February 29 - Something You Are Listening To

So right now I'm mainly listening to the extreme wind that is blowing outside of our house. Sometimes I think something right out of the Wizard of Oz might happen and the house is going to start spinning around in circles... let's hope that this doesn't happen any time soon.

But something else that I am listening to right now is American Idol.



I am studying up, thinking about even starting to take notes because once they are down to the Top 12 and intense draft is going to take place at work.

I am so very excited for the American Idol pool, even more so than the 4 Four Pool that I'm in. There's four of us and once we get to the top 12 we are going to have a 3 round draft to pick the person we think is going to win the competition. Can't wait, but I really, really need to study up on these contestants.

I can't let my personal feelings get in the way (or else I would take Heejun in the first round), and I feel like I have to start thinking like a 16 year old girl (the majority of voters for this competition), but honestly I'm just not that impressed by many of the contestants this year, so it's going to be tough. I'll let you know how it goes.

So there it is, the month on February. It's been fun. I enjoyed blogging every day (or every other day), and I hope you enjoyed reading it as well. I have to give credit to the woman that posts the Monthly Photo Challenge every month. Her blog is here. Her blog is pretty great. So what do you think, should I participate in March?? Here's the list...

February 28 – Money

I never have cash. I’ll be lucky if I can scrounge up four quarters, a nickel, and four pennies to buy a large diet coke at the McDonald’s drive-thru. (Please don’t judge me; I’m the person that usually has to put $1.09 on her debit card). I use my card for absolutely everything, it’s so convenient and I don’t have to worry about losing my money, which would probably happen if I were to carry around bills. So for today’s post I thought I would post a picture of the money that I have been carrying around since the beginning of July.



The Euro. I think foreign money is beautiful. It feels better, it looks better, and I like figuring up in my head how much things are in American dollars when I’m paying with my foreign currency. I think I like it so much because it’s different and some of it even has pictures of ladies on it, which we are definitely not used to! Side Note about Foreign Currency: Pesos are pretty spectacular because you can have hundreds of Pesos in your pocket, but it’s really not that much money. You can say things at the pool bar like, “I’m going to give you a 100 Pesos tip for that shot of tequila!” and you’re really not putting yourself out of that much dinero. But back to my Euros. I’ve been carrying these around because Dan and I left Ireland unexpectedly and didn’t even bother to exchange our money. I’m not sure why I’ve been keeping it in my wallet, it’s not like I can use it out and about.

I’ve probably been keeping it for the same reason that I’ve kept receipts in my wallet of my favorite meals while we were in Ireland, or the ticket to the Guinness tour, or the map of the walking trails in Glendalough, or the ticket stub to the Broadway show in London. I loved that trip and I want to keep those memories with me. I go through my wallet and find the receipt from the Wicklow Heather of beef stew, fish and chips and six Smithwick’s and my mouth waters. I loved every day of our honeymoon and I would love to go back… and use my Euro. But instead of holding on to this I’ve decided to pass it along to one of the girls I work with, she’s leaving for Europe in a couple weeks and I told her I had some euros for her. The only stipulation… it must be used to buy her first drink off of the plane! Cheers!

February 27 - Something You Ate

The beauty of spending a majority of the day cooking on Sunday is that on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday you have the quickest cooking time and a easiest clean up. I'm very much looking forward to this week because I don't have to think about what to make for dinner, actually make it after I get home at 7:00 pm, and then have to clean up the kitchen. It's an awful routine that usually gets me settled and relaxing by 8:30 pm.

So anyway, today for lunch I had my vegetable soup. I was telling Bert and Dave about my new vegetable soup recipe this weekend and they asked me, "What kind of meat did you put in it?" No meat... just veggies. It's pretty delicious and it's one of those soups that gets better each day. And tonight I tried one of the newest recipes, Pork Tenderloin with White Beans and Tomatoes. It's really good and a surprising 294 calories per serving. But the best part of this recipe is that you can make it in one pan, hardly any clean up! Below is the recipe:

2 tsp olive oil
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1 can cannellini beans
3 cups baby spinach
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat oil on medium heat in large skillet, place tenderloin slices to the pan and cook for 3 minutes per side, remove and keep warm.
Add shallots and cook for 1 minute; add tomatoes and broth and simmer for 2-3 minutes
Stir in beans and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted
Stir in balsamic vinegar, then return pork to the pan, and simmer for 5 minutes



It would be delicious on rice or noodles too! Enjoy!

A Break From February - Our Bucket List

So this weekend we made it a point to write down our bucket list. We've talked about this since we've been engaged, but we've never done it. So Friday night we made our list. Now I couldn't find any paper at the time and I was too lazy to go downstairs, so our bucket list is made on a bounty towel... and here it is... (I thought it would be better to document it on here in case I lose the paper towel).

