Rosie in a Snuggie

Snuggle Bunny

A Good Thing - White Chicken Chili

Today I made a delicious and healthy soup in my crock pot and it was good. So, I thought I would share my super easy recipe!

What you need:

2 cups chicken stock (fat free, low sodium - add a cup more if you like broth)

2 cups of salsa (I used chi-chi's)

4 chicken breast (cubed or chopped into 1 inch pieces)

1 large jar of northern beans

Throw all of this in a crock pot on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Garnish with a white grated cheese and sour cream.

You're home will smell wonderful! Enjoy

Ohh Milwaukee....

Joey and I just got home from an amazing Christmas holiday. We spent QT with our families and friends, we received wonderful gifts and enjoyed the warmer weather in Indiana.

On our way home, Joey got a phone call from a private number. When he answered...he realized it was a Milwaukee police office calling about the black jeep parked about our house. The black jeep is mine and it was stolen!

But...not only was it stolen, my back window was broken out, the ignition was stripped and it was started by a screw driver. It was then taken from my parking slab in the

back of my house, involved in a chase with the police, where is was abandoned because the thieves freaked out and fled on foot. The police officers lost the guys on foot.

Seriously? Ohh yes...

The good thing is it was found and there wasn't major damage. However, WE ARE MOVING! And we are moving soon! Our neighborhood is up and coming...but we've had horrible luck with the cars. We are taking this as an omen and a sign that we need to go somewhere else.

Colts/IU Recap

A few months ago - we had a football filled weekend. First, the IU game, and on Sunday, the Colts game. Both were awesome. Here are the highlights:

IU vs. WI

I hadn't been to IU in a while and so many things were totally different...but I still felt right at home! Tailgating was so much fun. It was great to be with our college friends!

Colts vs. Texans

The next morning, we were on our way to Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts game. We met up with my family and had fun touring the new stadium. Its huge! And even though they had the big investigative report on the mice in the stadium and the bad food, my nachos were fantastic!

Me with my fam!

Go Colts!

Yay for the Holidays!

If you know me...you know I love the holidays!

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year and I go all out on decorations, music, baked goodies and anything that sparkles or has glitter.

If it were my preference, I would have already set up the Christmas trees. But, I will respect Joey’s wishes to not set up the trees until after Thanksgiving. Bah Humbug!
Side note: Because I live in the city in an apartment – I don’t have a real Christmas Tree. I know this is like the Cardinal sin of Christmas. I assure you, once I no longer live in a downtown apartment, I will have a giant, fragrant, 100% real Christmas Tree.

I am also 88% done with my Christmas shopping. It is my goal to have all Christmas shopping completed and paid for by Thanksgiving. This doesn’t include fun last minute stocking stuffers, but on a whole, it’s how I role.

And to top of my love of Christmas, I talked Joey, Curt and Celeste into watching Home Alone and The Santa Clause last weekend. It was great! (I have a pretty big Christmas movie collection that is awesome, as well.)

However, I am very guilty of falling into the “I will buy it because it is Christmas themed,” trap.

A few of my favorites:

Red holiday cups at Starbucks - I typically don’t get hot drinks, but I will just to get the cup!

Holiday M&M’s – I don’t eat them at all until Halloween and Christmas because I like to fill glass containers with them.

Holiday ice cream - Eddy’s always comes out with fun holiday flavors like apple pie and pumpkin cinnamon.

Holiday scents - Bath and Body and Yankee are notorious for winning me over with their holiday fragrance lines. I can't help myself.

Needless to say – I am so excited about my trip home to Columbus so I can go to Hobby Lobby and throw myself into Christmas overload while Joey is at my house watching football...and I will be listening to Christmas music all the way to the store!

IU Here We Come- Joey and Ale’s Football Filled Weekend of Fun!

It has been almost two years since I have been in Bloomington and for Joey…more like two in a half years. But this weekend we are heading to IU for the IU vs. WI football game and we’re pumped.

