Criteria

MB's fun friend, Karen had (she is recently married) this criteria when looking for a mate. I think it's perfect:

1. They have to read books for fun

2. They have to be close to their parent/family (MB added this one)

3. Attend church services regularly

4. Think that I'm funny

Here is Karen's feedback on the criteria: "You got it! I didn’t have the close to family thing on there but it’s a good one. My thoughts were that if they read, they should be interesting to talk to; if they practice some type of faith, they have a moral compass; and if they think I’m funny, they “get me.”

This will be used for dating moving forward...

Street Names...

Inspired by MBRox's post about the number of times she has moved in the past 15 years these are the names of all of the streets I have lived on in my lifetime. I have also moved 11 times in the past 11 years that I have lived on the East Coast.

D Ave, Bever Ave, Cottage Grove Ave, McMechen St, Park Ave, Presstman, Bolton St, Belt St, East Wheeling, Clinton, Spring Head Court, Charles St & Fallsgrove Blvd...

Simple Pleasures

It's really cold here, very Midwestern...so last night I made this yummy Beef Mushroom Barley Soup. I got the original recipe from allrecipes.com and then tweaked it...

1 Lb. Beef for stewing

1 onion chopped

4 cloves garlic

3 large carrots chopped

4 stalks celery chopped

1 lb chopped mushrooms-I bought the pre-sliced kind

3 cans beef broth

1 can chicken broth

2 cubes beef bouillion

1 cup red wine

3/4 cup pearl barley

some cornstarch to thicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

In a large pot start by browning the beef...when it starts to cook add one cup of beef broth and one cup of red wine...let this simmer or slow boil. In a seperate pot saute the celery, carrots, onion, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper with a little bit of olive oil. Let the veggies start to cook...once the beef looks nice and done (about 10 minutes) add the beef to the veggies along with 2 cans of beef broth, the chicken broth and the 3/4 cup of barley. Let this come to a boil for about 45 minutes for the barley to cook. Add the cornstarch (I used about 3T mixed with water) to the broth to slightly thicken. Once thicken, add the 1/2 cup of sour cream and stir in. This was delicious and made a nice amount...enough for 2 people for dinner and then probably 4 leftovers...it was delicious and very easy to make!

I should be studying

I spent this weekend at the lovely Gaithersburg Holiday Inn for the Maryland state mandated Health & Life Insurance pre-licensing class. It was 16 hours of pure hell taught by one of the most arrogant, sexist and racist men I have encountered since possibly working for Rick Haskell at Fleming's (they could possibly be friends) I did not learn enough, because he spent more time talking about how many million dollar life insurance policies he has written in his 37 year career and attacking nearly every minority in the US.

I have to take the damn test tomorrow morning downtown and be there no later than 7 AM...luckily I only need a 70% to pass...but it will be a really GOOD day if that happens.

Anyway...yesterday was Olivia's 9th birthday...not quite sure how that happened. I went out for my traditional sushi dinner and celebrated our lives....but before that my car drove to the mall instead of the gym as I had intended and I purchased a much needed new suit...oops!

My roommate's Huskie, Hart is living with us for a month while her parents are in the outer banks...he is a sweet, fat lovable dog, we are bonding and I am actually looking for a dog myself, I know---hard to believe, but it's something that may happen this year. We'll see.

Just thankful for so many blessings...and especially what may come this year (more on that in the next couple of weeks!!!)

It's been a long time...so I have to ask---would you ask me out on a date based on the below pictures? I welcome your feedback...and I promise all of my other stuff soon.