What’s new?

Why hello there friends!  Long time no see…

What’s new with me?  Well, how nice of you to ask.  And the answer is, pretty much everything!

New Baby

Introducing: Parker Thomas Huet.  Born: 4/19/2012 – 8 lbs, 20.5 in

First time motherhood is as close to new as it gets.  I’m sure many other mothers will agree that nothing can possibly prepare you for this.  It’s the most wonderful and terrifying experience of your life all at once.  That said, I love him more than life itself, and I love motherhood despite its many challenges.

New Car

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If you recall, I had a Smart car.  A bright red, adorable, little two-seater.  Not so fitting for a car seat.  So, we replaced it with a bright green, Mazda2.  Also little, but with a backseat this time. Road trips are a go!

New Degree

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Sans any surprises, I will be getting my master’s degree in Forensic Psychology later this week.  It is something I’ve been working at for the past two years, and it feels good to finally be done.  Also, I just look forward to living life without the added responsibility of classes, homework, papers and exams.  So long John Jay!

New Lifestyle

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I have lived my life allergy-free.  Breathing clear in the summertime, eating all the food my little heart has desired, and enjoying animals of all kinds.  My son may or may not get to do the same.  For now, the doctor has decided that his little body can’t handle milk or soy proteins.  The result?  My diet must be free of both.  My favorite food?  Cheese.  And if that wasn’t hard enough, just about every food contains some form of either one.  I guess Dave and I will be cooking 95% more than we ever had before…

Now that I’ve updated you all on what’s new with me, tell me, what is new with you??

~S signing off

aaaaannnd we’re back!

So a lot has been going on in the Stink and Hincks world lately.  Namely, little Parker being born and being just the cutest thing alive.  I am in love, and he is not even my child…

Congrats Stink and Daveypoo!  You made a little nugget   What else has been going on?  In my past post, I creepishly eluded to a lot of changes…that haven’t panned out.  Damien and I are both looking into options for our career, and so far nothing has stuck.  But we are determined, so I will have to keep you tuned into the next chapter of our lives- wherever that may be!

Let’s talk about Cinco de Mayo, shall we?  Not only was it Cinco de Mayo…it was also the Kentucky Derby!  In 2010, my bestie Marissa and I went to the Oaks and Kentucky Derby with our friends Marc (aka Kipp) and Dustin.  Here’s a little throw back pic for your amusement…it’s a definite fave!

 This Derby day, I did not attend.  Damien ended up going with a doctor’s office that he works with, and I hung out with my girl, Erica, for some Cinco de Mayo fun…  We started out at Fountain Square to people watch and eat churros.

Oh my, churros are delicious.  Have you ever had one?  Basically, it is a long deep friend donut covered in cinnamon and sugar.  This particular churro was filled with dulce de leche (or carmel).  Let’s just say, we left no crumb unturned…

Then we walked to Bakersfield which was having “Buck’s Bad Ass Bash” which ended up being a large block party next to Bakersfield.  We chatted, drank cervezas, and had a great time.  Then we did this on the walk back…Glamour Shot poses!

You remember Glamour Shots, don’t you?  I used to DESPERATELY want to get them done.  I mean, why wouldn’t anyone want to pay a ridiculous amount of money to be made up like a Toddler and Tiara’s look-a-like and wear a purple feather boa?  Um…I can’t.  What we lacked in props, we made up for in enthusiasm, although that could have been the cervezas talking…

How was your Cinco de Mayo?

-HINCKS

bear with me.

It has been an interesting week, and I anticipate an interesting next couple of weeks.  Please, bear with me.  Many *hopefully* great changes will be happening in my life and I have my fingers crossed that everything will happen for a reason.  I pinky swear to share all the dirty deets as soon as things are more certain.

