YES, WE DID!

i'm still in a state of shock mixed with an overwhelming sense of relief. i am still stunned to say that i live in a country that has elected (by an overwhelming majority in both popular and electoral votes) a black president. i look forward a time of healing to make amends for the divisive politics of the last 8 years. i have a huge amount of respect for the graciousness of mccain's concession speech. but obama's speech was just awe-inspiring. (in case you missed it, watch or read it again) i had goosebumps the whole time he was speaking. i am pleased that he acknowledged that change will not come immediately. his ability to set expectations and keep the momentum will be pivotal to his success.

on a sad note, 3 more states decided that i shouldn't be allowed to marry my partner. boo hiss!

so today i'm grateful for . . . the chance to believe and hope again

big news . . .

From 1134 Listing Pics

so the house sold! i signed closing papers this am and it should all be recorded/funded by wednesday. what a relief! now mac and i can focus on our house and getting that to be what we want it to be.

thought i'd share the news.

today i'm grateful for . . . an 11th hour offer that was close enough to get the house off my hands and a great gf that made it look great enough to sell

Food ...

so a friend of mine recently posted this and i had to do the same. mac says i talk about food the way people talk about politics (which i do with some passion too as anyone who's watched a debate with me can tell you ... thank you bd!)

Here’s what I did for the Omnivore’s Hundred:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (flesh of a boar)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root Beer Float
36. Cognac with big cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried Goat
42. Whole insects I really cannot see why this is on this list????
43. Phaal - Indian Curry dish - I’ve had curry but not a traditional curry dish, I would say
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (japanese dish, it’s a pufferfish.. no way, no-how)
47. Chicken tikka masala - Ry and I are on the hunt to find and try… hopefully soon.
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi - japanese pickled sour plum, apparently good for whatever ails you, especially a hangover.
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frog’s Legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost - Brown cheese from Norway -
75. Roadkill - Now that’s just silly
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake -

So Here’s what I did for Slashfood’s Top 100:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at Slashfood’s post linking to your results.

Slashfood’s 100 must-eat American foods

1. New York pizza
2. Hoppin’ John
3. New Mexico green chile
4. Homemade buttermilk biscuits
5. Tasso
6. Whole Main Lobster
7. Calabash-style shrimp and hushpuppies
8. Kansas City barbecue ribs
9. Hot glazed Krispy Kreme
10. San Diego fish tacos
11. Cheese curds
12. Key lime pie
13. Philly Cheese Steak
14. Memphis pork BBQ sandwich
15. Lowcountry boil
16. Huckleberry pie
17. New England clam chowder
18. Boiled Peanuts – makes me homesick to think about …
19. Buffalo burger
20. Eggs Benedict
21. Pastrami on rye
22. Corned beef and cabbage
23. Pancakes with maple syrup
24. Everything bagel with cream cheese and tomato
25. Thin Mints (preferably frozen)
26. Frito pie
27. Potato knish with mustard
28. Silver Queen corn on the cob
29. Soft pretzel from a street cart
30. Fresh-picked blueberries
31. Sourwood honey
32. State fair funnel cake
33. Chesapeake crab cakes
34. Candied yams
35. Oyster dressing
36. Snow cone or snowball
37. Wild Alaskan salmon
38. Sautéed morels
39. Persimmon pudding
40. General Tsao’s Chicken
41. Frozen custard
42. Italian sausage with peppers and onions on a hoagie bun
43. Chili dog
44. Buffalo wings with blue cheese
45. Spam musubi
46. Saltwater taffy
47. Fluffernutter sandwich on Wonder Bread
48. Black and white cookie
49. Frybread
50. BLT with thick-cut applewood bacon
51. Baked beans
52. Pumpkin pie
53. Collards with vinegar and Tabasco
54. Tex-Mex fajitas with skirt steak and sautéed peppers
55. Fried green tomatoes
56. Succotash
57. Shrimp and grits
58. Hot water cornbread
59. Barbecue chicken pizza with red onions
60. Chicken fried steak
61. Carnitas burrito
62. Apple butter
63. Geoduck
64. Soft-serve ice cream cone dipped in chocolate shell (especially Dairy Queen)
65. Pecan pie
66. Catfish supper at a church or firestation
67. Oysters Rockefeller
68. Homemade cranberry sauce
69. Pimiento cheese
70. Moon Pie washed down with R.C. Cola
71. Pickled watermelon rind
72. Cracker Jacks at the ball game
73. Smithfield ham
74. Meatloaf and mashed potato blue plate special at a diner
75. Chicken and waffles
76. Po’Boy
77. Green bean casserole with French’s fried onions
78. Stuffed sopaipillas
79. Turducken
80. Shad roe on toast
81. Sweet potato casserole with or without marshmallows
82. Cioppino
83. New York cheesecake
84.Pan-fried river trout
85.Jambalaya
86. North Carolina pig pickin’
87. California rolls
88. Burgoo
89. Penuche fudge
90. Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich (the Elvis)
91. Scrapple or livermush
92. Elk medallions in red wine reduction
93. Muscadine grapes
94. Cheeseburger at backyard barbecue
95. Open-face turkey sandwich
96. Burgoo Chicago deep dish pizza
97. Cobb salad
98. Peach pie a la mode
99. Macaroni and cheese with Tilla - mook sharp cheddar
100. Root Beer Float