Ski in the Rocky Mountains
Drink Coffee at Pike's Place
Zip line Through a Jungle
Go to Disneyland with our Children
Drink Wine in Napa Valley
Eat a Candlelit Dinner on a Beach
Watch Gymnastics, Swimming, and Track & Field Live at the Olympics
Go to the Final Four
Go Deep Sea Fishing and Eat What We Catch
Have a Picnic in Central Park
Be a Season Ticket Holder
Safari in Africa
Ride a Camel to See the Pyramids
Walk Across the Great Wall of China
See Jesus in Brazil
Visit the Opera House in Australia
See Old Faithful in Yosemite
Stand Next to a Sequoia in California
Go to a Luau in Hawaii
See Every "Best Picture" of our Lifetime
Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge
Drink a Mint Julep at the Kentucky Derby
White Water Raft Through the Grand Canyon
Hike Through Glendalough
Drink Guinness at St. James Gate
Climb Primrose Hill
Drink a Hurricane on Bourbon Street
Cheer for the Underdog at the Superbowl
Sit on... or Near... The Green Monster
Ride a Gondola Through Venice
See the Wind Mills and Red Light District in Amsterdam
Drive a Convertible Up the Pacific Coast Highway
Ride a Donkey Through Greece to see The Blue Roofs
Drink Champagne Under the Eiffel Tower
Sit at the 18th Hold at The Masters
Go to the Town in Germany Where Our Ancestors Came From

There it is. The items in bold we've successfully already done, 5 out of 36 isn't bad, but there is so much to do and I am so incredibly excited to start these adventures.

February 26 - Night

The thing I miss most about night where we live are the stars. Whenever I go home I just stare at the sky and all of the beautiful stars you can see from their sky. I know that it is the same sky as we have... with just a lot more light and pollution here.

Anyway, tonight I am relaxing. After the day I had today I should win some kind of award, probably the "best homemaker in the world" award. I slept in this morning, which was fantastic and then my day of homemaking started. I started the laundry, made lunch, dusted, Dan and I ran errands which included buying new tennis shoes and a new driver for Dan. We also went to the grocery store, Dan commented, "this is so easy with team work." I hope I've convinced him that he should regularly go to the groc with me. I then came home, made meals for the entire week (non of which have more than 300 calories), stockpiled the refrigerator...



I exericsed, spend an hour and a half cleaning out the closet, steamed the floors, swept the carpet... all just in time to sit down and drink champagne as Billy Crystal came on the screen. Here's to you Billy Crystal, in your first three minutes on stage you did better than lasts year's hosts.



I love Sunday evenings, Sunday nights, they are probably one of my favorite times of the week. Yes, it's kind of depressing because the next morning is Monday morning, but this the end to a fantastic day that we've shared together, we get to snuggle and just be, and there is usually something fabulous on television... even if it is just a spin-off of the Kardashian's.

Happy night, I hope wherever you are you get to see the stars... (even if they are just the people onscreen at the Oscars).

Cheers.

P.S. I just sobbed when Octavia Spencer won, love her, and that is my favorite movie of the year!

February 25 - Green

Today's blog post is a little bit of a reach.I looked around for quite some time this morning and this was the only green thing I could find.



Now I don't even like this kind of dish soap, but dish soap is one of those things that I buy whatever brand is on sale. I prefer this kind of dish soap, and I always seem to have a large bottle stashed in the back of cabinet under the sink.



This is my favorite soap because it's the soap that my great grandma used, and every time I use it the smell takes me right back to her kitchen. I used to love washing her dishes. I'd pull up a kitchen chair, Grandma would carefully remove all the glasses and knives from the area, and she would let me go at it. Jill was sometimes my trusty assistant and yesterday when she called me she was so excited to tell me that Dillon has a new favorite chore. He loves to do the dishes. She sent me this picture...



...and all it did was remind me of this picture that I lovingly have displayed right next to my kitchen sink. It's one of my favorites of Jill and I at Grandma's house.

February 24 - Inside Your Bathroom Closet

February 24th has been causing my anxiety since the day I read what each day in February was suppose to represent. I am a strong believer in the fact that closet and cabinet doors have a purpose and that purpose is to hide what is behind them.

Dan and I don't have a typical bathroom closet. When I think of bathroom closet I think of "medicine cabinet." Now this may be because of TV shoes and movies. The first one that comes to mind is Father of the Bride. He ends up falling in his future in-laws pool because he was found snooping in a medicine cabinet. But, we don't have anything like that in our house.

Anyway, our bathroom closet. We have two, one of which hides all the crap that we've accumulated and tampons, not that exciting, but if you are looking for something in particular this cabinet becomes a pain in the ass. There are things all over the place ranging from Dial soap to a curling iron that I haven't used since the fifth grade but seem to need to keep a hold of.