In light of all the recent changes, here are a few things that I am loving right now

1.  White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter

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Holy amazingness.  I cannot even describe to you how much I love this peanut butter!  This peanut butter makes Jiff look like the red-headed in-bred cousin that no one likes.  Seriously.  Get in my mouth! (Sidenote: I bought a jar yesterday while at Whole Foods, it is halfway gone…)

2. HIIT (High intensity interval training)

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I’ve reached a MEH feeling about my cardio.  I was so bored just hopping on the elliptical, or running at a steady speed.  Why did I wait so long to try HIIT?  Using other fitness blogs as a reference, I’ve been playing with my own HIIT workouts.  I feel like a million bucks afterwards, sweat dripping down my face (beautiful mental picture, no?) but it has definitely re-energized my exercise routine.  I was scared to push myself at first, but I definitely recommend you trying this method to torch calories!

3.  Shark Tank

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Have you ever watched this show?  It definitely plays to my entrepreneurial spirit.  Damien and I look forward to it every single week.  We’re obsessed!  If you’ve never watched, it is basically a show where five “Sharks” (aka investors with boatloads of money) listen to pitches from budding entrepreneurs and decide whether or not to make them an offer and invest in their idea/product/service/ etc…  There are times when I watch this and think to myself, “why didn’t I think of that?!”

4.  Vacation!

I will be visiting one of my very best friends, Marissa, in 10 days!  She moved to San Francisco a little over a year ago and I haven’t been able to visit her since she’s moved.  I am excited to see her new digs, spend quality time with her and her boyfriend, meet their dog Moe, and have a dance-your-face-off party kind of weekend.  I have never been to San Francisco (or California for that matter), the furthest west I’ve been is Vegas, so any suggestions and must-dos would be greatly appreciated!

What are you loving right now?

-HINCKS

today is the day…

That we welcome Parker (or Baby Huet, as I have been calling him) into the world!  Stink is at the hospital as we speak, having a c-section, and I am left to pray, wonder, and wait.  Can’t wait to meet the little nugget!  If you have any extra time today, please send some good thoughts to my bestie.

-HINCKS

Lexington City Feature: Keeneland Toyota Blue Stakes Race

This weekend was a goooood time.  We went to the horse races!  In 2010, I went to the Oaks and the Kentucky Derby and had an amazing time.  My bestie Marissa and I met up with her friends Dustin and Kipp (his real name is Marc) for a weekend of debauchery.  It was probably one of the best weekends of my life, and I am not joking.  We danced for HOURS on end, and got dressed up to watch the horses race.  We also WON money   I am not a gambler, but I can see how people love to gamble – it was such a rush!

So this weekend, we headed to the Toyota Blue Stakes Keeneland races in Lexington, Kentucky.  My friend Linley invited Damien and I to take a 55 person bus to Lexington, and we couldn’t say no.  I mean, look at us!

The day started out rainy and gross.  Let’s be honest, riding in a bus to Keeneland kind of reminded me of a field trip for middle school.  We sat in the back of the bus (where all the cool kids hang!!) except I realized it was a bad idea when everyone got up a million times to go to the bathroom.  Yikes!

This is my favorite picture of us!  Can you believe that it was taken in front of our bus.  Ick.  Once we got to Lexington, there was food, beer pong, cornhole, etc…  We got there several hours early, and despite the rain, had a great time.

The rain eventually stopped, and we walked to the races!  When you first get in the gates, there are horses and (I’m assuming) their trainers.  True story, I am slightly scared of horses.  One family vacation we went to Montana and stayed on a horse ranch.  I was about 10 and for some reason afraid of horses biting my hands off.  There is one moment that I vividly remember of my sister and I with the horses feeding them sugar cubes.  My sister is laughing hysterically, looking like she’s having the time of her life.  Me?  I look like I am two seconds away from running away in sheer terror. 

When the sun came out, it was glorious!  The unfortunate problem of going to the races with 55 people (and drinking beer) is that I kept getting lost.  I go to the bathroom about 3 times for every beer I drink (I wish I was joking!) and I would leave to use the restroom to either 1) getting lost in the crowd and taking 20 minutes to get back to my original spot or 2) the crowd moving on as I wonder if I am in the right place.

