Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

While we’re not actively looking for a new home, we do keep our eyes open to 1960s ranch homes in original (or close to original) condition. This past weekend, local auctioneer and realtor Billy Long had several open houses for a mega auction event he’s having at the end of this month. Two houses caught my eye enough that I wanted to take a closer look. The first one, while looking good online, needed way too much work and had a funky layout that just didn’t seem to work with our needs. [This one](http://www.billylong.com/megaEvent/march08/galleries/parcel23/index.htm) was more interesting. It has many of the features I want in my dream home and hadn’t been destroyed by over-updating. Steve was less enthused. He felt that the current work being done on the house was shoddy (I agreed) and he didn’t like the street it was on (I disagreed). All in all, we don’t know if it would be worth the expense and effort to move but it’s always fun to look.

I have an ongoing list of the things I want in my dream house. I realize the chances of my getting all of them are almost none, but I like to think about them anyway. I imagine that someday we’ll just end up building what we really want based on the 60s ranch design. Here are my wishes:

Double front doors, preferably with doorknobs in the middle of the door.

Patchwork marble entryway.

Funky colored tile bathrooms (blue, avocado, pink, etc) with built-in vanity in main bathroom.

Corner bathtub or sunken tub.

Carport or drive-thru garage with glass doors

Sunken living room.

Double fireplace. If not double, then a large stone fireplace both with built-in shelves.

Picture windows.

Kitchen with gas stove. Bonus if it has wall oven and copper vent.

Original light fixtures, knobs, hardware.

Mahogany tiled ceiling (my grandparent’s house had this and it was gorgeous!)

Built-in furniture – such as long benches, desks, shelving, etc.

Finished basement/rec room with laundry room.

Some of these things I can live without while others are very important to me. I know when the time and house is right we’ll know. Ten years ago when we moved into this house I remember taking one step inside the front door and declaring to Steve that this was “the one.” I’m sure I’ll feel that way again when the time’s right.

Well, the snow is almost gone thanks to two days of 45-50 degree weather. Now we’re left with gray mounds slowly melting in parking lots and lots of water. MSU was cancelled on Tuesday but by 2 p.m. the roads were completely clear. I was laughing as Carrie and I went out to lunch and ran to Target. The snow was pretty, but I’m looking forward to it being gone. Of course, there’s more in tonight’s forecast, but I’m not worried. They’re only calling for about an inch but have already predicted warmer weather just around the corner.

Will spring ever get here and stay?

As the saying goes, March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb. Well, the lion roared and out came 8 inches of snow. Yesterday the local weather dudes kept going on and on about how we were going to get all this snow. Now, understand these people have a really bad track record so I don’t put much stock in their “winter storm warnings” and all. However, this time they got it right. We’re snowed in and most schools are cancelled. Of course, MSU is only closed until 1 p.m. which means I still have to show up for studio monitoring at 1. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll close until 3 or something because I sure don’t want to walk over to school in this crap.

Here’s a little glimpse from our front porch and a picture of my great husband taking care of my walking path needs:

If you hate Monday, and who doesn’t, then [this video](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/eab643de2f) is for you. Thanks to funnyordie.com for another winner. WARNING: Liberal use of the f-bomb so don’t play at work!

Enjoy!

While Steve’s getting ready, I thought I’d take a moment to write about our amazing meal last night. We branched out and tried a new restaurant we discovered on our own. The [Blue Bird Bistro](http://www.kansascitymenus.com/bluebirdbistro/) is located in downtown KC in an old doctor’s office. While making reservations for Garozzo’s, Steve went to the Open Table website and started exploring restaurants. Blue Bird was listed as organic and had a menu similar to Agrario, a Springfield restaurant that is sadly no longer in business. We decided to be adventurous and try something new. The results were amazing.

We arrived early and were greeted by a really nice hostess who offered us a table upstairs which was more private. Downstairs looked really cool with funky original tile floors and a large bar, but we thought private dining would be better. Unfortunately, the room was not well lit and actually a bit depressing. Our waiter, an amazing guy named Jared, suggested moving us to another room where he put flowers on the table and brought over a candle. Still, it wasn’t quite right. I told Steve I hated to be picky, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Jared, sensing we needed something special, offered to change the music to our tastes. I joked I had my iPod with me so he hooked it up to the stereo and we had our own soundtrack. Now things were getting fun! He brought our wine, a delicious organic Pinot Noir, and we started deciding on dinner.

What a menu! All the food at Blue Bird is organic or locally grown with an emphasis on supporting local farmers and businesses. I just had to have the salmon which was grilled and served with a wasabi butter and spring rolls. Steve had the pork chop served with a blueberry barbecue sauce and mashed potatoes. I also had the Blue Bird Salad which had Maytag Bleu Cheese, candied pecans, fresh greens and blueberry vinaigrette. The salad was one of the best I’d ever had. I was afraid the blueberry dressing might be too sweet (as many raspberry ones are) but it was the perfect compliment to the tang of the bleu cheese. The artisan bread, which came from the bakery next door, was also delicious. Then the entrees arrived. Oh. My. God. This was the best salmon I’ve ever eaten. It tasted like butter. The wasabi butter added a wonderful bite to the fish and the grilling added a nice crispiness to the edges. Steve’s pork chop was anything but a normal piece of meat. It was so tender, it fell apart with just a fork and the pan searing also gave it a nice crispiness. The blueberry barbecue sauce tasted like it had just been made. He ignored the sides, which were good, and dove into the pork.

We were full, but couldn’t resist asking about desserts. Again, we weren’t disappointed. I had the apple crostata which had chopped organic apples and pecans in a delicate pastry crust with organic whipped cream on top. Steve had to have the organic carrot cake as a salute to our wedding cake and, again, it was delicious. Jared, knowing we’d raved about the bread, offered to take us next door after our dinner to meet the owner of the bakery who was baking for the next day.

