Monday, August 31, 2009

Before & After: Some front yard landscaping...

Behold, the ugliest non-weed I've ever seen:

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It's sort of like the plant-version of this guy:

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No no, don't get me wrong. I love Andre Agassi...and I love plants. But that hair? Just unecessary. Just like that mop of a shrub. See my point?

This weekend we replaced 1990s Agassi shrub with a beautiful Blue Spruce:

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Isn't he much cuter? Like the plant version of this:

Andre Agassi2 Pictures, Images and Photos

Aaaah, much better.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Review of the Controversial KFC Meat-for-Bun "Double Down" Chicken Sandwich

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Mr. P here, taking over the blog to write a review of the controversial new sandwich that's taking Omaha by storm.

Here's the story. This morning's Omaha World Herald contained a front page article titled "A Finger-Lickin' Controversy", about a new sandwich concept from KFC. From the article:

It seems like a college freshman's dream — a sandwich made of two original
recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken breast filets, two slices of cheese, two
pieces of bacon and something called “Colonel's Sauce.” And no bun.
That's right. On the new "Double Down" sandwich, the fried chicken breasts are the bun, and the bacon and cheese go in between.

But here's the kicker - it's only being tested in two markets in the whole country. Providence, RI and Omaha, NE. Because when you think meat innovation, think Omaha.

Naturally I decided to find a KFC here and be a part of the experiment.

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So how was it? It was greasy and messy, and it was delicious. It didn't look much like the pictures, but when has fast food ever looked like it does in the commercials? It was super filling, and they are on to something with that "Colonel's Sauce".

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Not something you want to eat on a regular basis, unless you own a defibrilator, but pretty tasty and worth trying for the novelty value. And I have done my part, as a part of the test market, to make sure it comes to a KFC near you soon. You're welcome.

Before & After: Garage Closets...

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm just slightly obsessive compulsive. SLIGHTLY. Fortunately my OCD has rubbed off a bit on Mr. P who is the self-proclaimed Master of the Garage. So today's mission: garage organization!

We're fortunate to have two massive cedar closets in the garage. I think you're supposed to put your mink coats in there but since I have no mink coats we use it for other things. Mr. P (a.k.a. Huggy Bear) chooses to keep his minks elsewhere:

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Anyhoodles, some $30 plastic shelves from Menards (the best home improvement store ever...you can get a socket wrench and Cookie Crisp and Sham-Wow all at the same place) and we've transformed the closets from this:

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To this:

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Hey! That's where the Christmas tree stand went! I was looking for that!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Before & After: The Kitchen

We'd already completed round one of the kitchen remodel, peeling off wallpaper and repainting. But it wasn't quite right. The ugly faux-wood laminate floors were making me crazy and the color I'd chosen for the kitchen walls - though pretty - was a bit bland for the space. And I am, afterall, one spicey Latina...bland just won't cut it.

This is what it looked like when we FIRST moved in:

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HOT. MESS.

This is what it looked like a month later:

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Cute, cute...but not quite right.

And this is what it looks like now:

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Ay chihuahua! That's one eh-spicey kitchen, no?

I'll tell you all about the new floors in the next post. In the meantime, gaze upon my neon blue walls (the color is called Mermaid Treasure...) and love them.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

BREAKING NEWS: Anatomically correct tomato...

I am too much of a lady to tell you what this tomato looks like to me. But suffice it to say Mr. P and I could NOT STOP laughing after we picked this bad boy from our vines.

Here it is in all it's glory - talk amongst yourselves. First, the front:

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Now the back:

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And now the side view:

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Ahem...you can also understand why we will NOT be eating this one. Thanks.

Wanna feel REALLY bad about your landscaping?

Visit the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens and be reminded that your backyard (and maybe your front yard) will never be NEARLY as nice!

Okay I kid, I kid! It's an amazing and breath-taking place that makes you wish you were a wee bit better with the ol' potting soil, if you know what I mean. (Don't feel bad if you don't...most of the time I don't even really know what I mean.)

