Hello...my name is Mrs. EyeCanSee

Remember me??

I apparently decided to take an unintentional Blogcation.

Oops!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Ohio with my in laws.

Ate lots of turkey....and pie.

Even scored some Black Friday deals at Old Navy. I swear everything in there was $15!!

Hung out with some friends.

And survived 4 nights in a full sized bed.

Talk about husband and wife togetherness...haha!

I didn't take my camera. So there are no pictures to share.

My bad.

But rest assured we had a great time!

Now...to pick up where I left off, I'm going to finally answer some of those questions you've been dying to know about me.

1. Mayra and Nifer asked where our saying, "The Juice is Worth the Squeeze" came from.

I looked back through all our old emails to try and find it's first appearance, but couldn't. Some where, early on in our relationship I was being impatient about one thing or the other and my hubby wrote me an email where he wrote that...basically saying it will all be worth it in the end. He stole it from the movie "The Girl Next Door," you know, that one about the girl who's a porn star, very romantic I know. Ha! If you look to the right of my blog, just under the heading, you can read the whole revised speech where it came from in the movie. (I paraphrased some of it to be more fitting in our situation...ya know, since I'm not a porn star :)

2. Lindsay asked, If on a deserted island, what 3 drinks, 3 movies and 3 books would you want with you.

Drinks: Diet Dr Pepper

Boulevard Wheat

A good Mojito

Movies: Mean Girls

The Hangover

Gone with the Wind (cause maybe then I'd actually watch the whole thing)

Books: Harry Potter

The Poison Wood Bible

Pride and Prejudice (cause maybe then I'd actually read it)

3. KLaw asked which 3 celebrities are on my "laminated list"

I actually did a post on this, check here if you want the whole thing! My top three would probably be:

Brad Pitt (pre-Angelina)

Gerard Butler

Bradley Cooper

More Q&A tomorrow!

Getting to know me...getting to know all about me

For awhile the Blog Q&A was one of my favorite things!

Lately I've noticed it's gone to the wayside so I'm going to bring it back!

So this is your chance to ask that question about me you've been dying to know.

Whether it's my favorite color or what's the deal with moving to KC.

Ask away!

Get creative!

The night I said YES!

So a few of you asked to see my wedding rings...and what girl doesn't want to show off the bling?! I thought now was as good a time as any to share with you how my hubby proposed.

It all started in December of 2007. We were headed to Omaha for the holidays and I begged and pleaded casually mentioned that we should stop by Bergman's, the "family" jewelry store. You see my Great Grandfather was a jeweler, after he retired no one carried on the family biz and it was sold to the Bergman's. Ever since they're the only people we work with and trust our family stones to...call us paranoid but I've seen CNN and those shady jewelry store diamond switchers. Any hoo, since we don't make it to Omaha more than once a year, the hubs agrees we can go and pick out my ring look. We already knew we were using a family stone, my moms original from her engagement ring, so the hard work of toiling over the 5 C's was done, now I just needed to find the perfect setting. I narrowed it down to two and figured when the day came, I'd let hubby make the final choice. A girl has to have SOME surprise after all.

Now here comes the hard part that no one tells you about. When you have the luxury of helping pick out your ring you know it's coming. You don't know when. You don't know how. It's torture. To make matters worse, we went ahead and set a date and booked the church and reception site sans ring. Yes...we were that couple. The wedding was inevitable so you could say I jumped the gun a bit. I had to do something to get my mind off that ring. Every time I mentioned it after we went and looked I was told that added one more week on to when I would get it. At one point he said I'd be lucky to get it before walking down the aisle. Ha.Ha. Who knew my husband got joy out of this cruel punishment. Little did I know he had been planning all along.

Fast forward to Feb 2007. My brother and sister in law were coming for a visit. This trip had been planned for months...way before there was any mention of rings so I didn't really think much of it. Don't get me wrong there was a brief glimmer of hope my ring may arrive, but my parents were coming a month later for Easter which also happened to be our 1 year dating anniversary so I was kind of counting on that weekend. Either way, someone had to be bringing it because the ring was in Omaha and my naked finger was in Columbus.