After this amazing meal, we went next door to [Fervere](http://www.heartlandmill.com/baker_pages/fervere.htm) bakery to meet Fred, the owner. He and two of his staff were getting ready for the next day’s baking. This tiny bakery is only open Thursday-Saturday but they pack quite a bit of great bread into those three days. Fred gave us a loaf of the Pain Complet, a whole grain bread made with eight different seeds and grains. He then showed us his oven which is unique in that it’s heated by electricity and the bricks absorb the heat then the bread is baked from just the left over heat. It’s really cool and I’m probably not explaining it correctly, but you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Today we’re off to Lawrence, KS to have lunch at [Freestate Brewery](http://www.freestatebrewing.com/), do some record shopping and enjoy the sunshine. It’s going to be in the 60s here and I’m in an excellent mood from absorbing all the sun! Have a great day everyone. 

Twelve years ago, or three if you count Leap Years, Steve and I took the plunge and got married. It was a whirlwind romance that had him proposing after two months and us getting married after eight months. Needless to say, many thought I’d lost my mind. I think only my sister and dad thought I was doing the right thing. Fast forward to today and we haven’t killed each other yet! To celebrate, we’re spending the day doing some of our favorite things. First, we’ll go to Kansas City (where we honeymooned ’cause we were poor), we’ll eat some great food, shop at Nordstrom’s then end the day with a delicious meal and some good wine. I think I’d marry him all over again. After all, I do have him trained!

Happy Leap Day everyone. Celebrate the extra day by doing something fun and impulsive.

This week on the Today Show they’re revisiting casts of old sitcoms. Yesterday was Happy Days (a show I didn’t watch or like) and today was One Day at a Time (a show I watched and loved). It got me thinking about all the sitcoms I loved as a kid. I know if I were to re-watch them today I’d think they were awful (well, maybe not all of them) but as a kid I didn’t miss a single episode. Without a VCR or TiVo I not only had to be in front of the TV in time for the show to start, but I had to watch all the commercials. So here’s a list of some of my favorites. What were yours?

The Brady Bunch

One Day at a Time

Good Times (loved the theme song)

Sanford and Son (another great theme song which is on my iPod now)

The Jeffersons

The Facts of Life (my dad used to say “all those kids are smart asses”)

Fantasy Island

Love Boat (where old sitcom stars go to revive their careers)

Magnum, P.I.

Bewitched

Family Affair (I even had clothes from the Buffy and Jody line)

The Carol Burnett Show (love, love, love that show)

Green Acres (loved it so much my sister’s nickname is “Ralph”)

I could go on and on, since I watched a lot of TV, but now I want to know what you used to watch. As you can see, most of my shows are 70s-heavy since that was the bulk of my childhood. So, what were your favorite shows as a kid?

Iron Chef look out, you have some competition. Lately I’ve been experimenting with [rye berries](http://www.simply-natural.biz/Rye-Berries.php) in an attempt to add more whole grains to my diet. I love nutty, grainy salads such as tabbuleah and barley so I was curious about rye berries. I’ve been making a Greek-type salad which has won rave reviews from friends but I wanted to do something different so today I tried a sweeter salad. The results were great! I’ll share the salad with you, but please note I made this up so quantities are approximate.

Sweet Rye Berry Salad

4 cups cooked rye berries (1 cup + 4 cup water. Boil for 1 hour or until tender)

1-2 T honey

2-4 T rice wine vinegar

diced dried apricots (around 15 whole)

2-5 T Craisens

2-3 oz. reduced fat blue cheese

2-3 T toasted slivered almonds

Salt/pepper to taste

Rinse rye berries and drain well. Place in large bowl and add ingredients. Taste and tweak to desired flavor. Refrigerate and eat when cool. Yum!

I do the same thing for the Greek salad only using the following ingredients:

2-3 oz. reduced fat feta (I don’t use fat free ’cause it’s gross)

2-3 T chopped roasted red peppers (I use the ones in the jar)

2-3 T chopped Kalamata olives

1- 1 1/2 T [Greek seasoning](http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysgreekseas.html)

Garlic/pepper to taste

Mix well and drizzle with olive oil (just a little for flavor). Can be served cold or hot.

Thank you, Gap Inc., for once again pissing me off. First, you close your adult and children’s stores in our local mall, now you’ve decided to change the lengths of your jeans. I am not excessively tall (5’8″) but I have long legs. I used to be able to go into the Gap and buy the Long and Lean style in a long length. I actually bought two pair late last summer and the length was perfect to wear with boots. Then, suddenly, all jeans I tried on were too short. Yesterday, Steve took me with him to Rogers, AR where I anticipated purchasing new jeans at their Gap. Nope. I tried on 6 pairs and all were too short. Several were even too short to wear with flats and all were marked “long” length! I was beginning to wonder if I had suddenly became a freak of nature.

Upon our arrival back home I went online to check out the lengths. I found the answer to my problem: long length was listed as 34 1/2″ inseam which is what I wear with flats. Now I have to buy the Extra Long or Tall length. Grrr, this is going to mean only online shopping and a return hassle since there isn’t a store nearby. I ordered 6 pair since Steve and I will be in KC next weekend and I can return the ones I don’t like. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that at least one pair will work!

As I mentioned, a couple of posts ago, Steve and I gave each other new boots for our anniversary (which is officially 2/29). I wore mine all week until the weather got bad and I didn’t want to risk getting them wet! They have been comfortable since the first day and now I’m a huge fan of the brand, Old Gringo. Unfortunately, they are a bit pricey so I’ll stick to this pair until I can afford another. Who knows, maybe this will become a tradition for us. Here’s a picture of my boots: