to Home Depot. Here is what we got:

Twiggy's new home:

The new plant for our mosaic planter purchased on our earlier shopping trip:

So what to do with the second planter?
How about a berry garden?

Andrew and I are going to test are thumbs and see if they are truly green. The plant on the left is a blueberry plant, while the one on the right is a blackberry plant. The roots are soaking for the night. We will plant them tomorrow.

One last purchase: Cat Grass!

We couldn't leave Fran out of all the fun could we?

And lastly - we didn't purchase these today - they were a gift from Lindsay, but they are such a pretty color - especially with the color of our apartment, we wanted to share the picture. Absolutely lovely!

bananas inspired by banana.

2009-02-26T22:16:00.007-06:00

Well, it has been an extraordinarily long week for me. There have been deadlines, difficult accounting issues (please read: FAS 157), and clients seeking answers. Today we issued an audit report/financial statements.......2 days before the deadline. booyah. Anyway, I really wanted to eat a banana this evening and I couldn't help but notice the sticker on the banana. Please see below:

It reads, "please stick on forehead and smile".........I was inspired. I'm not sure if it was the 5 cups of coffee or the 2 cans of mountain dew today, but I thought it was a terribly good idea to do as the sticker told me.......and then some.

*Update - I just re-read this post.......the picture above looks scary......I was actually trying to make a "funny face". Long week, go figure.

Then I thought, "hey, I'm like 'Che' "......I have; 1) a catchy slogan, 2). a banana, and 3). a plant to hide behind. Wait a minute.

Nice, there's my plant.

Ok, now to the eating of the banana.

Mmmmmm, delightful.

Uggh, 10:53pm. Off to bed. Good night.

Franny "Das Wunder Kitty"

2009-02-22T22:27:00.007-06:00

Michelle and I awoke this morning to a most peculiar sight. To back track, Michelle and I have become increasing concerned that our cat is, well, three words; "a mad genius". She has a almost too cool demeanor that makes you think she is up to something. Oh sure, she "acts" sleepy during the evening but when the lights turn off Franny (or should I say, "Che" in cognito) goes into overdrive. Case in point. Franny apparently likes to read as she is, well, using the facilities.

Curious, no? But what is she reading???? Interesting, information regarding the latest stimulus bill....maybe she is trying to think up her own stimulus bill - more money for cat nip, perhaps.

My goodness look at that face. Without a doubt she is certainly planning something.

And what would lead us to believe she is trying her own stimulus plan? You might ask. Well, you would brush up on your economics reading. And just as I was thinking this thought I looked at the couch and.....egads, there she was calm as a clam reading my The Economist.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

2009-02-16T19:15:00.005-06:00

Andrew and I had the pleasure of spending some time with my family this weekend. Saturday, after work, we headed east to my sister & brother-in-law's house. After an uneventful 2 1/2 hour drive, we made it to their house. Lily had just fallen asleep and Ryan was at work, so we visited with Lindsay and helped make some soup. It was a good time. Ryan came home - we all watched a lot of home shows - then it was bedtime.
The next day, brought Church in the morning. After the sermon, we went to pick Lily up from the nursery. She saw me, ran to me, and requested that I pick her up -one of my favorite moments. After Church, Lindsay and Ryan had a meeting, so that left Andrew and I as babysitters. Despite, Lily's initial sadness (she can make by far the saddest face I have every seen, just looking at it made me cry) and her lack luster appetite, she eventually decided she could have fun without her parents there. We built with bricks and blocks, read some books, and played with her doll babies. Then it was nap time. I was a little tired to, so when rocking her to sleep, I decided to just nap with her. I woke up about an hour in, and spent another 1/2 hour just watching her sleep. She is beautiful!
I heard my parents arrive, so I put Lily in her crib, and went down to visit with them. Lily went on to sleep for another 1/2 hour. Almost right after she woke up, my sister and Ryan returned from their meeting. The whole family had some great bonding over some of my Grandma Stipe's jewelry, my old baby p.j.'s and some good children's books. We then all went out to dinner. Lily showed off some of the words she knows - "Mine" and "eat" were the most used. After dinner, we all went our separate ways. All and all it was a great visit, one might say, it was the best of times...
Our drive home, however, quickly became the worst of times...on the outskirts of the town my sister and brother-in-law live in, it began snowing in almost white out conditions. As we got closer to the main highway we take to get to the toll road the snow slowed and then stopped. So as we merged onto the main highway, the air was clear as were the roads - or so it appeared. A little while after merging, we passed a jeep, a very little while after passing the jeep, we saw it loose control and run head on into the 4 foot cement median. At that point we determined, that the road conditions might not have been as okay as they seemed - so we slowed down. About 5 minutes later - we witnessed a truck, traveling in the opposite direction that we were, slip and do a 180, then crash into the median. At that point I officially started freaking out. We had cars (mainly SUV's) ZOOMING by us - you could tell they had not witnessed what we witnessed. About another 5-10 minutes, we noticed that a police car was blocking all the lanes of the highway, forcing all cars to exit. There was also a police car blocking the on ramp, back onto the highway, so we were forced to go down an unknown road. After some failed attempts to get some navigational assistance, we just decided to "head north" until we "ran into" the toll road. It ended up being about a 30-45 minute detour, but we did eventually find the toll road. At this point I considered us home free. The road seemed clear, the air seemed clear, all cars were traveling at normal toll road speeds, and there were no indications of accidents. So we traveled at normal speeds for around 20 miles - at which point Andrew decided it was now safe to use the cruise control. As it turned out, we weren't able to use it long - as it started snowing ever so slightly. Then, white out experience! Andrew made mention of "knowing what happens after this kind of snow" making reference to the previous accidents we had seen.
The snow continued - in white out conditions - and I started imagining every car that past us wiping out and crashing. This made me so nervous, I really thought I was going to throw up. But just as I thought I could take no more, the snow subsided - and eventually stopped and we had finally made it to the south side of Chicago. As we got closer to downtown, it began snowing - yet again. I could hardly believe it - hadn't we had enough already! This snow never got too hard this time, and we did eventually make it home - 3 hours and 15 minutes later - but safe.

