twodoebs

Heidi's 3 Month Portrait

2012-02-11T22:31:00.000-05:00

Skating At Consol Energy Center

2012-02-11T21:24:00.001-05:00

Thanks to our friends, Sue and John, we got to make Libby's first time ice skating extra special because it was at Consol Energy Center, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. She did great and so did her boyfriend, Jack!

Libby and Madeline

2012-02-11T18:23:00.004-05:00

We've been taking pictures of these two sweeties together since the very beginning . . . I smell a slideshow of them coming up!

This is my day . . .

2012-01-31T15:15:00.000-05:00

And it's a pretty good day.

On Milestones

2012-01-20T21:41:00.000-05:00

It used to be life was measured by my own big life milestones like, graduate from college, graduate from grad school, first job, get married and so forth.Life now is measured in much much smaller milestones. Libby had two full days of no accidents at school this week. Tonight, after a day of close calls, Heidi rolled over for the first time.Somehow, these small milestones seem so much bigger than the monumental stage gates from my past.

I love this stuff . . .

2012-01-20T15:30:00.002-05:00

. . . sometimes, it's just fun to be a dork and get a kick out of stuff like this:

In case you were curious . . .

2012-01-19T17:59:00.000-05:00

This is my job in a nutshell.

Christmas Cards '11

2012-01-09T23:31:00.001-05:00

Our new favorite video tradition!

Libby had a case of the crazies this morning

2012-01-07T11:57:00.001-05:00

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I'll Never Forget You, Jenny

2012-01-02T20:51:00.003-05:00

Our little Jenny died tonight. She was 15 years old, lived a wonderfully long and happy life, and went peacefully in her sleep. But she was a faithful companion through lots of life's adventures and we'll miss having her around.

Bye, Jenny. I'll see you on a walk through Prospect Park in heaven with all our other little doggies, where I'll call you each by name!

Holiday Roundup

2012-01-01T23:24:00.002-05:00

What a great season full of friends and family! Thanksgiving and Christmas shows at Masonic and a great holiday trip to Alabama--perfect all around! (Lots of other good stuff that I didn't get pictures of, too!)

Behind The Scenes At DNN

2012-01-01T22:28:00.001-05:00

From Behind the Scenes at DNN

twodoebs' "Best Of 2011" List

2011-12-29T20:16:00.003-05:00

We made up our minds in early 2011 that it was going to be a year of video here on twodoebs. And at the tail end of the year, I think we did a pretty good job of fulfilling that self-imposed mandate. So as we tuck the year in and put 'er to bed, let's count down the best video posts of 2011:

#5. twodoebs Steelers' Montage

We actually won the game that followed this video. Notice that I'm not re-posting the video that preceded the Superbowl (how'd that game turn out again?)

#4. Our 2010 Christmas Cards

"Clark, that is the gift that keeps on giving."

#3. Christmas Playing

Here's the impressive thing about this one: it was done entirely on an iPhone--it was shot on an iPhone, edited on an iPhone, music and sound fx were added on an iPhone and it was posted to the web from an iPhone. No computer was involved in the creation of this video.

#2. Hilton Head Vacation

It's a close call for me because I'm pretty fond of this one and--personally--think it's a pretty good contender for #1. But what can I say?--I must respect the votes of our loyal twodoebs fans!

#1. DNN

The undisputed favorite.

What do you think?--did we get the list right? Leave out any of your favorites? Will we be able to keep it up with TWO kids? Have we lost our marbles? Are you even allowed to give marbles to kids anymore (they seem like they might be a choking hazard!).

For the answers to these and many more questions, keep www.twodoebs.com at the top of your favorites menu in 2012 and we'll keep it coming at our usual sporadic pace!

DNN . . . Our 6th Annual Christmas "Letter"!

2011-12-06T22:50:00.004-05:00

Best of twodoebs Christmas

2011-12-06T22:11:00.003-05:00

We are so excited for the premiere of this year's twodoebs Christmas video! Stay tuned because it'll be dropping any day now! . . .

In the meantime, we thought we'd encourage twodoebs fans to take a spin through our escapades from Christmases past. Laugh with us or laugh at us; we just want you to laugh (and we know you will!).

Going through these videos has become a cherished family Christmas tradition for us in and of itself. Give us 15 minutes and we know it'll be worth your while, you'll have a good time, and you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting for this year's video!