So my brother and SIL arrive for the weekend. They have plans with some of her friends Friday night so the hubs suggest we go to dinner on our own. Ok. No biggie. We go to dinner all the time. As everyone is getting ready that night I develop a nasty stomach ache and tell my husband we should skip dinner and just get a pizza. It was gross and snowing outside anyways. Let's just stay in. He's very persistent we go, so I oblige and finish beautifying myself. As I'm getting ready to get my coat he says there's one more thing he needs to do at which point he gets down on one knee and asks me to be his wife. Of course I said YES!!

In our new engaged glory we began walking to The Elevator, the same restaurant where we had our first date. It no longer seemed to matter it was snowing and freezing cold and my stomach ache had miraculously disappeared. Diamonds are a powerful cure! When we got there, no one was at the hostess stand and the hubs was unusually impatient. I could have cared less how long we waited! When she finally came to seat us I noticed she didn't grab any menus, oh well, who needs food when you have diamonds! Haha. As we approached the table I saw my husbands family sitting on one end....then my brother and sister in law (those liars!)....then my parents!! I was definitely shocked to see them all the way in from Kansas City. Hubs did good! It was a perfect night and totally worth the wait...or the squeeze as we like to say!

Here's the whole set. My wedding band is engraved "The juice is," hubby's says "worth the squeeze." One day we'd like to add a second band to the other side of my ring. Maybe for that first baby?? Who knows!

Tasty Tuesday

So for the first time since I started Tasty Tuesday, I had a flop. Apparently Weight Watchers thinks the only way to cook low fat is to also cook with no flavor. Blah. The hubby ate it and actually said it was good...I think he was lying to save face. Sweet of him, but there's no way I'm making that again. Even my go to Red Pepper Flakes couldn't revive this lifeless dish. So lucky for all of you I dug into my recipe box for something tasty and delicious. Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 t black pepper

2 T margarine or butter

1 c chicken broth

1/4 c lemon juice (I always try and use real fresh lemons, it takes 1-2)

1 T corn starch

1/4 c sliced green onions

Lemon slices, cut in half (optional, but since I have them left over from the juice, I usually toss a few in)

1. Place each chick breast between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet to 1/4 in thick. Remove Plastic wrap. (I've been making this for years and have NEVER done this....but if you want to get all Martha Stewart on me, go for it!)

2. In a shallow dish stir together flour and black pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

3. In a large skillet, heat butter of medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 4-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet, cover and keep warm.

4. For sauce, in a small bowl stir together chicken broth, lemon juice and cornstarch. Add to skilled. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Continue to cook 2 more min. Stir in green onion. Spoon sauce over chicken.

My go to sides with this are broccoli with a little lemon pepper and brown rice. Yum!

Bon Appetite!

Roses & Thorns...the Sunday edition

• Roses to my husband. I've been a little up and down lately and he's taken it all in stride.


• Roses to working 4 days last week! I don't think I could have handled one more week at home!


• Roses to Sonic and their delicious Java Chillers. I don't care if it's more of a milk shake than a coffee drink...it's amazing and totally worth each and every single calorie.


• Double Roses to the Sonic drive thru girl who gushed all over my wedding rings and told me I married a good one. I tend to agree...he's definitely a keeper. And I still love when people notice my rings...they are pretty gorgeous if I do say so myself!


• Roses to my favorite radio station calling itself Kansas City's "Thanksgiving" station. No Christmas music until after 11/26. Respect the Turkey!


• Roses to my jeans fitting better. Two weeks of healthy eating and I already see and feel a difference!


• Roses to my bestie for sending me half of a giant bag of gum. It's just wasn't Halloween without rotting my teeth out on pure sugary bliss!!


