Friday Things
1. The above is what I woke up to on Wednesday morning. Ten inches of fresh snow… which promptly started to melt by noon, when it was already 40 degrees. What crazy weather! Did anyone else get a snow day this week? I’m thinking that should be the last go-round Pittsburgh has with snow this year, so if it’s done snowing, I say bring on the warm weather!
2. Thanks to everyone for all of the well wishes last week; my cold has officially been eradicated and I’m feeling much better! I didn’t waste much time once my taste buds returned; my first “real” meal once I was feeling better was a favorite –Â Japanese Pan Noodles (and a snickerdoodle) from Noodles & Co.!
3. I’m spending a couple of hours at the hospital this morning while my mom has a quick outpatient procedure done. The last time I accompanied her to the hospital was for her gallbladder surgery back in October, and I asked for recommendations on a tote bag. You all came through big-time! Thanks to your recommendations, my sister got me the medium zip top canvas tote from Lands’ End for Christmas (LOVE it!), and I filled it with magazines and snacks to keep me busy this morning. You all rock, thank you for the suggestions!
4. My mom got her dog, Bella (a black lab/greyhound mix), as a rescue back in 2000 when she was only a year old. Thanks to some savvy math, we figured out that Bella is turning 100 (or thereabouts) in dog years this month! I think we’re going to have a little mini celebration for her this weekend :)  Here she is, photobombing Einstein in his reindeer antlers over the holidays and enjoying the Christmas tree:
5. For Valentine’s Day, I got my Chief Culinary Consultant a PlayStation Move motion controller, along with the new MLB The Show video game on pre-order. The game came on Tuesday and we promptly played multiple rounds of home run derby using the controllers. Fast forward to Wednesday early morning when I woke up with excruciating pain in my midsection and around my rib cage. We were on the verge of a trip to the hospital in 10 inches of snow when the pain finally subsided. Then, I remembered… The game. The violent swinging motion. Given how sore my entire back, sides, abs and shoulders have been since, I’m pretty sure I experienced some severe muscle spasms. From a video game. I’m super lame.
6. I got an email this week that Brown Eyed Baker is a finalist in the About.com Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Food Blog (along with some other fabulous sites!). Thank you if any of you nominated BEB! If you’d like to cast a vote, follow that link above – voting is open until March 19th!
7. I’ve seen links to this article a few times in the last week and finally read it… good stuff! 22 Things Happy People Do Differently
8. I’m happy to report that my Chief Culinary Consultant and I have finally settled on a new TV show to watch. Last Saturday night while I was still in couch recovery mode, we made some popcorn and queued up the season premiere of The Americans OnDemand. We loved it and proceeded to watch all four new episodes within 24 hours. If you haven’t seen it yet and like shows like Homeland, definitely give it a try!
9. Â I’ve been drowning in the land of spreadsheets when it comes to bookkeeping, which has made tax time for the last two years an absolute nightmare. A couple of weeks ago, Kristen from Dine & Dish shared a blog post about an online accounting system called FreshBooks. I finally set things up yesterday and from what I can tell so far, it is going to make bookkeeping and taxes so much simpler! Definitely check it out if you’re in the market for an easy-to-use accounting system.
10. TGIF! Bottoms up!
I just voted for you!!!!! I love visiting your site and love your recipes! I used a bunch of them for Thanksgiving! :)
I LOVE the pictures of the dogs! They are adorable!!!!!!
Luckily no snow this week, but I am so done with snow and cold weather. But the 10 day forecast isn’t budging. Video games will totally kick your butt. I play with the Wii almost everyday and am constantly surprised by what a great workout it is. Try a boxing game – they’re crazy. Love The Americans too.
Love that happiness article. Thanks for sharing!
So, so done with winter and shoveling! We have had two days of it here in MA. The only good thing about snow days is that i had time to make chocolate donuts for breakfast. Glad you are feeling better.
I need to check out Fresh Books! And, congrats on the About.com nomination! Just voted for ya. :)
If you are looking for another series to watch try Banshee. I have just started it but I do like it.
I just voted – you are kicking it! I had the very same scene outside my window here in beautiful Cecil Township, but now it’s all gone. Not complaining :-)
I voted for you. You’re waaaaaay ahead! Yippee!