- Christmas 2006 (the letter that rocked the Christmas-letter world; well worth a read!)
- Christmas 2007 (kind of an off year; don't judge us based on this one)
- Our Christmas NON-Letter (2008; the video that changed the game--again!)
- Our First Christmas as Parents (2009 was the first year we spent more than 20 minutes on the project . . . an outstanding production!)
- Our FIFTH Annual Christmas "Letter" (Facebook needs to get knocked once in a while; it keeps it humble! . . . 2010 was probably our most "creative" installment!)

Fun, right? What was your favorite? What do you think we've got up our sleeve for this year?

2010 Christmas Cards Redux

2011-12-06T12:21:00.000-05:00

T-gog recently posted something on that other site where people write what they're up to about how much she loves Christmas Cards. We must admit that we, too, think they're a fun tradition that keep everybody in touch, express individuality and creativity, and give us all a distraction from the monotony of every day life.

Like many of you, we're in the process of creating our Christmas Card for this year (although our always anticipated Christmas Video is already wrapped up . . . stay tuned to twodoebs.com for the world premiere!).

To get some good inspiration, we recently went back and looked at the video we made out of last year's Christmas Cards. And it was so much fun (and so helpful!) that we thought we'd share it with all of the twodoebs fans again (hey, if the TV shows can get away with recycling the same old material over and over again at this time of year, why can't we?).

So, enjoy!:

Heidi finds Libby's bath time boring

2011-12-05T19:20:00.001-05:00

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Libby's Musical Stylings

2011-11-24T18:45:00.000-05:00

One of the many great things to come from Libby's time at daycare is that she learns all kinds of songs. Many of which, I don't know. Jingle Bells, however, I am quite familiar with.Libby has an abridged version in case you're too busy rushing around this holiday season for the entire piece.Please enjoy.

Thanks to YOU

2011-11-23T10:43:00.003-05:00

To all the loyal readers of twodoebs, we say thanks very much. Thanks to everybody who comments on our posts. Thanks also to those of you who quietly check in regularly and look at our ramblings. We're grateful that this site remains relevant!

Big Game Tonight in the land of the twodoebs!

2011-11-22T20:56:00.001-05:00

Miami (Ohio) vs. Ohio University!

Here's Heidi!

2011-11-19T22:50:00.003-05:00

I've been woefully remiss in getting pictures of our sweet little Heidi out there. But . . . well, we've been kind of busy! Anyhow, here she is and we sure love her!

Trip to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum

2011-11-19T22:46:00.003-05:00

When Kati's sisters and their girls came to visit us to meet Heidi, we took a trip to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum. We loved the facility, enjoyed all the exhibits, and everybody had a grand time. Afterwords, we met up with the rest of the crew for a fun family dinner!

Heidi-Bear

2011-11-18T18:15:00.001-05:00

Prepped for colder temps.

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Pardon me while I swoon

2011-11-15T19:52:00.001-05:00

Tonight, while getting Libby dressed for bed her little sister started to cry. At first she tried to calm her down by kissing her forehead and saying "it's ok baby".

That didn't work. Libby went to her crib and retrieved her beloved Bunny. This bunny is Libby's most prized possession. She laid bunny down next to Heidi and said "here you go baby". Heidi promptly began trying to nurse off of Bunny's nose.

I wasn't able to capture the moment in a picture but this shot was from just a few minutes prior.

I can think of no greater sign of love from Libby to Heidi. Hearts!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cousin Fun

2011-11-13T22:50:00.001-05:00

Since Heidi was born almost two weeks ago we've been SO lucky to have family around.The extra help has been awesome but more so Libby has LOVED having her cousins to play with.This weekend Libby and the crew hit the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh. You can tell - they had a great time!!

Heidi pics are coming soon, but until then just drink in this cuteness.

The Extra Point: When enough isn't enough

2011-11-12T12:21:00.000-05:00

The Extra Point: When enough isn't enough: What has gone on at Penn State this week has been divisive, heartbreaking, disgusting and wrenching. I won't restate the facts - surely real...

Sisters!

2011-11-02T16:39:00.001-04:00

Sweet Mama and Baby

2011-11-02T16:35:00.001-04:00

She is here!!

2011-11-02T03:28:00.001-04:00

She doesn't have a name yet but our little pumpkin has arrived! More to come!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Extra Point: Flex those games!

2011-10-24T21:44:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: Flex those games!: A few years ago when the NFL started Flexing their schedule to accommodate the more important and interesting games, I thought it was kind o...

Who is drinking the Google+ koolaid?

