Kitchen Boss is a Hit!

The Cake Boss, Buddy Valstro has another new show called Kitchen Boss.

I know everyone loves the Cake Boss show, except for me. The cakes look nice, but on the show they have shown the cakes being delivered in the box truck without a box or anything covering it. That’s just not unsanitary.Kitchen Boss debuted today and was excellent.

Buddy cooks Italian food that people want to eat and share with their family. He admits he isn’t a chef and his objective is to share his family’s recipes. After watching the show, I actually felt like I could attempt the meal.

His delivery is fresh and I really enjoyed seeing his calmer side.

Buddy made pasta, chicken and eggplantI loved his wife, Lisa. Lisa acts normal and has she has a pleasant demeanor. The Valstros are still in love and expecting their third child. Lisa adores her husband and Buddy always tries to please her. Lisa made an easy asparagus side dish that I will definitely be trying.TLC was suppose to share the recipes online, but they aren’t there. The TLC blog is okay, but the recipes should be on the homepage so people can get to them.

At the end of the show, Buddy and Lisa make strawberries in chocolate tuxedos. It looked so easy to do and I am disappointed that isn’t on the TLC site.

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Furniture for Office/Hangout Room

We have an office room. It’s kind of a office/hangout room.I’ve been delaying putting furniture in it because I am not quite sure about how the things are going to work together.The room is a soft shade of grey.Besides the PB Bedford Corner Desk, there is a plush cranberry reclining chair. Everyone wants to sit in it when they visit because it’s plush. I need more plush seating for people to hang out in the office. There are a few office chairs near the desk, but they aren’t super comfy.

I want a dark grey sofa with clean lines.I like this PB Buchanan sofa, but I don’t like the shade of grey that it comes in. I want a real grey. Maybe I have to call a PB rep and ask for help with a shade.

I am thinking this PB Franklin Persian rug:

These PB lamps 

But I don’t know if it’s all going to work well together so I am hesitating. The room is in cool shades right now and I don’t want to bring in warm shades like golds….yet most of those items are in the warm shades.

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Life ~ A New Baby

Congratulations to my good friends Kathy and Mike on the birth of their first son,  Ryan Michael.

They asked Lee and I to be his godparents. We are both godparents for friend’s children, but not the same children.The first time someone asked me to be a godmother, I was in college and 21 years old. I told my friend that I felt it would be better if she asked her sister to be the godmother and I would videotape the christening instead. Her daughter is a lovely young woman now and she calls me NGM (not godmother).I have three other godchildren and Lee has two. But being a godparent with Lee this time makes it pretty special. I give all my godchildren gifts on holiday, but I love to send them a card on the day to celebrate the day they were christened.

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Becoming a Pilot

I have a long bucket list.

The last item I checked off on my list was to purchase a home.

Next up is getting a private pilot license. Lee enrolled me as a Christmas present. I was surprised he remembered that, but excited to embark on something new.

I’m not scared of heights or of flying. I love flying in airplanes. I’m scared of driving a plane. I am not exactly a great car driver but I thought, perhaps that I might be a good pilot because there is a lot less traffic in the sky.

I took my first flying lesson. So exhilarating. My fear of flying went away right away. I have been bouncing since yesterday because I love learning new things. It keeps life interesting! There’s more to tell but I am cooking dinner for friends on this great Martin Luther King Day and I must get back to it.

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Your Outlook

It doesn’t matter what is going on in your life, your outlook on any situation is what matters.Good people will be good people regardless of any situation.

One of my great classes saw me sad today. I was glad that one of them noted, “we’ve never seen you like this, usually you are really happy.”

That in itself is a reason to be happy. I am blessed to know them.

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Life….

I understand death. That’s what I tell myself each time I lose someone. I understand the cycle of life and that death is a natural end. And I believe all the good stuff about going to a better place, yada, yada.

And then I don’t understand death at all, especially not when it happens to someone who should have been enjoying their life. And life just continues for everyone else.

Yep. I. understand. death.Death sucks.

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Lucky Eleven

Happy 2011! We rang in the new year with great friends and family.  I hope everyone feels happy and optimistic about the new year.  I often hear people say, “What’s so special about a new year?” It’s a time to give yourself a fresh start.

Also I have to say that I love the number 11 – it’s always been very lucky for me. Many people like to make a wish at 11:11 am or 11:11 pm. Why is 11 or 11:11 considered lucky? Because 11 is a master number.

2010 was a great year for me. Yesterday, my neighbor yelled over, “I hope you laugh, garden and barbecue as much as you did in 2010.”   She always has the kindest words to say.  We did garden and barbecue a lot this year because everyone wanted to see the house. And although this year was marked with a lot of laughing and gardening, there was a touch of sadness with my Dads passing as well.I start back to school tomorrow. Although I don’t love Mondays, I do like seeing my students after a long break. Lee’s promotion position started and he is already loving it.

Oh and…..my brother continuously stalks this blog with his daily visits. Yup.

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NYC Sanitation Stop Work

Rumors are that the NYC Sanitation Workers stopped work or did a slowdown during the blizzard and causes this mess. There are less sanitation workers now than in years before. And 100 sanitation supervisors are suppose to be demoted on January 1st. Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx weren’t plowed first because they needed Times Square to be clear for New Years Eve.The Sanitation Commissioner, John Doherty must be so far our of touch because he said he hasn’t seen any signs of a slow down. When people are talking about it all over and the signs that no where was plowed Doherty should be able to explain where his men worked.

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Blizzards Bring Us Together

We did a lot of shoveling to get our driveway clear. Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is a friendly area so as we are outside working, I get a chance to see a lot more of my neighbors who are home because of the blizzard. Everyone takes a break from shoveling and comes over to chat. The block has more younger couples on it than I realized. Today was different than usual though. Before walking away neighbors were giving us their phone numbers and telling us to give them a call. We went inside with eight new numbers in our phone. Most liked Lee’s salt distributor.

People who live up the block further came down this way to go shopping on the Avenue. A few stopped to tell me about the wonderful woman who used to own our house. Their eyes tear up as they retell a story about her. I feel bad that they miss their friend so much. But I love when they tell me how pretty the house looks NOW! (Totally makes my day).

Most people in Brooklyn are annoyed because they pay taxes and the streets were not cleared in a timely manner. This blizzard is now known as The Bloomberg Blizzard because of the slow response in cleanup. A baby died because the streets were not cleared in Brooklyn.

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Best Sheets

A friend gave me a great set of sheets that I just got around to using now. She bought them from Neiman Marcus and they are embroided. On my mattress I have two fiberbed covers with the allergen barrier fabric so that makes the mattress comfortable, but also very high. I need to use deep pocket sheets so they stay on. These sheets fit wonderfully and they are 400 thread count. After washing and ironing them, they looked so fresh like a hotel. Years ago a high thread count meant that the sheets were extra soft, but now it doesn’t. These sheets really are very soft, not overly thick and just a perfect set of sheets. But there regular price is high.

I hadn’t realized that these sheets had embroidery until today. I called her up to thank her for that. She said that on occassion, Neimans offers a 50% off coupon code and that’s how purchased the sheets. Now that is a great tip to know!

*BTW, I am not in any way affiliated with Neiman Marcus. I think I have only been to the store once and I didn’t buy anything because it wasn’t really a comfortable store to shop in.

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Blizzard 2010

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is an awesome place to live EXCEPT when it snows. Last night we were hit with a blizzard. NYC Sanitation takes forever to get out and plow here.

Our little dog was not happy it snowed because she couldn’t even look out back.

.

Oh and shoveling snow is the worst part of home ownership….really the only part :)

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An Amazing Christmas Gift

On Friday, my students had a holiday concert. Due to scheduling, I was teaching while their concert went on. I was a little disappointed because I don’t get to hear them sing or play their instruments except during the concerts. The holiday concert usually makes everyone feel very spirited as well.

One of my students told me that she would be reading a poem during the concert. I congratulated her and wished her well that morning. After 10:00 AM, she came upstairs where I was teaching and tears were streaming down her face. I asked her what was wrong. I assumed her poem delivery didn’t go well. But she was upset because I hadn’t been there and she had dedicated the poem to me.

I smiled and the tears came down my face because I realized that I couldn’t be more blessed than I was at that moment.Thank God for this life and the people who continue to bless me with their goodness.

Merry Christmas to you all. Cherish the blessings of your life.

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