Eventually, Damien and I gave up and met up with some other friends that did not come on the bus with us.  We hung out with them for a while, and Damien threw away $60 on a race, and then decided against the bus and rode home with Jason, Brittany, and Kyle.  Much roomier.  Much less urine stinking bus restroom.

It was only $5 for general admission, and the bus cost is $35.  We had a blast!  If you are ever in the south, I suggest heading to Keeneland (or The Oaks, or Derby) for a good ole southern time.  Even if you do lose $60…

How was your weekend?  What’s going on in your life??

-HINCKS

 

the check-up.

Welp, it’s over.  The weeks without reality television and caffeine are gone.  It’s crazy isn’t it?  When you can’t have something, it’s all you can think about.  I was dreaming about Diet Pepsi (my pop of choice) and I was making up ridiculous scenarios for Khloe and Lamar.  How did he like living in Dallas?  Did they find a home?  Is she pregnant yet?  The weird part about living without two things that I thought (at one point) I would be in agony without, I ended up not really wanting to do when I could.  For example, on Easter Sunday I got ready for church and thought, “today I can have a Diet Pepsi!” So Damien and I went to his mother’s after church, and I had a Diet Pepsi.  It tasted good.  Really good.  But then I thought, “well crap.  All that hard work detoxing my body and now look at me”.  As embarassing as this sounds, I actually had headaches in the first days of my caffeine withdrawal.  Isn’t that insane?  I don’t drink coffee every day by any means.  But I do drink it a couple times a week, and often on the weekends.  It’s incredible the effect that your choices can have on your body, it’s a sensitive little bugger – isn’t it??

And then that night as I painted my nails and watched 16 and Pregnant, I thought about what I was usually doing instead of killing my brain cells watching MTV.  Well, I was usually cuddled up next to my boyfriend (he refuses to watch 16 and Pregnant or Teen Mom) or cooking, or reading.  So after about 10 minutes I switched it off.

My nails thank me.

So, will this last?  Let’s be real, probably not.  I am an American that enjoys caffeine and loves ridiculously mind-numbing television.  But I am glad that I took some time to refocus my body and mind on something else.  And I hope that it no longer runs my life.  As in, “oh-my-gosh-it’s- Sunday-and-Khloe-and-Lamar-are-on-leave-me-alone-and-go-upstairs-so-I-can-watch-in-peace”.  While I was on my reality and caffeine hiatus I sat on the steps of the Supreme Court with the supporters and protestors of the Afforable Care Act.

I woke up early and walked around to admire the cherry blossoms in Washington DC, rather than slugging coffee trying to slap myself awake.

What did you do for Easter?  If you don’t celebrate Easter, how was your weekend?

-HINCKS

the birthday boy!

Happy 31st birthday to Damien!  Can you believe it?  I mean, I can, because let’s face it – the man is old.  Joking, joking!  I like to remind him that I will always be younger than him.  (I’m such a treat to be around!)  In all seriousness though, I take birthdays very very seriously.  It’s the one day of the year where YOU are celebrated!  Last year, Damien turned 30 (uh oh, the dirty thirty!) and I suprised him by whisking him away to Atlanta for a long weekend.  We had an incredible dinner at Kevin Rathbun Steak, he went golfing with his friend out there, we went to dinner with his friend and his wife, and then…DUM DUM DUMMMM we went SKYDIVING! We had talked about wanting to do it, and I thought, “well what better day than your thirtieth birthday?!” and so we jumped out of an airplane from thousands of feet in the air.

So that was last year, and even though he wasn’t going to get the gold star THIRTY treatment, it still had to be special.  On Saturday we went to his favorite restaurant, The Precinct.  Sound familiar?  He took me there for my birthday this year.  We are such creatures of habit but the best part was that we had a gift card, so I only had to pay for the wine!  On Sunday we spent the WHOLE day with his family for a barbecue.  In case you didn’t know this, Damien is not only an only child – but he is also the golden child of the family.  So his birthday is like, a national holiday or something.  Not that I’m bitter.  You know, just chillin’ with my birthday at the end of December which I get to share with Jesus Christ himself, the only son of God.  As you can imagine, my birthday is foreshadowed a bit by our living savior…  And New Year’s Eve.  I was always so sad as a child that I couldn’t bring in delicious treats on my birthday due to the fact that we were always on winter break.  Drat.