Top 5 things to do in Bloomington:

1. Tailgate and go to the game in our newly renovated Memorial Stadium. Go Hoosiers!


2. Go to Nick’s for a round of Sink the Biz and a bucket of the best spicy fries in the world.


3. Check out Kilroy’s - Joey and I might steal a shot glass for old time sake – we used to be the Bonnie and Clyde of glass wear.


4. Take a drive through campus – so beautiful, I wish I was still in college.


5. Stop in TIS or Steve and Barry’s for some updated Hoosier gear.
   

I love IU and miss it so much! It will be great to be back.

To top that off - On Sunday, we are going to the Colts vs. the Texans game in the new Lucas Oil Stadium. Go Colts!

Needless to say, it is going to be an overdose of football but it’s going to be great!

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. White

In October, Joey and I made our way to Greenwood Indiana for the wedding of Steve and Lauren – one of Joey’s closet friends from IU. Joey was in the wedding and I had a seat at the “other half” table.

However, my favorite part of the entire wedding was the ceremony. Typically – I think people dismiss the ceremony and think only about the open bar awaiting them at the reception.

Although this is rude, it seems to be common – not to say I haven’t been to a few really boring ceremonies but you are invited to witness the marriage – and people should focus on that…

This ceremony was completely different. It was one of the most personal ceremonies I have attended. Everything from the music – piano versions of a few contemporary songs to an acoustic song written for Steve and Lauren, to the sermon and introduction to the couple to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder…this wedding had the couple’s personal touch.

Also – much to Joey’s surprise and my unintentional hand placement – I caught the bouquet. I literally jut put my hand up and there is was. Lauren has a good aim.

Congrats again to Mr. and Mrs. White. Thank you for inviting us to be a part of your special day!

I stole this pic from Lauren's facebook but it was so beautiful I had to post it.

Couples Retreat = Funny Movie

Joey and I went with Milwaukee besties Curt and Celeste to see Couples Retreat this weekend. Disregard the mediocre reviews...this movie was hilarious and I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys Vince Vaughn banter. The breakout star of the movie is the little blond kid. So cute and funny. I would adopt him!

Race for the Cure!

The 2009 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure was so great! Attendance was amazing with 13,000 people on the lakefront. This was our second year and we ran the race which started and ended at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Joey and I trained for the race but definitely were feeling it by the end. Thank you Joey for cheering me along and for stopping to stretch out my ankle cramps! We finished strong together and I am happy we were part of this awesome event.

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is a touching event to be a part of. The feeling you get when you look into a sea of pink and white and know that everyone is there for the same reason is incredible. However, it’s an emotional roller coaster. Breast cancer survivors and those battling cancer wear pink shirts and its humbling to see how many are participating. There are also “in celebration of” and “in memory of “signs on the back of people’s shirts. That is the toughest part. With each name, there is a story.

To all of the men and women battling this disease, keep fighting and know that there are people out there supporting you.

I love this cause and thank you to everyone who donated to my page! We exceeded my goal by 25%.

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible." ~Christopher Reeve

Komen Cupcakes!

Joey and I are running in the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure on Saturday. I have been working on fundraising this year so I made a bunch of "Komen Cupcakes" and sold them at work.

Aren't they cute!!

(Sorry for the bad lighting, it was late at night.)

Learning to Share

Is Target the New Wal-Mart?

Correct me if I am wrong but it is my understanding that if you want to publicly discipline your children and speak profanities so that an entire store can hear you, you take your business to Wal-Mart….Not Target!!!

I was distressed after my trip to Target this weekend.

