Bar Keeper's Friend helped save my skillet

Over Halloween this past October, my roommate had an accident that involved my small skillet, yummy sausages and a hot burner. Needless to say, it scorched my pot and the burn marks wouldn't come out.

I was a little verklempt on how to get the burn marks off without having to get a new pot. Initially, my mom gave me an all green cleaner, because she had used it on a lot of her uncleanable items. After unsuccessfully scrubbing my skillet 'til my fingers bled, my mom recommended Bar Keeper's Friend. My roommate and I were talking about it and she got a bottle of it. Amazeballs! The skillet is (almost) scorch free.

So, in ode to this little wonder, I'm doing my own endorsement commercial via my blog. Don't freak out, it's only a :10 commercial rather than a :30 or :60 spot...geesh....

Camera pans to a young woman scrubbing in the sink. She rinses the pot and sees a sparkling, shiny Wolfgang Puck (love the product placement?) skillet.

The woman smiles and lookes into the camera while holding a bottle of BKF.

"Thanks Bar Keeper's Friend! You saved my skillet...and wallet...from having to be replaced!" *insert wink and cheesy smile here*

Buddy the Wonder Dog

Seven years ago on Father's Day, our family surprised my dad with a golden retriever puppy. Years earlier, Bandit, my dog, had passed after surgery to remove a fatty tumor from his rib/stomach area. When Bandit died, it came as a complete shock to our vet as well as us. Bandit had come out of surgery happy, eating, drinking, going potty, jumping and playing like he normally did. An hour after the vet tech had taken him out, she came back to the recovery room and found him on the ground without a pulse. We later were told there seemed to be bone marrow that had made its way into Bandit's blood stream and stopped his heart...something that can happen without vets knowing until it's too late.

Being that Bandit was my dog, I was completely ballistic; however, my dad took the loss hard as well. You see, with my brother off to college, Bandit was the other "man in the house." My brother's dog, Abby, was not the right personality fit for my dad; he couldn't bond with her like he did with Bandit. Abby was not a cookie that you could readily enjoy with milk!

Father's Day, a day to celebrate your father, should show your thankfulness in all he does for you and family. So, my mom's idea was to get him the perfect gift-one to make him happy.

That's when we heard about Sievers Retrievers in Meppen, Illinois. A local Decaturan had gotten a black lab from them and loved their pooch. My mom found their website and showed me the litter that appeared to be around Father's Day. The Goldens were beautiful, but they definitely were larger than a normal standard.

My dad always said that his next dog would be a Golden because "Bandit's personality matched a Golden's unconditional love and eternal happiness." SIDE NOTE: Bandit, the thief of our hearts, was a pound puppy of a golden/GSD/collie mix, and was the best dog ever.

Our family had only adopted our animals from the county shelter, and my dad was becoming active in the county animal shelter board as a volunteer and later its President. So, we wondered if there would be any push back from my dad. When Father's Day approached, my mom broke the news that we didn't have a present physically there. Of course my dad didn't show any disappointment and stated he didn't need anything. That's when we told him about the puppy. He got so excited and was like a little kid waiting for the appointment to meet the Siever family. The time came to make the trip...

Meppen is about 3 hours from our house, and we passed a lot of fruit stands that I wanted to visit (ORGANIC PEACHES!!!); however, our mission was clear--To see if the Golden we were visiting could be a part of the Ewers family. We finally arrived to Roger & Michelle Siever's home and drove up the gravel dirt driveway. My mom, dad and I got out of the car to see Roger walking through the dust cloud holding a pouting Golden puppy who looked like he had just been woken up from a nap.

This Golden puppy looked up at us with his brown eyes, black shiny nose and arms crossed...and we fell in love. He had a ridge of hair that ran from between his eyes straight down his nose. His coat was blondy-blonde. Beautiful, soft. And he had ears as soft as velvet.