On Monday (his actual birthday) I gave him his gifts.  First, tickets for us to see Daniel Tosh in Louisville next Monday.  We both love Tosh.0 and think he’s hilarious!  So it made sense to get the tickets while he is on tour.  I also got him a beautiful bowtie by Pierrepont Hicks…

We are planning to go to Keeneland this year, and he is going to the Derby with a doctor, so I thought he would look fetching in a bow tie.  Sidenote: the bowtie turned out to be a lovely shade of green, not blue, and I had to return it

Then!  My friend Joe took us on a VIP behind-the-scenes tour of the Cincinnati Bengals stadium.  Here’s another little story for you, Damien LIVES FOR the Bengals.  He loves them.  We watch EVERY.SINGLE.GAME.  We have literally left (important) places to watch the Bengals play.  We do not talk during the game, only commercials.  We have bargained with Stink to watch the Bengals play on their DirectTV package.

We were on the field, in the press box, in the locker room (no such luck sneaking a peek!) and the weight room.   Damien was in seventh heaven, and the best part was that it didn’t cost me a dime.  THANKS JOE!

Basically, Damien had a fun-filled birthday and I am glad that I got to be a part of it.  Anyone else out there who makes a huge deal out of birthdays?  Please tell me I am not the only over-the-top weirdo

-HINCKS

thai chicken peanut noodle stir fry

Try saying that ten times fast!  Do I have a recipe to share with you guys, it’s spicy, it’s peanut flavored, and it’s packed with nutrient rich foods.  Winner winner chicken dinner!  No but literally, there really is chicken in there too.  Last night I was performing my SSB (single self behavior) because Damien was out with an office for dinner and drinks.  Usually I take this as an opportunity to make meals that he won’t necessarily like.  Will he eat it?  Yes, but that’s because he’s a Mr. Fatty Pants.  So after thinking about what I had in the cupboard to make a meal, my mind came to the conclusion that I would like a noodle bowl.  More specifically, a thai peanut noodle bowl.

In a pure stroke of genius, I realized that I had these Wasabi and Soy Sauce almonds to chop and put on top.  It made it sooo good.  Salty, spicy, and crunchy.   So, first I gathered my ingredients to show to my blog friends.  Please ignore the broccoli (that was about to die)…

Please also ignore the mushrooms that I decided not to use.  Clearly this dish came together completely on the fly.  First, I set the oven for 350 degrees and liberally seasoned two chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  You could absolutely use the grill, but I was lazy, or any leftover grilled/baked chicken that you have on hand.  I cooked those suckers for about 20-25 minutes and set aside.  In the meantime I whisked together my sauce which consisted of sesame oil, lemon juice, Sriracha, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, peanut butter, minced garlic, chicken stock and Splenda.

Yum.  Brown sludge.  Looks questionable, tastes delish.  Also, you can note that I need some big girl bowls to mix in…tupperware bowls do not a cook make.  You will notice that this is a recurring theme in my cooking.  Then I started boiling my water for the noodle part of this noodle bowl.  Just a small pot, because I wanted more veggies and chicken than noodles.  I used linguine, because that is what I had on hand, but rice noodles would be incredible.  Then I chopped my veggies to add to the stirfry.

For me, this was carrots, red pepper, edamame, broccoli and onion.  But you can really use any kind of veggies that you want here.  Just take your crisper drawer, and unload.  Dice your chicken here, and check/drain your noodles, because this comes together fast!  I started by sauteeing the little kiddies in a large (but not large enough, clearly) pan with some cooking spray.

Get’em soft, but still crisp (I like some bite to my carrots and broccoli) which took about 5-7 minutes for me.  Then, add your noodles, chicken and sauce.