2011-10-14T16:23:00.001-04:00

Typically anything Google is easy to soak up and enjoy but the recent roll out (in beta form) of the Google + platform was circulated like wildfire then seemed to cool just as fast.Invites to join Google+ seemed in demand and sought after. I jumped on the bandwagon, started playing around and couldn't figure out what it was, or what it did.It seemed a common question - what is this thing? Is it just Facebook, but by Google?As a result the fervor about Google + seemed to quiet just as quickly.Well apparently I'm not just imagining it. Last night, an engineer at Google posted a bit of a rant about Google + and how Google was failing it. Rather than post it though to his internal teams it was posted to the public.Clearly an error Mr. Yegge quickly took his post down but not of course before some folks read, saw, reposted and paraphrased his rant.If you are lightly interested and would like some highlights - here's a good article from LinkedInIf you are deeply interested and want to read the whole kit and caboodle - here't he full text.Oh and lesson learned . . .once you put it out there - it is OUT there. Beware of what you do on the interwebs :)Happy Friday.

The Extra Point: The Maternity Marathon

2011-10-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: The Maternity Marathon: Ok - this isn't the typical Extra Point blog post as I typically focus on big sports and events. But when I read this story, it was too inte...

CSA-wesome dinner

2011-10-02T20:50:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of reasons that the dinner I made tonight is awesome. . .1. It's a very aromatic dinner and I love when cooking all day makes the house smell wonderful2. It's a DREARY and RAINY day. There's something about a cozy dinner on such a crappy day that makes the cold and gray seem ok3. It was 100% provided from local farms, my CSA and a livestock farm I have been buying our beef from latelySo what did we make?Pot Roast - slow cooker awesomeness.Crashed Hot potatoes - thank you Pioneer Woman.Green Beans - nothing fancy, just blanchedGerman Apple Cake - in honor of the hilariously rad Octoberfest celebration we went to last night.And to give you the run down:The Sirloin Tip roast was provided from the McElhaney FarmThe Potatoes were from the Dillner Family Farm CSA (the rosemary used in this recipe was grown by yours truly)Green Beans were from the Dillner Family Farm CSAThe Apples and Eggs for the cake were provided from the Dillner Family Farm CSABetween the pot roast and the apple cake - the house smells SO awesome.

Perhaps the best part of the day however, was Libby helping me to make the cake. She kept stirring the batter saying "This is so exciting!"

I have long awaited the day when she can really do stuff with me in the kitchen. Today was the best!!

Woah! Here's one from the Way-Back Machine:

2011-09-21T13:21:00.001-04:00

Who remembers this one?:

"According to legend, little folks know, Hills is where the toys are!"

Fern Hollow Music Festival

2011-09-18T22:41:00.003-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, we went up to the Fern Hollow Music Festival with a bunch of our friends. This is a great Sewickley event that's turning into one of our favorites and we had a great time letting the kids run around.

File this under "Precious"

2011-09-06T15:27:00.001-04:00

Really this is just too cute not to share . . .Libby and her Papa John from our recent vacation there (and proof that we were there since our recent photo updates from the trip didn't really indicate that!)

The Extra Point: Ya Gotta Go Joe . ..

2011-09-04T14:36:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: Ya Gotta Go Joe . ..: This weekend marks the new fall season of college football. I must admit I'm not a huge fan. Why? Well - I have never lived in big college f...

Journey!

2011-08-29T11:55:00.003-04:00

We went to see Journey on Saturday night (SO much fun!)

I had no choice but to let my 80s rocker hair loose to join the party.

Election 2012 - do you have a horse in the race yet?

2011-08-29T11:05:00.004-04:00

No - hear me now twodoebs fans . . .this is NOT intended to be a political debate. But I recently saw this article on AP and thought it was interesting. Most Republicans/conservatives are happy with the current field of candidates.

As a registered Independent, I don't have a role to play in the primaries, so I just watch it all and wait for the big dance. But I'm curious . . .are YOU happy with the candidates you have to choose from? Even if you're dem do you wish there was another option??

I suppose you can mention if there WAS a candidate you hope to see - but I'm just curious . . .right now, if the election were today, do you know who you would vote for?? Are you happy with your choices?

Yay for Pink & Blue

2011-08-25T11:31:00.003-04:00

A new store opened in Sewickley last weekend. My friend is the owner/manager, Kelsey Rhea. She saw a much needed hole in our retail landscape here and filled it! This new children's boutique is adorable and as she gets on her feet I know we will see lots of adorable clothes for boys and girls coming in!