We asked Roger why no one had wanted this puppy, but he couldn't give us a straight answer. Was it because the ridge of hair was seen as a "fault" by breeding standards? Was it the fact that he already weighed 11+ pounds at eight weeks old? Or, indeed, was it that Roger was hoping to could keep this blonde puppy because he had fallen in love with him too??? If you ask me, I think guess 3 is the answer why he was the last pup standing.

Roger took us into their house to meet Michelle and their children. Roger said to us, "The dogs aren't allowed in our house (as he carried Buddy inside with us). They have their own house and huge acres of land to run on." Michelle was a sweet lady who started feeding the puppy cheese and said "This little one absolutely LOVES cheese. We'll give you a slice on the ride home if he gets antsy. Food always calms puppies down. A lil treat!" She fed the pup a little piece of cheese, which made him smile and wiggle with joy.

We took the puppy home that day, and my dad named him Buddy. We drove home, with my dad in the back seat holding Buddy. An hour into the drive home, we stopped to let Buddy potty. Buddy ran to the grass. In an excitedly cheery tone, my mom said "Good boy, Buddy!" Hearing my mom so happy made Buddy's eyes light up, and he ran right over to her, doing his puppy pride dance around her feet. Seriously adorable! Back in the car for the other 2 hours, and my dad gave Buddy some of the cheese Michelle had given them. A half hour after that, Buddy barfed up cheese, water and puppy food ALL OVER my dad. Needless to say, it was both hilarious and stinky!

The past 7 years have been happy, loving and joyful. Buddy has been a saving grace to my dad when he felt there was no one at home to talk to, his job pissed him off and my dad needed a calming presence. Work would stress my dad, and he would come home cussing. Intuitively, Buddy would realize "Hey, Dad's freaking out AND HIS FACE IS TURNING RED!!!" So, every time Buddy hears my dad using certain words (SHIT, DAMMIT!) he runs up jumping up and down as if to say "Call the heck down or you'll have a heart attack, Dad!"



Buddy now has 2 adopted (shelter) brothers, Kaiser and Cody. Kaiser was adopted from the animal shelter on a cold, rainy February day. An animal control agent called my dad when a long-haired German Shepherd was relinquished by its owners. My parents had been looking for a possible companion for Buddy since Abby (my brother's dog) had passed. My mom really wanted a shepherd, because she had been around them through her childhood and believes them to be one of the best dogs ever! When they saw Kaiser, his self esteem beaten down and shivering from fear, they knew he needed a loving home. Ours would be perfect. Cody was another owner surrender who came in when he was about 3-4 years old. Apparently, his "destructive" behavior was too much for his family to handle. I mean, Cody's torn some things up but not too terrible. We found out he was a Flat Coat Retriver, a breed I'd never heard of. They're basically a black Golden! SUPER CUTE & FLUFFY!!! Buddy loves his brothers...and they love him. They can't do anything without the others.



My dad and "The Boys" (along with our cat Figaro...who wants/thinks he's a dog) form a pack. The Boys look out for my parents, especially Dad, and offer a heartwarming comfort.

Back in college, I took one of my creative writing courses and told my dad I wanted to start writing children's books with Buddy as the main character. The series being called "Buddy the Wonder Dog." Buddy seemed to escape every bout of sickness or injury...like when he would eat HANDFULS of mulch without it tearing up his stomach or eating the chocolate chip cookies left on the counter without puking. That was until recently....



A week or two before Thanksgiving, Buddy was taken in for a hard mass on his shoulder. You should know our vet, who we lovingly call Aunt Doctor Becky (ADB), has a Siever's Golden after she saw us with Buddy. Her dog, Winston, is Buddy's uncle!!! ADB took x-rays and couldn't find anything--so she and my parents thought it might have been a sprained shoulder. When it didn't get better, my parents took Buddy back in for a biopsy. That's when ADB discovered that our Golden boy, Buddy, has Stage 1 bone cancer. Today, he went to have additional tests run at the University of Illinois' Veterinary Medicine building. We are blessed to have one of the top 3 vet schools within an hour drive. Because of the tumor already growing deep into the bone and tissue, the recommendation was to have the leg amputated. My parents think the surgery will be tomorrow or Thursday, but it was a hard decision for my dad to make. ADB is an alumi of UofI Vet, and my parents have asked her to do the surgery as we trust her more than anyone with Buddy.

