Nerd Season

"I don't see much of your father these days. It's Nerd Season, you know"

-Cheryl Hilton

Of course, my mom is referring to Tax Season. My dad loves doing taxes. Loves it. The year after he retired he took an income tax class. I asked, "Oh, are you going to start doing taxes professionally?" And he replied, "Nope! I just always wanted to learn more about taxes". Seriously? Wow. And, because I'm now back in Ohio, he's doing my taxes again. He does my sister's taxes, my grandma's taxes, my uncle's taxes, my mother's, etc..... And he loves it. He practically met me at the door this morning. Barely even acknowledging his first born child, he snatched my W-2 out of my hands. He looked like a little kid on Christmas morning. I took special pains this morning to ensure I had everything he needed. (You know....the mortgage interest statement and the like.) My mom said, "You know, now he's going to fret about whether or not he has the right papers". As if on cue, my dad said, "Well, I think I have everything I need, but I'm not sure".

He has a super weird obsession with using a tax program AND figuring them out by hand. It's like he's in a man vs. computer race. But if anyone could find a flaw in the Tax Cut program, it would be Curt Hilton. Very strange. He also fills out the tax forms in pencil as well as printing them up on the computer. He also honks at the poor unfortunate souls that stand outside of Liberty Tax dressed up like the Statue of Liberty. You know the ones I'm talking about.... It's like with every honk he's saying, "Hey! I dig doing taxes too"!

Best. Grilled Cheese. Ever!!

I dropped by my parents' house today. Conveniently, it is lunchtime. My mom just made me a Parmesan crusted toasted cheese sandwich. It was delicious! I think it had at least 3 different cheeses and ciabatta bread. So, so good! Seriously. Probably the best grilled cheese ever. If not THE best, definitely in the top 3. And you all know how serious I am when it comes to matters involving cheese. I would've taken a picture of it, but that would have required me putting it down long enough to take a picture of it, which wasn't happening. I'm going to have to do something to work off all of the calories I just took in. Does Wii Bowling count as exercise??

But this grilled cheese got me thinking how lucky I am to have the parents that I have. And not just because they cook for me. It's been a long time since I've lived within 30-40 minutes of my parents. They do so much for me.....like watch Mollie when I go out of town, help me paint, insulate me garage, etc.... They've even stopped by work to bring me dinner during the crazy holiday season! How sweet is that? And my parents are still pretty cool. Well, Cheryl is cool....Curt is mostly because of Cheryl's influence.... But look at them in this picture.... Aren't they adorable? You would never know that they are card-carrying members of the AARP. (By the way, did you know that seniors get a discount at Andersen's on the first Tuesday of the month? If you need something, I'm sure Curtie will let you come along with him and use his discount!) Sometimes I feel like I see them a little too often....but then I think of how long I wasn't able to see them whenever I felt like it. And of how many birthdays, Christmas celebrations and other holidays that I missed And then I don't feel bad anymore. So, Cheryl, here's to you and your kick-ass grilled cheese! You're the best mom ever. I wonder what's for dinner.....

Weekend Review

I spent this past weekend in North Carolina with my bff and her family. What a great time. Lori already beat me to it and blogged about our adventures (see the link to her blog on the right), but I wanted to post this pic of me and the girls. Aren't they the cutest girls ever? We took the girls to the NC Museum of Natural History on Monday, which was free. And it's a good thing it's free because their attention span wasn't all that great! But that's okay...because it was free! Plus Lori and I felt that we were doing something educational for the kids. After the museum we had pizza at Mellow Mushroom in downtown Raleigh. Seriously, the best pizza ever. Ever. I also had enough time to go out for an adults-only dinner with Paul and Lori on Saturday night. Emma and Lily weren't very happy about that, telling Lori, "You always hog all the time with Auntie. It's not fair!" But Lily and Emma got their special time with Auntie. Separate time, of course, because they can't be expected to share special time with Auntie! And by special time, I mean shopping. And sometimes coffee (for me...hot chocolate for them....). All in all, it was a great weekend. Too short, though! I miss them already and can't wait to see them again!

Dr. Phil in Training

I'm in North Carolina this weekend visiting my bff, Lori, and her family. This afternoon, Emma, her oldest and I were having a heart to heart. See, she was getting ready for her Daisy Girl Scout meeting. Auntie (that's me) was very excited because they were going to a police station for a field trip......and who doesn't love a man in uniform? Emma told me that she would tell any cute, single cops that she had an Auntie that needed to get married. So then she drops this bomb on me....

"Auntie, you don't need a man to be perfect".

Then she said,

"Trust me, men are nothing but trouble"!

Seriously?? How did she get so wise???? It was, quite simply, the cutest thing ever. Ever.

The Future Mr. Hilton

If Perez Hilton says it, it must be true! After months and months of speculation, it appears that Justin is now a single man. Here's what Perez sayz:

Is it for real this time?

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have reportedly split up and gone their separate ways.

FINALLY!

Jessica has been working hard in Africa, just finishing a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro that was originally supposed to be completed alongside her now ex-boyfriend Timberpuss.

Justin, however, has been off partying in Jackson Hole, Wyoming — even performing and beatboxing at The Brother Ali Show.

Blah, blah, blah.

We're sure neither of them will have trouble finding another boring replacement for the other.

Shame on you, Perez! That last comment was kinda bitchy! I have to go now. I need to make sure I'm available when JT calls me, you know.....

Etsy - It's a Good Thing

I love Etsy! For those of you not in-the-know, Etsy is kinda like Ebay, but has all sorts of homemade things and you don't bid. Well, I guess that makes it not really like Ebay at all.....but you can find EVERYTHING on there! Pottery, art, paper, you name it! And I always feel good buying from someone on Etsy because I feel like I'm supporting artists. You can even shop locally, which is a good thing if you live in a metropolitan area like Columbus. (Not such a good thing if you live in a tiny place like Erie, PA.)

