Day 3: 11 in 2011

Day 3: Favorite Workout tips

I thought about this for a while and you know what it boiled down to? (for me at least) Do whatever you LOVE to keep you active. If you love to run, run. If you love to kickbox, kickbox. If you love to dance for 40 minutes while cooking dinner in your kitchen while jamming out to the Bob Seger station on Pandora sipping a Diet Coke, then so be it.  I'm pretty sure "Old Time Rock and Roll" burned about 500 of my daily calories last night. Well maybe 450 since I harnessed my southern roots and added a splash or two of bourbon.     

Somedays, I feel like running around Back Bay; other days a leisurely walk to the beach will cut it, but I try to stay moving. In my recent years I have become a serious "mover and shaker" if you will.  I attribute it to my years in the sorority house where spontaneous dancing was the norm and my time living in Manhattan with Kate, where our apartment was a 24/7 dance party. Not kidding, wish I was sometimes, I would have gotten more sleep.  In fact, Kate and I have a choreographed dance to the above Risky Business song which yes, I was re-enacting in my kitchen alone while cooking chicken... (I proudly rocked both our parts). Anytime I'm getting things done around the house I dance. I have had exactly 1.5 years of formal training. When I was 5, I was in a "you're all cute so it doesn't matter how you dance we won't kick you out" ballet class; then in 6th grade I decided to enroll in a 6 month after school dance program. Let's just say that the 5'8, 70 pound, large head and foot middle schooler that I was didn't find that it came naturally. I'm certainly not the worst one out on the dance floor but it's not always pretty. However, thats what makes it fun and exercise right?

Direct quote from my sweet husband's toast after we cut the cake: "...I'm going to wrap it up now because I know all my new wife wants to do is dance"  

Just think about how many calories were burned and how much working out was done in all these pics :) 

Our wedding was one big sweaty dance party. And we loved every second of it.

The gal behind the boogie in my shoes... 

This is a more realistic picture of us on a normal basis...

 Doesn't everyone love a good conga line? I know I do. 

So really, do something you love. You'll stay motivated and confident while rocking the step machine at the gym, lifting weights or even rollerblading.

PS. If any of you ever see me rollerblading, stop me immediately. I get confused where the brakes are. They aren't my strong suit. But, if KC and the Sunshine Band's "Boogie Shoes" comes on, you know where to find me.

Day 2: 11 in 2011

I am seriously LOVING this challenge! Head on over to Kit or MJ's fabulous blogs and link up!

Day 2- Favorite Holiday Memories

I am so blessed that I really have the BEST memories of Christmas growing up. My parents always did it big and made it very special for my sisters and I.  I have so many memories that  I love; getting our tree, listening to my parents wrap presents Christmas Eve; sitting on the top of the stairs Christmas morning, I could go on all day.  If I had to pick one memory.......cookies and beer. "Huh?", you're saying to yourself. A little back story if I may....

   My dad was a lobbyist and government affairs guru for a well-known beer company for 30 years before he started his own consulting firm. He headed up the government side and traveled all over working on distribution laws, import and export taxes etc etc. He works hard, sometimes wears cowboy boots with his suit,  and knows everybody that he runs into at the capitol when sessions in. That being said, he's a beer guy and as a matter-of-fact not a milk guy. So, when he and my mom had us girls they opted to give Santa a break from his usual milk and cookies. (I'm sure my mom had nothing to do with this decision actually haha). Ever since I was itty bitty we have always baked cookies for the big man and left them out on Christmas Eve with a nice cold bottle of  beer. It was always our "thing".  Since my dad hates milk I think he just preferred to sip on a beer while assembling our wagons and Barbie dream houses and what have ya. Regardless, we ALWAYS got a hand written note from Santa thanking us for the beer and telling us how much he enjoyed the break from milk. We have the BEST pics of us as kids with the cookies and beer. And you know what, when my oldest sister had my first niece, you better believe Claire posed with a brewskie in honor of her granddaddy.

Now, I realize this might not be a great message to send to kids in some people's opinions. I promise, we went to church and Catholic school. We were good kids and had great parents. We were never allowed to drink the beer. My dad assured me Santa was very responsible. They taught us about the dangers of drinking and driving etc. We all turned out well adjusted... for the most part :)

Mom's mid-laugh, we all think something is hilllllarious, dad thinks it's funny to not smile in pics (the other choices he was making hysterical and unusable gestures and faces)  and I was in between hair colors.  Plus, my poor brother in law Ben sometimes wonders what he got himself into. This is an actual Christmas card we sent out about 3 years ago...inside message reading "Oh what fun it is.." You can say that again. 

