Chinese gender predictor says it's a boy.
Our son says baby sister.
My husband and MIL say boy.
I'd like to balance it out and have a girl, I guess... It really doesn't matter as long as it's healthy! So we find out tomorrow morning. Your guess??
In twenty fours hours, my mood has drastically changed from bad to good. Good thing since I was in the dumps. The house has been a disaster, and that always causes inner turmoil for me. On top of that, due dates for drawings were building up. The pressure to get them done was looming. Besides when my child is unruly and bills are unpaid, these are the most common pressures that push me over the edge.
All it took was to make progress. Since Wednesday I've been hitting the drawing board. Three were done that day, and I still had more. Yesterday morning I did more on a project that was due at 12 and finished at the lst minute since he didn't care to preview. This morning I knocked out another due for today, and a few sketches of ongoing drawings that still need work after approval. I still have one more, a back piece, to do for review tomorrow. However I'm done until later or tomorrow morning. I've been up since 6am drawing and intermittently checking and sending emails, confirming appointments, eating breakfast. Now it's time to get ready for a long day at the studio. There's two large outlines that need to be done, and a second drawing review for a back piece.
Perhaps I booked a little too many new pieces for this week. Someday I will learn to properly and efficiently fill my schedule! Why do I feel bad that people have to wait so long and try to pile it up as I have time available? I just don't always consider how much homework has to be done. This is a lesson to be learned.
Here are a couple of things I've worked on this week.
Add the broth, peas, and rice to a soup pan. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Decrease heat to low, cover and cook at a simmer for 1 hour or until the rice and peas are tender.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large (4 to 6-quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt. Sweat for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook for another 4 minutes.
Remove from the heat and gently pour the sauteed vegetables and cooked peas and rice into the bowl of a food processor and process until just combined.* Do not puree. Pour this mixture into a bowl and stir in the 3/4 cup of bread crumbs. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground pepper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Add the egg and mix together well. Shape the mixture into patties and dredge on each side in the remaining bread crumbs. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 burgers at a time and saute until brown on each side, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. To grill, cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes per side as well. You might have to add more olive oil on each batch. Serve immediately.
I omitted the nutmeg and added a creamy roux after blending while heating on low (butter, flour and then whisked in some milk and heavy cream sine I like it low fat. lol)
If how your husband devours a dish divulges how much he loves you, I'll make this pot roast once a week. It was wicked easy to make too. Recently I've been upset with the outcome of my crock pot recipes, but this one has give me hope again.
Ingredients:
3 tbs olive oil
1.2 lb -piece beef bolar blade
2 large onions, halved, cut into thin wedges
1 cups red wine
1/2 cup stock (beef)
tsp black peppercorns
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
3 fresh or dried bay leaves
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
Method
1. Heat half the oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, turning occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
2. Heat the remaining oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the beef, red wine, stock, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves to the crock pot. Turn on crock pot to low for 7 hours.
4. Remove beef and let rest before slicing (or shredding). Reserve liquid from crock pot using a strainer and set aside.
5. Melt butter in sauce pan, and add flour. Cook for one minute. Whisk in reserved liquid from crock pot and whisk until thickened to make a gravy.
6. Serve with mashed potatoes and a comfort veggie like peas.
Despite my husbands awful sinus infection, he ate more than one giant portion. Actually I was shocked at how much he ate. The leftovers (if any) are also great as a sandwich with cheddar cheese, horseradish mayonnaise, and roasted red peppers on a roll.
We've escaped to see my Father in Law and wife to a remote island in the Chesapeake Bay. We arrived Thursday in the wee hours after a crazy car ride of dropping off our dogs at two separate families' homes and our son throwing up all over himself 3/4 into the ride. Once we got there it was smooth sailing. Yesterday we had a blast biking on the island, walking around the closest town that has some tourist shops, boating, and dining at my FIL's restaurant. This morning we acquired some crabbing supplies and a license, and set out to do some crabbing. This was fun for us, but Talon was miserable after awhile. We managed to catch tons of crabs, although many of them were under the specs for keeping. I could've done it for a couple more hours even though it was so hot and the sweat was pouring from my brow. The crabs are cooked and ready for harvesting the meat. I plan on taking it home and making some crab cakes and chowder if we have any meat left. I don't want to leave here. Relaxing and traveling is what recharges my battery and I've needed it.
Tonight we travel home after supping at the restaurant again. Then it's back to the grind. I can't wait to some back again.
Some info in case you want to book an appointment. I'm going to attach this to my emails since I don't want to waste anyone's time nor my own.
1. Tattoo appointments are presently booking two months in advance. Consultations can usually be booked within a week or two.
2. At the consultation, please bring any reference material you want me to be inspired by or images that you don't want it to look like if you're not very sure of what you want. Make sure your printouts are high definition and on good quality paper. Portrait photos need to be IN FOCUS! And usually 4"x6" or bigger. Professional photos preferred if possible. I can print out photographs for an additional charge added to the price of your tattoo.
3. A $100 cash deposit is required to book an appointment. It's nonrefundable and will go towards the final session to complete your tattoo if the piece takes more than one session.
If the tattoo takes one session, we will give you a price for the piece once it's drawn up. We can give you an approximate quote beforehand. Tattoos that take multiple sessions are priced at $150 pr hr.
4. The drawing will be available to view within a few days of your appointment via email per your request. If you want to view it in person, please ask to make a drawing review appt a day or two prior to your tattoo appointment. Drawings won't be done for you unless you book your tattoo appointment or drawing review and leave a deposit.
5. I prefer to book appointments for the Body Graphics Pennsauken, NJ location. There is free off street parking and private rooms for tattooing.
6. Please give 24 hrs notice to reschedule an appointment.
7. I don't suggest booking appt's unless you have time off. Please don't take time off from work to get a tattoo.
8. I'm pregnant and will be taking a maternity leave from Dec 22 - approx the middle or end of February 2012. If you want to book an appointments in 2012 now, we can begin setting dates in March.
These are some of the guidelines and basic information about how I prefer to work. After 15 years in the business, I know what works best for me. Some people want a design before making a tattoo appointment, and I will do that. However they will have to wait a couple of months like everyone else. Then after reviewing the line drawing, they might have to wait another 2 months before getting the piece done. I do prefer doing the sketch when there is a tattoo appointment booked. Due to experience, I feel as if the people who book the tattoo appointment are more clear in their visions and absolutely want the tattoo done.
The reason why I suggest making a tattoo appointment in your spare time is because you never know what will happen with you or me. I'm pregnant and have a toddler, and we don't use a daycare since my husband and I don't work "normal" day schedules. We're usually passing ships and hand over the care of our son to each other. If you aren't feeling well, please don't come in! If you aren't in a good state of mind or financially fit to spend money on the luxury such as a tattoo, please give me ample notice to reschedule. I'm a pretty understanding person and hope that my clients are the same birds of a feather.
