Facing the Giants Needle

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I come from a family full of bad backs and had my first bulging disc at the ripe young age of 24. I was suspicious of chiropractors in general, believing them to all be quacks who hurt more than they helped. That is, until I needed one. Now I am a firm believer in chiropractic care and I consider monthly massages to be a health necessity.

Unfortunately, I've not found a chiropractor that I like here in Indy. My Knoxville chiro set the bar pretty high and despite my best efforts, I can find no one even close to his level in our no-longer-so-new hometown. And although my monthly massages have staved off the daily headaches I used to suffer, my back and shoulders are wound tighter than a Nate's hand around my credit card on Black Friday. At this point, I don't think simple massages are going to fix this.

So I'm considering this:

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Acupuncture.

I am terrified of needles. I have to be dying before I'll visit a doctor because I'm convinced all they'll want to do is suck out my blood. My phobia is so bad that I don't even like to be touched in the crooks of my arms because it gives me the needle heebie jeebies.

So considering acupuncture means I'm desperate. I lie in bed at night and rationalize to myself: It won't be so bad, it's just in my back. I won't even be able to see them. I won't look at the needles. I can take drugs before I go. Maybe they'll let me have a cocktail if I promise not to drive.

I get all brave at night, thinking I can do this and I'll make some calls in the morning - and then I look up an acupuncture website, take one look at those needles and start hyperventilating at the mere thought of someone jamming pointy-ended sticks into my delicate as a baby back.

My head knows it will help. My back is screaming for relief. But I just don't know if my nerves can take it.

Have you ever tried acupuncture?

Have you ever faced a fear head on and overcome it?

Tuesdays at the Table

This one's an oldie, but a goodie. And now we'll be making and eating it on our brand new deck. Summer lovin', havin' a blast.

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Grilled Pizza

Ingredients:
Pre-made pizza dough (I use the Pillsbury kind)
Baby spinach or arugula mix
Tomatoes
Mozzarella (fresh or processed, whatever your preference)
Salt
Black Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions:

1. Prepare outdoor grill to medium heat.
2. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Cut the pizza dough into 4 sections, so you have 4 mini 'crusts'.
4. Place pizza dough on hot grill. Cover grill and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until dough begins to stiffen. (Time will vary according to your grill, so watch carefully the first time so that you don't burn your dough!)
5. Carefully move the dough back to the cookie sheets with the 'cooked side' up.
6. Top the dough with spinach, tomatoes and cheese.
7. Return dough carefully to the grill. The topping side should face up and the 'uncooked' side should face down.
8. Cover grill and cook another 1 to 2 minutes (again, your grill will vary) until the bottom of the dough stiffens and cheese begins to melt.
9. Remove the pizzas from the grill and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and to taste.

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I have been making this recipe for several years and unfortunately I have absolutely no recollection where I found it, but it is one of our favorites. I would eat it every single week if I could. We do it on the grill in the summers and then when it gets too cold, we just use the oven everywhere that it says 'grill'. It doesn't have the grill flavor but it's still super yummy.

I like to make mine exactly like the recipe. I add mushrooms and pepperoni to Nate's and leave off the olive oil drizzle, so there are lots of ways to play around with this idea.

Happy grilling!

Happy Anniversary, My Love

I Love You

by Roy Croft

I Love You,
Not only for what you are,
but for what I am when I am with you,
not only for what you have made of yourself,
but for what you are making of me.
I love you for the part of me that you bring out.
I love you for putting your hand into my overflowing heart
and passing over all the foolish, weak things that can't help,
dimly seeing there, and for drawing out into the light all the
beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find.
I love you because you are helping me to make of the dreams of my life
not a thought but a reality,
Out of the works of my every day not a reproach but a song...
Yes, a Love song.

Seven years ago today....

State of Mind

Loving: my new laptop!

Hating: the heat and humidity

Craving: time with my sisters

Wanting: to purge the house of everything that is unnecessary

Reading: Kelly Cutrone, If you have to cry go outside

Watching: Pretty Little Liars

Listening to: my newly stocked iPod

Looking forward to: our anniversary tomorrow!

Worried about: the work/life balance

It's not a mid-life crisis until someone gets a tattoo

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Well, hello there. I'm back.

Miss me?

I'd like to say I'm back and better than ever, after my longer-than-expected technological hiatus. But that wouldn't be quite true. Is there a such thing as a third-of-life crisis? Because I'm pretty sure I'm having one.

You know how when men have a mid-life crisis, they dye their hair, or get a random tattoo, or run out and buy a convertible?

Yeah, that's totally happening to me.

Suddenly, everywhere I look, there are sassy, sporty, suh-weet convertibles - and I want one.