• Roses to all my blog friends who keep me smiling on a daily basis. Living 700 miles away from all my IRL friends has been hard so it's nice to know you all aren't going anywhere no matter where I live!

• Thorns to MIZZOU for embarrassing my Wildcats. At home. On senior day. It was a sad, sad day in K-State land.


• Thorns to normal November weather finally rearing it's ugly head. Good-bye flip flops!


• Thorns to missing the KC Bloggers lunch! Believe me ladies, I would have had a MUCH better time with all of you then I did watching the massacre that was K-State football.

Why...

Is today my day off and I'm up before my alarm would have gone off. Why.

Happy Friday!!

Tasty Tuesday

When I found this recipe in my Cook Yourself Thin book I was a little leery. There's a similar recipe I make occasionally from Rachael Ray that is to die for, so I wasn't sure if this low cal impostor would stand up to the real thing. Surprisingly it was not only uber tasty it tasted pretty much exactly like the original! I had it with a small Caesar salad and a piece of lite Texas toast, it was delish! Enjoy!

Penne alla "Not-ka"
2 t EVOO
3 cloves garlic
1/2 c chopped red onion
3/4 t salt
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes pureed in a food processor
(if you can find a 14 oz can crushed tomato you don't have to puree)
Pinch of Red Pepper flakes
8 oz penne pasta (I used whole grain)
1/4 whipping cream
6 T evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 c shredded fresh basil
1/8 t black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the penne. Cook as directed. Drain, reserving about 1/2 c pasta water.

2. Meanwhile in a large saucepan heat the 2 t EVOO with the garlic over low heat until garlic begins to brown, about 3 min. Add the onion and 1/4 salt, cover and cook until onion is softened about 2 more min. Add the tomato, 1/2 t salt and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer very gently 10 min. Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more min.

3. Add pasta to sauce and simmer about 1-2 minutes. Add reserved pasta water if the mixture is dry. Stir in 1/4 c of the Parmesan, the basil and black pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan once ready to serve.

Bon Appetite!

My cup runneth over

This weekend I kept seeing the commercials for Victoria's Secret new "Miraculous" bra. It claims to add two full cup sizes...TWO! As someone whose cup is literally already overflowing I balked at this. Dear lord help me, if I had two extra cup sizes I'm be into letters of the alphabet that should never, I repeat never represent a bra size.

I've always been pretty well endowed in that department, but lately they seem a bit outta control. I blame it on the few extra pounds I've found...they seem to have all settled in one place. My husband certainly isn't complaining. My mother even did a double take saying if she didn't know otherwise she'd think I was pregnant. Not the case. So you can imagine my surprise when I get an email from Victoria Secret today once again advertising their new bra. Sizes AA-DD. This sucker goes all the way to DD?! Has Vicky gone crazy? Why in the world would anyone who is already a DD need TWO extra cups worth?!?

Roses & Thorns

• Roses to 70 degree weather in November. Who's wearing sandals today....this girl!


• Roses to a "David Girl Day O' Fun" with my mom. I may be an EyeCanSee now but I'll always be a David girl at heart!


• Roses to finally starting to eat healthy and the scale showing me a less scary number than last week!


• Roses to Camp Bow Wow. You've saved my sanity by allowing me to leave the house on the weekend. Two full days of doggy care for my barking buddy only $28...sign me up!


• Roses to my Kansas State Wildcats. You may be horrible but you've still managed to climb your way to the top of the Big 12 North. Now please don't let me down tomorrow, let's fry those stupid Jayhawks!!


• Roses to my Aunt Sue. Even at 28 years old she still send me a card and some moolah for Halloween. You rock!
• Roses to PopSecret popcorn and their 100 calorie snack size bags. You saved me last night in my fit of "I NEED CHOCOLATE" rage. And kuddos for the combo box with both Butter and Kettle Corn...now we don't need to buy two boxes to fit both our hunger needs

• Thorns to ants. Who know who you are. Get outta my house!


