My life as I know it

...then get out of the kitchen! And I'm beginning to think I should. I don't know what exactly happened. All of the recipes I've been trying have been going so well and blogging about them has been really fun. Maybe with all the blogging feedback and positive reviews on the new dishes at recent cookouts, it started to go to my head. Maybe I got a little cocky. Maybe I haven't been concentrating enough while I'm in the kitchen. Whatever is going on, starting with yesterday's new recipe I've been on a downward spiral that carried over to tonight. I still plan on posting each of the recipes I have tried (and failed) but I thought it might be beneficial for me to do one quick wrap-up of the trial and tribulations I've had over the last two nights and then go into the specifics with each recipe in separate posts. Last night I tried to make Grilled Double-Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches with a side of "Healthified" Cheesy Potatoes . Everything was goi...

When my nephew Max came to visit us in our new house for the first time two years ago (at age 1 1/2) I was really nervous about the fact that our garage door doesn't have a sensor. Then, when we got Grady last summer, I became even more nervous every time I closed the garage door, thinking he was going to run towards me and get underneath of it. I was sharing this concern with Pat's Aunt Marilee, and she told me there is a test you can do to determine whether or not you need to get a sensor for your garage door. She explained that you simply put a roll of paper towels under the garage door and close it. If the garage door starts to close, hits the paper towels and then goes back up, you don't need a censor. So I decided to give it a try! I think it's safe to say we need a sensor! This garage door wasn't going to budge at all! Lucky for my paper towels, they were able to go back to their original shape after the incident. I don't think a human or dog would be so ...

We had another great weekend! I was so excited to be home from Dayton and be back with my "pack" as Grady thinks of us. Being away from home is a great reminder of how much you love being there and gives you a new sense of appreciation for the phrase "home sweet home" when you return (especially if you spent three nights in a dorm room). Both Friday and Saturday night were very low key. Dinner and watching a movie at home, just the two (or three) of us. Friday night was Pat's choice so we watched Gladiator. I have been trying to dodge watching this movie for, oh, I don't know, the entire 5 years Pat and I have been together? Finally, when it arrived in the mail from Netflix on Friday and I realized how excited Pat was for us to watch it together, I succumbed. And I have to admit, despite the violent parts (which I tried not to watch), I really did think it was a good movie. On Saturday night, we went to dinner at Max & Erma's and used our anniversary...

From the day after our wedding (actually, even before we were officially married) people started asking the question, "When are you going to have kids?" The answer was always easy. I would laugh and say "Not any time soon!" Pat and both knew we wanted to have kids eventually, but both agreed we wouldn't try right away. Age 30 sounded about right to both of us. Without any surprise, when I visited my doctor in February for my annual exam, she asked about our plan for kids. I confidently told her our plan to wait until we were 30 and then start trying. In a very professional and informative way, not in any way overbearing or pushy, she went over the statistics about women and their eggs, after the age of 30. She explained that women are born with a certain amount of eggs, the only amount of eggs they will ever have in their lifetime. When women turn 30, this percentage of eggs goes down to only 12% remaining. She went on to explain that this is still a very large ...

It was a fun and eventful three-day weekend for the Robinsons ! Lots of time with friends and family, good food, great fun and of course celebrating America's freedom! Us with our pooch, the Gradster all decked out in his Red, White and Blue Friday night, Pat and I went to dinner at Crocker Park to join in on the American Liberty Fest activities going on there. We tried a new restaurant (well new to us anyway) Vieng's Asian Bistro . It had a pretty good menu selection ranging from sushi and Thai to Chinese. Pat and I both ordered Chinese and neither of us got anything new and different (we are creatures of habit after all). Pat got his usual General Tso's chicken and I got my usual Sweet & Sour Chicken. We both thought the food was great and the portion sizes met Pat's standards. :)While we were eating dinner, we could hear the Beatles tribute band, British Export, starting to play. After we finished eating, we went down to listen to the rest of the show. The ...

"A wonderful baked chicken recipe that's quick and easy! Using just a few handy ingredients, create a delicious main dish, that also makes great leftovers - if there are any! Serve with a salad and pasta or rice for a quick, scrumptious dinner." Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 30 min Total Time: 45 min Makes: 6 servings 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup dry bread crumbs 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves Print these coupons... About Concordance™ 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. ...