Yikes!  My nail polish is chipped.  Somehow I managed to read about half of a new book yesterday, another Gregor the Overlander adventure!, but did not have time for a manicure.  The shame.  Anywho, stir the peanutty goodness to coat the veggies, noodles, and chicken.  Chop some Wasabi and Soy Sauce almonds for the top, then plate and eat.  All of this took me about 45 minutes.  But if you have chopped veggies and chicken ready, this could be together in a flash.

Thai Chicken Peanut Noodle Stir Fry

Recipe by me!

Serves 2 very hungry adults

Prep time:  15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts

1/2 cup red pepper

1/2 cup carrots

1 cup of broccoli

1/4 small onion, sliced

2-3 oz. of rice noodles, or pasta of your choice

For the sauce:

1/2 tsp. Sesame oil

1/2 tsp. Lemon juice

1/8 tsp. Sriracha (or more, if you like it spicy)

Dash of red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. peanut butter (I used Simply Jif)

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup Chicken stock

1/8 tsp. Splenda

Directions:

If not using leftover chicken, preheat oven to 350 degrees and liberally salt and pepper the chicken.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until juices run clear.  Set aside to cool slightly.  Follow ingredients to cook pasta or rice noodles.  Whisk together ingredients for sauce: sesame oil, lemon juice, Sriracha, red pepper flake, soy sauce, peanut butter, minced garlic, chicken stock, and Splenda.  Set sauce aside.  Chop veggies, and dice chicken. Using a LARGE pan, spray with cooking oil and begin sauteeing veggies at medium high heat for 5-8 minutes until tender crisp.  Add diced chicken, cooked noodles and sauce, making sure to coat it all.  Turn off heat, and chop Wasabi and Soy Sauce almonds.  Plate noodle stirfry and top with almonds.  Enjoy!

 

two years and counting…

Wow.  Has it really been two years?  Two years since Damien and I decided to “make things official” and take each other off the proverbial market.  Damien and I first met at a wine tasting back in January 2010.  In Cincinnati, they have wine tastings hosted by the Bacchanalian Society that are held quarterly.  Basically the concept is that you assemble a “team” of two or three people, and bring 3 bottles of wine for your team of the same varietal.  Two of the bottles are put in a paper bag and given a number, and the other is kept separate.  Each “team” votes for their favorite wines throughout the night in a blind taste testing and the winner gets ALL of the wine.  The loser gets his or her bottle back.  It’s a really fun event, and about 400 people come to have a good time (and drink a LOT of wine).

So, we met there and basically he fell in love.  Joking, joking.  But honestly I was there with some friends and actually met a different guy that I was dating there.  A couple of days after the event Damien wrote me a message on Facebook (CREEPER!) and even then I didn’t really reciprocate.  He invited me to another event hosted by the Bacchanalian Society, called KREWE, which is basically a young professional Mardi Gras themed party.  I went with friends, we talked for a minute or two, and then I danced the night away with my girlfriends.  That night I would not give him my number and instead took his, which I never called.  He Facebook messaged me AGAIN after that event, and I finally gave him my number.  He called and our first conversation was an hour long.  No joke.  And I’m not a big “hey-let’s-chat-on-the-phone-for-hours” kind of girl.  We talked a lot those next few weeks, and then we finally went on our first date.  On that date he gave me a snuggie (inside, and kind of weird joke) and we went to dinner at Nada.  Our second date we went go-karting.  Our third “date” we decided that we didn’t want to date anybody else, and that was March 21, 2010.

So here we are two years later, happier than two pigs in shit (his words, of course). Even through the ups and really horrible downs, I am glad to have my best friend there to help me laugh through it all.  So to celebrate our two years together, he took me to the place where we had our first date: Nada.

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We didn’t sit at our original table (he remembered!) but we sat close to it, and had a nice relaxing dinner. Side note: on our first date when we went to Nada he ate my food.  I know.  That was my lasting impression of him.  Now don’t get me wrong I am all about sharing food with friends, ya know getting in there and geting your paws on the grub, but this was too weird for me.  Here’s the scenario: I ate two of my three shrimp tacos (which are amazing btw) and I tell the waiter that I am finished and he can take my plate.  Then, Damien LUNGES for my plate, takes it from our poor waiter and says, “oh, I’ll eat these” and proceeds to finish my meal.  Um, okay Mr. Fatty Pants.