There's so much of the "unknown" for this choice. What will his quality of life be like? Will he be able to play, run, walk, swim and enjoy his life as he would have before? Will Buddy fully recover? Will he forever be in pain that he hides and can't tell us about? Or will he be a part of that small percentage of dogs that wake up from the surgery and cry in agony as they see their missing limb for the first time? In that small percentage, will he be one of the dogs that recoil from human touch because he is so self conscious and upset? What will his doggie self esteem be?

Will Buddy feel as though we did this to him on purpose and feel as though we don't love him? Will Kaiser and Cody accept him back after surgery?

Buddy is pure joy. All he wants is: food, pets, hugs, cuddles, Bite-n-Fight play, walks, swimming in the pool and sleepy time. Doesn't seem like so much compared to what I want...a magical cure for him that leaves him in-tact and out of pain.

I love Buddy the Wonder Dog. I can't wait to get home for Christmas and snuggle up with him and pet his velvet ears. His first Christmas in 7 years that he won't be able to play in the snow....wonder if mom will let us build a snowman INSIDE for him! Hmmm....

Winter and the Holiday Season...puts me in the spirit!

This winter marks my fourth in the city. And still it never ceases to amaze me. The weather goes up and down, round and round, all within a matter of days. Last year's winter was one of the worse I've ever seen in my life, and I started this winter thinking about that fact and caught myself cringing.

The Windy City definitely becomes crazy...where people look like night ninjas as they wrap themselves from head to toe to protect themselves and defeat their foe, Weather. As the day begins and ends, you see Chicagoans bustling up to the bus and el stops with nothing but their eye balls showing. You remember in "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation," where Audrey's eyelashes/eyes get frozen as the Griswold family hunts for the perfect Christmas tree? Yeah, that actually happened last winter. Your eyes froze open and your eyelashes were mini icicles of tears. Pedestrians protect their feet with humongous, furry boots to keep any snow from touching their socked feet. The shelves at Walgreens and CVS are out of stock for hand warmers. Everyone is on MISSION: HYPOTHERMIA HATERS.

But boy do the electric and gas companies love Chicago weather...where they literally reap rewards far greater than you could imagine. Sky rocketing bills each month to protect against the cold. Being that I had steam heat for the past 3 winters, paying the gas bill this year will be interesting, especially since I have 2 fully exposed walls and no insulation in the building.

I shouldn't complain as my friends in Minne-Paul get weather far worse and extensive than Chicago; however, Chicago winter sucks.

But there are the positives. The first snow fall looks like shredded coconut making a humongous cake for us all to devour with pleasure. The pure white that first morning makes you want to throw on a snow suit, make snow angels, build a snow man and sip hot cocoa. Our family dogs, which we've termed "The Boys," run around the yard flicking mini puffs of snow up with their noses and trying to eat all the falling flakes. If I could take the entire winter off to watch The Boys play all day in the snow, I would. Seeing them happy and carefree turns me jealous to the overworked, hyper-stressed individual that I appear to be today.

Winter should bring back your childlike outlook on life. How quickly things change and to enjoy the beauty and magic that this season brings.

As a tribute to the child we've all lost, I want to tell a story that I still remember to this day and doubt I will every forget. Three winters ago, I was home in Decatur for the holiday. My dad and I needed to do some final Christmas shopping for my mom and grandma. We ended up running to the mall before it closed. As we parked our SUV in the lot and got out, we fell in step behind a younger dad and his daughter. The little girl appeared to be about five or six and wore a pink puffy jacket with a white faux fur collar. She had a tassle pink polka dot scarf and mittens that matched her jacket.

