Run for the Roses

So I took a little hiatus from blogging, but I'm hoping to make a comeback!

One of the things I've been up to was helping cater my parents annual Kentucky Derby party.
You can see pictures of last years HERE.
This was the 136th Kentucky Derby.

In customary fashion, I donned my spring dress and wide brimmed hat (The hat didn't make it that long... I'm not much of a hat person. HA HA):

And while looking this good, I cooked up a storm!

WHEW - that was A LOT of food. I think I need a drink! Remember the also customary mint julep?

Oh, did you think that the party was over? After Calvin Borel unexpectedly won his 3rd Derby on Super Saver, I started prepping dinner. Everyone was STUFFED, but we made room!

I've been gone so long, I think I forgot how to write a truly riveting blog. Hopefully the pictures make up for it!

OH... I forgot! HARMAR THE GREAT! These festivities really tuckered him out, but isn't he the cutest thing EVAH?

PS - to be fair, my mom did all the shopping, the meat came from the honey baked ham store, and a nice friend of the family made the rice and cupcakes. Don't want you thinking I'm **THAT** cool. :)

I've got you seeing red!

I may have mentioned I got my hair done last post... but I totally bailed on posting the pictures! SORRY about that!

Anyways, I'm not quite ready to cut my hair as I don't feel I've attained true "stripper hair" status just yet... but I do enjoy dabbling in color. I think anyone can be blonde! That's not a slam people!! I've been blonde before too, I just like to try it all!

Whatcha think?

I should have taken the pictures outside - it's A LOT more red than these pics show.

I should give a shout out to my hair stylist. His name is Troy Newland and he is currently located at Elan Salon on Bullard / West in Fresno, Ca. We've been together since 1999 and I think that's pretty impressive. He totally got my "Stripper Hair" interpretation too - that makes him SUPER cool!

Derby Day Delights

Well folks, my moms "Run for the Roses" Kentucky Derby Party is being declared a success! Of course, I don't really have contact with the outside world so mostly the success declaration is me patting myself on the back for my part in the party.

To be honest, my mom and dad only remodeled their entire house and my mom claims she ran all the errands and got all the food and decorations... so their part was marginal in comparison to the fact that I plagiarized an invitation and made a list one time, but you know, people are like that.

ANYWAYS! I'm sure what you want is photos... Here's the invitation:

Secondly, here I am with my Mint Julep:

And I need everyone to recognize that HarMar's bow matches my shirt:

I made pinwheels:


And fruit w/ a coolwhip/marshmallow cream dip:

Overall it was a pretty good spread:

Then after a very exciting viewing of the Derby, we moved on to dinner. I made a yummy salad with parmesan, carrots, red peppers, and cannelloni beans:

And here I am next to the rest of the spread which included salad, 3 bean salad, corn, rolls, homemade scalloped potatoes, baked beans, and BBQ'd chicken:


Truthfully, my parents house is perfect for hosting a party and they have a dream kitchen to cook in and she has every cool gadget and plenty of space. My mom has always been the ultimate hostess and it was neat for me to be able to do some of the hard work that would impress her friends and free her up so she could actually enjoy her party. Overall, a success!

Flower Bouquets and The Cancer!

So I've been busy the last few days. I think I'm a pretty creative person, but I also believe that I'm such a copy-cat poser. I was asked to help make little gifts for Administrative Professionals Day. I am proud of how they turned out so I'm going to share them with you! (Also note, I work best alone, late at night, and on an EXTREME budget. These cost $34.95 each from a place like Edible Arrangements and I was able to make 12 of them for $75 total.

First you have to chocolate dip the strawberries.


Then I cut pineapple with a cookie cutter and used cantaloupe to complete the flower and put grapes on skewers.


I bought clear vases at Dollar Tree and florist foam at Michaels. Then I wrapped the foam in colored foil to hide it and started assembling the bouquets.


And here is the final product. Whatcha think?



---------------------
As a side note, I've agreed to do some things that are really out of character for me. Like a hail storm of tangible panic, social opportunities are raining down upon me. I write one stinkin' post about doing a "city blog" (Which I have no idea what that even means) and now I'm in the '09 Blogger Olympics! What's this?! I can no longer hide behind my keyboard? I'm being forced out and not just to meet people, but to COMPETE? I'm pretty sure this is as close to feeling The Cancer grow as one could imagine. I don't know what to expect. I'm freaking out. FREAKING. OUT. This, of course, will be taken as a sign of weakness. That's okay, it won't stop me from destroying @MoralThreat at Skee Ball! (I keed - I keed!)

I know I border on narcissism and low self-esteem at the same time which may confuse some of you, but I'm taking a minute to show my softer side here. I am nowhere near the caliber of people I've been meeting. They are outgoing, educated, witty, creative, and SUPER SMART! I am honored to be included in this fine group of bloggers and look forward to bringing all of my anxiety, panic, nervous twitching, and inappropriate sense of humor into the real world and public forum.

An Apple A Day...

