Los Porchs

There's something about cold, crisp winter air that reminds us we're alive. And sadly, some of us need that reminder. I'm happy to receive it. It's easy to get wrapped up in daily routines & take little things for granted. Today, in our sweet city of Chicago, the temperature is a fabulous 27° & the air hits you with a force you can't ignore. As my lungs fill with cold air, I'm simply thankful to be alive. To have family & friends whom I love dearly & my basic needs met. I'm thankful to feel this air & the magic it brings. As we head into the new year, I thank you all for your presence in my life (be it as a blessing or a lesson) & wish you awareness, peace, and love in 2013. Enjoy growing old, it's a privilege denied to many. Cherish each moment. And go play outside. It's good for your soul. Xoxo Mrs. Porch

Some people are just incapable of leaving middle school behind.  Unfortunately, the internet has made it incredibly easy to spread nasty emails with hateful and harsh words to anyone, even those closest to you, with little more thought than a quick mouse click on the send button.  You can't take words back.  You can't retract a hurtful email.  It's out there, in the universe.  Long after the email, the comment, the post-- whatever -- is deleted, its hurtful feeling will long remain.  That bridge will likely remain burned.   If you don’t have the balls to say it to that person's face, then don't say it at all. Remember Thumper?  It's amazing to me what people will say when that person isn't there in person to defend themselves. I've long believed that we are responsible for our own destiny.  You're writing your story every day when you wake up and make the choices that lead you through that day.  With that understanding, we're also then r

As I sat at work today, slaving away, solving the many problems in early childhood, Wisconsin residents were enjoying and continue to enjoy [and if they aren't enjoying it, they suck] wicked amounts of snow.  I'm talkin' blizzard -- over a foot of snow today. The Facebook pictures were nauseating as I saw drifts that covered cars and garage doors and then turned my head ever so slowly towards the window, hoping for even a solitary snowflake... and saw nothing.  Well, it did rain all day.  So there's that. Most schools were closed in Wisco & I have many teacher friends on Facebook (maybe I should delete them) who made it difficult to concentrate as they announced their double snow day.  Double?  Are you kiddin' me?  It was a big deal a few years back when Chicago got nailed with that blizzard and Lake Shore Drive was a hot mess -- Chicago Public Schools closed for the first time in like a million years (and for two days!!!) which was newsworthy.  We don't

We can all see it. We know when someone we love is in an unhealthy relationship. But why is it not until that relationship hits the bottom that we express our true thoughts?  I know we don't want to squash others' happiness, I get that.  And we all need to make our mistakes, I get that too.  Further, I've come to appreciate that we shouldn't throw out obscenities about someone's ex because if that person comes back into the picture and then we just look like bitches.  We don't want to meddle.  Sure. But I'm at a point in my life where I expect and hope that those who love me most will be secure enough in our relationship to be able to say --- WTF are you thinking?!  Most of them do.  I've come to rely on my mother's infinite wisdom, though it pained me when I realized I had been wrong all those years in doubting her.  Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees and need an honest (and sensitive) reality check. So back to those craptast

It's hard to believe that December will be upon us this week already... Because I've been doing our holiday shopping for a while now, it's hard to get into the holiday spirit.  Well, that and we just got back from 11 days on the road.  And I refuse to participate in Black Friday shopping.  Malls?  Tons of people?  A stampede for a deal I can find online on Cyber Monday?  No thanks. Tonight, we decorated our tree and hung our stockings (omg are they hideous) and it seems to have gotten us off on the right foot.  Also?  I jammed to some Christmas music at work today which was pretty great. The best part of putting up the tree is admiring all of our ornaments that family & friends have shared with us over the years. I received this angel the year my cousin Kristen passed away and she's been gracing our tree ever since. I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with Kristen in her short time with us. Best guardian angel out there. xo Our tree has a b

We make our own chicken nuggets up in hurr. Step 1: Cut boneless chicken breasts into nugget size (and then question why it's called a nugget anyway). Step 2: Squish those little nuggets in an egg wash Step 3: Roll each nugget (I've also attempted a Shake & Bake situation but wasn't as happy with the results) in a mix of breadcrumbs, cheese, and seasoning. Sometimes, we throw some crushed red pepper in there to make the nuggets spicy. They never disappoint. Step 4: Throw that shit in the oven (350) for about 8 minutes on each side and then they are ready for your enjoyment.  We also enjoy having this with pasta or my personal favorite, spaghetti squash.  New to the squash game?  Cut that puppy in half, gut it like a cantaloupe, fill w/ 1/4C of water and place it in a microwave-safe dish so it won't roll around -- sometimes, that means cutting the bottom of the squash a bit so that you can rest it in the dish.  I usually micr

After enjoying some drunken gummy treats in La Crosse at this year's Oktoberfest, Porch & I agree that they are delicious.  And Porch, like always, had a hypothesis and the scientist in me just couldn't resist: What would the gummy bears taste like if they were soaked in bourbon? Seeing how I am not  a bourbon gal, I agreed to partake in the study if I could also make the control, vodka gummy bears, to his variable. It's not often that Porch agrees to try one of the many projects I've seen on Pinterest, so I jumped on the chance to involve him in the cooking process.   Did you see our post about Jolly Rancher Vodka ?  Still anxiously awaiting the tasting of that delicious concoction.   And hey, it's Friday night, so why not?! Porch's experimental batch  {just keep swimming} {control} The process is really quite simple, provided you have patience.  Depending on how large your container is, add the gummy bears and cover wi

While visiting my parents this past weekend, I had the opportunity to taste the "Jolly Rancher Vodka" that I had seen on Pinterest many times over.  There's something both fantastic and scary as hell about a vodka that tastes like hard candy without the bite.  Fantastically scary?  Consider it done. I made it my mission to create such a thing that we could enjoy while up north this winter fall.  Let's be honest, who wants to wait until winter?!  After work today, I practically skipped over to the grocery store near by and picked up 2 (!!!) 1.75s of vodka.  Los Porchs totally endorse/support Svedka.  Delicious and without the cringe after sipping a drink made with it.  PLUS!  I also picked up some Jolly Ranchers and canning jars.  While I hope  I appeared to be a Becky Home-ecky, I'm almost positive I just looked like a backwoods drunk. Step 1:  Buy your shit  For real.  TWO.  It didn't hit me until I saw the empty bottles in the recyclin

Day 6 It goes without saying that we are thankful for our right to vote.  To have a voice in important decisions that will shape our lives as well as the lives of future Mini Porches is something that we don't take lightly.  Further, if you didn't vote -- I will be the first to tell you to shut the hell up with your complaints about the results.

Ladies & Gents, The body at 29 does not respond to alcohol and Halloween fun quite the same way that of a 21 year old might respond.  How do you know this, you're wondering?  I got my butt whooped on Saturday evening.  The highlight of this adventure was carving pumpkins we had acquired from Jewel, one of which was moldy and just a little bit dead inside.  And crashing our upstairs neighbor's costume party. The low?  Finding a picture online of a girl who used to help me teach summer school in Wisconsin.  In the hallway of a very UW dorm (read:  cinder block walls).  In costume with friends.  Sadly, I wonder if we realized our freshman year of college that those who are our BFFS (o.m.g.) may not be the same people we consider our friends later in life... some will still be there, but others will drift away.  I digress.  I realized I have the exact same picture of my group of freshman friends and two things happened: 1.  I thanked my lucky stars to be 29.  Facebook was