Frandini and Her Amazing Dresser Act

2009-02-01T11:46:00.002-06:00

About a month ago I began noticing a strange recurrence. For a week on and off, I would notice that my sock drawer was open. I would notice this when I woke up in the morning and when I got home from work. I chalked it up to my forgetfulness - a symptom that comes with every tax season.

One night I was awakened by a pawing noise. This is a frequent noise in our household - we hear it when Fran tries to get into our bedroom closet and when Fran is sharpening her non-existent front claws on a wooden basket we have in the bedroom. But this noise wasn't coming from either of those directions...this was coming from the direction of my sock draw. I look over, in my groggy just waking up state to see a sight similar to this....

Fran looking innocently guilty next to my open sock drawer. So now I know it is not my forgetfulness but our cat's craftiness that has cause this strange recurrence. What I still didn't know was how she was opening it. Our bedroom closet has a space at the bottom that she can get her paw in an push the closet open...but my dresser had no such holes - just the handles.

I was now more attuned to the noise that came before her little sock drawer opening trick, so I woke up a few more nights hoping to catch her in the middle of her trick, but like any good magician - she never gave away her secret. As soon as I would look - after hearing the noise - the drawer was open and she would be batting around one of my pairs of socks.

I wasn't to concerned that Fran was going to "ruin" anything or get her hair all over - as I am with our closet (this is why we now "lock" the closet so that she can't get in.) The baskets I keep my socks in don't leave any room for Fran to wiggle around and make a bed for herself so she wasn't showing any interest in making it one of her hiding places - it just seems like she was doing it because she could. Once it was open she would bat around a little and then walk away.

The night finally came when Fran got a little overconfident. Andrew & I were watching the nightly news in our bedroom. Andrew gave my ribs a good little jab and pointed to the dresser. There was Fran with her paws in the handles - pulling the draw open. I am still not sure I understand the physics of a 15 pound cat pulling a drawer open with no opposable thumbs. In fact I have now seen her preform the act a few times - and I still don't know how she does it.

Well just like any good magician - Fran wanted to expand her bag of tricks. So no longer satisfied with the drawer trick she decided to move on to the doors.

Sure enough - she waited for the right opportunity and busted out her true skills!I was really impressed with this one because there are no handles for her to pull. But I figured she was just able to squeeze her paws in the space between the frame and the door. I was a little more concerned about this discovery - as there are plenty of nice places to make a bed in this section of the dresser. So I started thinking about making a similar "lock" for these doors.

Then I found the secret to this trick. Some of my clothes were in the way of the door closing. So when Fran attempted her trick - the door was already ajar - she just pushed it open. Not that this is not impressive - for her to have seen her opportunity and taken it. But as soon as I realized the trick, I moved the clothes, and fully shut the doors. She has not been successful in the door trick since.

Now for her latest trick...she moved on to the drawer above the sock drawer which holds exercise clothes and bathing suits - a great place for a bed! Knowing that there was no way to prevent Fran from attempting this trick again. I tried to make the trick impossible for her to have success.