I haven’t been to Target in a very long time because my check out bill always seems to hit triple digits when I go, so you can image in my excitement to peruse the store and hit up the fall decorations and Halloween section on a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

From the moment I entered, I was confronted with a crowd people who acted like they had never used a shopping cart before. After we made our way through the entrance, things were looking up and I was convinced the turbulence in the front of the store must have been some sort of paranormal misshapen. BUT…that is when I was awoken from my “Target=Happy Place” mode and heard the screams of misbehaving children and their angry mother yelling and cursing at them. (Wal-Mart behavior)

I continued throughout the store a bit annoyed by all the noise pollution. But there were dozens of screaming parent and their twerppy kids making a ruckus. Also, there were several loud cell phone talkers who forgot that not only can the people on the other end of the line hear your use of profane language, but so can the people around you in the store. RUDE.

How dare these people rain on my Target parade?

I love walking the aisles of Target, looking at all of the housewares and miscellaneous kitchen items and enjoying a good clearance rack. I can enjoy my Starbucks and shop for the things I need – and don’t need – in a warm and welcoming environment.

The behavior of my weekend trip is not the behavior of true Target shoppers. Target shoppers are kind and polite. They move their cart to the side if you are trying to pass them in an aisle.
They are kind parents who have behaved children.

And now….all of these inconsiderate and unappreciative patrons are ruining it! So I ask the inconsiderate, unappreciative non-Target shoppers, to either adapt their former Wal-Mart behavior to the non verbal code of Target shoppers so we can all enjoy our shopping experience.

Or…go back to Wal-Mart!

SC Wedding #1

Two of my friends from college got married in August. Chris, the groom, served on IUSF Steering Committee with me. His fiance, Robyn, went to Purdue but made many appearances at IUSF functions.

I love them both and had an AMAZING time catching up with all of my SC besties at the wedding. I can't believe it has been three years since we were in college. Where does the time go?

It is so great to know that even though it has been three years, some things never change.

-My friend Allison and I had out own version of the movie, Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List. If you haven't see the movie, it about two kids trying to find another inebriated friend who is lost in the city. This happened. One of my closet guy friends, who will remain nameless, sent us on a wild goose chase around the campus of Depaul University. We found him, thanks to some kids who let him pass out on their porch.

-We also got stuck in traffic on the way to the wedding and ended up having to change in the car in the parking lot. We made it to the wedding at 2:59. The wedding started at 3:00.

-We definitely brought the dance floor from Sports to the wedding venue. The Michael Jackson tributes were amazing.

-After the wedding, our group of about 20 was asked by a bar owner not to go to his po-dunk bar called The Courthouse. Very strange...so we didn't.

-After the party is the hotel lobby - or hallway. Our rooms were all next to each other so we continued our festivities there. While leaping into the elevator, I sprained my ankle in front of Libby and Allison. They had a good laugh and my ankle swelled up like an apple. Always great.

Needless to say, Allison, Brett W, Brett R, Libby, Kat, Megan, Kasey, Carrie, Adam, Elliott, Lindsay, Man-Cole, Chris and Robyn - I miss you guys so much and I had an amazing time catching up! See you all in January!

Visit From My Sista!

A few weekends ago, my little sister, Carleigh, was in town with her bf Dustin to see the sights Milwaukee has to offer. The last time Carleigh visited Milwaukee, it was -12 and a snow storm. I think the summer time visit was a completely different experience-thank goodness. We had a awesome time exploring the charm of the city. Some of the highlights are as follows:

We went to Sil’s for some of their amazingly fresh and piping hot mini doughnuts! Delish!

We happened to be at Bayshore for the chalk art festival which was awesome. Some of the work was unbelievable. I can’t believe they work so hard on something that disappears when it rains. (tear)















So amazing.















Lots of shopping at Urban, H&M and vinatage on Brady.

Curt and Celeste joined us for dinner at Roots! Best view of the City and a 3 minute walk from my house. I hope they come back again before the feet of snow appear!!

It's In the Air

There is something that changes in the air and you know summer is over and Fall has moved in... I love that smell.

Fall kicks off my favorite time of the year. I love love love the holidays. I am one of those people who will start Christmas shopping in July. I can’t help it. I also drive Joey crazy with decorating and bring out all of my cozy blankets.