The snow was falling that night and looked beautiful against the almost set sun. The little girl looked up at her dad with an awestruck smile and asked, "You know what Daddy?" Her dad looked down at her with a patient and loving smile and asked "What?" She looked back up toward the sky and raised one of her cute, little, gloved hands and answered, "The snow looks like sugar falling down from heaven." With that, her dad swooped her up in a hug and propped her on his hip.

I looked at my dad with a huge smile and whispered that that was the cutest thing I've ever heard. He said, "You know, Cissy, kids have the purest outlook on life and make you see things in a way you never would have." While I've never had a maternal instinct in my life, that was one of the very few moments I've wanted children...just to experience those cute little quips that kids have. I know I used to look at life so pure, verses jaded.

My Christmas spirit is bounding uphill each day as we get closer to the 25th. Our family has been through a lot this year, and I have many blessings and things to be thankful for. Next steps are to await the sheet music to our Christmas Service at church and go caroling drunk off of Irish hot chocolate. Now THAT's the way to get in the holiday spirit.

September in Phoenix & Fall in Chicago

Friends couldn't understand and always wondered why I didn't really connect with Phoenix when I moved there...and it's easy. There were a few things I didn't like, and I apologize for those who might be offended at this list:

1. Driving with the Phoenix drivers in the early morning--There were many an accidents that could have come "this" close from those who weren't going the speed limit, not looking before changing lanes, etc. Furthermore, DON'T get on the freeway if you're not going to go the speedlimit, not turn on your headlights in the pitch black of 6am and change lanes without looking to see if someone else is there.

2. Lack of grass--When I first flew over Phoenix, I saw green all over the place. I sat there descending and thinking that my parents were lying about Phoenix people not having grass and yards. Well, once I landed I realized they were right, but only partly. Some people DO have grass yards, while others take green painted rocks and dump tons of them to create a "green" yard. Very odd....

3. Lack of real seasons. Or should I say distinctive seasons. I went in for my first interview with UoP in September, while it was 95 degrees out that day. I was in a long sleeve white collared shirt and a black suit jacket and pants. However, I didn't feel uncomfortably warm. Hello1 NO HUMIDITY! But as it got to be Fall and then Winter, I was wondering what I would see. Other than the slight frost on the windows when I drove into work every morning, I didn't really notice anything other than the weather holding strong at a daily high of 75-80. I missed the fall turnover and the winter solstice...full of frost, ice and snow in all its glory!

So, I left...well, and I was in love with (before the move) an awesome guy who had cheated on me, which I found out right before Christmas. Don't do long distances...it's stupid and pointless. Anyway, I wasn't connecting with my surroundings, was heart broken, had a grandmother going in for a surgery and missed my family like mad. After Christmas, I packed my stuff and made the long drive back to Illinois.

I hadn't been back to Phoenix for over three years when I went this September to see my cousin. Three years! I still have a best friend out there along with my cousin. And I miss them both. When the plane was landing, I starting thinking of everything that happened before my move back home to Illinois, and I started tearing up. I had flown over the New Mexico mountains, saw the hills and mountains of Phoenix and realized everything I really liked about it.

The raw environmental beauty that I didn't get in Illinois.

I landed, called my cousin and awaited her at Door 7 on the North side of Sky Harbor. The airport always amazed me because it was so clean and fresh looking from the street. O'Hare and Midway always looked dingy in comparison after I flew into Phoenix.

Forgot to tell you why I went back to Phoenix in the first place--other than the fact I wanted to get away from work and have a couple days where I didn't worry about work or keep prospecting/researching companies through dinner. MY COUSIN WAS PREGNANT! It was the first pregnancy among my dad and aunt's section of our family. She had just bought her first home about five months earlier, had a rough go around with her long term boyfriend and was in the best pregnancy zen I could ever imagine.

