Casa Tina

Two weeks ago I had to drive to Dunedin from Riverview because my son forgot his backpack at my house. This is not a short journey. On the way, my little brother Cameron called and decided to join me. This meant we would have an adventure. You can't go out with a dude man, a baby, and myself without having an adventure.

Dunedin is one of my favorite small towns in Central Florida. It's full of beautiful old buildings and quirky fun restaurants. Cameron and I love food, so we decided to cruise around and find something to eat on Main Street. I told him that I was not eating at Kelly's after my last meal there and Cameron agreed. Suddenly, we saw it. There, in all it's quirky Dunedin glory, was Casa Tina.

If you have been to Dunedin at night you could not possibly miss Casa Tina. It's the place with the Cirque style dancer hanging from the ceiling. During the day it has a more laid back feel. It's decorated in a very cool, cluttered, Dia de Los Muertos style. We arrived pre-lunch rush and we were immediately seated by the lovely Heather H. (There are two girls named Heather, we were informed.)

We decided to start with an appetizer. You are provided with complimentary chips and salsa, which were great. (The refill basket is $2.) We ordered Monterrey Nachos in addition. They were crazy good.

I ordered Flutes with one Peep Peep and one Moo Moo. It was yum yum. (Sorry. Check out the menu. They really say "Peep Peep.)  Everything was fresh and seasoned perfectly.

Cameron ordered the Mole Poblano. Mole, in case you don't know, is made from chocolate. It's difficult to make, a fact which Cameron could not let go. Every few moments he would moan in delight and say "Do you know how hard it is to make this stuff?!"

For dessert we opted for the plantains. They were coated in corn flakes. I thought Heather H. might be mysterious about it, but she told us flat out that they were corn flakes. They were really good though. The plantains were super sweet, as expected, but the ice cream mellowed it out and it was very good.

Casa Tina is Vegetarian and Vegan friendly. Simply notify your server if this is the case and they will be more than happy to assist you. All of the sauces, rice, and beans are vegetarian friendly.

After our fabulous lunch we walked around Main Street. Cameron took a moment to feed Jack. I know posting this photo is wrong, but it's hysterical and he doesn't read this blog. He was so focused on doing not hurting Jack.

It was incredibly windy, but we strolled through Edgewater Park anyway. Winters in Florida are so rough!

The moral of the story is that you absolutely must visit Casa Tina. They have a very friendly staff and wonderful food.

The Friday Night Knitting Club

I just finished The Friday Night Knitting Club. It didn't end the way I thought it would or the way I thought it should. It felt like I'd be reading this book forever and then, suddenly, it was finished.

The problem with my type of reading is that since I've used it as an escape tool for so long these characters feel very real and I feel like I have an emotional attachment to them. The few days it takes me to finish the book is just long enough for me to feel bonded with the characters. I'll admit that I cried.

The book itself is very good. It is everything the critics raved about on the cover. The description of New York City seem very accurate to someone who has only seen it in movies. The relationships between the characters are so real that you almost wonder who the author is basing them on. They have an amazing amount of substance.

It's hard to image that Kate Jacobs continued with a series, but she did.

Simply Saturday

This morning, I slept in until eight. When you have a baby, that's practically a miracle. I spent most of the day taking in The Friday Night Knitting Club and watching movies. We watched Chaos Theory and Falling Down. I enjoyed Chaos Theory an awful lot. Ryan Reynolds starred in this film from 2007 and he just was perfect. There was none of that irritating overacting like in Waiting or The Proposal. Falling Down was sort of the twisted exact opposite of Chaos Theory, so it's strange that we saw them on the same day.

I made a carrot cake this morning. It was really good, especially considering that I'm not a big fan of carrot cake. If you want to check out the recipe the link is here.

I've been visiting the library an awful lot lately. I just finished Wicked Appetite which I loved by Janet Evanovich. I read the majority of her Stephanie Plum books last week. I also borrowed My Custom Van by Michael Ian Black. I can't really get into it. While I find his brand of ridiculously silly comedy amusing in short doses, the essay style is just hard for me to get into. It's kind of like reading the diary of Dwight Schrute on while he's on antidepressants.

I've requested The Flirt by Kathleen Tessaro thanks to my Books-A-Million Book-A-Day calendar. While I don't want to read every book they suggest, two or three of them a week peak my interest, so I go online and have them sent to my local branch.

That's pretty much all that's been going on in my life.

It's over!

The holiday season is over! I don't count New Year's Eve as part of the holiday season because I don't really celebrate it. I often try to, but it seems like it gets thwarted every time. Last year, we were supposed to celebrate at Busch Gardens with Sadia, but Meg's flight was delayed and we got there really late. It was an incredibly special night for my future husband and me anyway, but New Years wasn't a big deal.

This year, Meg is in Seattle. My New Year's Eve date from last year is now my husband. Jack was born. Every single part of my life has changed. If you think about it, New Years Eve of last year really was the dawn of a new era for me.

I don't have resolutions. I think they are ridiculous. I do have some hopes for this coming year though. I hope that the seeds that we planted this year will continue to be nurtured into something that will be enjoyed later (and I'm not talking about the seeds from my dead tomato plant.) I hope that the decisions I made throughout the year will continue to be the right decisions. I hope that all of my friends will stay healthy or get healthier.

I hope you have a fun and safe New Year's Eve. Have a drink for me. Use a designated driver or call a cab if you need one. (If you have to ask yourself if you need a ride, you do.) Don't forget to stake out your midnight kiss ahead of time and be in position when the ball drops. I'll be living la vida loca at home most likely.

A New Holiday Tradition

As many of you know, earlier this year I got married. When I got married, I had never met my husband's family and I had never really considered the implications that this union would have on the holiday season. Anyone who knows me knows that no holiday is ever simple. This is probably true for most people, but I have a blended family and that means that I have to work together with all the many members of our different family groups to try and make sure everyone feels that they had the best holiday possible. Getting married added a whole lot more family.

One of the things that has made the holidays doable for me has been the fact that the vast majority of my family lives in Central Florida like me. I can reach the majority of my family in any number of directions in about an hour. My husband is the only member of his family who lives here and that has changed things up a bit. This year, for the first Christmas ever, I'll be away for Christmas. Can we say road trip?

I'm nervous for a number of reasons including and not limited to:

• New people that I have to like. When I was married before my husband had a grand total of ONE family member. This is a lot of pressure.
• Traveling with a baby who is just over two months old. I'm not sure how to make this work without ruining his sleep schedule.
• Introducing my husband to my father. My dad and my grandparents live in North Florida so we get to visit them too, but my father has never met anyone that I dated.
• Integrating into the previously mentioned new family. My husband apparently told his family I would help with the cooking. In my family, despite the fact that I am thirty years old, I'm kind of a junior member. By the time I arrive everything is finished and if I do bring anything it's either dessert or drinks. They have the whole routine down and they've been doing it since I was a baby, if not before then.

I'm sure we will figure it all out, but right now it's kind of in the planning stages.

Mall Adventures and National Believe Day

Today, Jack and I are heading to the Mall to have his picture taken with Santa. I think he'll be alright because he's too little to be afraid. I plan to use the mall's breastfeeding area to feed him right before getting in line. A fully fed Jack is a happy Jack.

I suppose we'll stroll around and look at the newly hung decorations and if our mall has a Macy's we'll stop by. I want to see if they actually have a big red mail box. December 10th is National Believe Day and Macy's is donating $1 for every letter to Santa they receive to the Make a Wish Foundation. If you need some help, they also have celebrity letters for you to check out.

The web site for National believe day is absolutely beautiful. Even if you don't believe, I suggest you stop by and take a look.

Also, for those of you who were wondering I'll be starting up my Santa Can Suck It site again for the holiday season. Just because you believe in Santa, it doesn't mean you have to like it.

Happy Holidays

I'm sitting here with Max and we are watching A Christmas Story. I've seen this movie about a hundred times. It's the one holiday movie I remember my family religious watching, though there's nothing religious about it. I remember becoming a teenager and finding certain parts of the movie annoying. For instance, when the little brother Randy is eating like "Mommy's little piggy" at the dinner table it was awful. It breaks one of my food rules and grosses me out. (The infraction is against the rule that says food does not touch the outside of the body which the exception of the lips and fingertips when necessary.) As an adult and a parent though, I really understand it more.

My daughter is Randy. She rarely voluntarily eats. It's like waging a war every time food is served. Breakfast is less of a challenge, but I think breakfast food is sweet and can be fun. Also, when Max and Annie are with me I simply ask them what they want for breakfast and them make it. It would be pretty silly of her to ask me for something and then refuse to eat it. (Don't get me wrong. She's done it, but generally she doesn't.)

Courtney Fun Fact: My favorite scene in the movie is when, after putting the soap in Ralphie's mouth, the mother tries the soap herself. Brilliant scene!

We spent Thanksgiving with my Grandmother and some of our family and then we went to my Aunt Rayna's for leftovers yesterday. My favorite thing at Grandma's is the collard greens. I ate a big spoonful. Then I ate a bunch of broccoli cassarole. Normally, this would not be a problem, but poor Jack was in misery yesterday. I'm breastfeeding and apparently one or both of those things that I love so very much gave Jack a terrible case of gas. Yesterday, I sampled a little tiny bit of my aunt's broccoli casserole. I hope it was the collard greens. I can give up one or the other, but to give up both is simply cruel and unusual.

Today, I am making my own turkey dinner. I just love turkey and I don't have a problem eating it repeatedly. I have to make a ham this week too. I love the leftovers.