The second bathroom closet is more like a laundry shoot. It is a huge closet, more like a cupboard where you would hang things, but it has beautiful shelves that hold all of our towels, ( I mean ALL OF because I've refused to get rid of the mis-matched towels we owned before the days of a wedding registry, more towels just means less laundry I have to do every week ), some nic-knacks, nail polish, and our dirty clothes. It's a huge victory in the Hartman house if Dan actually puts his dirty clothes and socks in this cabinet, and when it does happen you would think the underdog in the World Series came back and won from being doing 3 games to 0. It's huge.



So here are our two closets. I'm pretty much just putting myself out in the wide open with these blogs this months, and I decided, "If they didn't judge me by the "inside your clothes closet" blog they aren't going to judge me by the "inside your bathroom closet blog." Here they are, I just decided to rip it off like a band-aid (which you will find in the first cabinet). The question is... will you share a picture of your bathroom closet??

Februray 23 - Your Shoes

I talk about my shoes regularly on this blog because I love them so much. Shoes are one of my favorite things.

(Side Note About Shoes: If you haven't already, I highly suggest you read the book "In Her Shoes." Don't just see the movie, read the book. I read this book while I was going through a more difficult point in my life and I loved it. It made me realize how great of a relationship a relationship with your sister is, not matter what.)

Anyway, there is a line in the movie about how shoes are so incredible because your shoe size doesn't change and no matter what, your shoe size is a constant in your life. I believe this because of the mass amount of shoes that I own and I know the amazing feeling that I get when I buy a beautiful new pair of shoes.

But shoes are the thing that you know that you don't NEED, you WANT. And being married to an Econ teacher you concentrate on these two factors. So when I can buy shoes on sale, or I have extra money that I want to use to treat myself... shoes are always my little treat.

The shoes that I bought this year about some of my favorites. You'll find my Hunter Boots in this category. I've gotten made fun of more for these than complements, but I would never give them up, they survive the elements like nothing else. My patent leather nine west black pumps are in this category. If I had a dollar for every time I wear them I would have them paid off, they are just so wonderful and classic, and I've definitely worn those babies out. There are the strappy sandals that I bought for my honeymoon which Dan calls "Ben Hur" shoes. I had no idea who Ben Hur was, but when I said to my Dad, "Dan says I am wearing Ben Hur shoes, what does that mean?" he just laughed at me. I guess that was a good description. And I have my Ugg boots which I wear around my house as slippers because you just can't walk on our floor without proper protection.

From the above paragraph I think you can tell I absolutely love my shoes. But then there is this pair that I wore on February 23rd.



I love this pair of shoes. I got them from Mom and Dad for Christmas. I hinted slightly towards them... okay, okay, I sent Mom and email of an attachment that went directly to these shoes... but they are my favorite. They are quirky, and practical at the same time which I love. They have a fantastic heel, but they are comfortable, which is of utmost importance to me. And you know what, they remind me of the shoes that my great grandma used to wear. I love these little shoes and I'm kind of sad that tight season is almost over with, because I just don't know what else I can pair them with.

February 22 - Where You Work

I work in Chicago
I work in the John Hancock Building
I work for The Signature Room at the 95th
I am a Private Dining Sales Manager

I HAVE MY DREAM JOB

At the end of my senior year of high school I finally decided what I wanted to do with my life. There were phases that I went through. I wanted to be a teacher so I could be a guidance counselor. I wanted to be a chemist. I wanted to be an engineer. But then I finally realized I wanted to plan people's parties. I wanted to work with them from start to end. I wanted to work in the city and I wanted to work with a group of people to meet a common goal. I went to college and thought I would never find what I was looking for and that I would be working in the front of the house of a restaurant or the back of the house of a hotel, but I lucked into the most fantasic opportunity of my life.

I get to plan other people's parties, I work with clients from begining to end, I work in one of the most fabulous cities in America, and I wouldn't trade the group of people that I work with for the world. They are my second family here in the Windy City.

I get to work with people, every single day. I wish I had a dollar for every email I sent or phone call I answered. I wouldn't have to have a dream job if that was the case. But I really enjoy it. Being a part of huge events in people's life is such a treat, probably because I love events and probably because I like being around people, but either way, I can't imagine doing anything else.

So here it is, my building, the restaurant I work for, and my little area in the office of the 15th floor where I do most of my work. Love this little place.

February 21 - A Fave Photo of You

I think today's assignment is perfect for this blog because I get to pick out my favorite photo. As soon as I saw today's task I immediately knew which one I wanted to share.

This picture was taken on one of my most favorite days on our honeymoon.



During our stay in Ireland Dan surprised me by taking me to a bed and breakfast for two nights. It was quite the trip getting there from London, but it was totally worth it. We arrived at The Trooperstown Lodge in the Wicklow Mountains just in time to settle in and be taken to the main house for dinner. Fabulous meal and I fell in love with Smithwick's, but the next day was such a great adventure.