Yesterday morning, after waking up throughout the night to Fran's dresser antics - it can get really loud. I decided to do something about it. So before leaving for work, I placed my clothes hamper in front of the drawers.

And this is what I came home to:

I still don't get the physics of it or how it is possible. My next solution is to remove the handles.

I am constantly impressed (and sometimes annoyed) with Fran's persistent cleverness. If there is somewhere to hid in or a height to be jumped, she will find it and try it - from the hiding places of the hole behind our stove to the bedroom closet and from the heights of the kitchen cupboards to the fireplace mantle - Fran leaves no square un-investigated.

She is one impressive kitty kat.

Police Call - 911

2009-01-19T21:30:00.004-06:00

Well James, you have been asking for it - the one thing our blog has been missing -until now...DRAMA.
Tonight Andrew used his Blackberry to make a call neither of us have ever made before -911. Let me rewind a little - to the beginning of our story. Andrew & I have been leaving work around 6:30pm for the past week, so when I looked at my computer clock and saw that it was 6:30pm I started worrying because I hadn't heard from Andrew since he dropped me off at my building that morning. Usually, Andrew and I communicate at least once during the work day, but today was different.
So, I sent an email to him and went back to work. Since it was later - and I assumed we would be going home soon - I decided to work on some of the easier work I had to do.
We are currently processing annual payroll for our clients. One of the responsibilities I have taken on at work, for the last few years, is releasing all the payroll. This just means I do the final quality control review making sure everything is in line - which it usually is. Tonight was a completely different story...I had 10 payroll clients to release. Of those 10 - 3 of them were to be sent to the same person. This client has a home in Illinois, another home out of state, and an Illinois business address. Each of the 3 payrolls were addressed to one of those three addresses - now does that seem like the best mailing option - I will give you a hint - its not. So, I consolidated the 3 into one envelope - addressed to the address that they were all to go to (per the mailing directions on our firm control sheet.) Then I went on to the next client - it was a 1099 client only. By the time the forms get to me, the vendor copies are supposed to be sealed in their own separate envelopes so the client can easily and confidentially distribute them. As a staff, this was always my least favorite part of the payroll process, licking envelopes - yuck! Well when I was going through my steps in releasing I noticed that this step had been skipped - now it should be noted - at least 3 people will have looked at the payroll before it gets to me to release - the preparer, the reviewer, and the assembler. You would think one of those people would have caught the oversight but no one did. So here I am licking envelopes - one of my least favorite jobs - at 6:45 at night...more than ready to get home.
So after the 1099's were safe in their individual envelopes, I moved on to the next payroll. Now on this one, out of the 5 mailing envelopes made 2 of them were going to the wrong taxing authority address. Now I know none of these seem like a major problems - but these are mistakes that should be being made at this point and usually only happen once in a payroll period not three times in one night.
So, I tell you all this to give you an idea of what kind of mood I was in - a little nervous about Andrew's safety and REALLY annoyed at my 5 minute easy jobs taking me 4 times as long.
You will be relieved to know that Andrew finally emailed me back - he was alive, but very busy. He started a new client job today - and as is the usual result of the first day on a new client - he had very little downtime during the day and was very tired. So we settled on leaving around 7:30pm.
As usual Andrew called me when he got to his garage so that I know to start shutting down, packing up, and heading down to our usual meeting spot.
He was there waiting by the time I got there, I got in, and we started on our trip home. I spent most of the time, selfishly talking about my terrible day. Then Andrew told me about the free breakfast and lunch he had got from his client. At this point we were heading down Sheridan, right by where Andrew used to live - and about an eighth of a mile outside Evanston city limits when all of a sudden it happened. We were at a complete stop at a stop light. The light turned green and Andrew took his foot of the break. At that very moment a loud noise, like a rock hitting the side of the car happened - but we had not yet had the opportunity to put on the gas an move at all - so we were unsure how the rock got up the force to hit our car. Andrew suggested that the little motion of releasing the breaks might have loosened a stone that then hit the side of our car. It didn't really seem likely, but the car seemed to be unaffected, so we continued on to Chipotle - where we picked up our dinner, then headed home.
We are very grateful for our indoor garage - in fact I feel bad for even complaining, but...our parking spot seems to be on the low plane of the garage - so a large puddle formed right where we park our car. More specifically the greatest depth of said puddle is right where the passenger door opens up, when the car is parked. So, in an effort to keep my socks dry - I usually make Andrew stop just short of our spot and let me out (it should be noted that the puddle is only millimeters deep where the drivers side door opened up when parked - so Andrew's socks are at a low risk of getting wet.)
Anyway I got out of the car and let Andrew park it. While he did so, I noticed what had hit us ........................................ an orange paintball.