What I like most about Fall:
Sweaters with flip flops
Fall fashion guides
Crisp air in the morning
Watching You’ve Got Mail and Hocus Pocus
Apple cider
Warm scented candles
College football and tailgating
Halloween –We will have trick or treaters!!
Cedarburg Wine and Harvest Festival
Fall flavors at Starbucks
Pumpkin bread
Fall TV and season premiers
The leaves
My birthday!

Not Only in the Movies

So Joey and I were leaving to catch a 7am flight to Indiana two weekends ago to go to Baby Noah's baptism and Joey went out to move his car to the other side of the street.

He started his car, put it in reverse and nothing happened.

"Strange," Joey thought to himself in confusion. "I wonder if someone hit my car during the night?" So he got out to look at his car. The drivers side was fine...so he went to the other side....

NO TIRES!

His car was sitting on a cinder block. A CINDER BLOCK!!! Someone stole his tires!! I won't quote Joey for the rest of the morning because it is not appropriate for readers. Needless to say, he was shocked.

Wisconsin State Fair

So in true Midwest fashion, I had to take a trip to the Wisconsin State Fair. I went with my friend Annie and it was awesome!

Personally, I love the fair. I love the animals, the old ladies and there homemade jam and the food.

This year, I had a fair first: the piggy races! Annie, an avid piggy race fan, watched You-Tube videos in preparation for the event. Little did I know, they not only do they race piggy's, but goats and ducks too. Annie stood on her seat and waved her arms like a crazy lady to be chosen as duck rooter (if her duck won, she got a blue ribbon-typically an opportunity for children, not 25 year old women) for the duckie race. If you think this sport is a joke...think again because people take this stuff seriously.

Another fair first was the Herb Kohl milk stand. Although it sounds gross to drink milk on a hot eventing at the fair, it was super cool. There were about 15 flavor choices of milk. I samples root beer and classic strawberry. New flavors included banana and wild cherry. The line for this was around the corned and you got a giant glass for a quarter. The guy in front of us was buying eight glasses!

For the food experience....I searched high and low for chocolate bacon, but never found it. I settled for cheese curds instead.

YeeHaw...I love the fair.

Side note: Unfortunately the Mayor of Milwaukee made a trip to the fair as well. On his way out, he tried to help a woman in a domestic dispute and ended up getting attacked by a man with a large pipe. The mayor was in the hospital with major facial lacerations, missing teeth and a broken hand. No, I'm not kidding!

Puppy Love

So a friend of mine just got a new puppy - a malti-poo (half Rosie and half poodle) so I started reminiscing about when Rosie was a puppy. She was so little and fluffy!

An Indiana Wedding

A few weekends ago, Joey and I were in Indiana for a wedding. The morning after the reception, family and friends gathered at the groom's house for brunch and to open gifts.

You know you are in Indiana when the morning after your wedding, your friends put a giant pig with a saddle in your front yard with a sign saying, "Another one saddled up!"

Congrats to Casey and JD. The wedding was beautiful and we had a wonderful time with family and friends!

Boy oh Boy!

You know its been a busy last few weeks at work when you look at your day-by-day peel off calendar and it says June 24....

Life's Simple Pleasure

I just bought these beautiful cherry's and they are delightful! Sometimes it is the littlest thing that can make your day great! Like eating a bowl full of these in the morning!

Milwaukee German Fest - Viel Vergnügen!

Joey and I decided to check out German Fest since we are both German in heritage. Joey, although his last name is French, he is three quarters German. I don't know what percentage I am, but I know I'm German and Irish.

So we braved the crowds of beer maids and guys in traditional lederhosen (funny looking shorts with suspenders) and decided to check out what this festival had to offer.

We didn't do much German food tasting because we couldn't see paying $5 for a bratwurst since we have a bunch in the fridge...so we went souvenir shopping.

My personal favorite item is the glass boot for beer (above). We looked at a bunch of these. I don't drink beer but if I did....I would totally want to drink it out of a glass boot.

We also tried on traditional German hats.