We went to Glendalough, I honestly thought we would just walk around for an hour or two, enjoy the beautiful day. But when the lady handed us the map with the trails and said it will be the best 2 euros we'd spend on the trip I wanted to get my moneys worth! We did all the little trails, seeing St. Kevin's Church, the Round Tower, both lakes, it was gorgeous. Dan did get attacked by bees but we were having such a good time we overlooked that part.

Our little day of hiking turned out to be a six hour adventure that equaled 13 kilometers of trail, but it was absolutely beautiful. Dan keep asking me if I wanted to turn around but I thought we would miss something fabulous if we do so, so we kept walking. We walked and walked and then we realized that we walked onto one of the most intense trails in the park. I will never forget that day and the amazing sites we saw, I will also never forget how sore my body was for two days afterwards. But, it really was one of my favorite days, so I'll also share with you my favorite picture of Dan from that day, and our little treat at the end of the adventure.

February 20 - Handwriting

For years Amanda has been telling me that her birthday is a national holiday, and this year it was. Amanda got to celebrate her day, along with the Presidents. I hate that for the second time in 16 years I did not get to celebrate her birthday with her, so we are definitely going to have to celebrate next time we are together… hopefully sooner rather than later.

So Amanda, here’s to you. I wish you all the happiness in the world, and the most wonderful 24th year. We love you!

February 17-19 - Time, Drink, Something You Hate To Do

February 17 - Time
Time: 9:00 am – woke up on this beautiful Friday, and laid in bed, one of my absolute favorite things
Time: 2:00 pm – had all of my errands/appointments done for the day and had my house spotless
Time: 2:02 pm – Dan walked in the door from school
Time: 2:30 pm – Finally on the road to St. Leon
Time: 3:30 pm – In the middle of some pretty intense trivia questions (I always want to buy a set of trivia cards for the car, but Dan has decided he likes to make up his own better)
Time: 3:30 pm becomes 4:30 pm because of the time change
Time: 5:15 pm – Sitting in traffic, so annoyed
Time: 7:08 pm – At Last, Home!

February 18 - Drink
Friday night I drank too much to even enjoy drinking on Saturday. End of story.

February 19 – Something You Hate To Do
On the last day of a trip home, I pretty much hate the entire day. I dread leaving my family, I dread driving back. It’s awful. We still had a nice little day; enjoying breakfast with the Horstman’s and lunch with the Hartman’s. But then, Dan tricked me into driving home because he all of a sudden remembered that he needed to read 20 pages for his grad school assignment this week… so there I was, back in the driver’s seat, something I hate. But we made record time and for the second time in three days. At last, I was home again.

February 16 - Something New

Going through the day today I had no idea what the photo assignment was. I forgot to check in the morning and honestly, I kind of forgot about it and the day went by.

Tonight after work, I went to a networking event... at the Swarovski store. You all know where this post is going. It really was a great event. We were really nervous because the store is pretty small, but that turned out to be the best part of the night, we were forced to talk to people, it was great. We made some good contacts and drank champagne and red wine.

I had absolutely no intention to buy anything at the event tonight. We had thought about it, but I honestly thought all Swarovski carried were animal figurines. Oh, was I wrong. The ring section stole my heart. I couldn't leave with purchasing this ring, and the event discount didn't hurt my cause.

So here it is, something new. I am just so excited about it, and I think the thing I love most about it is that it changes colors in the light... the colors of a peacock, my favorite animal.



On my way home tonight I called Kait. I've been thinking about her a lot lately, and now know Thursday is her off night! I love chatting with her, she tells the greatest, most interesting stories and I just love the little lady. I hope she knows that I am always here for her and she has all my love and support... I hope she can feel it from Chicago to Lexington. Anyway, I was telling her about my new ring because we were talking about making beautiful, impulsive purchases. She told me, "I can't wait to see your shiny new ring." I told her, "I think one of the blog assignments coming up is "something new" so that's what I'll share."

!I booted up my computer, to see what the assignment was, and there it said it... Something New! What perfect timing, I knew I needed the ring. I love it, I haven't bought something like this for myself in a long time and I can't wait to wear it out!

February 15 - Phone

Well, here's my phone.



It's something I love, something I don't think I could live without. But I have had to live without it many, many times because I have the worst luck with phones. There was a span of six months where I went through five phones. I lost one to a cup of orange juice while sitting on my parent's couch, one to Harry's toilet, another one to a cup of water in my car, one to a trash can at Harry's which when I eventually found it in was in a cup of beer, and believe it or not, the fifth one was lost to a cup of water. No amount of rice could fix any of these phones. It was terrible.

Five ebay phones later, I was finally out of my Verizon contract and off of the Horstman Family Plan. I walked into the U.S. Cellular store, picked out my brand new Blackberry. I've never been more excited, this was the first time in a long time that I owned a phone straight out of the store. It lasted approximately 6 weeks, until it found a cup of water in my car. YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! It was a sad, sad day. I had a melt down and everything (trust me, there was much more going on in my life than just the phone, but still, a melt down). So I again visited ebay and now I have my lovely little red Blackberry that is slower than molasses and doesn't work on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building.