Here's my little sister at the start of the gardens - isn't she cute? (TAKE NOTE ALL YOU ELIGIBLE BACHELORS IN THE SOUTH FLORIDA AREA):

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We wandered through the Japanese garden (which is still being developed and will be even more fabulous very soon):

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We sniffed around the herb garden (quite literally in Mr. P's case):

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We encountered wildlife:

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And we took in the children's garden which has plants you can touch and even taste, and features a super fun corn maze (or maize maze...HA! Get it?):

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This month the gardens feature an exhibit of Wonders of the World made entirely of gourds, berries, sticks, etc. The sculptures have been placed all around the Train Garden - is that cool or what? Behold the Hagia Sofia:

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We left with a ton of inspiration and maybe a tiny case of hay fever. But if you're ever in town make sure to add the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens to your to-do list!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Before & After: The Front Door

I may have mentioned on this blog that I have a bit of a brown thumb. Things die around me. I mean, not PEOPLE or anything that dramatic. But plants, flowers and the occassional vegetable. (although my tomatoes continue to flourish in spite of me)

Exhibit A - the potted flowers Mr. P's mom helped me pick out to brighten the front door:

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Pretty right? Well not after I got done with them:

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Nice work, Mrs. P. Anywho, my little sister was in town this weekend and she kicked my butt into high gear and encouraged me to try again. (and by "encourage" I mean laughed at my inability to grow things and said my doorstep looked like something you'd seen in a crack den...ah, sisterly love) And try again we did!

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A new light and some house numbers and it looks downright cheerful! No crack sold here, no siree Bob!

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Now let's see how long I keep these bad boys alive. Wish me luck!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Vacation, all I ever wanted...

Sorry we've been MIA folks! Mr. P, Design Assistant Magnus and I were on a little vacation! It was Magnus' first and he had a blast:

He traveled in style:

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He met new friends (cousins Gus and Lily...cousin Lily is a bit larger and his nerves got the best of him. Apologies to Aunt Kira and her lovely rug.):

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He celebrated his fancy new surfboard dog collar by eating ice cream. (not too much...D.A. Magnus watches his figure, especially during swimsuit season):

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He played on the beach:

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He went for a swim with Mr. P. (not his favorite...he's really more of a pool/swim-up bar type of guy):

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Can't see him? Here's a close-up...note the look of sheer terror in his eyes:

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He dried off with a nice wet roll in the sand:

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In fact, Design Assistant Magnus had such a great time that when it was time to go he hid in hopes it would make us delay our departure. Hmm...I wonder where Magnus is? Certainly not under the couch:

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All in all the three of us had a lovely vacation! Big thanks Mr. P's parents for being fantastic hosts.

Oh and sorry about YOUR rug, too.

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Saturday, August 8, 2009

Dining Out in Omaha...

You know how I love to document my food but I was so entranced by the delicious pasta dish I ordered (oh, and the sparkling conversation, of course) that I neglected to take pictures of my dinner. Suffice it to say that it involved pasta and sausage. Of course...I try to find ways to incorporate sausage or bacon into at least one meal a day. When in Rome!

Anywho, no pictures. That's how good Lo Sole Mio is. Aside from the fact that it was voted "Best Italian Restaurant" in the 2008 Best of Omaha poll, the place has fantastic, giant servings of your favorite Italian food, good bread and, I'm guessing here, yummy desserts. (we were too stuffed to even consider the tiramisu) I did manage to snap a picture of one of my favorite parts of dinner:

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That's right. The jug of wine. For $20 six of us had more than enough wine to go with our dinner. Is it the best wine I've ever had? No. Is it the worst? No. (that honor goes to Manischewitz. Sorry Jewish friends...I've gotta keep it real.)

Friday, August 7, 2009

Behind the scenes with Design Assistant Magnus...

Design Assistant Magnus is the hardest working pup in show business. His contributions to the home renovation projects have been second to none. And so it's good to know that he's making time to pamper himself and take breaks from all the hard labor.

For example, Magnus is a bit of a foodie and likes to treat himself with the occasional (he's very concerned about his figure) goodie from Three Dog Bakery:

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But of course, being the health nut that he is, Magnus loves to burn some calories with a swim in Zorinsky Lake. And yes, he does skinny dip...he's so "Euro":

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And when a quick trip to the lake isn't enough of a break for him, he jets cross-country to visit his grandparents in Virginia. He's got a new luxury carrier that he can't wait to take for a test drive:

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His one secret? He's a bit of a nervous flyer...but not to worry, he's prepared:

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Hey Magnus, lay off the hard stuff, buddy!

From ThisOldHouse.com