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Looking on the Bright Side: Things I’m Excited About Today

This week I’ve been sort of… um… pessimistic. Grumpy. Bitchy, even (I still feel bad about grumbling about potluck dinners and my husband thinks I’ve gotten us blackballed from all future social events… that remains to be seen. It’s gotta be a coincidence that we don’t have any weekend plans, right?). Really, there’s no reason for my bad attitude, so I am going to switch things up a little and look on the bright side (totally unlike me, I know.)

So in no particular order, here are the things I’m excited about today.

1) My new prized possession. Last night when I came home from work, this was waiting for me:

A combination birthday/anniversary/just because present from my wonderful husband. It. is. awesome. The first thing I did was download Facebook, Twitterific, and Skype but I’m guessing this thing has the capability to do things beyond feed my social networking addiction, so if you have any suggestion for awesome apps, let me know.

2) Our upcoming vacation. In just a few weeks, we’re going here:

The Tamarack Lodge in Traverse City Michigan. I can’t wait. It really warrants two pictures.

Ah, perfection.

3) This baby bump.

That’s my sister and my about-to-be-born niece. It’s 10 days until her due date, and while it seems to Anna that her pregnancy is never going to end, the baby will be here any day.

4) It’s Friday. Enough said.

So, friends, what are you excited about today?

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Out of Luck at the Potluck

Ok so I’m trying to figure out how to write this post without seeming like a neurotic, germaphobic snob or just a complete nut job. It turns out, I can’t.

But unfortunately for all of us, that’s not going to stop me.

Here’s the thing. Tonight we went to a potluck dinner, and I’ve just got to say…

Potlucks skeeve me out.

They sound like a good idea in theory – we each bring one thing, it’s not too hard on anyone, everyone’s happy.

In practice, however, they really don’t work out that well. Take, for example, what my family ate tonight. Andy had a plate full of assorted food that included chicken & noodles, asian cole slaw salad, cubes of cheese, and shrimp cocktail. Sammy ate a piece of cheese pizza, half a peanut butter and jelly, baked beans and a chocolate chip cookie (the most normal out of any of us). Kate ate a spoonful of sloppy joe without a bun and a cupcake, and I ate a chicken leg.

Because potlucks? They’re random food made by random people.

As you may have noticed, it’s not that I have a problem eating food prepared by others (in fact, that’s how I prefer it).

It’s not even that I’m opposed to the 16 variations of green bean casserole or endless dishes of that hash brown/sour cream/potato chip concoction. I actually am a big fan of those things and many other white trash delicacies as well.

But when they’re piled on a picnic table and their origin is unknown…

Well, I eat a chicken leg.

Because, like I said, potlucks skeeve me out.

I know the box of KFC is much more likely to contain spit and/or other bodily fluids than the food lovingly prepared by moms much more domestic and talented than me, yet somehow the luke warm Original Recipe seems like the safest choice.

I don’t know what it is.

Actually, I do know what it is. It’s random food made by random people.

It weirds me out.

Now, since I ate a measly chicken leg for dinner, I’m going to go order a pizza. Because dough kneaded by pimply teenagers is MUCH MORE APPEALING than a crock pot full of meatballs.

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In Conclusion…

So. As I may have mentioned, I have a new oven.

And a new microwave.

And they are sweet.

As I thought about what to write in my last appliance post (don’t worry, you’ll still hear plenty about Jenny’s new washer and dryer), I thought about the change they’ve made in my kitchen (to quote Casey, “Your old oven gave me hives over the Internet.”), but also the change they’ve made in my habits.

As in, I actually cook now. Sometimes. (Not tonight when I strolled in from work at about a quarter after 8. But I had good intentions and pork chops thawing in the refrigerator. There’s always tomorrow, right?)

But seriously, I have started to kind of enjoy this cooking thing. And I’m getting the slightest bit better at it.

Here’s what I’ve discovered. Becoming a good cook requires actually trying to cook. Not that I am a good cook yet, or even a moderately proficient one (I mean, let’s think about the level at which I started), but my new appliances have inspired me to give it a go, and that’s the first step, right?

And because they are idiot-proof work so well, it’s given me the confidence to keep going. Which really, if you think about it, has a big impact on our family and our health – not to mention our wallet.

Speaking of wallets, I’ve also discovered something else during this little experiment. Before, I would have never bought an appliance from the “professional” line. I’m more of a one-step-up-from-the-bottom-of-the-barrel kind of girl. However, now I know it’s worth putting a little more money in things like this.. things we use every day. When the refrigerator we inherited from the previous owners of our old house finally bites the dust (which, judging by the noises it makes, isn’t far off) I will strongly consider replacing it with the one from the Frigidaire Professional Series.

So there you have it – the last of my range/microwave review posts. I cannot promise, however, that this will be the last time you hear about my cooking.

Because, really, I am still pretty incompetent.

Case in point: the pizza dough I brilliantly rolled out onto wax paper.

Stay tuned.

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I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Range/Microwave to facilitate my review.

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