But it is still one of my favorite things. Every day when I walk out of work, I grab for my phone... and call Theresa. It's habit. I have a 20 minute walk and it's the time of day that I get to share with my mom. I get to say the things out loud that I've been thinking in my head all day, we get to gossip and share the silliest news with each other. I laugh and sometimes have to cry... and she listens to me. It honestly is one of my favorite parts of the days, that lady can make almost anything make sense and she can make me feel better about 98% of the things that bother me. She's a saint, she is, Mother Theresa. I love her... and my little red Blackberry that connects her to me everyday at 6:30 pm - 5:30 Central :)

February 14 - Heart

**Disclaimer: I've tried to write this post at least four times today and I've erased it every time. I just couldn't get my point across the way I wanted to, so here it is, just pouring out of me so I apologize if it is all over the place...**

**Disclaimer 2: I'm a planner, that's not news to anyone reading this blog. So when I started this adventure on February 2nd I read through the list and jotted down a few ideas for each photo assignment. I figured if I came up with a few really good ideas I could keep you, the readers, engaged and interested with a blog a day (well, I apologize, sometimes I give them to you two at a time). So as I was going through the list I read "heart" and my mind automatically went to the organ, not that it was paired with February 14th which was Valentine's Day. So I'm going to go with my original plan for the day...**

It's been a hard year, at the end of March I didn't think the year would get much harder, until July came around. In the span of four months I lost two very special people in my life. One, a friend that I had had since I was 5 years old. Two, a brother that I had gained 8 days days prior. This shouldn't happen to the average person, but it did.

In life these two individuals were so full of life you couldn't take it away from them. One, had a contagious smile and a story to share with every body. Two, had this grin on his face like you knew he was up to something... and maybe he would let you in on the secret. They were the epitome of life, adventure, giving, and beauty. The gave so much to their family and friends and they made every one's days better. They were taken away from us way too soon.

So when I realized that they both gave the greatest give of all at the end of their life, I wasn't surprised. It really was par for the course for both of them. One, gave five organs. Two, seven. (And we all know that when they met in heaven it was a topic of discussion, who gave more organs, they were both also full of competiton.)

And to me, the heart is such an amazing organ. It's what gives us all life. It's the beating force behind our being, literally, but also figuratively. Yes, it is the organ that literally pumps blood and life through the body, but it can also break in an instance, and... it can also be so full of love that you feel like you may explode.

But the beauty of the heart, which we all think is such a personal part of us, is that is can fit in someone else, kind of by a miracle. Now it can't fit in anybody, it has to be a match. I know this because the hospital tried to match Byron's heart with someone from Pittsburgh. Right away I didn't feel very good about the placement, I mean, can a Bengals fan's heart really work in a Steeler's fan's body? Believe it or not, it can't, and Byron's heart was then placed in someone from Ohio.

But someone's heart can fit in someone else and it can give them life, and it can give them more time with their family and friends. It can give them to opportunity to become a successful business man or a doctor. It can give them the heart to love someone and create a family. Your organs can do all of that... for someone else.

If you are not already, I hope you consider being an organ donor. It really is the greatest gift, and haven't you all been trying to come up with a nice gift for someone on Valentine's Day?

www.donatelife.net

February 13 - Blue

I've been eyeing these pants for the last three weeks. I didn't think I would ever, ever be able to pull them off, but I just had to try. So here's one of my purchases for the day, and my picture of blue... cobalt blue that is. My favorite color of the season!



I absolutely love them! These pants aren't helping the closet cause at all, and I bought these instead of the wreath I was promising to buy this week, but I just couldn't help myself. I like them so much, I may just get up the courage to get a red pair too!

February 12 - Inside Your Closet

I've been so nervous for this day to come because I knew as soon as my mom would see this picture she would insist that I need to clean out my closet. I'm pretty embarrassed by this picture because it's such a mess... But here it is, my side of the closet.



I even put February 12th off for a day because I thought I would use my day off to clean it up a little. Instead I stayed in my bed until 10:30 am and stared at my closet thinking about what I could get rid of, but there wasn't much that I thought I could part with.

My rule is that at the end of every season, if I haven't worn it in the last three months, I get rid of it, even if it has the tags on it. It seems like a good system, but I realized that winter is the longest season when living in Chicago so mid-February my closet will begin to look like this.

Dan also came up with a little project. He said that I needed to count my shoes and then get rid of 20% of them. I said I would do it if he did it (keep in mind he's the owner of at least 15 pairs of Nikes) and he doesn't want to do it, so we'll just keep stacking up the shoes on the shelves. The thing about shoes is my feet haven't changed size since I was in the fifth grade, that's a lot of time to accumulate shoes! I've also found the most wonderful cobbler, so when I do wear out my favorite pair I just take them to him and he makes them brand new! He might be one of my favorite people in town!