I look like Peter Pan.

Typical Joey...hiding from the camera.

In conclusion, we had a good time. And we both got cool beer steins.

Das müssen wir begiessen!

More of Baby Noah

This was about a week after Baby Noah was born at Sara and Matt's in Indy. We can't wait to see him this weekend!!!

"May your life be filled with beautiful sunsets, great waves and sand between your toes."

One Day...

Today, I would like to be here... in this cocoon hammock with a frozen drink and maybe a book. Unfortunately, I don't believe this place exists in WI. But someday I will have a hammock in my yard under a tree and will spend a lot of time there.

City Garden

So I have decided to pull out my green thumb and start an city herb garden this summer. A city herb garden is one that is not in the ground but rather in pots on our porch or balcony.

My city herb garden includes basil, cilantro and dill. Not too fancy but they are my favorite herbs and the ones I am most likely to use. I love love love basil. I made an awesome tomato and mozzarella salad over the weekend and added my freshly picked basil! Yum.

And even though my backyard is far from its natural habitat...my herbs are doing amazingly well. I have even had to give it away to my co-workers. Its just a shame that Joey doesn't like anything with "herbie" food.

So, since I have managed to keep my herbs alive, next summer I am going to plant tomato plants because Joey and I go through tomatoes like crazy. On an average week, we probably consume about ten tomatoes or more. I would have tried it this summer but construction on our garage is about to begin and our yard is going to be torn apart.

{freshly picked goodness}

Milk Anyone?

It is no secret that I love to bake. Since we had friends coming in this weekend, it was the perfect excuse to hang out in the kitchen and make a few delicious treats.

I have been obsessed with these banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies since I got the recipe from my favorite NY Housewife, Bethenny. They don't take any time to bake and are best when served hot! Also, they aren't that sinful and and are perfect for breakfast, too. I would also recommend Bethenny's book, Naturally Thin because unlike typical "diet books" her focus is more on healthy and natural eating and she provides several great and easy recipes, as well.

Enjoy!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

You Need:

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour


• 3/4 cup rolled oats


• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup raw sugar


• 1/3 cup chocolate chips


• 1 teaspoon canola oil


• 1/3 cup soy milk (or regular milk)


• 1/2 cup banana puree (1 medium-size banana)


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, until well combined.
Use a medium-size ice cream scoop or a large spoon to scoop batter onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.
Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking, or bake until the edges of the cookies are light brown.

Cherry Lime Awesome

Sonic recently opened in Milwaukee and while I haven't tried their food...I am obsessed with their Cherry Limeade. This week, I made Joey ride with me and Rosie across town at 10:30 p.m. to get one. I had a bite of his cheese burger which was pretty good, too.

The other amazing thing is they come in a Styrofoam cup that stays cold forever (I miss my polar pops) . I ordered a large and I drank it for two days because I kept it in the refrigerator. Also, they come with 2 limes and a cherry!

Delightful!

Welcome Baby Noah!

Joey is an Uncle Joe! I think everyone has an Uncle Joe ( I do). His sister Sara had Baby Noah a few weeks early on June 22, the morning after fathers day. Baby Noah's actual due date, July 14th, just popped up on my calendar at work this week and I had to laugh because we have already been to IN to see him.

He is a handsome little guy and he is all set with Cubs gear. No need to worry, he has a bear, onesies and a hat....and he is only 3 weeks old.

Congrats Matt and Sara! He's a cutie!

This is Not a Joke. This is the News.

Like I have mentioned before, my job requires intensive media monitoring daily. From hard copy publications to online coverage...it is a news junkies haven in my office. On occasion...we stumble across peculiar stories or articles. Today is one of those days. I returned from lunch with a newspaper article on my chair from my colleague EK. Please see highlighted section below:

I'm Jealous of My Dog

Every morning, when I wake up to my annoying alarm clock, I sit up and look at my little pooch all sprawled out on her back and am jealous of her free time, carefree attitude and stress free routine. She is a lucky girl and sometimes...I want to be her.