One of my friends, Morgen, has an Etsy shop called BellisiMo. He has some super cute notecards on it. Morgen, I don't even want to know where you got those vintage clip on earrings! :-) Check it out:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/morgen1967

Oh yeah, I still haven't figured out how to add a link to my blog posts, so you have to copy and paste this.... Will one of my techy friends please help a sister out, here? Be warned! Once you get hooked on Etsy, it's tough to stop!

Method To My Madness

I am absolutely in love with Method cleaning products. Specifically, I love Method Wood for Good. It works great and it smells fantastic. Because isn't one of the best parts of having a clean house how it smells when you've just cleaned??? I also love their wood floor cleaner and their Daily Granite cleaner.


Plus their products are 100% natural, so I feel like I'm being oh-so-environmental when I use them. Usually I don't go for those natural and organic cleaners....I just don't think that they work well. But these do. I tried their steel wipes, but they didn't work very well and they dried up super fast, so maybe next time I'm at Target I'll grab a bottle of the Steel for Real and give that a try. Oh, by the way, you can get everything at Target. I've just discovered that Drugstore.com sells a HUGE selection of Method cleaning products, including some I've never heard of. Gasp!

I think I've just reached a new low in my life by blogging about cleaning products. Some people will appreciate this, though. Like my BFF, Lori. She's crazy about cleaning products. CRAZY, I tell you!

Channeling My Inner Barista

This morning I made the best coffee! I've spent the past few hours lounging in front of the fire getting my game plan for my house cleaning together. Yes, house cleaning requires a game plan.... For example, do I do room by room or do I do all the dusting, then all the glass, then all the floors, etc.? I haven't cleaned really well since before Thanksgiving. And, since I don't have a husband or kids to mess things up, I can pretty much get away with it. Last night I was super-productive and cleaned the entire upstairs. Today, downstairs awaits. But I digress.... I made the best coffee! Here's the recipe:

2 cups coffee
1/2 cup milk (I actually added a touch more....)
1/4 cup honey
1/8 t. Cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1/2 t. vanilla

Combine the first 5 ingredients into a saucepan and heat through. Do not boil! Remove from heat, add vanilla and serve. This really only makes about 2 cups. Next time I'll double the recipe. It's delicious and didn't cost me $4.50 at Starbucks! Now to get back to thinking about cleaning.....

Resolution Review

Before I get serious about making my resolutions for 2010, I thought I'd review those resolutions I made one year ago.... And, of course, I posted them on my blog for all to see, so I have to face the music and see if I followed through on any of them. (Excerpts from my 2009 post are in bold.) So here's where I stand:

1) Eat more cheese. I love cheese. When the fam was out to dinner a few nights ago, I overheard someone say, "I can't imagine a world without cheese!" I feel exactly. the same. way. One of the best parts of working in the grocery industry was that I got to attend 2 weeks of classes to become a "certified cheesemonger"! So much fun! I try to get a new cheese every time I go to the grocery store. So not only do I want to eat more cheese in 2009, I want to make sure I keep track of them all in my "Cheese Lover's Journal". (Yes, one exists, and I actually bought it!) By the way, if you need me to help you make up a cheese plate, I can do that!
Hmmm.... Well, not working in the grocery biz has hurt me a little on this one! I have wanted to get to that cheese shop at the North Market, but never quite got there.

2) Spend more time with my family and friends. I don't want to not do something because I have to work the next day. I want to do a better job of keeping in touch with friends who live far away.
I definitely did a good job with this one! I've reconnected with many friends from High School (Don't tell them I said this, but MAN are they getting old!) I also saw my sister more this year than I have in a long time. I can definitely get better at this one, though, so it should go on my 2010 resolution list.

3) Stop rolling my eyes at my mother. I've already broken that resolution, but from this moment on I vow to be better. Promise! Ummmm...yeah....didn't happen.

4) Take more bubble baths. I love bubble baths. Almost as much as I love cheese. I lived in my house in Erie for 13 months and didn't take a bubble bath once. Something about sitting in a 70 year old tub that so many other butts have sat in just gave me the willies. But I'm moving into a brand new house in 14 days! Brand new! The first booty to rest in that tub will be mine...and I plan to take advantage of it!
I was super super good at this one! I've taken more bubble baths in the past year than I have in 3 years!

5) Read more books. I read every single day. Even if it's only for 10 minutes before I go to bed. I love love love books. Love bookstores. Love the library. In 2009 I want to go to the library more often. And maybe not buy quite soooo many books.
6) Not feel guilty of sleeping in. I swear I have one of the best beds in the world! Crisp cotton sheets, a fluffy down comforter, lots of pillows! There is nothing like a nap in the middle of the day. So decadent!
Check and check! Man, I'm on a roll! I need to make more of these kinds of resolutions! I also made a general resolution to get healthier, and I've lost a little over 20 pounds. Still not exercising as much as I should, but I'm definitely eating better. So, other than eating more cheese and not rolling my eyes at my mother, I did pretty good in 2009! Stay tuned for those 2010 resolutions!

Unanswered Question of 2009

Okay - what is the deal with Lil Wayne? Why do women find him so attractive? I mean, in 2009 he had several babies (I don't know....2 or 3.....) with several different baby's mamas! I don't get it. He's always stoned, he is not respectful to women, and his voice is horrible. I've tried to like his music. Really, I have. I came this close to liking that "Mrs. Officer" song. But then I focus on his voice and think, "Man, he sucks"! I don't get it.....