Now the hard part is selling this idea to hubs. I guess I've got a few years to work on my argument. Maybe milk and a little beer? For a fun pic to send to the grandparents?  But, I can guarantee when he's up late assembling toys for our kids he's not going to ask me to grab him a glass of milk from the fridge :)

I am loving reading everyones posts!! What a great idea Kit and MJ!

Some recipes to kick off the new year...

Now ladies, if you are starting the year on a health kick I would maybe just look at the first recipe because the second one is bad, reallllly bad, but in the BEST possible way! After all our holiday traveling, which was delayed a few days and just plain crazy becasue of the east coast snow storm, we opted for a nice dinner at home on New Years Eve. We desperately needed some down time! I was dying to make a recipe I saw in this months Cooking Light.

Lobster Risotto

You'll need to get:

4 cups fat- free, lower sodium chicken broth
3 ( 5-ounce) American lobster tails ( I bought 2 larger tails and cooked them according to oz's. It took longer than it called for)
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other medium grain rice
3/4 cup frozen peas

Prep:

Bring broth and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lobster tails; cook for 4 minutes ( or according to weight of your tails). Remove lobster from pan;cool for 5 minutes. Remove meat from the cooked tails, reserving shells. Chop meat. Place shells in large zip-top plastic bag. Coarsely crush shells with mallet or heavy pan. Return crushed shells to broth mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered for 20 minutes. Strain shell mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving broth; discard solids. Return broth mixture to pan and keep warm over low heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saicepan over medium-high heat. Add rice to pan and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. Stir in one cup broth mixture and cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly ( I mean this, you really can't walk away). Reserve 2 tbl spoons of broth mixture for later use. Add the remaining broth mixture 1/2 cup at a time stirring until each portion is absorbed before adding the next. Remove from heat, and stir in lobster, the peas, 2 tbl butter and reserved cooking broth.

Phew! I know those directions are long winded but its pretty simple once you get going and there aren't many ingredients to work with. Plus, you don't need a side dish since it's so filling. Just cut up some french bread to go with and your done! I will say that risotto isn't for the easily bored or distracted, I was constantly stirring for about 35 minutes. Get a glass of wine and it goes by faster! It really was amazing though, so worth it!

Pic via Cooking Light. I am not talented enough to take pictures, drink wine AND stir risotto at the same time. Yet.

Now onto the most ridiculous recipe ever...



Apple Dumplings


Now this is straight form the Pioneer Woman. That being said, she never ever posts something I don't love. Seriously, all I can say is click on " Apple Dumplings" above to be sent to her site and the recipe. Mountain Dew, butter, sugar, vanilla, apple slices, wrapped in crescent rolls = hopped up apple pie in a bowl. Don't let the ingredients scare you, just make it! If you're feeling guilty about all those yummy things in one place then you can go the route I do. Diet Mt. Dew, low fat crescent rolls and half the recipe. Still amazing every single time. You'll love it. If you don't just mail the leftovers my way and hubs and I will finish it off for you. (I wish I was kidding)

Pic vie Pioneer Woman herself. Mine did not look like that. 

P.S I did not make both of these in the same night. My stomach would have exploded!


PPS. Happy cooking/baking/eating!!

11 in 2011

Happy 2011!! I can't believe how fast 2010 flew by! It was filled with so many wonderful things for hubs and I, but we are excited that 2011 will be hopefully milestone free. We covered getting engaged, graduating law school, taking and passing the bar exam, finding a house in CA, getting married, honeymooning, moving cross country and getting our new west coast life started in 2010. See what I mean about the milestones?
Sooooo to kick off the new year I'm linking up with MJ and Kit for the 11 in 2011 challenge. They have so many fun topics and it's a great way to get know all these fabulous blog ladies. Head on over to link up and join the new year fun! 

Day 1- New Year Resolutions

Although I do want  to be more active, eat better, be a better wife, sister, daughter and friend, I'm keeping it simple this year. I just want to enjoy our new life. Stay positive, look for the good and enjoy this time with J.  I love these years where it's just us, out here, together without pets or kids. Trust me, I know I will love that phase of our life too but for now we can just enjoy doing what we want, when we want, and make the most out of this new adventure. There's so much to do and see out here and nows the perfect time to do it all!

I hope everyone has a great start to the new year!  We are s starting off ours by enjoying just some of the fabulous things that Santa left under our tree :)

Fab ankle boots with a heel built in! They look flat but give you some lift!