An article was just posted about it - and in the pics you can see the backside (clothed) of yours truly. My esteemed co-blogger is in the teal shirt. And yes, the little one is Libby - duh.

Here's the article!
If you're in the Sewickley Area, pop on in! www.pinknbluekids.com

Greenbo, Al-a-BAMA

2011-08-14T21:49:00.003-04:00

We're here! (Finally!)

2011-08-06T16:39:00.001-04:00

It, actually, wasn't a bad drive at all. And--no surprise!--Libby was a star! Who SAYS we need a DVD player to keep her tolerable in the car?!

Time to hit the lake!

Gettin' close!

2011-08-06T16:33:00.001-04:00

We're making good progress and are due to arrive in about 2 hours. Stopped for a late lunch before we finish out the final stretch.

Quick breakfast break

2011-08-06T09:36:00.001-04:00

Couple quick winks and we're back at it. You can see we didn't make it before we stopped for a McBreakfast.

Anybody who loves Libby, though, would be so proud of her. She did such a great job in the real bed last night!

We've stopped for the night

2011-08-06T02:54:00.001-04:00

Man! We had a dickens of a time finding a hotel! Must've stopped into a dozen hotels and they were all sold out. Guess we're not the only people taking a road trip here in August, eh?

But we've found a place to rest out heads and we'll hit the dusty trail again tomorrow.

Wish us luck 'cause there's no crib for Libby, so it's gonna be her first night in a real bed!

Location:Flagship Dr,Kingsport,United States

Dinner Stop

2011-08-05T19:42:00.001-04:00

We're well on our way and have stopped for dinner. Long way to go, though.

Location:Commerce Dr,Morgantown,United States

The Extra Point: Pirates are back to .500

2011-08-03T17:34:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: Pirates are back to .500: "And 5.5 games back from first place. I really did want to buy a Pirates T-shirt this year . . .but I'm not just gonna give away my money. Y..."

The Extra Point: The Emotional Trade

2011-08-02T13:46:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: The Emotional Trade: "We are now in the throes of normal August-ness. Baseball is heating up and Football is back in camp. Much of the news in the 'Burgh, ironica..."

Ruckus Race

2011-07-21T18:16:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, Schmarbo and I ran in the Pittsburgh Ruckus Race, which is a 4 mile race. What makes this different than--say--your average 5K is that it's really more of a 4 mile obstacle course. So as you're running along, you've got to navigate things like 8 foot deep trenches that you have to climb out of and cargo nets and mud pits . . . that kind of thing (if my description's not painting a clear picture in your mind's-eye, the Post-Gazette has a pretty good slide-show of the event--neither of us are in any of the pictures, but it does a good job setting the tone of what we had to deal with).

Sweet Kati tried her best to document the event. The best 2 pictures that came out of it, though, are a simple set of before and afters!:

3 Years, 3 Pictures

2011-07-16T17:36:00.002-04:00

The Extra Point: "I'm not a Yankee fan by any stretch, but I do lik...

2011-07-11T15:47:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: "I'm not a Yankee fan by any stretch, but I do lik...: "No no - don't be mislead by the title; I AM a Yankee Fan. That quote however, was heard this morning on the radio. I live outside the NY mar..."

Changes coming to Twodoebs????

2011-07-11T10:04:00.003-04:00

Hi friends,

I got this article sent to me last week and at first it made me jump - 'blogger being retired!?'.

Fear not - twodoebs doesn't appear to be going anywhere! Google, the parent of Blogger.com, however may be seeing some changes. Obviously we don't expect anything dramatic or very soon . . .what we here at twodoebs DO hope for is some enhancements to commenting and alerts since those seem to be the two areas that twodoebs fans want to see improved!

We will of course keep you updated if anything big happens!

CSA Week 4 & 5

2011-07-07T22:21:00.003-04:00

Sorry for falling behind on my CSA updates. . .this quick post will catch you up on then we're back on track!

Ok - for the past two weeks we've been getting
- cucumbers
- strawberries
- kholrabi
- garlic
- sugar snap peas
- zucchinis
and of course . . .

lettuce!

I'm beginning to think that by the end of the summer I'll be totally over salad!!
We are however loving the zucchini. Boy, it's a LOT of zucchini, but I've made zucchini bread which was super yummy.