now most people know i'm a food hound. i love to cook, shop for food, talk about food, read about food, you name it. so it should be no surprise that this list looks like it does.

enjoy ... pass it along. and for pete's sake, eat something!

so i know it's kinda ridiculous but . . .

life's been a little nuts. we've spent that last few months settling into the new house and doing some improvements. we're finally getting the yard to where we'd like it and even had a housewarming party a few weekends ago. work's been absolutely nuts and i have a *huge* project going live one week from today. yeah, i know ... and we're still scramblin' to get it done.

this past week we went to tampa for my mom's big 50th birthday celebration. mac got to meet the whole fam damily! as expected, they loved her and she seemed to come out unscathed. it was very nice to be able to show her where i grew up and what schools i went to and have her experience my grandmother's cooking. i think she's got the full picture now and still seems to want to stick around. yay! i get to go meet her mom in a few weeks and we're hoping it goes as well.

we hit our 1 yr anniversary last week before we left. i can't believe it's been that long and it also seems ridiculously short given all that's happened in the last year. i could never have predicted that we'd be where we are today back then but i guess that's part of the good stuff. it took us both totally by surprise and it's been a very nice ride so far.

the house still sits on the market. i'm about to pull it off & rent it. i need to start making the $$ stretch a bit more and just can't afford to have it sit empty any longer. anyone know of someone looking to rent a cute house send 'em my way pls.

so today i'm thankful for . . . an amazing year with an amazing woman and a great life to boot

my newest love . . .

so this morning after a short night of sleep we were awakened by the delivery guys bringing our new range. isn't she pretty? i know, i know. only a total nerd would be excited at 730 in the morning when someone brings a new range. we've been debating about getting a new one since we moved into the new house. there was a new one there but we didn't like it. it was huge and just not *us*. so when it turned out that mac's house needed a new range, we decided to get ourselves the one we wanted and take the one in the new house over to her place. worked out nicely given that we finally sold our wolf cooktop and wall oven we'd bought at christmas. they were beautiful and our *dream* appliances. we found a slamming deal on 'em on craigslist and took a gamble and just bought 'em. turns out there was no way to configure the new kitchen to accommodate them so we had to sell 'em. got our $$ back out of 'em and spent 1/3 on the new range. it's so pretty. this to go along with the new dishwasher we got at best buy the other day.

in other news, my house seems to be getting a good amount of traffic. we'll see what happens. we had an open house last weekend and will have another sunday the 22nd. mac's house is minutes away from being done. the renters move in on thursday . . . yes, *this* thursday. it's really coming together. we're looking forward to being able to focus on our place and start to get settled in here soon. it's been very nice to be able to enjoy doing all these projects together. we just laugh at all we've accomplished and still managed to have fun while setting a kitchen sink at 3 in the morning!

so today i'm thankful for . . . a beautiful house to share with a beautiful woman

i feel so untalented . . .

check this kid out . . .


he's pretty amazing for a 2YO.

the house is officially on the market . . .

so the house got officially listed yesterday (ML#8054351) and today was the broker's open. good reviews and the house is already being shown. phew! let's hope for the best.

thought i'd share the good news.

so today i'm thankful for . . . a great real estate agent and a great stager