Good-bye Month #2

February is making a spectacular exit - it snowed all morning here. Yes, it was predicted, and yes, it was sort of pretty. But, I'm over it, and it's time to melt. Much like the Sunday morning two weeks ago when it snowed, this one didn't stick to the driveways or roads, which makes it much more bearable. The dogs love it - I think snow is Honey's favorite thing in the world. While lately she's been acting more like an old dog than a young one (she's 6), the snow definitely brings out the puppy in her. I wish I had snapped some photos of her on the deck earlier. She was having a ball. Oscar ventured out in the yard for quite a while - I sort of forgot about him, and by the time I remembered and got him back in the house, the snow was packed in his paws and all over his face. He's a little rascal. Now they're all asleep - including Matt. It's a perfect day for a nap.

Movies

After watching a bit of the Oscars Sunday night, I realized there are several movies out right now that I would like to see. We rarely go to the movie theatre - there isn't exactly one super close to home. We don't rent movies, and we don't do Netflix. (Geez, no wonder we're so out of the loop.) We do buy movies on pay per view once in a while, but lately I haven't been very pleased with that selection. The last movie we saw on pay per view was Burn After Reading. It was AWFUL. One of the worst movies I have seen in a long time. Has anyone seen it? It gives me the shivers just thinking about it. (And not in a good way.) Changeling is on pay per view now. Has anyone seen it? Is it good? Here are a few movies I think I would like to see... obviously these were several of the big ones at the Oscars... If you've seen any of these and want to share an opinion - please do!

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Slumdog Millionaire
Revolutionary Road
The Reader
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Wrestler
Milk
Rachel Getting Married

(and a couple fun ones, too...)
He's Just Not That Into You
Confessions of a Shopaholic

By the way...

Last week I posted a picture of my new hair color and mentioned my friend and stylist, Kristy Laurie. In case you're wondering, she is the owner of The Cutting Edge Salon in Springfield, MO. Here's the website if you want to check it out!

thecuttingedge-salon.com

Sunday Soupday

We woke up to a little surprise yesterday morning...it snowed overnight and covered everything! I heard there was a chance of snow, but I guess it just didn't sink in, because I was shocked when I looked outside. Anyway, it didn't stick to the roads or cause any problems - and it was completely melted by mid-afternoon - but, it did put me in the mood for soup. I've always liked lentil soup, but I've never made it until yesterday. I found a recipe online (courtesy Giada De Laurentiis) and tweaked it a little. It's healthy and quite tasty, too! Matt also really likes it, which is always a bonus. :)

LENTIL SOUP

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite or regular diced tomatoes
1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
8 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Note: Giada's recipe called for a few things that I did not use: 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta, which she adds about 10 minutes before the soup is served. (If you use the pasta, then increase your broth by about 2 cups.) She serves the soup with shredded parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil on top. I didn't have any shredded parm, or I would have done this. And, I omitted the olive oil... just because I don't think it needed it! Also, I used a combination of vegetable broth and chicken broth. I didn't really measure out 8 cups, but just kept adding broth until it was the right consistency. I think it was pretty close to 8 cups, though. And finally, I used about a teaspoon of dried thyme instead of fresh thyme sprigs.

Photo Shoot

A few pics of the dogs... geez, we need kids, huh. :) Sorry there are so few of the Bee. She's just not very animated in front of the camera. White boy, on the other hand, likes to pose. :)

Incognito

I had an appointment with my good friend and hair stylist, Kristy Laurie, about three weeks ago, and we decided I should go a little darker... it's winter time, and I needed a change! Anyway, I think the lighting in this pic makes it look a little more red than it actually is... but nonetheless, I really like it! Some of you haven't seen me in a while, so I thought you might like to see what I look like as a non-blonde. :)

Somebody stop me

I've finally joined the world of facebook... and now I'm addicted to it. :(