Needless to say - after my annoying night at work I wasn't going to let this go unreported - I mean clearly someone did this on purpose - it didn't just fall out of the sky. We didn't know the number for the police station and I was certain that when you called 911 they asked if it was an emergency or not. Turns out I was wrong - at least Andrew says the woman didn't ask, but he let her know right away that it was not an emergency, we just had an incident to report. So the nice lady on the other end gave Andrew the number for the Rodgers Park police and we waited on hold to file our report. In the meantime I took these pictures (the ones from a distance didn't turn out), cleaned off the paint, and confirmed that there was no damage.
Andrew proceeded to file the report - the cop was very appreciative that we took the time to file the report even though there was no damage. Who knows the next victim might not be as lucky as Toby. This little praise from the police officer left us both feeling like we had done our part to make this world a safer place.

I think Toby might have liked the war paint - it made him feel like he was back home.

A new year, a new post

2009-01-04T20:19:00.007-06:00

Well we spent a fairly uneventful New Years eve at our place. However we have a couple of pictures of the evening.....hang on.

Per my usual M.O. I gave Michelle a Christmas coupon.....hooray. I had given her 3 options this is the one that she picked.......a mixer. oh la la.

A tasty little side shot.

I'm not totally sure what got into her, but the following pictures are evidence of her new enthusiasm for cooking after getting the mixer.

More "eye candy".

Haha, OK, so we actually picked up this little gem at Whole Foods, but we are both pretty sure that with enough time we can get to this level. How hard can it really be?

One of the best/funniest Christmas presents was the "Dead Fred" pen holder. Please see below for its ability to put a smile on your face.

Franny got a fun present for Christmas as well - a cigar with cat nip. This isn't a great picture, but I think you get the idea. She went crazy for it.

This picture, while fuzzier, but documents her new found addiction.

I guess the saying; "like cat, like cat owner" holds true. This Christmas, it was cigars for everyone. For those that don't know I received cigars at both the Brandon family Christmas and the Waggoner family Christmas. Pretty funny.
Then as the Grand Finale to our vacation, we got to witness two dear friends getting hitched. I was a groomsman. It was a good way to celebrate our engagement day and Grandpa & Grandma Brandon's anniversary. Don't I have a lovely wife - she got a new hair cut. Meeeeooooow.

I'm Dreaming of a Waggoner Christmas...

2008-12-30T19:00:00.000-06:00

We had a great time at the Mom and Dad Waggoner's place - once we got there. For the third year in a row our flight was canceled. But quick response time got us on the earliest flight out the following day. We were able to get off the ground before they shut down O'Hare.
We were very glad to spend time with everyone while we were there. We enjoyed a tour of Grandma Waggoner's new pad, Uncle Bob's book signing, a cousin's piano recital, and a few family business meetings.
Here are some of the better pictures we would like to share with ya'll.

My parents always have the best tree. This year was good.....but last years was pretty hard to follow.

Stockings hung with care. Please note the sweet Target bag that filled in for "a certain new member" of the Waggoner family. I have been assured she will have a nice monogrammed one next year.

White Christmas breakfast.....an excellent tradition.

There were 2 new furry additions this year, one was Zoe's new dog Rylee. I think Rylee and I really connected......or at least she urinated when she saw me. I think that is a good sign.

The second was Puccini who Mom apparently found one day. Neat. Nice cat.

One of the nicer things about living out in the country is that there are wild animals roaming in the back yard. If your "big city" eyes cannot see there is a deer eating in this picture. One day Dad will get a .22 and we'll have venison for Christmas......mmmm.

Well those were the highlights. We hope you have enjoyed.

The Downturn of the Economy

2008-12-16T22:00:00.001-06:00

Well our snowman is back - or at least there is a flatter version of him coating our porch. It snowed 5" today. On the news this morning they were telling people that it would be a good day to take public transportation....so we drove in! Well that wasn't the reason - actually Andrew and I are both really busy at work so in an effort to get more time in at the office we decided to drive in. The drive in was quick, we left plenty early and there were few people on the road. The way home was a different matter. It took us over an hour to get home, at 8pm - it was really amazing - it appeared that nothing had been plowed...AT ALL.
Now, for those not accustomed to driving in Chicago in the winter - it is usually not much different then driving any other time. It always seems that when a big snow is predicted they get the full fleet of snow trucks out and cruising hours before the snow is supposed to start. The roads - especially the main arteries - are usually well plowed and salted by the time we head home for the night.
Tonight was a completely different story. Politicians in Illinois aren't usually known for their honesty, but when Mayor Daley said he was going to reduce the numbers of plows on the streets and cut the amount of salt they use in half - he was not kidding around! The whole ride home I only saw 2 snow plows and neither of them were going in our direction. Even Lakeshore Drive was covered in snow and unplowed. It was the first time I have ever seen cars abandoned in the middle of Lakeshore Drive with snow piled so high, it looked like it had been there for hours - and we saw two such vehicles.
The snow driving seemed to put Andrew in the holiday spirit, as he spent a great majority of the ride either singing or humming Christmas carols. He even got to do a few fun turns when we got into Evanston. I am so thankful that he is so comfortable driving in snowy conditions - lord knows I get tense and scared enough for the both of us.
But we are home now and warm - and there is no snow in tomorrow's forecast.

