I Got Lei'd!!!

Memorial Day Bob and I went to a luau at my sister's house. It was fun! We drank pina colodas, Bahama mamas, and Washington apple shots from frozen ice shot glasses. Coconut shrimp, fresh fruit and pineapple salsa my mom made were the appetizers. For the main course, Josh made a sweet-n-spicy chicken that was very good.

My three nieces had a blast! Josh made them virgin pina colodas and they loved them. Jenna, her sister Hilah and Inara looked cute wearing their leis as headbands.Rocky the dog also got into the act by wearing a lei. He is the best dog in the world!! I want to steal him from my sister.
Ayden showed off his best Power Rangers move for me. Look at that shirt! How adorable. He is a great little guy.









Then there is my honey!! You can see Josh in the background cooking. My mom made some citrus rice to go with the chicken, and I made an oriental salad (Josh told me to bring it!) Everyone had a great time.
Bob said my sister looked like a Sold Gold dancer with her off-the-shoulder shirt, and my sister replied "What is a Solid Gold dancer?" Makes me feel old!!!!!!!!

Knitting News: I am almost done with Coachella and I tried it on, it is a bit too small under the arms, but looks great overall. I am using Paton's Brilliant yarn. It has some sparkle in it. The colorway is green/gold and I can't wait for the top to be done!

Sushi Night Again, and Wedding Talk!!!

Last night was sushi night at Genjis and Bob and I tried something new, Ahi Tuna Poke. It was good, but really spicy! It is layers of fried won ton skins topped with spicy tuna, avocado and poke sauce. The picture of it is to the right. We were waited on by our favorite bartender/server, Amanda. We also had shrimp wrapped in shoestring potatoes then deep fried and served with wasabi mayo and cucumber rolls.

Today we went to the Antique Warehouse and I found a great brooch for the wedding! I want to wear it in my hair on our wedding day. So I have something old and blue at once!! The picture of it does not do it justice. Monday we are going to a luau at my sister's house so that should be fun.

3:30 A.M.

For some odd reason, I cannot sleep. I think I am stressed out, but over what I do not know. The wedding planning is going along fine, Bob and I have only been engaged for 5 days and I already have everything planned, from the colors to the guest list, the bridesmaids gifts to the cake. My dress is picked out and we are just waiting to see if we can get the place for the reception and have to make a decision on food. I want everything to be done so I don't have to worry about it later. I just want to be able to show up on the day (tentatively June 20, 2009) and not worry about anything until then.

So now for wedding talk! My colors are Tiffany's blue/aqua and black, maybe with some silver mixed in. We are having a "retro martini bar/50's style/Audrey Hepburn" theme. I would like to have the reception at the Leopard Lounge at the Temple Theater. It would fit the theme perfectly! We are only having about 75 guests, with heavy hours d'oeuvres and cocktails. The one problem we have is where to get married. Bob has always wanted a church wedding, and he is Catholic and I am not. So that creates a problem. If it were up to me, we would get married on a beach in the Bahamas and that would be it. This is my second time around, but Bob has never been married. I have to admit that I like being able to plan a wedding (before I just got married at the courthouse, no reception, only family at a dinner).

Below is a picture of what I want my bouquet to look like, and to the right is the bridesmaids dress. Very simple. The blue of the roses is lighter than what my color would be, so I may have to find a different flower to get the color right.

Since Bob and I are doing this on our own, I am trying to keep things as reasonable as possible. I will attempt to make my own centerpieces for the tables, I don't plan on having any real flowers except for the wedding bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, something for the flower girls, and boutiners for the groom and best man (men?) The big expense is going to be the food and music. I have no clue about wedding favors. Bob said he has never heard of them, that it must be a Michigan thing. I am pretty sure wedding favors are common all over. I am not having a bridal shower or bachelorette party. I do want to have my nieces and soon-to-been nieces as flower girls, and my nephew and youngest soon-to-be niece as ring bearers. Other than that, I really have no clue how a wedding "goes". I have not been to many weddings, and have never been in one. I am sure I will have a lot of input from people along the way.

Uncle Sam Wants You To...

Have a beer for your country!!!!!!!!!