Katie, my cousin, had no morning sickness, only gained 23 pounds and looked only six months pregnant when the baby was born! How lucky! Every other uncomfortable pregnant woman's jealous dream! Since she told me she was pregnant, I joked about how I hoped it was a boy when she wanted a girl--Oliver Liam Grundman LeGreco was born on 9/23/09, A BOY. I also planned my trip a couple weeks before Oli G. was due because I am not good with babies, which Katie joked she hoped the baby would come when I was there. Then my dad, aunt and grandma said the same thing; they all felt it would be good "experience" for the member of the family who didn't want kids or to be around them to actually see the power and miracle of birth.

Well, as soon as Katie's driving us out of the airport, she said to me. "I've got a surrrrprrriiiiise for you!"

"You're getting induced," I answered.

She looked at me, shocked, and asked if I had talked to Grannie the night before, which I had not. I did, however, have a dream earlier that week that she had an early induction due to the fact the baby was so large. The baby's dad, Casey, is a GIANT! Well, not clinically a giant, but socially speaking. Casey's 7'9. And my mind was like "Dang, that's a tall dude!"

So, my trip to Phoenix in September was helping prep the rest of the baby needs, go shopping, and just relax. The weather was beautiful and topped out at 101. For a summer in Chicago that the average temp in July was 69, this change in weather was much needed. I also got to see my best friend, Ash (it's a boy, not a girl), for lunch, where I got to meet his long-term girlfriend and future fiance. I hadn't seen him in two years since he came to Chicago for a long weekend.

Katie was induced Tuesday night and Oliver was born on Wednesday afternoon. However, even though I had extended my stay from leaving 7am Tuesday morning to leave at 1pm on Wednesday, I missed him being born. But I did leave feeling excited and hopeful that I might have a child someday, too. Yes, I now want A, one, uno, ein bebe!

When I got back to Chicago, work picked up. (Work is also another reason for my lack of blogging--big product launch, lots of new business efforts, etc.) Then it was October 1st. The weather turned quite quickly. One weekend it was about 75 and the next week was low 60's and then high 50's.

And then, I woke up to the morning temperature of 42. Granted it was at 7:30am; however, the high was 52. GOOD-NESS! It is freezing. Plus my roommate didn't want to turn on the heat. I run cold naturally, and it was/is getting a bit too much to deal with. So, this weekend while she was gone for some family reasons, I turned on the heat. AAAaaahhh....nice to be warm rather than freezing when I go to bed.

However, when I was walking around Lincoln Park yesterday and then driving on 55 South today to meet my dad, I realized how beautiful fall is. Look at the leaves and the sky, even though it might be slightly cloudy. It's almost like the clouds are preparing for the earth to take a long nap. The leaves left on the ground are a bright colored quilt stitched by nature. Protecting it when the snow, rain and ice come. I really love the seasons, and I can't wait for winter to come. Everywhere in Chicago, people are prepping. The boots are on, scarves are nestled under our chins and the jackets/coats are out of storage. I can't wait for the Festival of Lights.

To ring in Fall's spirit, my friends and I had a Fall inspired dinner, with a menu that consisted of pumpkin and squash courses. There's a certain feeling you get from winter veggies. The warmth, color, smell and feeling is amazing and heart warming.

While I was left feeling in love with Phoenix, my cousin, the new baby, my best friend and the heat...I realize why I truly am a Midwest girl. You know...I was emailing my friend Kris last week and he said to me that people on the west coast will never compare the kindness in people in the Midwest. He said when you can't drive or even walk into a doctor's office without encountering rudeness, "Houston, we have a problem."

Look around you. See the nature. Experience the preparation for the next four or five months. Be happy. And while I'm not inspired enough by Phoenix to move back, I WILL be going over for Christmas to see Oli G for the first time. I already have his present--a onesie that says "Mommy's Poop Master."