Dan and I talk a lot about our dream home. The home changes a lot, sometimes it is a condo in the city with a lakeview and sometimes it's a house with a pool in the backyard, but every time we talk about our dream home I talk about my dream closet. Inside this closest lives the washer and dryer and an island that I can fold my clothes on and has drawers all along it to house all kinds of things, and then I would have shoe shelves to the ceiling so I don't have to stack my favorites on top of each other like I do now... it's nice to dream, but then I realize that a closet like that in the city would be very hard to come by. So for now I'm just going to keep smashing things into my side of the closet, and Mom, please save the phone call, I'll clean it out at the end of the season!

February 11 - Makes You Happy

There are many many things that make me happy. Clean sheets, delicious coffee, new shoes, freshly painted nails. I could go on and on.

But one thing that put the biggest smile on my face today, February 11th, was talking to Dillon on the phone. He's been going through a funny phase lately and doesn't like the phone. It's kinda been breaking Grandma's heart really, so I was so surprised when he said "HIIIIIIIIIIIIII" when Jill handed him the phone. We talked and talked about Toy Story 3 and how Aunt Tracy needed a nap so Dillon should take one for her. We talked about Miss Cindy's and his upcoming Valentine's party. He is really excited about the party. I asked him what kind of Valentine's he got his friends and he said, "Fun Dip Valentines, and Suckers, and M&M's." And then he tells me the thing that made me so happy.

"Aunt Tracy, when you eat a red fun dip and then eat a blue fun dip, your tongue turns purple!"

This kid is the smartest 3 year old I know. I love him to pieces and I am so glad that he is back to talking on the phone. I can't wait to see him and Jill, so today I'm going to share one of my most recent favorite pictures of Dillon.



Happy Weekend, hope you're doing something that makes you happy!

February 10 - Self Portrait

It's Friday, which for the past couple weeks has been known around the Hartman House as weigh in day. I'm proud to announce that I have lost 10 pounds since the first weigh in and I was planning on putting my skinny jeans to take a self portrait. Instead I decide that I should share with you that I am the most unprepared Chicagoian.

Quite a few months ago I quit watching the Chicago news because I honestly find it very depressing, therefore I have no idea what the weather is going to be like every day. Oh, and I must remind you, I don't live with Amanda any more. She was the person that I could ask every day what I should wear outside.

So Friday morning I left my house in pretty thin leggings and my tennis shoes. I had absolutely no idea that they were calling for 12-18 inches of snow in Northwest Indiana. I started getting nervous throughout the day because I would look out the window and I was having flashbacks of last year's blizzard. At one point Trish looked out the window and said it looked like shaved parmesan was blowing around outside. So 5:30 rolls around and I'm dreading walking to the train station. Luckily Jenna pulled out a barrett from under her desk. But here I am, in blizzard like conditions, with my ankles hanging out of my leggings, my tennis shoes slipping on the side walks, and my legs freezing in my thin pants. I honestly, honestly am the most unprepared person ever. So here's my self portrait, trying to survive the walk home on February 10th!

February 9 - Front Door

Here’s a picture of our front door as I left the house this morning. I know what you are going to say, “Tracy, it’s sunny in February!” I was surprised too at how beautiful this morning was, but it was oh so cold!

So our front door, I’ve been meaning to put a wreath on this door since the day we moved in and I have yet to get around to it. I even have a wreath hanger on the door that Dan’s mom gave us as soon as we moved in and it just sits there… wreath-less. So today I did some research, and wreaths are so expensive! I had no idea, but I’m determined to have one so that is going to be my “buy” this week. A little treat for myself if you will, instead of a new pair of shoes that I desperately think that I need or a pair of cobalt blue pants that I’m sure I could not pull off! I’ll update you with a more beautiful picture of a front door once I make the purchase!

Now speaking of front doors... I don’t think I ever shared anything about our honeymoon, so maybe I’ll start sharing little tidbits here and there. It really was the most fantastic trips and I’m so glad we went to Europe instead of a beach vacation. But one of my main missions while in London (besides drink afternoon tea, wear a fancy hat, and climb Primrose Hill) was to find three front doors to take pictures of. The numbers on the doors had to be “7” “3” and “11”, our wedding date. I had such high hopes and thought this would be the easiest task in the world because in the movies all they show are rows and rows of beautifully colored doors with little numbers. Sorry, real life London is not exactly like a movie and this was a much harder task than I originally planned. I'd see a door with a beautiful 19 on it and I would make Dan walk at least 3 blocks in a totally different direction than we were going, but we unfortunately just never found that 11. After a day and a half of only finding a 7 I bent my rules a little bit and would take any number that I saw. For a while I was chasing the number "11” double decker bus that went to Westminster, but I could never get a clear shot of it, or when I did see it my camera wasn’t quick enough to get the big number of the front, just the little one on the back!