Our frighteningly frosty foreign friend

2008-12-08T22:43:00.007-06:00

When I went to the store I came back to this masterpiece. It appears that the first snowfall of the year inspired Michelle's creativity.

I tried to talk with it, but much to my chagrin it never talked back. Oh well, there goes that thought.

ps - I just checked and our snowman bff is.........not so forever.

We're Crabby

2008-11-20T21:10:00.003-06:00

I haven't been feeling the best the past few nights. Just a lot of congestion, it always seems to happen when there is a change in the weather. So we were planning on having soup and grilled cheese for supper. Andrew wanted tomato soup, and we didn't have any. So after getting off our train we walked to Whole Foods. We got tomato soup, orange juice, and crab legs. They were on sale and Andrew asked very nicely.
When we got home I put the legs in the frig and we had our soup and sandwiches, Andrew did a little work, I read, and we headed to bed.
Fast forward to the next evening. It is 9 pm and we are on the phone with my parents. We tell them about the crab purchase and debate on how they are to be prepared. Andrew does a little Internet research he found that the legs should not be refrigerated, they should be frozen. And if they are put in the fridge they can only last 2 days before going bad.
So at 9 pm, Andrew started boiling a pot of water, to fix the legs. Once the water had boiled the legs cooked in no time. They turned out just lovely.
As you can see Andrew really enjoyed playing with the legs.

And we BOTH enjoyed eating them!

Fran gets FURminated

2008-11-08T10:53:00.008-06:00

Christmas came early for Fran...or at least one of her stocking stuffers came early. After doing some Internet research I discovered the FURminator. I would encourage you to check out some of the video's on the site - they are unbelievable. I shared my find with a woman at work, and she convinced me to order one (so she could get one too.) It should be noted after watching the videos and seeing the pictures, Andrew and I were really excited to get the tool that would be the end to the hair ball tumbleweed that is our apartment.So the tool came in the mail on Wednesday. The product came with a spray in no rinse shampoo. The instructions were to clean the fur with the shampoo, dry completely and then comb. After reading the reviews stating that the tool creates a lot of static, we decided it would be best to FURminate in the bathroom - a room Fran is normally not allowed in. She immediately knew something was up and she wasn't having any of it. She was pawing under the door and meowing like she does when she is being taken to the vet (or should I say WAILING.)

Here she is plotting her escape.

She HATED the spray bottle shampoo, though seemed to not mind it as much when I applied it by hand. She just didn't like the spray noise. And once she allowed us to brush her, she was purring louder then we have ever heard her purr before. She started getting antsy again and biting, so we decided to end the FURminating session. It wasn't as successful as most of the testimonials, but that was because of Fran not because the FURminator didn't work. Below is a picture of the fur that will not be found on our floor, hallelujah! And we have great hope that we will be more success next time - now that Fran knows whats coming.

No Fran did not have kittens - that is all her loose under coat.

You may not be able to tell in the picture - but Fran's hair is a lot silkier and thinner.

Tour le Chateau du Waggoner

2008-11-02T17:00:00.001-06:00

Welcome...(please wipe your feet) Within the first door on your right you will find the spacious bathroom - isn't the shower curtain lovely?!? And what nice towels!

Now that you have seen the bathroom come a little further down the entry hall way (Note: we do have a cat - so if you are allergic you might want to go grab some medicine, before going any further.

Our entry room opens up into the great room, with our large floor to ceiling windows.

Here is the living room/office area of the great room.

And here is the kitchen - were many lovely creations are made.

And a view of the living room from the kitchen - Andrew hung all our wall art this weekend. It is amazing what a motivator company can be!

Yet another view of our living room with fireplace and new television.

Now we will take you upstairs...

But first a picture of our balcony.

Alright, everybody - up the stairs!

The view from the top!

The bedroom.