So, here I am at work... I’m using my wonderful G5 w/ cinema display to put specials on our website, I’m writing this blog, I’m using Excel to calculate price discounts on aged inventory, I stopped to scribble down blog ideas for an RV industry travel related blog I will be implementing soon, I have my iPhone in front of me and just sent a text... I took a break and bought a CD on iTunes and synced that to my iPod and iPhone... and all the while I’ve been watching a podcast from Macworld called the Keynote Address and it’s all the latest innovations in software that Apple has come out with to their iLife and iWork products.

I am pretty much on the verge of tears here. It’s so wonderful. I’m going to quit my job and move to Cupertino. I’m going to be a squatter in the Apple lobby until they agree to give me a job. Just let me be a janitor - maybe answer the phone every once and a while? I know I’m not educated enough or innovative enough to ever actually DO anything, but I just want to be next to cool people.

My whole life is run by this company already. Apple is my Nirvana... my mecca.

They did a small demonstration of one of the programmers on how to use iMovie to edit and make your own video presentations. I think I actually blurted out “I want to marry that man!” Sorry... I got caught up in the moment!

I want to make brochures and websites and videos and graphs just for the sake of using their software. I don’t even do presentations and graphs, but I’m in lurve... not lust, not love, but LURVE... I LURVE IT... At night I sleep on the right side of the bed. HarMar sleeps next to me on my left. And my left pillow is for my iBook. Yeah, that’s right, I sleep with my laptop. I’m THAT much of a nerd.

Honestly, I don’t expect any of you to make it to this last sentence. I know you all are like - WOW this chick is super uncool. But that’s ok. I’m so happy right now. I’m inspired to do STUFF. And honestly, when I do it, I’m able to do every aspect with passion and enjoyment and excitement. How many of you can say that about the mundane details of your life?

Well...

The summertime is pretty much over. It’s rainy and overcast today, but with Santa Cruz in my blood, I LOVE IT!

Surprisingly I still have a job and a warm cozy bed with a roof over my head so I can’t complain right? I think I may even have a couple friends LOL

I’ve taken on more work than I ever thought possible, I mean seriously, my job duties typed as 1 liners takes up 2 pages now. And now I know there is a deep sickness inside me because... between you and me... secretly, I like it. I like that they need me. I like the challenge. I like fighting for something I believe in. I want to be thought of as doing something that no one else could do - EVERYTHING! In all honesty, that is unhealthy. But who are you to judge? I have to kids, no significant other, and the only thing waiting for me at home is a TiVo’d episode of Judge Judy, so what do you care that I’ve made this my life, my family, my home? It sucks to take it so personally when business isn’t good, but that’s like extra motivation for me to dig in deeper. I don’t know if I could live with myself if I didn’t give it everything I got. I think I’d look back and say - if I only I had worked harder, got up earlier, read more, was more creative.

The unfortunate part is that no reasonable person can do this much. I can’t please anyone either. Either people hate me because I do the impossible (jealousy is such a bitch) or I’m juggling so much that I don’t get anything done and then they say I’m dumb for trying. UGH. I hate that. I don’t know. I’ve always put my entire life on the line in the chance that someone would say “Good Job Marisa”. It’s never about money. It’s not even about being the center of attention. I know the ulcers I grow inside so it’s not about admiration. I guess it’s about value. I just want people to say “Good Job”. I want that nod of approval. The WOW... the THANK YOU. I wonder if people see that? I don’t know. I think some people think I’m snobby and condescending. No one like miss perfect Holly Homemaker who worked all day and still shows up to the party with a 10 course meal and all they brought was some KFC. But it’s such a double edged sword. I want that approval and surely me showing up with something half ass isn’t good enough, so I go overboard trying to say “Hey Hey, I tried REALLY REALLY HARD, will you like me now? Think I’m good enough now?” but then the opposite happens... and they dislike me because I tried too hard. I don’t know. It’s so lame.

I just signed on to throw our annual company party. In years past when money flowed like water we would spend tens of thousands of dollars on fancy soiree (I have to admit I took 10 minutes to google how to spell that word.. apparently NO ONE knows) at a country club. Well last year I was given the task of throwing that same party for 75 people for $3,000 not at the country club. Yup, I did it with 1 other girl and it was like Jesus walking on fucking water. Of course, they complained that there wasn’t enough meat (god forbid the vegetarian made some NON meat delicacies) and that the drive was too far and that it was only appetizers. (Yeah, chicken skewers and bruschetta and mini roasted red potatoes with artichoke and cheese and crackers and stuffed mushrooms and fruit and veggies and brie w/ apricot jam in a puff pastry and a chocolate fountain and beer and homemade sangria is a real bummer... INGRATES!) Decorations... Music... I even had a photo station last year. I went to Joannes and draped fabric and ornaments and and set up my camera on a tri-pod, it was SO cute. I also made gift baskets for each of our departments employees of the year (Personalized to their likes, of course)

Well, this year I’ve been give the same task, less my other friend/helper, here at the dealership with a full meal for $1,000. Think I can do it? Cook it all by myself for 100 people? Yeah, besides doing what I have calculated to be 3 FULL TIME jobs (5 titles though, but not all are FULL TIME) I just took on a catering position. HA! Seriously, I need help. I’m sick.

AND GETTING EXCITED! WOO HOO! PARTY!! COOKING!! DECORATING!! SHOPPING!! I’m in crazy lady heaven ☺