My So-Called Life: October 2011

Sunday, October 30, 2011

2 Top Interests: Turquoise and Wontons

Tom and I just returned from a weekend trip to Vegas. It's always nice to get away, just the two of us, for a few days. We were able to see a show, play some Texas Hold'em, shop, and eat at some great restaurants on the strip. We stayed at the Monte Carlo down by the MGM and New York, New York. We were able to check out some of the new buildings (Aria, Cosmopolitan, City Center) and we ended up getting some free meals and cash since we let someone try and sell us a time share (ugh...never again). We also caught the Nebraska game early Saturday morning and took a trip to see the old strip at Freemont Street, which I had never seen before.

Walking on the strip Golden Nugget at the old strip


At Beatles "LOVE" by Cirque du Soleil in the Mirage

Since we got home on Saturday, I had all of Sunday to try out some new things that have been on my to-do list. I have recently been obsessed with the color turquoise...I love everything ever made in that color, I swear. I really wanted to replace the old gross chair that I have in my guest room in front of the vanity where I do my hair and makeup in the mornings. I had a vision for what I was going for, and I knew turquoise had to be involved, so I went to a flea market around 30th and Gillham a few weeks ago and picked up this gem for $10:

I wanted to get one that had a padded seat so that I could replace the fabric with some of my own. I ordered some that was on sale from fabric.com.

I made sure to use good primer, or else I knew that the paint would wear off with time. I removed the pad from the base, took out the old staples and removed the old cloth. I used the old square of cloth to measure how much of the new fabric I needed to cut. Once it was cut, I used a staple gun to put it in place nice and tight (the trick is to do the corners last!).

And...voila!!

So on to my next top interest: wonton wrappers. Have you ever used these for anything?? They are the bomb.com!! There are so many filling ideas on the web that are way outside the Asian box. You can find them in the produce refrigerator by the tofu.

Tonight I tried Chicken Parmesan Wraps that I found on Pinterest and they were delish! Basically, you just mix up some grilled chicken pieces with marinara sauce, spoon the mixture into the middle of the wonton wrapper, and sprinkle on some fresh spinache, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. To press the wrappers together, you can wet the edges a bit with water. I sprayed some olive oil spray on them before I baked them at 400 degrees for 12 minutes just to ensure the wrappers came out crispy. I also decided to flip them halfway, but you wouldn't need to if you have a wire rack to bake them on.

Next I'm going to try buffalo chicken wraps!!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Fall Festivities Plus a Baby!

How awesome is Fall?

Tom got to welcome his first nephew, Easton Charles, into the world on September 23rd. We were able to go to Omaha to meet him a few weeks ago. He is absolutely adorable!! Tom and I are so sad we don't live closer to see him all the time and babysit, but we are just going to have to Skype and go to Omaha more often...we don't want to miss any of the little guy growing up!! Tom's sister and brother-in-law are doing great; parenthood definitely becomes them!

Easton (about a month old)

Meeting the little guy for the first time!

Husker fan from birth.

The Kalasek family :) Sam, Brian, and Easton getting ready to go home from the hospital.

I was also able to go to the NCTM (National Counsel of Teachers of Mathematics) conference this past week in Atlantic City. My job allows us to choose one conference a year to attend, and I really love the NCTM organization. It was my first time in Atlantic City, and though it was more exciting than St. Louis would've been (actually, I don't know now since there's a World Series going on!!), I don't see myself vacationing there soon. Maybe I'm just a Vegas snob, but there is no comparison between the two. The conference itself was awesome, so the trip was all-in-all worthwhile. I was able to do some shopping at their outlet stores and see the ocean for a few days if nothing else!!

Atlantic City Boardwalk

This weekend, I decided I wanted to spend the day indulging in my favorite season by ordering pizza, having a few seasonal micro-brews, carving pumpkins and making snacks. My sister and my best friend, Natalie, came over to join in!! We were able to sit outside on the back deck with the unseasonably warm weather (since when is it 80 degrees in late October??) while we carved...what a great day!