View down the stairs - Note: we have hung some work from my favorite artists - my sister, my brother-in-law and Holly.

The bed - I really like the bedspread and the tree above.Thank you for taking the time to tour our humble (yet lovely - we think) abode! Bon Nuit!

Please take note

2008-10-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Fran has added a wish list to our family sidebar - if you feel so inclined.

For your Christmas shopping ease...

2008-10-20T18:27:00.001-05:00

I have posted links to our respective wish lists...browse away.

Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

2008-10-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Well my home alone time hasn't been what I had planned. The hallway and closet are just as cluttered as they were when Andrew left. The cause - all those late filers. Because of the October 15th tax deadline, my minimal time at home in the evenings has been filled with me eating dinner then going straight to bed. The good news, it is the 15th - which means it is almost over!

Home Alone...

2008-10-13T08:52:00.002-05:00

Well I made it through my first night home alone. Andrew left for the airport around 4 pm yesterday evening, leaving the whole evening for me to fill with events of my choosing. I watched a chick flick, cleaned the bathroom, and went to bed at 9:30. I have decided to clean one room a night until Andrew gets back. This plan should make the time go by faster - and it can't hurt to have a clean house. Tonight I tackle the hallway and hall closet - I know it doesn't sound like much, but trust me the closet is a mess! It is were we have just shoved everything that won't fit in our upstairs closet.

Coooooookie Crisp!

2008-10-05T16:41:00.018-05:00

Well the masses have cried out long enough. Here it is a new post!

Most of you, our faithful readers, know Andrew took a part of THE exam yesterday. While he was busy doing that (4 1/2 hours!) I decided to do my weekly grocery shopping. I am pleased to report that I shaved a good 30-45 minutes off my shopping time - it only took me an 1 1/2 hr. this time. I know you are impressed - I am actually. I attribute it to my organized, by location in the store, list - and the fact that I now know where to find most things. I even told one woman where she could find bread crumbs after the STORE EMPLOYEE was unable to do so - Booyah! However it wasn't ALL easy going. Andrew and I decided on Cinnamon Toast Crunch as the cereal we wanted. The box in front was banged up so I reached behind and grabbed a box - it wasn't until I got home that I noticed what I had grabbed:

It was a nice little blast from the past...that both Andrew and I have enjoyed.

I am refining my cooking method, making a menu for the next two weeks - as opposed to last time when I just picked the recipe that night at random. So I have my recipe books lined up in a row for the next two weeks - I know you are all impressed.

Another good addition to the house has been our bar stools. I think they go nicely in the room and it is nice to have something to sit on when we eat at the island.

And Andrew says they are good for studying - more like good for bowling! ;)

Andrew says he feels good about how the exam went - so pray that materializes to a pass! It was a little bitter sweet dropping Andrew off at the test center - don't get me wrong I am glad the whole thing is over for me - but I had come to know the exam - it is a feeling that is hard to explain. When I told Andrew this, he told me there are plenty of other exams I could take - ha, we will see. :)

Anyway, as a sort of "it's over" celebration I made some crab Rangoon. Andrew LOVES crab - and we both love crab Rangoon. It turned out well, but the won ton wrappers came with a recipe different form the one that I made that I think looked better, so we will have to make them again.

I also felt inclined to bake a little. So, I got out my recipe for creme puffs. I think they turned out great - so did Andrew. I kind of globed the chocolate on the top - since they were just for the two of us.
In other news; here are some of the meals we have had in the time of the blogs silence. I was sick last week, so we haven't cooked much, but here are the highlights:

Seafood Lasagna and garlic bread...

Feta stuffed lamb patties with steamed asparagus. (Andrew's version w/ tomato w/out sauce)

My version - w/out tomato w/sour cream and pesto sauce. This has got to be my favorite of all the recipes thus far. But then again I LOVE feta!

Salad made by Andrew (w/ edamame -yum!)

Carmel Apple cake - this was supposed to be made in a bunt pan, but I don't have one - d'oh!

It didn't look as good as the picture - but as you can tell from Andrew's crazed expression it tasted just as good - as I imagine the one in the picture tasted.

Well that completes the pictures we have taken since our absence.

Until next time Bon Appetite!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-09-16T08:00:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to write a quick blog to celebrate the one month mile marker of our marital bliss. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, there were times in my life when I didn't think such happiness and joy would be attainable for me, but by God's grace, I have found my true companion in life. I have always been graced with many blessings in my life - but now and forever I can add to the list - a supportive, compassionate, and faithful husband. Sharing this month of change and discovery with Andrew has been a joy - and I eagerly anticipate what the upcoming months will hold for us. I know that with God's guidance, the support of our family, and our commitment to one another - we will continue to enjoy this journey, whatever it may hold.

