mipmup.

morbid maybe, but necessary.

with all the litigation surrounding terri, i decided to ensure this never happens to me (not that i have a completely inhuman husband like some people unfortunately had) by finding and filling out an advanced directive, or what was previously known in california as a living will or durable power of attorney for health care ("dpahc").

and with all that we've gone through with my dad, i can't stress enough how important it is to have a document like this on hand. and while you're at it, i'd recommend highly creating a financial power of attorney. you just wouldn't believe how much time, energy and worry this will save your family if you are incapacitated. even better, get a living trust which takes care of pretty much everything.

we had pressured our dad for years to get a trust arranged, but he never budged. i know it's difficult to face our own mortality; i certainly had my questions as i was filling out a simple form i downloaded (do i want my organs used for cosmetic surgery? yes, for children or the needy, not for some nose job in beverly hills), but it's imperative. and don't you want to go how you want to go? not how a court, a president, the congress, a de facto ex-husband or even your parents dictate? 

i certainly do. and i hope that terri went the way she wanted, too.

california readers, this is a good place to begin. this page includes a link to a pdf version of an advanced directive. other states, check out this page. or for $30, check out this little helper.

green garlic fantasia.

i was excited to (finally) see green garlic at our local farmers' market yesterday. my friend with mad culinary skills, life begins @ 30, introduced me to this little wonder a few years back, for which i am forever grateful. last night, i realized it was 6:30 and my dad hadn't eaten so i stared at the fridge (blink blink) and typed in a few words in epicurious search for some inspiration and came up with a superquick meal highlighting green garlic.

i sliced open chicken breasts and stuffed in a halved piece of green garlic, a lemon wedge and some cilantro. sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and grilled them in olive oil for about 10 minutes per side. i had some almost-stale ciabatta bread so i diced it up and seasoned with the tops from the green garlic i just stuffed in the breasts, red pepper flakes and s&p. drizzled with olive oil and tossed around a pan for a few minutes. i then put them in the oven at 375° for about 10 minutes. finally, using the same pan i used for the croutons, i sautéed some spinach with lemon and olive oil. alongside, i served the beets i had just roasted and a few cherry tomatoes. i just put the croutons on the plate.

and i was serving it up by 7:05!

learn more about green garlic here.

photo credit: mariquita farm (one of life's favorite places, btw).

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• flower keyring. i battle with my old keyring every time i have to change a key. actually, my better half does since i get way too frustrated. i do love the style (it's an elsa peretti), but it's just not "user-friendly." i found this one, which is probably more suited to my sister than to me, but i still love the design. at $48, it should work better than my old one, i would hope.

• sigg kids' bottles. supercute designs (even glow-in-the-dark!), no leaking and "no possible leaching of harmful chemicals," according to reusablebags.com (another fave). $13.95.

• brow set. at the suggestion (urging?) of my esthetician, i tried this out and i'm addicted. it provides a natural-looking brow using a mascara-like applicator. i'd suggest trying out the colors before buying though. just don't let the mac people scare you and/or put anything purple on your face. $12.

• secret camouflage. i'm getting to "that age" where i no longer feel comfortable going out sans something on my face. even a dot of secret something. this concealer isn't as like as my tried-and-true prescriptives brand, but it does cover. despite the laura mercier rep giving me a full face of foundation complete with moisturizer and primer (too heavy) and calling me "baby" throughout, i still don't really understand the two colors, but i just mixed up both and it seemed to get me closer to that "flawless face" laura mercier is allowing us all to strive for. $28.

• giant floral dress. not as in a giant dress, but a giant flower. i think this is the darned cutest pattern i've seen in a darned long while. i think i might have to get it. but then again, to where would i wear it? walking the dog? running to trader joe's? on a hot date with my hub? hmmm. well. it's cute anyway. and they have a slew of other pieces, too! $135. currently boycotting.

photo credits: coach; mac cosmetics; laura mercier; j. crew; reusablebags.com.

an old hot spot.

taken on my trip to grandma's house, texas, 2005.

so is this what it's like?

being a parent?

the last week and a half since dad moved in, i've had little time on my own, had to hurry into the shower, looked at vacuuming as a kind of simple pleasure, risen at 5:00 a.m. so i could get in my morning walk, made breakfast, lunch and dinner, did 30 loads of laundry, "tidied," lost touch with my bloglines subs, went to four doctor's appointments and one radiology appointment, filled three prescriptions, driven to the 818 and back six times, attempted to reason with my dad like he was a three-year-old ("yes, rehab is a good thing, dad.") and fell into bed at night utterly exhausted.

two saving graces: no soccer and i haven't gotten myself into an suv or minivan.

this caregiving stuff is a full-time job. one that doesn't get much appreciation. kinda like parenting, yes?

