Five by Five - Chalk and Football

Strange Coincidence of the Week: We went to Des Moines last weekend for a family reunion and Friday before we left, I read on Facebook that a couple of our friends from our Twin Cities days were going to be in Des Moines that night, too!  So we were able to sit down and have a chat with them (smart people! who don't seems to think we're odd for needing to prepare for a weekend of socializing!) and give pets and cuddles to their dog.  It's possible that he (the dog) even gave me kisses.  It was the loveliest part of an entirely overwhelming weekend filled with people and noise.

Bad Aunt Move of the Week: At said family reunion, I was tasked with watching my 4-year old nephew and 4-year old cousin.  I sat them down in front of a giant television, put on a Netflix movie with characters from Disney's Cars (Mater's Tall Tales, maybe?), told them that they needed to stay in the same room as me, and promptly fell asleep on the couch. Mater was not all that interesting to me, apparently.

I was found out when the munchkins when upstairs "to get water" and sold me out. "Aunt NGS didn't even notice when we left the room," they apparently tattled with glee.  And then we went outside and played with sidewalk chalk, drawing rainbows and music notes and smiley faces and letters and squares and triangles and the buildings where mommy and daddy go to work. So I think I was forgiven for my napping transgression.

Exciting Event of the Week: The NFL season has started!!!  I am not as excited about the chances for the Lions going all the way this season, but I even got excited about watching the Broncos/Ravens game last night.

Dr. BB: Who are you rooting for?
Me: Peyton.
Dr. BB: So the Broncos, then?
Me: I don't care. I just want him to have a good game and not get hurt.

It's been a long seven months, people.

Food of the Week: I know that no one cares what we eat for dinner (hint: frittatas, turkey tacos, risotto, and some version of polenta pizza are in regular rotation around here), but yesterday I made a meal in the slow cooker and it was so delicious that we both went back for seconds. I can't claim I invented this meal, so much as ripped the recipe out of my mother-in-law's Real Simple last weekend, but I will claim that I put all the ingredients in the machine and made it delicious.  Fennel, chicken thighs, chicken stock, a teeny amount of onion, brown rice, paprika, fennel seeds, and you are in business.  Go do it now, especially if you, like us, are getting fennel in your CSA basket right now!

What Is Zelda Doing Right Now?: She's being cute, of course.

She's actually been lying on the floor using that binder as a pillow, but every time I try to get a picture of her sprawled out in kitty laziness, she gives me this look. Human, stop trying to show everyone how gorgeous I am. They already know.