Thank you, family & friends, for your love, guidance, & support, we love you.

Here are some pictures from the wedding - taken by a dear friend - Enjoy!

The Happy Couple!

One of the Blessings in Andrew & I's life - our favorite niece & best ring bearess to grace the aisle - Liliana.

Me with two of the most influential females in my life - and the coolest, craziest, most fun brother-in-law making the picture. :)

Grab a pail, it looks like rain!

2008-09-14T20:30:00.002-05:00

This weekend didn't go exactly as we had first planned it. We started by waking up REALLY early (for a Saturday) in order to get into Chicago for an appointment with an Allstate guy. He needed to look at the car and provide an estimate of the cost to repair. So when we woke up we noticed it was raining, but didn't think too much of it.

Once ready to go, we went down to the garage, got in our car, and headed out the back alley - or should I say the flooded back alley. On our way to the shop the rain was pouring and we would come across many more spots in the road that were flooded. But it wasn't until our ride home that we really came across any SERIOUS water on the road. We were heading down Sheridan close to Andrew's old apartment, the road bends right along Lake Michigan, and it appears that the Lake decided to expand onto the road. By the time we noticed the high water it was too late to turn around, there was a large median to our side that we would not be able to cross and cars behind us - so we plowed ahead. The water was easily to the top of our tires. We fortunately made it through though there were some unfortunate stalled vehicles on the opposite side of the road. This was not the last of the high water we encountered on the trip home - but Andrew pulled out his eagle scout skills, and explained the key points of driving through high water - go slowly but keep moving forward, so you don't allow the water to get into the exhaust and you don't want the water to get to the spark plugs (especially since we just got new ones.) I learn a lot with Andrew around! We made it home safe and sound -and VERY thankful to have an indoor garage. We let the car run for awhile to make sure it dried out sufficiently, then headed up to our apartment - unaware of what awaited us there.

This might look like an ordinary pipe - it helps keep up the trendy loft look we are after - but this pipe - located on our apartment celling right above our brand new flat screen TV was leaking, and not a slow leak but a steady drip! So we moved the TV and TV stand to another part of the house, and put a bucket under it. The picture below is what we were able to collect after a few short hours! Fortunately we noticed it around the start, and there was no damage - that we can tell - to our new TV.

But while we were setting up the bucket we noticed other leaks all around the apartment. (This is why we are using the vase above to catch the water - as all our other buckets, pails, and bowls are being used on other leaks.) Here are a few of the leaks:

Above the fireplace:By the door to our porch:
Our leak situation was not helped by the fact that Chicago experienced the greatest daily rain fall in 137 years.

The rainfall also put a damper on Andrew's Saturday plans. He had arranged a golf outing with a former colleague that had to be rescheduled. Boy, they couldn't have picked a worse day for golf!

We believe we have all the leaks covered now - and as it has been raining ALL weekend we are looking forward to the predicted rain-free week ahead of us!

In other - more culinary - news, here are the meals we have had since the last post:

Wednesday - the old tried and true Feta Chicken (if I have ever cooked for you, it was probably this dish) biscuits and asparagus. On a fun note - I steamed the asparagus in the asparagus steamer we got as a wedding gift from one of my colleagues. It turned out really nicely.

Thursday - Chicken stir-fry & biscuits (yes the same ones from the night before - I think my creativity is waning.) This was a very bland receipt and will not be used again.

Friday - FROZEN PIZZA! To be fair it had begun raining so Andrew and I rented a few movies and settled in for the night. I made him get frozen pizza instead of ordering out, so it was kind of like we were cooking.
Saturday- We CAVED! We went out to eat! I know, I know - but giving it up cold turkey just doesn't seem plausible! We have decided to make Saturday night our eat out/date night. Don't judge!

Sunday: Breakfast in bed! Cinnamon twists and orange juice. Yum Yum! Another colleague of mine bought this tray for us as a wedding gift - so I had to use it! :)

Then in the afternoon, I decided to get a jump start on the weeks meals. One of the receipts was a seafood lasagna, which sounds good but takes a few hours to make - so I thought I would get it all prepped and ready to bake.

This is a picture of the spinach/cottage cheese/Parmesan cheese layer, also note that the lasagna noodles are in the black pot behind.

The receipt called for shrimp and crab meat. This was a LARGE grocery shopping lesson for me - READ THE LABEL! So the crab I got was not actual crab, but crab flavored fish - Andrew discovered this by, you guessed it, reading the label. Let's just hope it taste alright! Then, when I went to prepare the shrimp I noticed that it was still shelled! Call me naive, but I thought if it was frozen shrimp in a bag it was ready to serve shrimp. Why would anyone buy unshelled shrimp when it comes deshelled? Pulling the little legs off was almost too much for me, and definitely a flashback to the lobster on our honeymoon.