So here is what I came up with in London.





Not very satisfied with these pictures I decided to try again while we were in Ireland. Most of our time in Ireland was spent in the country so there wasn’t a whole lot of opportunity for address picture taking, but I found some pretty great things when we visited St. James Gate.





Now I just have to figure out what I want to do with these pictures, or maybe on our next trip I’ll keep trying to find doors with the numbers… if anybody lives at “3” or “11” let me know…

Happy Thursday Night! One of my favorite evenings!

February 8 - Sun

I'm sorry, but today's photo assignment seems a little silly. There is never sun in Chicago in February. Instead, this morning there was a little layer of snow and ice on the ground and by the time I left work it was almost dark. I couldn't even come up with a good photo that I already had to share with you that represented sun. So instead I'm going to take this opportunity to share with the some pictures from a wonderful, wonderful day. Kait and Adam's wedding.

December 10, 2011 was a picture perfect day. I woke up with an awful hangover because ManFace and I went out with the groomsmen after the rehearsal dinner, but after a cup of coffee, subway sandwich, and a break halfway through my hair appointment I was good to go. We had so much fun getting ready, and Kaitlin made the most gorgeous bride.



Kaitlin also had the most fabulous glam squad to do our hair and makeup. Thank goodness they were still there to get the lipstick off of her face, but I absolutely love these pictures, they were well worth the pink lips on her cheek!



When we were all set we took a carriage ride to the circle to get pictures taken and then ceremony time it was!




Everything was perfect, the ceremony was so full of love and warmth and I was so happy to be standing there with Kaitlin and Adam. Then came the party. We had so much fun. I never left the dance floor, except to make quick trips to the bar and we danced, and danced until my body hurt.



It was such a great weekend and I couldn't be happier for Kaitlin and Adam. They are perfect... and two of my favorites!

February 7 - Button

So I'm guessing today's photo assignment could go a couple different ways, but I took it pretty literally and took a picture of my favorite button... The Snooze Button.



I don't think a day goes by that I don't push the snooze button. I set my alarm every night 9 minutes earlier than I need to get out of bed. It's the loudest most obnoxious alarm clock on the planet, but I'd rather hear it twice and have the feeling of falling back to sleep than to get out of bed on the first time it goes off.

Love that button! Happy Tuesday

February 6 - Dinner

Random Lady: “Would you like to try our hot Asian buns?”

Me: “Sure… I’ll have one of each.”

Hot Asian buns, also known as Wow Bao, was what I had for dinner on February 6th, along with a slice of cheese pizza from Lou Malnati’s, and antipasti from The Purple Pig. The antipasti was delicious, my favorite were the salt roasted beets with whipped goat cheese. Okay, okay, if you put goat cheese on anything these days I will think it is God’s gift from heaven, but still, very delish.

I can’t believe that I actually like beets now, I remember my parents eating them from the salad bar when we would go get fried chicken in Oldenburg and I thought they were the most disgusting looking things ever. But in the last year or two I’ve learned to love them, they are one of Dan’s favorites too. My dad always told me that one day my tastes would change, and I hate to admit it but I am seriously starting to like tomatoes. Now, I would still never put a slice of tomato on a sandwich, but this weekend I made tomato and mozzarella flatbreads and I just kept thinking, Dad would die if he saw me eating this huge slice of tomato on a pizza! So I guess it does happen, your taste buds change with age.

So back to dinner last night, it was very balanced meal if you ask me… not, but when you go to networking events for work this is usually what you end up having. And since I was at a work event I didn’t really think it was right to take a picture of my dinner so unfortunately February 6th is a little bit of a failure for me, so instead, I’ll leave you with a picture that I love of my momma.



My mom's ability to make a dinner is pretty spectacular. You could look in her refrigerator and there would be absolutely nothing in there, but she would whip up the most fabulous meal. I'm not sure where everything came from, but it always amazed me with the things she could come up with out of nowhere. The secret recipe in every one of mom's dishes was an onion. The lady has this pairing knife that she has had for my entire life and she can chop the onion perfectly while holding it in her hand. It's amazing, I've tried to do it several times... every time resulted in cut fingers. With that being said, mom's hands always smell just a little bit like onion. I know that it is strange but to me it's one of the most comforting things, and when my hands smell like onion I automatically get homesick. Yes, I know, it's the silliest thing, but one of my favorites.

February 5 - 10:00 am

I slept in today. Slept in so much that I almost missed todays picture assignment. That's correct, I almost missed 10:00 am. Luckily I heard Dan out in his little home office putting together a new offensive playbook.

