The Missing Piece

Don't you just hate it when your [insert critical mechanism] of your [insert favorite kitchen appliance] breaks?! I know I do.

It wasn't until recently that I needed to purchase 1.) a replacement lid for our Cuisinart SmartStick Blender (apparently you can't fit 2 cups of frozen fruit inside and hope the blade will turn), and 2.) a replacement cup for our KitchenAid Mini Pulse Grinder (too many batches of Oreo balls, I guess!). I moped around the house for a while, fondly remembering the good 'ole days and dreading the smoothie- and Oreo ball-less months that stretched out ahead. Blech.

But then I remembered the existence of a website called CulinaryParts.com! (This is probably the most important thing I learned while working at Williams-Sonoma.) They sell replacement parts for dozens of kitchen appliances - which meant that my dejected little appliances had a second chance!

The site is super-easy to navigate. Once you click on the "Parts & Accessories" link at the top of the page, you'll see a list of all the brands they carry - KitchenAid, Breville, Krups, and the like. You simply click on the manufacturer name, then by the type of appliance, and finally by the item number (most of the time this is written somewhere on the actual machine). A little less than a week later, my SmartStick Blender and Pulse Grinder are back in business!

With shipping and everything, it was about $30 for my two parts. My husband pointed out that I could have purchased an entire new Pulse Grinder for this price, and I won't disagree that it was a little more than I wanted to spend. I just feel wierd about throwing out an appliance that is 95% functional, especially when it can be fixed, okay? Besides, I think for more expensive appliances, like food processors or bread makers or espresso machines (none of which I own), the cost of a replacement part is probably justified.

Now if only they could create a website to buy replacements for those pesky missing puzzle pieces...

You'll Never Guess...

...what Clay went out and bought last Saturday!

Here's a hint:

This little red Honda scooter is all ours! We even got matching white helmets. :D

Clay was so excited to drive it home (and I was so terrified) and even more excited to show it off to his family and friends. Needless to say, we will be getting LOTS of practice on this thing before our trip!

Weekly Wows!

This past weekend my in-laws were in town, so I decided to make cinnamon rolls from the Pioneer Woman Cookbook for Saturday breakfast. Who knew the recipe made 50 rolls?!?! (I guess I would have if I’d read the recipe more closely. :D) All that butter and sugar – and especially that smacking good maple icing – make these tasty morning treats ones that won’t last long! They also freeze well, which will be great for the next time I’m fixing breakfast for a crowd.

I LOVE bottled Starbucks Frapuccino drinks. Every day started with a Frapuccino is a good day – until I think about the 190 calories it contains. :( Luckily I discovered Frapuccino Light, which only has 100 calories per bottle!

As I was perusing the ads in the Sunday paper (like I do), I ran across this ridiculous ad for Huggies Diapers.

I mean, seriously – jeans-patterned diapers? What will they think of next?!

This weekend I (finally) had a little time to work on some of my craft projects, namely the Snappy Tees (or onesies in this case). Here's a sneak peek at what I accomplished:

I even came up with some of my own patterns, which you’ll just have to wait to see. ;)

Less than two months until our vacation! (In case you can’t tell, I cannot wait for it to get here.)


Hope you’re having a wow-ser of a week! :D

The Winds of Change Are A-Blowin'

Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to announce that my blog will be getting a facelift! (I know - finally, right?)

Kelly of Fabulous K Creative will be adding a little fun and flair to the Lifestyles of the Riches...when she gets to me in September. :(  Currently she is working to re-launch her website in July, so she's got a lot of work to do. And even though I paid my deposit yesterday, she is in such demand that her waiting list is THAT LONG. Sheesh.

All I know is that it will be worth the wait! :D

Somebody Has a Birthday!

Today marks the 27th year of life for my dear, sweet husband Clay. And let me tell you, I am SO glad he was born!

This man has made my life so much more fun – and definitely more interesting. I love sharing funny stories with him at the end of my day, making special meals that I know he will enjoy, and experiencing new things with him (like laughter yoga or those dance lessons he signed us up for!). He encourages me to be a better person each and every day, and he uses his talents to bless others…

from his bus driving skills

to his softball skills

to his mad kayaking skills

to his strike-a-silly-pose skills

to his handyman skills.

I am SO lucky that God brought us together. He is truly a blessing to me!

Happy birthday, Clay. I love you!

CAT-astrophe

The above picture is a fairly accurate representation of our backyard on any given day. Seriously.

While we do not have a cast of adults dressed in skin-tight cat costumes (which would be equally alarming), we do have an insane number of felines who have taken up residence in the vicinity of ours. And it has finally come to the point where we can share the space no longer.

A little background:

Our next-door neighbors have been feeding the resident stray cats ever since we have moved into our house almost four years ago. The number has grown from three to almost twelve, maybe more (though it is awfully hard to count)! The lady next door swears that the woman who lives behind her takes the cats to be spayed or neutered, but the week after she told us that we noticed a new litter of kittens.

I frequently come home to find five - and sometimes more - cats having a little shin-dig in our driveway, maybe lounging under bushes or on the front porch, or draped over trees in our yard.

These furry little fiends friends leave their lovely-smelling excrement in the flower bed - just so I have a little reminder of their presence whenever I step outside to get the mail, I'm sure.

They leave little cat prints on my freshly-washed car.

We are frequently awoken by their "wild parties" outside our bedroom window at 3:00am. Or 10:00am. Or 2:00pm. Really, whenever.