This was at the World Expo of Beer in Frankenmuth yesterday. Bob and Josh just had to have a picture of themselves with Uncle Sam. The beer fest was great, there were a lot of great stouts (my favorite!) and even some non-beer beers, like the one that looked and tasted like an orange creamsicle. You bought a ticket for $1.00 and each sample taste took one ticket. Everyone was very friendly, in fact the attendees kept offering "do you want to try a sip of this?" No, Mr. Stranger, I do not want to drink out of your cup! I could easily go to the vendor and get a sample!
One thing they did have was deep fried Oreos. They were too sweet!!!
There was a live band there, and they started playing Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond, and EVERYONE sang along! It was fun. The drummer of the band was my friend Donnie Brown, who I have not seen in a few years. He is (was?) the drummer for The Verve Pipe. It was great to see him. He played drums with my brother at the Munger Potato Fest last summer but I did not get to see them play.
After the beer fest, we went to Old Town with my sister, Josh, and my sis' friends Becky and Mike (who are also newly engaged!)
At the right is Josh, me and Bob having some great beer.

Big News!!!

Bob asked me to marry him today, and I said yes!!! We don't have a date set, but it will probably be sometime next year. Now time to celebrate!!!!!!!!

Munchie Weekend

I love to munch and appetizers are my favorite thing to eat! Here is a recipe for a cracker spread that I make (all measurements for seasonings are approximate, I never measure anything so adjust to your taste)
Feta Spread
1 block cream cheese
1 pkg. crumbled feta cheese (about 4 oz.)
mayonnaise, about 2 TB. (NOT Miracle Whip!!!)
Italian seasoning, about 1 TB.
minced garlic, about 2 TB.
Mix all ingredients above and serve with crackers or veggies. Best if refrigerated for about 2 hours before serving.

In other news, today is the World Expo of Beer in Frankenmuth and Bob, Josh and I are going to attend. I don't like beer, except for Guinness and some new stuff Bob bought that is thicker and richer than Guinness, so I don't see myself having too much beer today. Bob and Josh on the other hand are beer fanatics. I have a feeling I will be the one driving home........

Tandoori Chicken

Last night I made tandoori chicken and it was great! My version goes like this:
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (not these ones)
2 cups plain yogurt
curry powder
turmeric
cumin
cinnamon

Mix yogurt and spices, marinate chicken in the mixture for 4-6 hours. Grill chicken until done.
I served it with an Asian-type slaw; I used broccoli slaw, green onions, diced cucumber and peanuts tossed together with a bottled Asian dressing and I made potatoes with garlic and dill.

I have gone semi-vegetarian, that chicken was the first meat I have had in almost a week. I am not missing meat that much. I had a veggie Whopper today (although it probably is just as bad for you with all the mayo on it!). I think I just need to eat more "whole" foods and stay away from processed things. The chicken club chalupa from Taco Bell is really calling my name.....

There is a new girl in the house and her name is Sake! Lucy does not like her at all, but they are slowly becoming friends. Sake has taken to chasing Lucy, and I think they are playing in their own way until they can figure out who belongs where in the household. Sake was adopted from a shelter at the pet fair and she is sweet and loving. Her favorite thing is to steal drinking straws from a cup.

It's Friday!!

Finally! I thought this week would never end!! I am almost done with the log cabin blanket for my boss' soon-to-be-born daughter. I hope he and she like it!! I also casted on for Coachella and am using Patons Brilliant in a green/gold colorway. It was on clearance for $3.00 a ball!


I forgot to tell everyone, my brother's band he is in has an awesome video! It is Brett Mitchell and the video is Born Too Late.
I was really impressed with the video! My brother is the one playing bass.
Not much else has happened lately. I am going to the Pet Expo tomorrow. I may get another kitten. I have been thinking about it for a while, but I am not sure how Lucy would be with another cat. She is very much a "mama's cat" and is a loner. She does not sit on laps, does not eat any people food, and pretty much is just a decoration. She plays and likes to be petted and purrs, but overall she is a diva. She will lay with me in bed at night, but usually does not stay the whole night. And she NEVER comes up on the bed when Bob is in bed with me. I think she thinks Bob took her mommy away. I pay her a lot of attention, but I think she wants me all to herself. We will see if I get another kitty.