And here is my 10:00 am... making breakfast

Today was declared "clean out the refrigerator and make omelets day" We just chopped everything up and put it in a beautiful egg pocket. HTM students, please disregard that I'm chopping my veggies on the "meat" mat, no Food Borne Illnesses were created during this process, the veggie mat was just in the dishwasher :).



And for our coffee this morning we went with the SuperBowl theme. I usually think long and hard about what city I want to drink out of, but today was a no brainer. I took Indianapolis and Dan took New York.



Unfortunately we don't have a Boston mug, we'll have to pick one up this summer. Oh, and my coffee maker, it's one of my favorite household items. Thank you Debbie and Albert for the most wonderful wedding gift!



Successful morning if you ask me. Even more successful afternoon. Our house is cleaner than the day we moved in. Dan asked me if we were expecting company. No company for us, just the two of us for the Super Bowl tonight. Go..... still undecided I have about 35 minutes to decide who I'm going to root for!

Hold on, I've decided, while the pictures were uploading Dan just told me a story. I'm rooting for the Giants because Mathias Kiwanunka is on their team. Mathias's hometown... Indianapolis, IN. Mathias's high school... Cathedral. Below is our conversation...

DH: "He was a part of the greatest Offensive Line in high school history"
TH: "Did we play against them"
DH: "Uhhh, yeah, the in infamous 1998 game, were you there"
TH: "Did their student section bring a couch?"
DH: "Ha, yeah they did"
TH: "I know we lost, but was it a blow out"
DH: "Are you kidding me, 14-13 on a blocked field goal."
TH: "Oh, all I remember is the couch"

Dan went on to tell me that their offensive line included 5 division one players and two that went onto the NFL. This is one of the little things that I love about this man he can tell you absolutely anything about sports. It's unbelievable that he remembers all these little things but can't remember my birthday, he swears it's December 15th. Go Giants!

February 4- A Stranger

The beauty of this weekend is that I had absolutely no plans. None. It is the most glorious feeling in the world. So, I was a little concerned about being able to take a picture of a stranger, because I really wasn't even planning on leaving the comfort of my home today. Well it turns out I did leave my house to run a few errands this morning... and I forgot my camera. So I don't have a real picture to go along with the post today, but I do want to tell you about the strangers that I encounter today... even though I think they know more about me than a lot of people do.

The first encounter was with the bank teller. She's a total stranger to me, I'm not sure where the nice blonde girl was today, but this lady knows so much about me. She knows how much money I make since I get direct deposits and she knows that I shop too much and spend a lot of money at restaurants.
The second encounter was with the pharmacist. She knows exactly what kind of medications I'm taking and how my benefits at work all work, nobody else knows those things about me.
And then there was the dry cleaning lady. We are not really strangers because she knows me as Mrs. Hartman, and she is just so sweet. She knows that I am too lazy to lovingly wash, starch, and iron Dan's dress shirts, she knows that I wear my suits probably one too many times before bringing them into her, and she knows that all of my party dresses usually come to her with at least one cocktail spill on them.

So I guess I'm not really a stranger to these people, they can probably tell a lot about me by the little things that they know about me, but they are strangers to me.

But now, I don't want to leave today's blog without a picture. So I'm going a little outside the box. This is a picture of the lasagna I made today.



I never made this recipe before and it is something that I would typically not make. It is chicken and zucchini lasagna with mushrooms and celery. It actually was pretty delicious and it is only 450 calories per serving! It's definitely not my mom's beautiful lasagna made with "Horstman Cow" and oozing yummy cheese, but it's a good substitute!

Happy Weekend, Boiler Up!

February 3 - Hands

This is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding day. It represents two of the most amazing women I’ve ever known, Grandma Horstman and Great-Grandma Hornbach. I always knew that I wanted to have something of theirs with me on my wedding day and I couldn’t have thought of two better things to be my something old and my something borrowed. The ring was Grandma Horstman’s ring and it’s become a tradition that all the girls wear it on their wedding day. It honestly was my favorite part of my outfit on that day. And the handkerchief was my Great Grandmas… it still smelled like her when Janet gave it to me to use. I’m so glad that I have this picture and what it represents. I also love this picture of Grandma and Grandpa Horstman's wedding day with the ring.




Now I didn’t really want to use this picture for today because what I really wanted for this post was a picture of my dad’s hands. Now those are hands that have character! My whole life I’ve given my dad a hard time because of the grease that has always been on his hands and under his fingernails. The only time we would ever see them clean would be the 7th day of our lake vacation because he hadn’t been working (well I guess I shouldn’t say that, there usually was always a boat repair that had to be done). But he wasn’t working his usual amount and he got to soak them in the lake water for the entire week. But Dad’s hands are one of the most telling thing about him; he’s the hardest working person that I know. He’s taught me a lot, just by his example, and now that I’ve left home and fending for myself I’ve realized how hard him and Mom have worked to give us everything that we have. I love those grease filled hands, and him of course!



Happy Friday!