Congrats on being a finalist for best food blog — that’s terrific. The hard work you put into this site shows — it’s a great place to frequent and drool! The Americans is a good show, isn’t it? At least there’s something to watch on t.v. right now. Top Chef ended. ugh.
Glad to hear you are feeling better! Congrats on the nomination, absolutely love your blog and voted:) Good luck and thank you for sharing all your goodies with everyone:)
Thank you for sharing, “22 Things Happy People Do Differently”. It’s short ‘n sweet, packed with wise words for living. I sent it to my grown kids in hopes that they’ll learn in their youth what took me years to figure out! You are a bright light in our lives and help us live more deliciously! No wonder you were nominated for Best Food Blog!
Voted! You deserve to win and you are way ahead of the pack!! Thanks for sharing all the recipes and stories. I am always smiling when I’m on your site.
Wishing you and your mom the best!
AND happy 100 to Bella! <–Love, Mozi, Gus and Molly
And I voted, and currently you are owning the competition! :)
xoxo,
M
Still no snow in Los Angeles CA. Yes I hope one day it snows here lol…
If you want to see where your money goes and how to budget try mint.com, its free. It will keep you on track.
I voted!! Love this site and I look forward to my Friday Things email :)
I just voted for you for Best Food Blog and you have 90% of the votes right now!!!
We got some snow here in central Virginia but not that much. Ours was gone too by the afternoon. So crazy! And it’s supposed to be warm this weekend. I just voted too. Love your blog!
Voted….good luck!
I am so jealous of your snow!! We rarely ever get snow in Dallas….I miss it so much. I LOVE your blog and hope you win! Friday Things is my favorite post….and as much as I love your posts and wonderful food…..I have to admit it is because of the pictures of Einstein….I love that face!! :)
Happy 100 Bella! You and Einstein are adorable puppies :) And congrats, Michelle on the nomination–just voted! Good luck, rooting for you!!
Love the snow pic!!
Hello, you just got a vote from Switzerland :O) You have a really great blog. I just love the pictures you take! I already tried out your cupcake red velvet recipe, yammm…. The only problem I had, was with the food color. Here I only get liquid colors, and the colors aren’t so intensive. But the taste was great.
Have a great day and sorry if I make mistakes in english ;O)
Sorry to hear about your video game side effect but doesn’t Cutch look great on the cover? I too am ready for Pittsburgh to be done with the snow. Looks like we will have warmer weather this weekend. Have a good weekend and hope your Mom is doing okay.
He does!
We woke up to a similar scene this morning. I love snow, but I am over it this winter! Cracking up about the video game incident – I’ve definitely had calluses on my hands from too much video game time. I wish we lived closer together – hockey, video games and baking, it would be awesome!
PS – Congrats on the nomination, just voted :)
Seriously! So much fun stuff in common! And thanks for the vote! :)
Hey there! We’re geting our snow right now and still coming on strong. I am in Elizabeth, NJ and didn’t think it would happen. Not that much on the ground right now but it’s not over yet. Have a great day… and LOVE your blog.
Congrats! I just voted for you! We also woke up to snow (Utah) but it was not NEARLY as much as you got over there! The new series, The Americans is such a great one. We started watching the first night out premiered…and have been HOOKED!
Congrats for being Readers Choice! What a great honor! You deserve it!! Bella is adorable!! I hope you have a fun little celebration! I’ll be looking for the birthday doggie recipe next week!
Have a wonderful weekend!
GOSH I KNOW YOU HATE THE SNOW BUT THAT PICTURE IS BEAUTIFUL. I AM IN LOWER ALABAMA SO I DO NOT GET TO SEE THIS. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR MOM TODAY. I WILL BE MAKING THE RUSSIAN POUND CAKE TODAY OR TOMORROW. I AM GLAD I FOUND YOUR WEB SITE. MY DOGS LOVE ICE ALSO. CUTE PICTURE.
I voted for you !!! Until I found your blog I never followed anyone faithfully. Your blog is what I would do if I ever got around to doing one (on my to do list). We have so many similarities including the most important one. Golden Retrievers, I have two girls, Chelsea and Sammantha and they think Enstien is very handsome!! Good Luck with mom and I hope you win!!
I’m glad you’re feeling better and I hope your mom is ok.
How I wish we could have snow like that instead of all this rain we have here!
Congratulations, I think you deserve to win, your blog is one of the best (if not the best) I’ve seen, in every aspect.