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• sublime stitching baby bib kit. while i haven't delved into try stitching yet, i was happy as a clam to receive this in the mail the other day. i figure it will be a good diversion for me with all that's going on. and since i'm already going to hell, i figured i might like to keep the bib that i'm going to make for our friends. the kit comes chock full with patterns, floss and instructions (thank gawd). $30.

• the good ground. i really love to put this in my marinara sauce or use it for taco night. even more important: my better half, the 110% carnivore likes it, too. who knew? around $3.

• hipster cards. i'm kind of digging not using amazon or icards to send greetings. hipster offers kind of a cool twist, although i'm not digging all the other stuff that comes with it, like ads for stuff. me no likey. free.

• elsa peretti anything. i really want jewelry lately. i especially love elsa peretti (hint hint). better half, you could get me pretty much anything from this collection and i would love it. granted. i asked for jewelry for valentine's and received an ipod. so there you go. i love my husband. mr. unconventional.

• prada bag. hey! i need this bag! no leather. pink (also in orange). i'll be a fierce fashionista in my sweats and uggs. no? (no.) but i still need the bag.

art/photo credits: yves; hipster cards; prada; tiffany; sublime stitching.

nurse mipmup, please report in.

can i take care of one more thing? haley had surgery today to remove a hematoma on her flopsedy ear. now if i can get my dad's 20 meds straight along with her five, i think i should be fine. or, like life begins @ 30 said, maybe i should just put on a nurse's hat.

the not.

one fine day my better half and i stumbled upon a scene so horrific that it could only be one thing: the engagement photo shoot on the beach. it was truly awful. we weren't brazen enough to take the same shot as the two (!) photographers they hired, but believe-you-me, we were a'watchin' and this was the only one we snapped.

a quick overview:

exhibit a: matching outfits (see photo for costume number one: white oxfords with jeans and bare feet).
exhibit b: costume changes (matching red shirts with jeans and bare feet).
exhibit c: a heart drawn in the sand with their initials (toes dipping playfully in the chilly pacific).
exhibit d: laying on their stomachs (see photo).
exhibit e: changing for photo shoot of love in a disgustingly dirty, smelly public restroom.

we were transfixed, of course and stayed for quite a while until buffy and biffy were through. or so we thought. they actually took more pictures after all of this.

i really wish they were our friends so we could truly make fun of them properly. we're good shit like that.

adventures in porn spam.

the highlight of my day today included dad and i reviewing the 448 email messages he received over the past seven months. i think 444 of them were spam. however, he may have forgotten what that word means is because he started reading this subject line aloud: "make sure you stay hard after you cu..."

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• good customer service. you know how i have "that problem? well, oster is sending me a new blender. no questions asked. woo-hoo! (i have found that the cuisinart is not an optimum choice for smoothie-makin'. you're not supposed to put frozen things in there so i have to wait until my frozen fruit thaws out. it's kind of a pain.) i neglected to mention in my post that my keyboard recently broke also. now that was not under my control, however. a piece just snapped and my keyboard fell flat. i complained to kensington and told them i was losing faith in them since this was the second product of theirs that had broken. i got a brand new keyboard via ups this week! free with appropriate letter of complaint. (by the way, the sunroof broke on me today.)

• smarty pants. i'm always on the lookout for new fonts and i really like this one. i know i'll find a use for this. i know i'll find a use for this. i know i will. $29.

• busted tees. i can't decide which tee i like better: "what wouldn't jesus do?" or "nobody likes a vegetarian" or "new mexico. cleaner than regular mexico." again, this falls into the category of "i admire it, but can't imagine wearing it." i'm just not that cool. $17.99.

• frigoverre. i'm in love with our glass storage. easy to clean, no residual smell, simple to store and this stuff can go into the micro or the oven. not that i've done that personally, but i could if i really wanted to, you know. $19.95/set.

• bamboo blinds. it's amazing what a little change can do to a room. granted it took us two years and my dad moving in to make this change, but hey. we've done it. by spending $70, we were able to transform the "before" (hideous roll-up shades) to a rather charming "after." of course, if i had my way, i would have ordered fancier ones that hid the hardware, but these are just fine. window coverings. they're a good thing. prices vary by size.

photo/art credits: busted tees; cooking.com; pier one; myfonts.com.