Good thing I’m not shy about eating, because that would be awkward.  Also, I suppose it lets me know how much he loves me when he actually offers me the LAST BITE of his food.  If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

 He also got me beautiful pink tulips, which I love because they remind me of spring.  And Michigan.  And Holland.

I am very blessed   If you have a significant other, how did you meet?  What was your first date?  Any weird stories?

-HINCKS

just a check-in…

If you haven’t read about what I gave up for Lent…well, it’s still on like donkey kong.  I have yet to watch any reality television or sip any caffeine (besides the first day).  As shallow that this may sound, this has been HARD for me.  I can’t wait to watch Khloe and Lamar or the Real Housewives of anything.  And I missed the season finale of Jersey Shore and Teen Mom.  Am I sounding like a pathetic teenager yet?

I only have three more weeks, so I thought I would quickly catch you up on what I’ve been doing when not wishing I could catch up on my smut tv…

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1. New television shows that aren’t reality based.  Specically, the TV show SMASH.  I am obsessed.  Love at first song.  Not only am I a Gleek, but I have fallen for this behind-the-scenes look at a brand new broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.  The characters are complex, the scenes are catty and steamy, and there’s music to boot.  I have loved musicals for years (did you know that I was in every single musical and play in my high school and voted “Broadway Bound” in our mock elections?) and this one I could just watch for hours.  I have already seen every episode twice.  Aaaaannndddd there are only 7 episodes to date… <- embarassing!  I also have been filling my TV void with other sitcoms like Modern Family and re-runs of How I Met Your Mother.  Good stuff, right there.

2. Cooking!  I adore cooking and have honestly been slacking in the creativity department.  I need to start sharing with you guys more, because I am pretty sure sharing is caring.  Or at least that’s what Dora the Explorer told me.  She also told me that I could help her on a journey showing her the difference between triangles and squares…sneaky little girl.  So, I made this dough that I read from Jenna’s blog at Eat Live Run and then topped it with Damien-friendly stuff like (turkey) pepperoni, marinara sauce and cheese.  I brushed the dough with some melted butter and garlic and the crust was excellent.  I do not have a Kitchenaid (tear) but I made this dough with my bare hands and it turned out perfectly!  Two thumbs up!

3. The sock bun.  I read about this on Jeanelle’s blog at Glocal Girl and instantly fell in love.  I have been lusting over a Carrie Bradshaw-esque bun for-freaking-ever.  But alas, my hair is thick but shiny and could never get that big bun feeling.  Behold, the sock bun!  My mom and I re-created this masterpiece (thanks for the sock, dad!) and I have been rockin’ it every week.  It’s perfectly sexy and pulled together.

4. Reading.  Have you read The Hunger Games yet?  Well, then you have not joined the throngs of adoring fans literally foaming at the mouth for this weekend’s opening night.  I read all of the Hunger Games books, several times, and am in love.  So imagine my excitement when my co-worker (we’re in a book club together) let me know that she had the series that Suzanne Collins had written before the Hunger Games.  Well, I was sold.  I read Gregor the Overlander and I would give it a 7/10.  It was stylistically much like her Hunger Games, but for a much younger age group.  As a 27-year-old woman who is going on 5…I naturally loved them.  If you’re in the mood to read some sci-fi and curious about Suzanne’s other books – give it a whirl!

5. Drinking!  It’s spring-y here in Cincinnati, and what better way to celebrate than with a frosty beer?  The Moerlein Lagerhouse in downtown Cincinnati just opened, and I have to say that I am LOVE love loving their selection.  I chose a floral hefeweizen and it was delicious.

6. Last, but certainly not least, I have been spending lots of quality time with Damien and watching my Cincinnati Bearcats make it to the Sweet Sixteen!

What have you been doing in this spring-like weather?  Anything exciting to share?

-HINCKS