Below, please find a day in the life of Rosie.

• 6:45 am- Hear the alarm clock, but who cares...I'm not leaving the bed...roll over.


• 7:00 am- My mom is about to get out of bed...more room for me!!


• 7:15 am- I guess I can get up to go to potty...or I could sneak into the second bedroom if nobody is looking.....


• 7:20 am- I'm not sure who these people are walking around my house...I will bark at them cause they should have asked me first!


• 7:30 am- I'll grab a little snack and a drink and will pass out on the couch...


• 7:55 am- Yeah! Time to go to my house(kennel)...TREATS! I expect a yogurt drop!


• 8:00 am- 12ish ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.........(bark at the mail man) .......zzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ


• 12ish - Mom is home and if I look cute, she will feed me people food for lunch. Potty.


• 12:15 pm- Bored with my mom...going back to bed.


• 1:00 pm- My mom is leaving again...more TREATS!


• 1:00 - 5:00 pm ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz...........


• 5:05 pm- Potty, sleep on my mom, wait for food to fall on the floor, beg for food, bark a little bit, go on a walk, lick some people, get a drink, sleep, chew bones, get excited because Joey is home, howl at him for a bit, show him my bones, follow my mom around, pass out on Joey, get my hair did, go to "sweepies" with my mom, annoyed by how she says "sweepies", passed out.... REPEAT.

Ohh the life.

A Little Bird Told Me

A few weeks ago, Joey and I were in my dad's hometown for a wedding. Because I hadn't been in the area for a few years, I decided that I wanted to go to see my grandma at the cemetery.

Before we left, I was wishing to myself that I could see some kind of a sign that my grandma is happy or present...just something to let me know she is OK.

Her resting place is in a beautiful location on a hill and under a shady tree. We were looking at her flowers when we noticed a mother bird had made a nest in the flowers on top of my grandma's headstone and she was sitting on her nest of babies.

I was so touched because this bird had all the placed in the world to build a nest, but she picked a spot with my grandma, where she would be safe and taken care of.

It was just the sign I was looking for.

Housewives are for Lovers

I know Joey will be mad at me for posting but I am so excited for tonight’s “missing footage” edition of Real Housewives of NJ. I have to admit I am obsessed with the Real Housewives, but not just NJ. I love NYC, OC and ATL, too. The show is like a car accident….you try not to look but once you do, you can’t take your eyes off!

I can’t wait for Chicago and Washington DC. Keep them coming Bravo!!

Yum!

On Milwaukee's East side, when the weather is nice, the Paleta man walks his cart around the neighborhood and rings a little bell. As my office is comprised of mostly women, he makes a stop at our door to let us know when he is here.

What is a Paleta you ask? A Mexican frozen fruit bar that is truley to die for.

I am a big fan the coconut and cream bar....DELISH! It is one of those little things in life that can make your day better!

Thank you Paleta man!

End of an Era

When I was about 4 or 5, my dad took me to the music store not far from our house in Toronto, Canada. I picked out my first vinyl album; it was Michael Jackson's "Bad". I was so excited that I carried the album the entire subway ride home.

"In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.” -Michael Jackson

Momma and Poppa Owens Visit Milwaukee

My mom and dad were in Milwaukee over the 4th of July holiday. It is nice to have a holiday weekend when we aren’t driving to and from Indiana (even though we always love being home).


While they were in town, we went to Summerfest for the Guster concert, which was AMAZING!If you ever have the chance to see Guster in concert…I would highly recommend going. Definitely one of my favorite bands in the world!

On the 4th of July, we went to the Cubs vs. Brewers at Wrigley Field. It was the first time in the stadium for my parents. Even thought it was a rainy day and the Cubs lost miserably(sorry Joey), we had a blast. American patriotism was in full force and it was nice to be in the most American of places on our country's birthday - a baseball game.

Thank you Mom and Dad for a fun weekend!!