New Moon Trailer = Me likey

Denise and I haven't gotten our new cable box from Comcast yet (which is my fault), and we missed the MTV movie awards last night. We kept checking all types of media outlets for our very own peek at the New Moon trailer.

As we were giving up and going to head off to bed, I took just one more peek at www.perezhilton.com. And there on the home page was the trailer.

The permalink was like a blinking Christmas light telling us "Click me. You know you wanna see hot Robert Pattinson & Taylor Lautner." I opened the link and Denise sat next to me as we watched the clip for the first time.

Three more viewings later, we were both excited with goosey bumps on our arms. I CAN'T WAIT! Seriously, there's something so juvenile about this movie...and the Twilight saga in general...but I cannot help myself! It's like I am a tween again. SAVE ME FROM THE MADNESS.

Enjoy

Official Review of an amazing product...Shoes Under

As you can see in my previous post, I am known for my footware. And while most people would tell me to halt my addiction and save my money, I now have a whole new reason to continue my pursuit of orthopedic merriment...

THE SHOES UNDER



We've all seen this product advertised on TV. This product seemed as obvious as "green means go;" however, no one had really put this out as a consumer product. So, as my move-in day came to an end and I was stuck unpacking all my clothes, bags, purses and belts, the four boxes of shoes I had sitting in the middle of my room almost appeared to be a feat to difficult too overcome.

While on a quick dinner break, I ran up to Walgreens to grab some basic fridge fillers and ended up walking by the "As Seen on TV" aisle. On the end sat Shoes Under, promising me a place for all of my shoes to fit...under my bed whilst taking no extra room in my closet. I thought, "What the hay. If they don't work, I can take them back." For $9.99 per Shoes Under, I thought this would be the cheapest and most appropriate solution.

I bought two Shoes Under to start, thinking this would fit all my shoes. Each Shoes Under fits up to 12 pairs of shoes. I opened my first moving box full of my shoes and began the process of unpacking.



The first Shoes Under was filled quicker than I expected, but I was a bit frustrated at the fact that some of my taller heels had to be split between two separate sections, which led to me losing a whole space for another pair of shoes. And then I got to thinking, "How would a man's shoe even FIT in here?" Not like most men are rushing out to get their very own Shoes Under, but I just thought this product is definitely leaving out a whole demographic...gay men. I would totally give this to my GBF for the holidays or his birthday.

With the first Shoes Under filled and filed under my bed, I started getting creative with my shoe boxes, and started making SHOES JENGA by stacking all the individual boxes before sorting them in the Shoes Under:



In the end, I had to go get an extra Shoes Under since my shoe collection was extensive as a stamp collector. Overall, this product is amazing. I have a platform bed and have never been able to really keep anything under it...until now. My Shoes Under's will probably double.

I thank you, Shoes Under creator, for giving me a product that frees up space in my closet, provides an obvious solution and a way to keep my shoes addiction/spending from my mother. GO GET YOURSELF A SHOES UNDER!

Shoes: Addiction or Random Accumulation?

As I am packing for my move over Memorial Day weekend, I was afraid to even begin to tackle my closet. It seems overwhelming and scary. However, I was a brave girl and decided to take the easiest objects to pack first. Those objects were the shoe boxes stuffed in the back of my closet.

In college, I really started to develop a love-hate relationship with shoes. I loved to have them but hated that I wasted money on them. So as my college career went on, I started graduating into a regular aficionado of the stilleto.

And for the past 4 years of my working career, I have accumulated a lot of shoes. The packing tonight rendered 4 boxes of shoes, which doesn't include boots. I got rid of 4 pairs that were just worn to the stitches and 2 pairs that I hardly wore and will donate. Still, it's an insane amount of shoes!!!

I know I am not the only girl with this problem. And I admitted a long time ago that I am addicted to shopping. While I have calmed down my addiction, my closet is still a realization that I have been a bad, bad girl.