Shout out to my fabulous MIL :)  ( who reads this blog from her cool new Ipad) she found this dress I blogged about at Nordstrom and it was waiting under the tree!! I was beyond surprised! Im obsessed with it. 

 Already finished it. Really loved it. Don't judge.

Cutest Kate Spade sun hat with sunglasses built in for reading on the beach!

Such cute and comfy slippers!!

Yah for grills!! As one of our gifts from my parents, we got a box of fancy grill spices with money  to go pick out our dream grill!!!  Since J has some time off today we are headed to Home Depot to pick it out!

Have a great rest of the weekend!!

Picture Perfect Christmas

This Christmas J and I were truly spoiled and very blessed!  We had so much great family time with both sides, received so many amazing gifts and even got a white Christmas! We had a few travel hurdles getting back but are finally home! I've got to spend today getting our beach bungalow back to working order so for now I'll leave you with some fab pics!  My SIL Katie got a new camera and played photographer all weekend :) I'm so glad because this newlywed chick never remembers a camera. Detailed post coming soon...

Both sets of parents in the distance taking a walk around the property..

The barn provided some fun Christmas morning...

The kids stockings... I got one this year!!

The farm lit up at night..

A christmas eve gift! There is a story behind these festive mugs I promise....

My beautiful sister in laws...

Katie getting fancy taking pics through the front windows...love it

We had to go down to the barn Christmas morning and we found Santa sitting on the tractor! Ornaments were hanging on the tractor with clues to find our last gifts. So much fun!

                                                         

 

T2T

Todays Top 2 Tuesday is favorite board games! So fun! Head on over to Taylor's blog and link up!

     (1)

Mall Madness

 One of my favs growing up! My sisters or friends and I could play for hours! You have a shopping card you have to fulfill by shopping at the different stores in the two story mall. When you get into a store and want to buy the item you have to swipe your debit card! It either denies the purchase by saying in a surfer voice " Sorry dude,we're out of stock, try again later" or lets you buy it. Sometimes for a sale or clearance price! You also can go to the ATM and get out money...  Thinking about it now,  it's really the root of my shopping addiction. Yikes. I still won't let my parents get rid of it.

(2)

The Mexican Train Game

I don't even know how to describe this game except for it's a blast! I got snowed in at my in-laws one weekend and J, his parents and I played for hours!  It got fiercely competitive. I seriously love it! Plus, every time you make a certain play you get to push the train in the middle  and it plays a very loud

 " choooo choooo". We stopped pushing about halfway through the second game though for obvious reasons. You can only listen to " chooo chooo" so many times in one sitting!

J took me on the BEST Christmas surprise date last night and as soon as I get pics loaded I'll do a HUGE post on that! 

Hope everyones having a good Tuesday!!!

Musings of an almost Monday

  Random things on this soon to be Monday...

 * While chatting with my dad about what I should get my mom for Christmas he laughed and in his jokingly but  I'm serious voice said " finish writing your wedding thank you notes ".... point taken dad, point taken. Crossing off the FINAL 10 or so tomorrow. 

* Mailing our first Christmas cards out tomorrow also! I wasn't sure we were going to be Christmas card people but we SO are.

* Speaking of my dearest dad, every year my sisters and I normally go in for a big gift or group effort. Last year it was a record player that would play his old tunes and convert them onto a CD etc since he was always saying he wished he could listen to his records. Never opened, promptly returned. We were so very wrong haha. This year we chipped in for a big gift for him and my moms upcoming trip to Italy. It was his idea, in a not so subtle hint, so if it gets returned this year Im officially out :)  Must mail Jules the check for my portion. 

* How much laundry and how many dishes can two people go through?

* Our friend and one of J's groomsmen Chuck will be here Tuesday thru Sunday staying with us. Yah! I love visitors!!

* While having a Christmas-y date night on Saturday J and I discovered our "puppy".  We are  sooo far away from getting a dog but when we are ready to pull the trigger my dream dog is out there. Here me out...

J grew up with the sweetest Cocker Spaniel

I want a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Put them together, which we didn't know was an option, and you get a  Cockalier!

I died. 

* The heating people are coming to take a look at our non-functioning unit tomorrow. Between 12- 5. There has got to be a better way to do these appointments. Plus, it's going to be 83 degrees tomorrow so I even feel a little silly having someone fix it because we definitely don't need it!

* Note to self, bake Christmas cookies, cinnamon bread etc tomorrow btw 12 -5. 