We have tried many passive-agressive methods to at least keep these felines off our property. The Shake-Away Repellant was just a gimmick. Moth balls only made everything smell like moth balls. (We had many a guest ask us why it smelled like a coat closet on our front porch.) The lavender was a total joke, and the chicken wire only worked until the cats figured out how to get around it. We have even been so desperate as to price the cat repellant noisemakers, but figured the results would be just as disappointing.

In a moment of desperation, we rented traps from Animal Control to catch the little critters. Unfortunately, one of our neighbors saw the trap with food and asked if we were poisoning their cats. Their cats? You mean the ones without tags that look sickly and thin because they don't have a proper home? Oh, those cats. Needless to say, we didn't like being accused of such cruelty and quickly put away the traps.

My husband and I love animals, we really do. Promise. But this situation is bringing out the worst in both of us...

I was at home one morning when I heard the cats going at it just outside of our guest room window. With my patience running low, I stormed into the room with plans to startle the little noisemakers on the other side. Apparently I used a little too much gusto when knocking on the window...and ended up punching through the glass all the way to the screen. Luckily I was not injured.

Clay has gotten to where he makes a mad dash for the hose whenever he sees the cats lounging in our yard. (Do you think they would obey "No Loitering" signs?) He turns the nozzle to "stream" and goes after anything furry within range.

Both of us stomp and/ or throw things when we see the cats anywhere close. We have done this so often that the cats will run the other way when they see us coming!

And I hesitate to admit it, but I often speed up in the driveway if I see a cat laying there. I have seen Clay do this too.

See what I mean? This whole cat thing really makes us look like uncaring and heartless individuals - which we are NOT. We are trying to do the humane thing, really we are. Clay and I want these cats to have loving homes where they can be given monogrammed kitty beds, bathed in liberal amounts of flea-killer and nibble Fancy Feast out of crystal goblets.

This cat-astrophe has brought us to our wits' end! We just don't know what to do anymore...

Restaurant Review: Twisted Root

Several weeks ago, I had made plans to go out to dinner with my sister. As we were discussing details, she suggested that we go to Twisted Root Burger in Roanoke. Roanoke? I thought. What kind of hamburger could possibly be good enough that I would drive all the way to Roanoke for it?

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have discovered just what that hamburger tastes like - and it tastes good!

For those of you not acquainted with Twisted Root (originally, of Deep Ellum fame), it is the brain-child of a couple of businessmen-turned-chefs in search of a quality hamburger. Their restaurants - well, the Roanoke location, at least - are rustic in decor with a generous seasoning of flair. Here you can see a sign near the entrance to the restaurant:

(It should read, "Get your buns in here" but the camera on my iPhone cut it off. Totally not user error. :D)

And when it comes time to order, the menu is full of mouthwatering choices! All of the hamburgers are made with a half pound of beef (or venison or buffalo or boar - you know, just to keep things interesting), so you definitely need to bring your appetite - or a friend to share it with!

Each customer gets a "name tag" in lieu of an order number, and when your food is ready they call the name on your tag. We were Danny Zuko. Other patrons this evening included Jessica Simpson, Stretch Armstrong, and Eva Longoria. It was so funny to hear them calling out these celebrity names. :D

I ordered the Western Burger, which came topped with pepper jack cheese, onion strings and jalapenos. Yum!

They also make some darn tasty curly fries (think Arby's-style but better!) and a pretty mean sweet potato chip.

Another little treat is that they brew their own root beer, which my sister said is "just like crack." (My words, not hers.)

Today's flavor was butterscotch. I couldn't really tell that it tasted much different from regular root beer, but it was definitely good! They also had watermelon iced tea, which I sampled and am definitely hunting up a recipe for. :D

Both my sister and I were unable to finish our hamburgers, but Clay worked hard in the yard today and decided he needed to reward himself with an Oreo milkshake.

(Notice how he strategically places his hand so as to guard it just in case. :D)

I would definitely recommend Twisted Root if you're in the Roanoke or Dallas area. Or even if you're in the mood for a drive! You will not be disappointed. :)

Motorcycle Man

Here's my sunburned motorcycle man...

Sporting the patch from his motorcycle class - and a lovely shade of sunburn! He even had red stripes of sunburn across his wrists where his riding gloves and long sleeve shirt didn't quite meet. :D

Clay spent all day Saturday and most of Sunday at a Basic Rider Course in North Richland Hills. He wanted to be a licensed motorcyclist so that when we go to Greece this summer, we can rent a Vespa like this:

I think we'll definitely have to practice - I for sure can't keep my hair like that when we're whipping around Santorini on our little motorscooter. And with that grip on her driver, I'm not sure how that lady hasn't fallen off the back!

You never know - after all that practice, we might get so good we want to buy one of these things! :D

So I Was Thinking...

I found these little tidbits on a friend-of-a-friend's blog and couldn't stop laughing! Hope these help you start your Friday with a smile. :D


I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.


Nothing is worse than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.


I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.


There is great need for a sarcasm font.


How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?


Was learning cursive really necessary?


MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.


Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.


I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.


Bad decisions make good stories.


You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.


Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection....again.


I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.


"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.


I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? ) but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?


I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.


I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.


My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day, " Dad, what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How do I respond to that?


I think the freezer deserves a light as well.


I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.


Do you have any thoughts to add to this list? I'd love to hear what you're wondering!