Sunday night - Andrew cooked the main course - Bison Burgers! Andrew was craving bison (I usually don't ask) so he went out an bought some ground bison. We added some garlic and parsley to the burgers and boy were they tasty!

Additionally, I made sweet potato & Idaho potato wedges.

I also made an apple Carmel cake - but we both ate too much for dinner so we are saving our dessert for tomorrow.

Finally, Andrew took a picture (from the side) of the wall hanging, so you can see the spiral iron vase holder. You will also notice in the bottom right hand corner - Andrew got new dress shoes this weekend.

Hope you have enjoyed the culinary re-cap. We will try not to let so many days go between posts again - but I'm not going to lie - it will happen again.

Disappointment...

2008-09-09T22:41:00.000-05:00

Disappointing is definitely the perfect title of our evening. After work we decided to try and head out to a few stores, that we had gotten gift cards for as wedding gifts. So first stop - Old Orchard - an outdoor shopping mall. After entering numerous stores and leaving empty handed and disappointed we decided to move on to Bed, Bath & Beyond. We had already predetermined what we wanted to get with the gift card, but after searching an overstocked & overcrowded store for way too long we were unable to locate the canisters we wanted. So we left there empty handed and you guessed it disappointed.

Fortunately for us the disappointment ended there, as our next stop before heading home was to pick up Toby from the mechanic. The maintenance light had been on for a little under a week, so we took that as a sign that we needed to get him checked out. Turns out he needed a few new spark plugs and some random things tightened up a little. This was our first time taking a car to this particular shop - but after some Internet research Andrew decided that this was the best place. And boy was it! So close and so reasonably priced. As soon as I started Toby he began purring like his younger self. Now we just need to fix his outside!

And the final part of the night and what I am sure every one has been asking throughout reading this post. "What did they have for dinner?" Well anyone who knows my food preferences might want to sit down for this...I made - Parmesan Tilapia! That is right fish prepared by yours truly. And honestly, it has been my favorite meal thus far. I know, I know, but it is all true! Lindsay, I might take your tilapia receipt now.

It's a Keeper!

2008-09-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

On tonight's menu...Chicken Fajitas.

They were a big hit! And oh so easy! A few more easy receipts and I will have a great tax season line-up, assuming I am still cooking by that point. Note: The food pictures will start to slow down a bit as the novelty wears off. We don't have children so what are we supposed to take pictures of?
Andrew has his nose to the book - studying again, so I went around the house and took some pictures of the items we purchased for the house while on our honeymoon.

This is a hanging wall vase - you can't see the actual iron hanger, but it looks really nice.

And here is the 3 dimensional wall mounted candle holder. (Though you can't really tell it is 3 dimensional - maybe I will take a picture of it from the side and post that later - if I get really bored.)

We got them both from the same store and we couldn't be happier with the way they look. Putting things on the wall definitely helps to bring a room together - and make a house a home.

A Day of Firsts

2008-09-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

The first first is this post. You have been begging for it, and now it is here - your one stop shop for Waggoner updates. We will try to keep it up to speed, but if there should be a large lag in posts, say between January and April - don't send the cops out - we are not at the bottom of Lake Michigan - sadly we are at work trying to keep up the lavish life we have grown accustomed to.

Which brings me to the second first...for the first time there are TWO seniors living in our house - no not the kind of "senior" that comes with a discount before 4 - but rather a senior in staff level. Michelle was notified of her promotion at work on Friday. Andrew has been "enjoying" his senior status for over a year now.

And our final first, and probably the most shocking - Andrew and Michelle's first home cooked meal as a married couple. Michelle was inspired this weekend to get out ALL of the collective cook books and put together a "menu" for the 2 upcoming weeks. She spent 2 hours grocery shopping this afternoon - while Andrew stayed at home to study. When she returned home she had all she needed to prepare 2 weeks worth of wonderful new creations (at least new to our house.) Tonight's meal was "Stuffing topped fillets" "sauteed zucchini & onions" "garlic & chive mashed potatoes" and for dessert "creme brulee." Andrew ate up everything with the exception of the zucchini - he doesn't like zucchini, what was Michelle even thinking when she made it? Crazy wife!

We will end this post, the first of many more posts, with pictures of our meal..."Your mouth isn't watering - it's crying for Michelle's cooking" (final quote adapted from a sign at Jimmy Johns)