Ok, if you haven't fallen asleep yet reading this post...

Have a great Monday!!!!

WILW

What Im loving Wednesday is here! I've found so many pictures and ideas I love lately so I'd thought I'd share since I'm loving them all....

LOVE. A bathroom or guest room will have these stripes one day...with white furniture, if you couldn't tell already

I'm LOVING chalkboard paint? I just think it's such a fun thing. Plus, if your a kid, who wouldn't love to have a full wall thats fair game whenever you get the urge to scribble.

I will be making this pillow as soon as I can get my hands on some burlap. I am LOVING anything burlap or natural looking these days. ( coming from the gal with nothing but fake greenery in her house for the holidays...oh well)

Anything My Sweet Savannah does I really LOVE. How cute is this hot chocolate station set up?

This advent calendar will be making its debut next year around here... also made by My Sweet Savanna. I wasn't kidding, I LOVE everything. Lots of little ornaments that you hang on the tree day by day to count down till Christmas. 

   I'm also LOVING that my sister Julie is coming out to visit in January. She lives in Greenwich CT and works in NYC. Before my apartment was ready in the city she let me graciously live with her for 2 weeks where we indulged on diet coke, corndog nugs, potato cones and Cosi sandwiches. It was ridiculous! I'm super super excited!!

I'm LOVING this song. Reminds me of my moh Kate. It is such a funky Christmas song but for some reason it really reminds me of my childhood? We can get into that later. Every time we would ride the train out to Long Island to see her fam we would pass through Hollis Queens. So naturally, we would quote this song ALOT. haha in fact I can't stop listening to it.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY EVERYONE!

Holiday Cheer and one big victory!

The start of the the holidays around here...

Needs a little adjusting but you get the general idea.....

See, even in Southern California we have fires at night! It's actually really cold right now. That could be in part to the fact that our heat doesn't work. Lucky me, the gas company gave me an appointment on December 13th. Really??? So until then, it's Uggs at all times for this chick.

It's a pretty quiet night around here. I've been feeling really really gross all day which means nothing got done around the house. Yikes. Luckily, the laundry machine isn't going anywhere.  J is court side at a Lakers game with some clients so I took the liberty of downloading all the good movies I could find On Demand. I discovered the 1938 classic "Holiday". Katherine Hepburn + Cary Grant + old black and white movie  = amazing. Seriously, if you haven't watched it, download it now.

PS. Why don't more people have white tie New Years Eve parties and wear formal dresses all the time anymore? Those were the days. 

Now its on to another classic, Sleepless in Seattle. Obviously that movie needs no explaining! Im pretty sure anything, and I mean anything, Nora Ephron works on I instantly love. 

On a fantastic side note, I have to give a huge shout out to my husband!!! We found out at the end of last week that he passed the California Bar exam!!!! This is no small feat my friends, really, there's like a 50% pass rate. The pure excitement and anxiety was seriously unbearable. We were nervously drinking patiently waiting with friends at our house when we found out. This idea in hindsight could have gone terribly wrong. Luckily, not the case! All three guys passed with flying colors. This made for some VERY happy wives. We were jumping, hugging, screaming, champagne was flying, wine was being spilled and it was pure madness. The firm took us all out for drinks and a nice dinner so good times were had by all! Hours of studying and thousands of notecards paid off and the victory is well deserved! To really celebrate last night, this was what J decided to do...

...... sit in front of the fire and burn thousands of study notecards in our fireplace. I was enjoying the view from the couch with a glass of wine. Which is in part to blame for the poor picture quality. It was such a relief for him to just get rid of it all. Very therapeutic. Congrats to all the new lawyers out there!

Hope everyone's having a good week!

Im back!

I am back home on the West Coast! Even though I wish the circumstances were different, I got some much needed family and friends time. We cried, we laughed and we got things done.  With Christmas like 2 weeks away, unreal btw,  us Kennedy's got the ball rolling with a Christmas day on Sunday. We decorated, decorated, shopped and decorated some more. We went to the Corona del Mar Christmas walk with some friends but unfortunately except for the beer and wine garden, it was kind of a bust. Regardless, our house is brimming with Christmas cheer. Pictures to come. We have a busy 2 weeks with a very special visitor coming to interview at Children's Hospital of Orange County, christmas parties, the Newport Beach boat parade, christmas potluck dinner with friends and lots of holiday movies to watch. Tis the season! :)  Until I can get my pics up, here are a few showing how we do it out here....