• Thorns to not getting the job I interviewed for last week. Let the job search continue.


• Thorns to having big feet. Why oh why does no one carry size 11. I understand my feet are the size of a Sasquatch, but I can't be the only one!
• Thorns to drinking lots of water. How many times a day can one woman really have to pee. I mean seriously!
• Thorns to my DVR box who decided not to tape Vampire Diaries. Now I have to catch up on my fave new trashy tv show on CW.com. Thanks a lot!

Creepy Crawlers

Yuck. I hate bugs. HATE. I do not believe that there is anything good that comes from them. After living in a top floor condo for so many years I rarely had to deal with them. Guess they were too lazy to crawl up three flights of stairs. Fine by me! Well now we're living on the ground floor with both garage and patio access. Easy entrance. ::shutters::: And with the cooler weather the bugs are seeking warmth from MY shelter. Gross.

It started with a spider here and a spider there. The hubs can usually tell when I've spotted one cause the screams could break glass. Monday morning I pulled the scale out to see how much damage I'd done over the past few months and found one hiding underneath. EEK! There's motivation NEVER to weigh myself again. EVER. Guess the spider picked a good home. Then yesterday I saw a few ants by the patio door. Less offensive then spiders, but still unnerving. I got a paper towel and attempted to smoosh them. Fail. Dang these are some hearty ants. So I grab my Dyson hand vac figuring it's super sweet tornadic action will kill them for sure.

:::looks in clear dust container:::

WTF They're still alive in there. No freakin' way.

:::runs Dyson for a solid minute:::

Still alive.

What are these....super ants!

I busted out my kill spray and went all along the baseboards and exterior door frames. Got you now suckas!

This morning as I sit, enjoying my coffee and watching The Hills....I look to my right. Ants. Ugh, let the massacre continue!

The forgotten holiday

Did you know there's a holiday between Halloween and Christmas??

I did.
It's called Thanksgiving.

The forgotten holiday.

Apparently the rest of America does not remember.

Gone are the pumpkins and fall decor.

The radio stations are already playing holiday music 24/7

The Christmas trees and lights have already taken over.

The Sunday Ads are flooded with holiday gift ideas.

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation was on CMT.

W.T.F.

Somewhere along the line, Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday.

For starters, it's way more low key than Christmas.

No shopping required.

There's tons of yummy food.

Great football.

Tons of family and friends.

It's a long weekend.

The weather is usually still pretty mild.

And it's the KICKOFF to the Christmas season.

Not the afterthought.

So why does it seem like this poor step child of the holidays gets overlooked every year??

Don't get me wrong.

I'm no scrooge.

I LOVE Christmas and all it entails.

But please, for the love of all that's holy, please stop with the Jingle Bells already!

Kthankbai.

Tasty Tuesday

That right folks....it's back!! After one too many weeks neglecting my kitchen and eating out WAY too much the scale showed me a frightening number I hadn't seen in years! Yikes! So it's time for the EyeCanSee's to kick their eating habits in the butt and I've got a great new recipe to get things rolling. It was sooooo easy and will defintely be making more appearances in our weekly menu lineup. The hubs gave it two thumbs up! Enjoy!!

Taco Soup aka Mexican Chili
1 pound ground beef (I used the leanest I could find)
2 cans beans (I used black)
2 cans Rotel (I used original and it was pretty spicy....try mild or hot depending on how hot you want it)
1 can corn
1 pkt taco seasoning
1 pkt dry ranch seasoning

Brown ground beef. Drain excess fat. Add taco seasoing and cook 2-3 min untill well blended. Add all canned ingredients. Do NOT drain any of the liquid...this is what makes the "soup." Add ranch seasoning. At this point I added some water to make a bit more broth. The thickeness is more of a chili then a soup making it a very hearty meal. Continue to simmer 10 min stirring occasionally.

Top with cheese, tortilla chips or sour cream if you want. Bon Appetite!!!