thank you for being admin

Tax season is over and I was supposed to get less busy at work but I seem to be as busy as ever. I was going to take last Friday as my first Friday off but felt like I was too busy to do so. I'm planning to take this Friday off but I'm not any less busy at work. I never posted a follow up about our fitness challenge at work, but I was a big winner. I had the most points of every one in our office. I still need to take my gift card to Dick's and buy new running shoes. This year at work I offered to learn to process tax returns and help the admin assistants out. I kind of became the go-to-girl for processing 1065s. Also processed quite a few 1120s and even processed 30 or so 1040s closer to the deadline. As a result I was invited to lunch at Shanghi Red's with the rest of the admin staff last week during admin assistant's week. I received this pretty bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. How nice to be appreciated!

bok choy and other veggies

On a whim B, Jay and I decided to eat at Black and Blue one evening when Jay was visiting. We didn't have reservations. When we got there we were informed by the hostess that there were some tables by the bar that were first come-first serve but otherwise they were completely booked for the evening. That hostess had just come on board for the evening and the hostess she was replacing turned out to be the younger sister of the drummer for the band that Jay used to be in. She and Jay embraced and chatted for a few minutes then she said that she would ask her boss if she could get a table for us. I'm glad Jay has friends in high places because we were seated right away. B had the black (Angus that is) and Jay and I had the blue. Not crabs, but we did have seafood. I had sole served with a crab slaw and something that I now can't recall but at the time it was one of the reasons that I ordered my entree. I remember it was delicious. What the heck was it? Jay had a fish called wahoo served with rice and braised bok choy with oriental flavorings. We were both impressed by the boy choy and both proceeded to recreate it the next week.


my offering of salmon, rice and braised bok choy in oriental citrus sauce


served with cucumber and radish salad


Jay went with the black for this meal and sent me this picture he took with his cell phone. The message was "beef tips in Merlot wine sauce (raided from my pantry) with rice and sauteed boy choy and scallions in garlic butter. Best meal everrr!!



While I was making the bok choy meal I also was cooking this Wegman's mix of leeks, carrots and potatoes to which I added chopped tomatoes and chicken broth. I pureed most of this mixture leaving some chunky and added a quarter cup of half and half and ham to make a really yummy soup.

spring blossoms

grape hyacinth at the base of the birdbath

Sunday was a beautiful unseasonably warm day. The sun was shining and my spirits were lifted. I went for a run outside instead of inside on the treadmill. When I got back I grabbed my camera to capture some of the lovely flowers blooming in the yard.


lilacs just starting to bud...I need to get out my camera manual and learn how to focus on the near object instead of the far object

Our neighborhood was so alive. The neighbors to the south of us were having a birthday party for one of their little daughters. The air was filled with happy shrieks of delight all afternoon as they enjoyed the bounce castle that you can see a glimpse of behind the lilac. The neighbors to the north were constructing what I like to call "my own personal flower garden" because I believe the best view of their flower garden is out of my kitchen window. All over the village people were out walking, running or spring cleaning the yard.


violets on the south side of the house underneath the family room window

forsythia near the driveway

a bush whose name I do not know but it produces pretty orange flowers and lots of stickers

short-lived but oh-so-cute forget-me-nots that I look so forward to every spring

bleeding hearts surrounding a maple tree


azalea in the flower bed by the front sidewalk

the cat that came for easter

Cleveland Amory wrote a book entitled The Cat Who Came for Christmas. He was writing about a white cat that showed up on his doorstep on Christmas Eve. We had a similar situation on Easter Eve. I had just got home from work on Saturday and Jay pulled into the driveway right behind me. He was home for his Easter visit. He started hauling in his laundry which he always brings along with him when he comes for a visit. He brought in a load and we stood for a few minutes to chat. He opened the back door to go back out for more but was stopped in his tracks. A black kitty was walking up the back steps. He continued on right through the door and into the kitchen just like he had just arrived home. Without stopping he walked into the family room and down the basement steps. Jay and I followed him. Jay took this photo with his cell phone. Black was such a nice kitty. He let us hold him and pet him and rewarded us with his contented purring. But since we have Sam and Smudge and we didn't know where this kitty came from or anything about his health, I made Jay put him back outside. We fed him. He seemed to appreciate the food because he ate it all then did some cutesy rolling around on the patio for us. Jay brought a towel lined box and a cat toy out on the patio in case he was a stray and needed a bed for the night. We went back inside, kitty walked away and I have not seen him since.

in the pink

A co-worker, Melissa, is expecting her first baby on May 5th. She has been told that the baby is a girl. All of us girls at work threw an informal baby shower for her right after work today. I offered to make the cake. The above photo is the fruit of my labor. I hadn't made a decorated cake in quite some time so naturally I wasn't thrilled about the way it turned out. It could have been a bit neater. But still not bad. B could tell that the two pink globs on top were supposed to be baby booties.


