Vote for Cooper!

In case you didn't notice that big button ad on the right side of my blog, I need your help! Vote for Cooper as the MVP pet.

Vacuums are to be won!

And yes, vacuums (particularly, working ones) are a source of contentness in my lame life. Proof I'm an adult, I guess.

Case #1:
With my very limited personal spending money, I choose to buy new vacuum parts (the spinning thing on the bottom and belts) instead of spending it on....well. anything.

Voting is easy. Just click on the button and you'll be taken directly to the voting form. Just fill out and submit. Thanks for your help!

February

"The day is ending,
The night is descending;
The marsh is frozen,
The river dead.
Through clouds like ashes
The red sun flashes
On village windows
That glimmer red."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Afternoon in February

Here's a sneak preview of what the Balows are up to this month. Although with the holidays done and over, we've gotten back into the same old routine. There aren't a lot of big exciting things going on...lots of work and school...and staying hunkered down until spring arrives (hopefully soon).

• Office visits -- This month I'll be going to both Winona and Hutchinson to visit some offices and show them all the cool interactive marketing tools we offer.
• Valentine's Day -- We don't really celebrate this holiday (it's a sore spot in our relationship, actually, since I told Dave I couldn't be his girlfriend right before he deployed to Iraq many years ago. Obviously, I changed my mind and Dave was still willing to have me. Despite my efforts to make this up to him, he still teases me about it).
• Baby shower -- A baby shower for my friend Beth who is having a baby in May! Beth is my "battle buddy" -- her boyfriend was deployed to Iraq at the same time as Dave. Coincidentally, her boyfriend (now husband) is also named Dave.
• Spring semester starts -- I was pleasantly surprised when I found out the semester didn't start until Feb. 5. I'm taking Communication Technology. Hopefully, I can figure it out. ;)
• Super Bowl Party -- Yesterday we went to a friend from my work's house to watch the Super Bowl and the commercials, and eat lots of yummy food. Hooray for making friends at work!

New recipe, Week 2

This week I made three new recipes. All different. All yummy.

Going back to last Sunday when I made a meal in my crock-pot. Slow Cooker Winter Vegetable Stew. Being able to utilize some vegetables I've never used on my own -- like parsnips and leaks -- made this recipe intriguing to me. Dave and I thought this was a good stew recipe. I thought that it lacked some flavor (next time I'll add minced garlic and paprika), although it tasted better when I brought it for lunch the following day. Since I knew a vegetable stew wouldn't be enough of a meal for my husband, I just bought one of those Lloyd's BBQ pork tubs and heated that in the microwave to have in addition.

Dave rated this 4 jalapenos. I rated it 3.5 jalapenos (see, I don't always rate things higher :))

Wednesday night I made Emeril's Beef and Broccoli. My friend Nicki recommended this one to me. There were some differences with what I made than the recipe -- I substituted 2 Tbsp of rice vinegar and 2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar for the 4 Tbsp of Chinese black vinegar. I also used regular honey. I also only made "one batch"....meaning used 1/2 the beef and 1/2 the broccoli (but I still used the same amount of sauce). Also just used frozen broccoli, since I had it stocked in my freezer. I like Asian food, so I keep things like rice vinegar and hoison sauce in my cupboard. lol. This was my favorite meal of the week. The sauce was so authentic tasting. It was really fast and easy to make too. Dave said it was the best stir fry I've made.

Dave rated this 4.5 jalapenos. I rated it 5 jalapenos.

Thursday night I found a recipe that allowed me to use the winter vegetables that were still in my fridge after making the stew Sunday night. Oven-roasted Roots. It's similar to a recipe that my sister, Becky, makes, so I hoped it'd be as good. I made it with parsnips, carrots, leeks and potatoes. I served this as a side-dish -- with hamburgers being the main course. Although, I was way more excited about the vegetables (I usually am). I think this time, Dave may have been more excited about the vegetables too. He took all the leftovers with him to have as his lunch. I love the flavor of balsamic vinegar, and it gives the vegetables great flavor. Call us weird, but Dave and I love parsnips now. But I must say, that Becky's oven-roasted root vegetable recipe is better.

Dave rated this 4 jalapenos. I rated it 4 jalapenos.

Everyone and their dog...plus a muskrat

Yesterday, everyone and their dog was at the dog park. Well, except Dave...he had to work. Otis, Cooper and I went with our friends Melissa, Mike and his dog, Hudson. The dogs had a lot of fun running around, since they hadn't been to the dog park in about two months. The park we visited had a big pond, but it was frozen...which was nice b/c it made the park a lot bigger as there was more space to run around.