• I see myself zipping downtown to work each day in black Nissan 370Z.
  

• I dream of Saturday afternoon shopping trips with a girlfriend in my red Mini Cooper.

• I envision sexy summer date nights with Nate in my slate gray Infiniti G37.

Who cares that it's only top-down weather like three months out of the year? Never mind that I'd be terrified to be on a snowy interstate in a Mini Cooper what basically amounts to a tin Campbell's soup can. Room for a baby seat, groceries, suitcases? Who needs 'em?

Five years ago when I could have had any car I wanted, I chose the biggest mid-sized family car I could find. It never even crossed my 24-year-old mind to get a sporty two-door, let alone a convertible. But now that I'm a grown-up, responsible, almost thirty-year-old, trying to procreate woman?

I WANT A CONVERTIBLE AND I WANT ONE BAD.

Practicality be damned.

In my prayers today....

What: Moment of Silence for Cohen

When: Thursday July 1st from midnight to 11:59 pm.

How: Bloggers participating will post the Cohen banner (below) or simply post Cohen’s name in large letters on their blog.

Why: July 1st Megan and Brent will be holding Cohen’s memorial service. The moment of silence is an opportunity for Megan’s blog community to stand behind her and support her on this difficult day. Linking up will give Megan a chance to see the support at a glance.

Participating bloggers can Link Up on today at Send Love To Cohen.

Tuesdays at the Table

Honestly, it feels a little silly to call this a recipe, but it is one of our all time favorite meals - we eat it at least once a week. And when I say at least, I'm not kidding - we've been known to make these two or three days in a row. Some may call me lazy. I prefer to call myself a 'creature of habit'.

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Baked Turkey Sandwiches

Ingredients:
Sliced turkey breast
Pepper Jack cheese
Small deli sub rolls (we like Sara Lee)
Mayo
Mustard

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Prepare turkey sandwiches as you normally would - turkey, pepper jack cheese, mayo and mustard on a sub roll.
3. Wrap each sandwich individual in a single layer of tinfoil, rolling the seams to seal them.
4. Bake directly on the oven rack for 15 minutes, until bun is slightly stiff and cheese is melted.

I serve these with soup during the winter (clam chowder, vegetable, broccoli cheese) and some sort of salad, like broccoli slaw, in the summer. No matter how often we eat them, it never gets old. SO YUMMY!

Crack is whack

I am being held hostage by the World Cup.

Okay, well maybe not me, but at the very least, our TV is on constant black-and-white ball surveillance duty. All day Saturday, all day Sunday, and for at least two hours every evening, for the last two weeks - with weeks more to go.

So of course it's on in the background the other night as I'm getting dinner ready. The vuvuzelas are out in full force. Like a swarm of annoying flies. That never, ever stops. For ninety minutes. Seriously, I am all for rooting on your team. I'll scream my lungs out at a Vol football game. You know, at the exciting parts - a first down, a touchdown, a really spectacular stop. But not for an entire game without ever stopping. These South Africans must have a ridiculous lung capacity.

But then again, if they waited around to only blow when something interesting happened in a game of soccer, I guess they'd be a sad, sorry, quiet bunch....HA!

So I'm doing my best to make dinner while resisting the urge to swat at imaginary gnats that seem to be swarming literally in my ears, when:

Nate: You know you can buy vuvuzelas on the internet.

Sara: And your point would be?

Nate: You should get me one.

Sara: I'm thinking, no.

Nate: Why not?

Sara: Are you smoking crack? Have you met yourself? You're like a 12-year-old trapped in a 29-year-old body. If you had one of those things, you'd never stop blowing it, probably right in my face.

Nate: I know. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Sara: Yeah. Awesome. That's exactly the word that comes to mind.

Quotables

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I was at the nail salon today getting a much needed pedicure with a girlfriend, chatting merrily away, oblivious to those on either side of us. I was telling her about how I finally wore down talked Nate into letting me hire Merry Maids to clean the house every other week. To which she naturally replied, in complete mock jealousy: Boo, you whore!

At which point we suddenly became aware of the lady to my right - who literally clucked her tongue and shook her head in dismay.

Clearly, she has never seen Mean Girls. Poor thing.

Which got me thinking about all the movie lines I quote on a daily basis, without even thinking about it.

Gopher hole! - Homeward Bound
That's gonna leave a mark. - Tommy Boy
Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth? - Rush Hour
What we've got here is a failure to communicate. - Cool Hand Luke
There's no crying in baseball. - A League of Their Own
This one time, at band camp... - American Pie
I'm gonna run a train on some chicken wings. - Role Models
Missed it by that much. - Get Smart

and of course,

Boo, you whore! - Mean Girls

I'm sure there are tons that I am forgetting because I know I do this all the time without even thinking about it. And that's not even counting all the TELEVISION show lines! That's a whole other post worth.