We grilled the sugar snap peas in foil packets with a little salt and butter. It was SUPER yummy! And the surprise of the recent two weeks was the grilled radishes. We sliced them relatively thinly, added some small bits of butter, finely chopped garlic (from our fresh garlic!) and a cube of ice. Seal the foil packet and grill for about 8 minutes. It was tender and almost took on the consistency of potatoes.

We haven't used the kholrabi yet but I plan to very soon.

Just picked up the next batch today and will be much better next week, I promise!!!

CSA Week 6

2011-07-07T21:12:00.003-04:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

OK! We've just picked up week 7 so here's a recap of week 6.
What we got:
- red lettuce
- yellow squash
- blueberries
- tomatoes
- garlic
- cabbage

How we used it:
red lettuce - I haven't yet but I've committed to making salads for a couple functions this weekend so I'm sure I will.
yellow squash - so far I haven't yet.
blueberries - added to granola/yogurt. Oh and Libby cannot get enough blueberries, so she ate most of them
- garlic - I use garlic all the time! This is our third garlic bulb so I don't think we've used THIS particular one yet but the other ones are being pressed into service in normal cooking. Though, since we've gotten kind of backed up on garlic I may make a roasted garlic spread soon!
tomatoes - one in a salad, one as toppings for burgers
- cabbage - so far I haven't used it but I have a yummy recipe for a ground chicken in red chili with cucumber/shallot/lime dressing wrapped in cabbage leaves. I keep wanting to make it but we've been grilling so much I haven't. But now that I have the cabbage I just MIGHT!

From lsat week:
we FINALLY made the kholrabi. It kind of looks like kholrabi fries.
REVIEW: It was DELICIOUS!!! We made burgers a couple nights ago and kind of wanted fries or something for the side, but only had the kholrabi. I mean really - it's covered in cheese that gets crunchy in the hot oven so how bad can it be, right?

I also used some cucumbers in a salad, though that's not very exciting.

The Extra Point: Final Wimbledon Thoughts . . .

2011-07-04T22:03:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: Final Wimbledon Thoughts . . .: "Ok, I'll make this brief, because well - there's not that much more to say. The big 'hub bub' made at Wimbledon about women grunting kind of..."

I am not a fan of moths

2011-06-29T15:05:00.001-04:00

But this one is downright pretty!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Commenting Made Easier!

2011-06-29T10:24:00.002-04:00

Who says we here at twodoebs never listen to our readers!?

You've told us commenting to our posts is too difficult; we're making it easier!

We've turned off the captcha requirement (that step that makes you verify the word) to eliminate part of the process that many of you have complained about.

Furthermore, if you're having trouble logging in, you can always just post as Anonymous and write your name in at the bottom of the message--we're really not too concerned with formality around here (take THAT, Facebook!).

Of course, the trade off to reigning back these verification requirements is that we might expose ourselves to so-called "Comment Spam"--fake comments that try to sell a product or get you to click on a link. We'll take a wait-and-see attitude towards this potential problem. If it pops up and we can't delete it fast enough, though, just be aware that there's the potential that some comments you may see are not entirely legit.

As always, let us know if this improvement works and if there's anything else we can do to make your twodoebs experience more enjoyable!

Bye Bye Mookie . . .

2011-06-28T20:39:00.003-04:00

Mookie - that's Libby speak for pacifier. It started with Nuk (the brand of choice in Doebtown), then nukkie, but that obviously turned into mookie. Mookie and Libby were the best of friends her first year . . .then in her second year she and mookie were limited to just bedtime, long car rides and other choice strategic uses (out at fancier dinners and church).

On the advice of our doctor we began the "weaning" process one week ago tonight. I put "weaning" in quotes because as the situation unfolded it became apparent we were going with a cold turkey approach. See, I snipped off the tip to make for less suction therefore less satisfying, presuming she'd eventually get over it. Well when she realized it was "broken", she decided to throw it away.

This of course made me think (for the next 8 mintues) that I was an excellent mother and rearing the most well adjusted two year old on the planet. When Libby realized however, that the back up nukkie which used to live on her bedside table and I had strategically tucked away that afternoon, was no longer there she became a normal two year old. She cried incessantly for an hour "Mommmmmmmmmmy, 'nother moooookie". This makes one feel like a terrible person in case you're curious.

Every time Libby went to bed or woke up from sleeping, day or night for the next week she asked about mookie. This morning, she did not. As we lay her down to sleep tonight, she once again mentioned that mookie was "boken". We just said 'yes it is' and that was that.