Cooper was over on the side of the pond playing with another dog and what looked like a little puppy from a distance. I even said, "Hey, guys look at the little puppy Cooper's playing with."

But as I looked closer, it looked like it might be a gray football.

By now, Otis was checking this thing out. And some other dogs too.

Then, "Ew! That's not a dog or a football. That looks like a mole or a rat. Ew, it's a muskrat."

The dogs were chasing it...the muskrat was trying to run...then it froze in its tracks...the dogs were pawing at it...the muskrat was snapping back.

The muskrat was freaking out. I was freaking out too. The dogs were intrigued. "Otis, Cooper, COME!" Thank goodness they came when I called, while two crazy men picked it up and threw it onto the other side of the fence and saved all the dog park patrons from the muskrat.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones trying to enjoy the wonderfully warm weather!

And I'm thankful for dog vaccinations!

New Recipe, Week 1

This week I made a lot of new recipes, so I figure it'd be as good as any time to do #34 on my 101 in 1,001 list -- Try 1 new recipe every week for a month. Here's my re-cap from week 1.

Last night Dave and I (yes, we cook together) made Tilapia with Cucumber Salad. This dish was phenomenal! It tasted like something you'd eat on a tropical island vacation, which was quite enjoyable knowing that it was below zero outside. The dressing for the cucumber salad had a sweet and spicy bite thanks to the honey, ginger and rice vinegar. We served the salad on top of the fish (as it was pictured online), and the dressing drizzled down into the fish, complementing it perfectly. On the side, we served couscous to give us a well-balanced meal. And probably the best part was that this meal was super easy to make!

Dave rated this 4.5 jalapenos. I gave it 5 jalapenos.

Last Wednesday I made Sassy Sloppy Joes. Usually I just make Sloppy Joes by adding a can of sloppy joe mix to ground beef, but since I didn't have it in my cupboard I opted for this new recipe. I loved the addition of the chili sauce to give this meal some bite (probably added a little more than was necessary though. :) I didn't have any green pepper, so I just added onion and celery, and it still turned out fine. I consider Sloppy Joes one of those regular ole' home cooked meals, and that's exactly what this recipe was. It wasn't anything necessarily extravagant or special, but it fit the bill just right for a quick and yummy Wednesday night dinner.

Dave rated this 3.5 jalapenos. I gave it 4.

Last Sunday I made Turkey Chili. This chili recipe called for beer. I'd never put beer in my chili and I thought it sounded good, so I gave it a try. Yes, yes, it is good! I didn't have a can of tomato puree, so I just left it out....so my chili was a little runnier and it had a more broth-like consistency. On Sundays, I like to make meals that simmer for a while since I'm usually home most of the day after church. This is a great recipe to add to my Sunday recipe list. And there was plenty of leftovers so we could both bring some to work for lunch (that never happens!)

Dave rated this 3.5 jalapenos. I gave it 4.

President Barack Obama

Today, President Barack Obama was sworn in as our country's 44th President. There's only a handful of times when I've known I'm witnessing something major in our country's history -- and this probably tops the list. For having stayed so on top of the election process -- from the primaries and debates to the election -- I feel like I haven't been able to witness today's events to the fullest (thinking inauguration should be a national holiday), but at least I was able to stream in the swearing in and inaugural address onto my computer at work.

The other day on the radio, people were calling in to share what this means to them. I've been thinking about that lately. What does it mean to me that Barack Obama is President of the United States?

Probably the most important thing for me is a new hope for peace and justice. Also, hope that our there will be new-found accountability for our government. I feel like we have a President who actually will protect and defend the Constitution, rather then bend and distort its definitions to strengthen his power. A President who is willing to create dialogue and driven to find common ground -- rather than an "your either with us or against us" attitude. I'm excited to have a President who is intelligent and will hopefully make smart decisions to bring prosperity back to our country. And I feel like we have regained some respect around the world.

The changes the the President is being called on to make won't be easy. But I believe he can...especially with the support he's getting from our people and around the world. In his inaugural address, President Obama didn't exactly paint a pretty picture of the current state of our affairs -- but despite the challenges we face, I am filled with an extraordinary amount of hope. We will get over these challenging times -- it's what we've done in the past and it's what we'll do today and tomorrow. I believe that today the dawn is breaking on a new, brighter day for our country...and it's so exciting to be part of this!

"America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

~President Barack Obama, Inauguration Address, January 20, 2009

North Carolina Christmas pics

Katie posted photos of our Christmas in North Carolina on her blog earlier this week. If you're interested to see pics of all the fun stuff we did, check them out.