What movie quotes do use on a daily basis? Do tell!

Father(s) of the Bride

According to Perez Hilton, Tom Selleck recently confirmed a third installment to the Three Men and a Baby movie - Three Men and a Bride!

I loved Three Men and a Baby! It's from the era when comedies were actually funny without trying too hard. And I'm relieved to hear that it is a continuation of the story, not a remake of the original movie. It seems like Hollywood has so little original content these days that all they can do is re-do movies from 20 years ago. Bor-ing!

So who else loved this movie and it's sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady? What was your favorite 80's movie?

Tuesdays at the Table

I love chicken salad. On a croissant, on a sandwich roll, in a lettuce cup, in a wrap, plain, with apples, with dried cranberries. As long as there aren't any onions, I'll eat it. If chicken salad is on the menu, you can rest assured that I will order it. When I make chicken salad at home, I will eat it for every single meal until it is gone.

I lurve chicken salad.

I found the basis for this recipe on Real Simple's website. You'll understand why I say 'basis' if you look at my version and then look at theirs. While theirs sounds yummy (minus the scallions!), it's way too much work. Why cook chicken breast when you can buy it already cooked in a can? And who the heck has the time to squeeze their own limes? Not this girl.

My version is just as good, and takes about five minutes as opposed to twenty. You can use the fifteen minutes I saved you to thank me later.

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Chicken Salad with Apple and Basil
via Real Simple

Ingredients:

• Two large cans chicken
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup lime juice
  
• 1 tablespoon white wine or rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 Granny Smith apples (peeled, if desired), diced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, vinegar, and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the apples and toss.
2. Drain the chicken and add it to the apple mixture along with the basil, and the salt and pepper. Toss and divide among individual plates.

I've been over Tom Cruise for the better part of the last five years, basically ever since he lost his mind and his dignity with all that couch jumping and verbal sparring with Matt Lauer.

I've had no desire to see any of his recent movies. Valkyrie looked like a snooze fest. Knight and Day (or is it Day and Knight? I forget. Whatever.) looks like every other trying-too-hard-to-cover-a-crappy-script-by-hiring-two-overpaid-stars caper these days. Think I'll skip it.

Of course I had to give props where props were due - his portrayal of Les Grossman was just about the only good thing about Tropic Thunder. And possibly the best acting job old Tommy boy has ever done.

So I wasn't expecting much when I heard Mr. Cruise was making an appearance at the MTV Movie Awards. A little image rehab and an effort to make himself relevant to the current generation, perhaps.

Oh, how wrong I was.

This is freaking hilarious. Tom Cruise should do more comedy. Seriously. I almost hurt myself laughing last night.

I predict a movie starring Les Grossman very, very soon.

Apples and Wine

I got this email from one of my girlfriends the other day and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Belly laughs are a good way to start a Monday. Enjoy!

Sha-ZAM! and a whole lot of other randomness

I'm BAAAA-AAAAAACK!

Miss me?

We are back from 9 glorious days at the beach (I'm tan!). We saw all of our immediate family, plus an aunt and some cousins. It was fabulous.

But now it's back to the daily grind. No more Lady of Leisure for me. I swear this last unemployment went by too fast. Stupid contract job sucked all the fun out of it.

Remind me who says it's important to be a productive member of society?

I started my new job yesterday. It was awesome. I think I could love it (too early to tell for sure yet). I got a lot of shiny new toys (hello, Blackberry!) and what girl doesn't like shiny and new?

Guess who wasn't too pleased to see Mommy grab her briefcase again?

Tuesdays at the Table

I made these super easy Nacho Pinwheels for the first time right before we went on vacation. They took maybe 10 minutes to prepare plus cooking time. I served them with a side salad, chips and salsa and we made a meal out of it. A perfect busy night or lazy Saturday night meal!

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Nacho Pinwheels via Pillsbury.com

Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
6 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tsp Old El Paso taco seasoning mix
1/3 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese (I used a Mexican blend instead)
1/4 cup Mexicorn whole kernal corn with red and green peppers (drained)
Thick n Chunky salsa


Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. Unroll crescent rolls; separate dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal.
3. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and taco seasoning. Stir in cheese and corn.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture over each rectangle to within 1/4 inch of edges.
5. Starting with the short side, roll up each rectangle, pressing edge to seal. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 5 slices. Place cut side down on cookie sheet.
6. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve warm with salsa.