Here we are setting up in the conference room. That pink punch was very pretty with rainbow sherbet floating atop.


Some of the gifts...most wrapped in pink. Melissa was starting to worry that if the doctors were wrong that she could end up having a boy who would have to wear all this pink.


Guess which one is Melissa. I'll let you know when this bundle of joy makes ?her? appearance.

mj

Happy Birthday to my dear nephew, MJ, who grew from this cheeky monkey


to the monkey on the right.

egg hunt

Toddler Jay at his first Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa S's country club. He had help finding the measly few eggs that are displayed in front of him and still that little girl is eyeing them.


Thus began a career of Easter eggs hunts. They became fancier each year with clues and bigger prizes. I think this may be the first year the bunny will not not leaving a basket.

oui oui to french day

A bottle of French Bordeaux inspired me to have company over for dinner. I had given it to Barb for her birthday and being the kind and sweet person that she is...she wanted to share it with me. I suggested sharing it while watching a French movie. So I invited her to come over and watch my favorite French movie, Amelie. Then, what the heck, why not have her stay for dinner? So on Sunday Barb showed up with a French baguette, brie, fresh raspberries, raspberry jam and a bouquet of flowers. Barb had seen Amelie before but she had never seen Moulin Rouge (another Frenchie movie that I own), so we watched it instead. We snacked and shed a few tears for Satine before Barb's hub, Mike, showed up for dinner.


I love setting a pretty table and planning a meal. I saw some cute quilted April Cornell place mats at Wegman's that featured a chanticleer, but they were a bit pricey at $10 each, so I settled for the April Cornell napkins and some much less expensive but bright and cheery place mats. I used Gerber daisies in cream and yellow to make a centerpiece and in tiny vases at each place setting.


I wanted to have a French menu but most of the French entrees didn't really sound that good to me. My menu ended up being a green salad with homemade red French dressing, salmon baked on sliced apples and onions with maple syrup glaze, spoon bread grits with savory mushroom sauce, peas with celery and olives, homemade cheesy brioche and homemade meringue cake. I had never made the cake, the bread or the spoon bread before so I was taking a bit of a chance, but lo and behold, everything turned out delicious. I didn't subject my company to the torture of me taking pictures of their food or of them eating so I have nothing to show you. I can tell you that I have been enjoying the spoon bread for lunches during the week and it is a recipe that I will definitely make it again. B has been enjoying the cake. He actually told me that it is one of the best desserts that he has ever had in his life. What a compliment! It was good. It was a simple cake batter with meringue baked on top of both layers and then the layers were stacked on top of one another with a custard made from Eggbeaters, cornstarch and light sour cream in the middle.


This little bunny was watching us eat dinner while he guarded the tulips.
Barb e-mailed me the sweetest thank you note on Monday. She used e-stationery with a sky blue background and stamps from different countries down the side of it. So clever. And this is what it said.

Mona,

I had the most amazing dinner last night. Mike and I went to this quaint little place in the village with our best friends called Le Schickling. The atmosphere was lovely with flowers and colorful artisan wear. I shared a bottle of French wine, brie with raspberries and jam and a movie with my best friend...who could have asked for a lovelier day...a lovelier evening.

Thank you,

Barb

Thank you Barb and Mike for sharing your Sunday with us. It was a lovely day and we will have to do it again soon. Next maybe we could watch Pan's Labyrinth and have a Spanish theme meal or Girl with a Pearl Earring and have a Dutch theme meal.


Speaking of movies...B and I saw this one last weekend. We both highly recommend it. I'll be adding it to my list of movies that I want to own.

slipping away

As I have written before in my twilight post, sunset is my favorite time of day. It is so beautiful and so fleeting. As the sun was setting on Saturday evening I happened to look out my front window to the east. I was greeted with an amazing sight. As I grabbed my camera and rushed outside, I barked an order to B. "Look out the front window. Do it right now." All the trees to the east, directly across from where the sun was setting, looked as though they had built-in neon pink lights and someone had just plugged them in.


I only had moments to gaze at this awesome sight because the sun was slipping away quickly in the western sky.


Deepening twilight


And then came the darkness

synchronized sleeping

Smudge and Sam have been training for the Olympic synchronized sleeping event.

I came home from work to find them rehearsing their routine.

I think they have a good shot at the gold.

april fool

a little fool sitting amongst the lustre ware in my china cabinet