Coming out of my cocoon.

I've always been somewhat of a fan of Will Smith and his movies, and after waiting a very long time, Netflix finally sent us I Am Legend just in time for the weekend. I had heard mixed reviews about it: some people really liked it, while others liked it but didn't care for the ending. So my husband and I sat down last Saturday afternoon to form our own opinions.

For those who haven't seen it (or heard of it), the premise is that a virus that was engineered to cure cancer ends up becoming dangerous and airborne and turns the entire human race into zombies, with the exception of Will Smith's character who is left to fend for himself in New York City. The story revolves around him trying to do 3 things: 1) attempt to find survivors who are not infected; 2) work to find a cure for the virus to restore the human race; and 3) survive.

I liked the movie well enough - I don't know if I'll ever watch it again, but it was interesting and engaging. There was room for more character development and I think the zombies could have looked a little less computer-created (I've seen Resident Evil too many times, I think), but overall, pretty good. The ending was so-so, but I wasn't disappointed with it as some have been.

As someone who considers this topic one of her top ten fears, I couldn't help but think what I would do if it were me. The very idea shakes me to my core. Since I'm an incredibly social person and thrive on interactions with people, being the only person on the planet would be hard. Actually, it would be worse than hard: it would drive me insane. I honestly don't think that I would survive being alone all the time. I know that I'd probably be able to fend for myself (at least, I hope I would), but the lack of social interaction would be torture for me. Of course, I do have lots of conversations with myself on a regular basis NOW, so I'm sure I'd be my own best friend in no time.

Thus, a lesson in self-discovery. I am a social butterfly: something I never would have said about myself a few years ago. Which means I'm growing and evolving as a person.

Amazing that I discovered all this from a Will Smith movie.

My thoughts exactly.

I couldn't have said (or done) it better myself.




Happy Saturday!!

Mark this date down in history.

I missed something big today.

When I came home from work, R said the cats were sleeping on our bed earlier today TOGETHER. SIDE BY SIDE. TOUCHING EACH OTHER.

And there's no physical proof that it happened, other than R's story. Auuughh!

For those of you who don't know my cats, they don't care for each other. At all. They don't snuggle together all cute-like during the winter when it's cold out - oh no. They would much rather chase the other one from a room or smack the other one on the head with their paw. They're civil to each other most of the time, but every now and then there's a skirmish and it sounds like elephants are running around upstairs. Thankfully there's never any blood or biting - just lots of chasing and intimidation. I always have nice little fairy tale dreams that one day they will sleep next to each other and it will look like a greeting card and they'll have forgiven each other's mistakes and flaws and be BFFs. It's been 7 years and I'm still dreaming.

So! Now you see why today was so AMAZING! And I missed it.

I wonder if this is what missing your child's first step is like.

KIDDING, of course!

Adventures in baking!

One of my co-workers celebrates a birthday this week, and when I asked her what kind of cake I should make, she said her favorite was strawberry cake (not strawberry SHORTcake, but strawberry cake). I've never made that before, so I looked around online and found this recipe on the Betty Crocker website. I didn't take any pictures of the finished product this time (which I should have!), but it turned out very well: almost exactly like the picture! All I did was add a box of strawberry Jell-O to a white cake mix, and presto! Strawberry cake. It was delicious, especially with the homemade whipped cream/cream cheese frosting. Yum!

I had an idea for a future cake after making it: wouldn't it be delicious to add a box of raspberry Jell-O to a white cake mix and frost it with chocolate frosting?? That will be my next cake for sure.

And, another thing worth mentioning: baking makes me happy. I love to make sweets that make the whole house smell like a bakery. I like that people feel happy when they eat what I've created. I love how precise baking is. I love that it makes me feel confident. I wasn't in the best of moods last night, but once I was finished making everything, I felt so much better. Much cheaper than therapy, no?

The next item to try is a recipe for thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies. Can't wait to try them!

My, how the time has flown.

How did she go from this:










To this:










So quickly?


Our little Kim is getting married in 2 months!! I can't believe it. We had her bridal shower this weekend in what was just the beginning of all the celebrating we'll be doing up until the wedding. Here's what part of the spread looked like:











And the dessert table (cue the angels singing):










And you can't see the plates and plates of cookies on the other counter top!

Now I understand where my insatiable sweet tooth comes from.

It was a wonderful day filled with well wishes, family and lots and lots of food. Just the kind of day you hope for.

2 more weeks until the next party!

Just imagine what my house smells like right now.

Sweet, sweet torture. I made them for my cousin's bridal shower tomorrow. Will they make it until then??

P.S. These are the most delicious brownies you will ever eat in your life. They're a Nigella Lawson recipe, and girlfriend does not skimp on her ingredients. They have 6 eggs, a pound of chocolate and 3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons of butter. Heaven on earth.

I added 1 hour to my life today!

How was your day?

Today is the start of the American Heart Association's National Start! Walking campaign. The idea behind it is to raise awareness of how good walking really is for you and to support the fight against heart disease. Did you know that for every hour of regular, vigorous exercise that you do, you gain 2 hours of life? How cool is that?

The company I work for decided to participate in this campaign, so along with a few of my fellow co-workers, we took a 30 minute walk today to kick it off. I felt really good afterwards - unfortunately, it's been awhile since I've exercised since I haven't been feeling well lately and life has just been too darn busy. I usually get a little sleepy during the day (as do most of us who work behind a desk), and this was just the pick-me-up I needed to get me through the rest of my day. And, I added an hour to my life - woo hoo!

So go and do something nice for yourself and your family by extending your life a little bit. And who knows? Maybe you'll make it a regular routine and end up adding years to your life.

Happy walking!