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Be a Tourist

25 Jul

Living in the Spring-Break capital of the world, Clearwater Beach has no shortage in tourist activities. But when you are a resident, you rarely have the time to enjoy those activities. The laundry and the grocery shopping and the endless list of chores always seem to take up most of the weekend. And that was true of this weekend, too.

On Saturday morning, PoppaNut headed to the gym and I started my Saturday ritual: laundry with a few girl shows I have recorded peppered in along the way. I went to the grocery store, wrapped a baby-shower gift and what not. PoppaNut detailed our two cars (out in the blazing heat!), and came upstairs to relax around 2:30 p.m.

As soon as we got our second wind, PoppaNut suggested we do something different. We thought about going to the Tarpon Springs’ sponge docks, to a movie or the beach. We decided on the beach, hopped in the car and we were off.

Tourist Activity No. 1: Eat a Crabby Bill’s. This place is a landmark on Clearwater Beach. It’s filled to the brim with tourists from every walk of life. PoppaNut had a bigger-than-his-mouth burger, while I had a shrimp grilled-cheese sandwich, which was a special that day. And it was special to me, too … I nearly devoured the whole thing, while I made a mental note to run the next day.

Tourist Activity No. 2: Take a dolphin tour. We headed to the yellow Screamer, and found our seats quickly. A storm was rolling in, so we crossed our fingers and hoping the rain would stay at bay. We passed the legendary Pirate Ship on our way out to the gulf. Then, we saw several star homes, like that of Hulk Hogan. Finally, we headed out to the gulf for the most amazing dolphin show I have ever seen. These dolphins were literally jumping right behind the boat like they were in an acrobatic show! There were probably six or seven of them, just following behind the boat and jumping in the waves. It was amazing.

So, that’s life in a nutshell … take a Saturday and become a tourist in your own area. Your community probably offers a million things you want to do, but have never taken the time to do it. Make the time, because it is so worth it!

MommaNut

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Chef PoppaNut

23 May

So, I’m the queen of taking on way too many things and then freaking out because I have taken on way too many things. People are always joking that PoppaNut and I literally take on everything all the time. We are running here and there all the time that we never have time to slow down and relax. I pack my lunch hour with errands and chores, just so we can fit everything into our week that we need to.

Having said that, PoppaNut (Bless his heart!) knows that I’m like that, and he is always there to help me out when I’m ready to wave the white flag. Case in point: Sunday morning. PoppaNut was ready to help with whatever I needed. Instead, I told him I didn’t need any help and I proceeded to do the dishes, load the dishwater, finish the laundry, put the laundry away, go to the grocery store, clean the fridge, cook breakfast and lunch, bathe the dogs and paint my nails. Then, I had the nerve to complain that I had a busy day.

Meanwhile, PoppaNut could tell I was headed for a Sunday breakdown, even though I had done this all to myself. Why do I do that? Why can’t I just accept help the first time? Why do I say that I don’t need help and then get mad that I’m not getting help even though I know he is more than happy to help me?

Well, I have figured out the reason. I think I’m Superwoman. Instead of MommaNut, I’m SuperMommaNut in my home, and I think I can do everything. And the second reason is that I’m insane.

So, when PoppaNut saw me close to the edge, he sprang right into action. He ORDERED me to sit on the couch and watch countless hours of trashy girly reality-TV shows while he cooked a homemade dinner. How lucky am I? Nothing like Oprah, a bottle of wine and the view of my hubby cooking in the kitchen that makes a Sunday turn amazing!

So, I sat back, watched Oprah, Mob Wives, The Real Housewives of Every County and whatever else I had recorded from the week, and relaxed. It was wonderful. And it reminds me how well PoppaNut really knows me. He knows when I say one thing and mean another. He can tell when I’m saying I don’t need any help, but I really do want some help. He knows when I need some pampering and he jumps into action.

I’m sharing the amazing meal he made me: Bourbon Chicken with White Rice. It was so delicious! And it was so thoughtful and wonderful! I hope you make this at home for your loved one.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

    • 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
    • 1 -2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
    • 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1/4 cup apple juice
    • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet.
  2. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.
  3. Remove chicken.
  4. Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium Heat until well mixed and dissolved.
  5. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.
  6. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
  7. Serve over hot rice and ENJOY.

And that’s life in a nutshell … learning when the other person is waving the white flag, and being that knight in shining amour to the rescue (with a bottle of wine in hand).

MommaNut

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Oh, oh, Ocean Prime

17 May

Beep, beep, beep … this noise woke me up out of a deep sleep on Saturday afternoon. It was 3:30 p.m. and I had been taking a little afternoon snooze when my phone alarm woke me up. “How odd,” I thought. “I didn’t set my alarm for 3:30 …”

I was just about to go right back to sleep when I noticed a note, written in PoppyNut’s handwritting. As my eyes began to focus, I read: “I hope you are resting. I’m not at home. You can’t text me or call me. Get dressed to impress and be ready at 4:30. I know you will go crazy trying to decide what to wear (No, I’m not wearing jeans.) So put on your bling and get ready to head out. Go upstairs and shower, but first, go the fridge to get your drink.”

Wow, what is happening? A surprise date night? Now, PoppaNut is great at surprises, and he does a ton of sweet things all the time, so this doesn’t surprise me … but at the say time, WOW! What an amazing treat! What’s even more amazing is that PoppaNut managed to make me a drink, set my alarm, write me a note and take his clothes out to the car without me even noticing!

So, I ran to the fridge, grab my drink and headed upstairs. There, the room was filled with lit candles and a card. I’m going to keep some things private, but the card was very sweet. I took a quick shower, fixed my hair, put on my makeup and went to the closet. What do you wear when you don’t know where you are going? A LBD seemed just right, paired with heals and my Otazu Sex in the City necklace (Carrie wore this necklace in the Sex in the City 2 necklace and now its mine!).

The doorbell rang, and there was PoppaNut … dressed up with a crisp, collared shirt and fresh flowers. It was quite romantic. He took me out on date night, to Ocean Prime in Tampa. We went there on our six-month anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend, and here we were again. We had the most delicious food … and the best drink. I had a Berries and Bubbles, pictured here. YUMMY!

We took dessert to go … and headed home to spend some quiet time together. It was amazing, and reminds me how lucky I am to have PoppaNut in my life. And that’s life in a nutshell … remembering to surprise your special someone every now and again with a truly wonderful night.

MommaNut

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