Man Crush

Although I'm not a fan of the trend of putting the word "Man" in front of other words (such as "Man Night" or "Man Date") to transform them into something that guys do, April has correctly told me that I've been developing a "Man Crush" lately. Who is the object of my admiration and at times emulation? This guy right here:
















I've recently become much more interested in learning to cook, and I've been immediately drawn to Alton Brown's style of cooking tasty things (as he would say, "Good Eats") and understanding the science and technique behind what I'm doing. I asked for his "Good Eats: The Early Years" cookbook for Christmas and have tried out a bunch of recipes from the book already. Despite the fact that I already burned my hand pretty badly learning to cook a steak in a cast iron skillet, I've really enjoyed reading and cooking from the book.

In his book, Alton Brown described his cooking show as a mix between Julia Child, Mr. Wizard, and Monty Python - I can't think of a better mix for my tastes! I appreciate the goofy humor, scientific knowledge (I used to watch Mr. Wizard all the time as a kid!), and wise cooking instruction all wrapped up in one. I guess April can't complain too much about my recent Man Crush because at least she gets to enjoy (most of the time my cooking is at least enjoyable, I think) eating the results.

Why we support TOMS

I saw this on someone else's blog and just had to post it on ours. This video broke my heart to watch but it's really cool to know that a company like TOMS is working to solve the problem. What's even cooler though is that we can be a part of the solution. So go pick out your TOMS today; they're extremely comfortable and what's even better is knowing you're giving to a child who really needs them!

My childhood dreams come true

I saw this today and I think my heart may have jumped out of my chest for just a second. I mean who wouldn't leap for a chance to buy the 'Full House' house (and no this is not sarcasm)? I watched that show religiously while growing up and yes I admit I may watch a few reruns every now and then on ABC Family during my lunch break.

Seriously though where else would I have learned such wholesome family values and enriched my vocabulary with phrases like "How rude" or "You got it dude." So about that house, is anybody looking to give away $4.1 million sometime in the near future?

In case you were wondering I'm not a gamer

I'm not a gamer. In fact before I got married it was like pulling teeth to get me to even play a board game. Nic however is a gamer; first it was Sporcle, then Settlers , and now Spider Solitaire. It's not uncommon for him to play at least one game a day (if not more) on his computer. It's sort of his way of decompressing when things get stressful or just needs a break. Me, I'm a TV watcher. My current lineup includes Chuck, Greek, NCIS-LA, and Modern Family. I can't imagine coming home after a long day to use my brainpower to solve a puzzle, in fact the thought alone detests me.

But today is the start of my wonderful, amazing husband's birth month. And as a birth month present I will try my hardest this month to be a gamer (at least for the next 10 days). I will play a board game when our friends ask us if we want to, I'll allow him to keep score when we play Scrabble (despite the fact I lose horribly whenever we play), and maybe just maybe I'll even help him with the answers to Sporcle because I love him that much! So this post is dedicated to my wonderful hubby.

I'm reminded every day of how grateful I am for him!