I suspect in the next couple days we'll stop hearing about Mookie (until her little brother or sister shows up with one and totally rocks her world). Even still, I will miss this little face. It's definitely the end of an era.

This Is The Strangest Vegetable We've Received From The CSA Yet!

2011-06-28T08:37:00.002-04:00

The Extra Point: I love Wimbledon

2011-06-27T12:41:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: I love Wimbledon: "I have always liked watching tennis, especially these big Grand Slam tournaments, but Wimbledon is special to me. For one - I've actually b..."

Libby's 2 Year Portrait

2011-06-25T17:43:00.000-04:00

What Has Happened to All the Lightning Bugs?

2011-06-24T03:47:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, my neighbors Joyce and Christy and Tim and my sister and I used to chase lightning bugs every evening during the summer. We'd catch 'em and store 'em in jars with holes cut in the lid and play with them all summer long.

And it seemed as if there were tons of them. When you'd drive past a field or a medow at just the right time of night, it would look as if all the flashes were going off in a staduim during kickoff of the Superbowl. It was amazing!

Last year, I remember commenting that it seemed as if there were fewer lightning bugs than there were when we were kids. But they were still there. And I know they were around last year 'cause I took this picture:

Now, granted, some of the lightning bugs in that picture were put in there with Photoshop, but there were tons of 'em!

OK, all this by way of the statement that there are no lightning bugs this year. I mean, we've seen one or two of 'em, but nothing like what I remember from my childhood or what I would expect.

Now, following blogging best-practices, I've been ending many of my posts with questions designed to get readers to comment. For the most part, though, those are just rhetorical questions.

This time, I'm really serious. Can someone please tell me what's happened to all the lightning bugs? It's really upsetting me.

I'm sure if I had just spent the time that I spent writing this post on a little Google research, I would already have my answer. But I didn't; so I don't. And now I need somebody to clue me in.

Surely, we couldn't have ripped all their lights off and made them into rights, right?

CSA Week 3 - Some new, some old

2011-06-23T22:19:00.003-04:00

Firstly - I must apologize that I don't have a picture of this weeks' haul. I immediately called much of it into action before Doebtown could snap a picture. With the big birthday party last weekend we used quite a bit of it.

We got:
- Zucchini
- Strawberries
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Tomatoes
- Red Leaf Lettuce
- Kale
- Spring Onions

I immediately used the lettuce, onions and tomatoes in the green salad we served at the party. We chopped the strawberries in a strawberry/blueberry blend (2 of Libby's 3 favorite fruits) for her party.

I just tonight grilled a little of the zucchini and I still haven't used the sugar snaps!

Since we liked the Kale chips but weren't blown over by it, we thought we'd try another recipe - sauteed sesame and garlic Kale (you have to look half way down the page to see the recipe - it opens a PDF doc.
Let me give you two cents about this recipe - don't go heavy on the soy sauce - really just leave it at ONE teaspoon. And when the recipe says "Salt and Pepper to taste" you should reallllllly taste it before you salt it. I didn't do either of those things and it was SO salty it was inedible.

The thing about sauteed kale though is that it holds up to sauteing much better than spinach. I hate hot spinach because it gets all slimy and gross. But Kale stays pretty tough. I hope we get more kale so I can try that recipe again.

Picked up today's batch and already I'm starting to think that it's a pretty good thing we didn't get the large share. It's surprising how much this backs up!

Happy Birthday to Our Little Princess, Libby!

2011-06-20T18:50:00.003-04:00

From Last Import

She's 2 years old today! We can't believe how fast they've gone by, but they've been the best 2 year of our lives!
(Although Kati just ruined the moment by reminding me that today is the end of free flights on airplanes for Libby.)

My Dad's Hilton Head Pictures

2011-06-19T20:01:00.004-04:00

Loyal twodoebs fans will recall the captivating video we shot during our recent trip to Hilton Head (if you haven't seen it yet, I really hope you'll check it out because we were really proud of it and couldn't be happier with the way it turned out . . . it's only 90 seconds long, it's not boring at all, and it's tons of fun!--click here to watch it).

Trouble was, since I was so busy with the video camera, I didn't take a single still picture. Shocking, I know.

Fortunately, my dad had his trusty Cannon 5D Mark II with him the whole trip. My dad's a really talented photographer (click here for a guest contributor post we did of his pictures last year), so it was probably better to have him taking pictures, anyway.

Long story short, he just posted his first online photo gallery. And we're honored that it's pictures from our trip together. Click here to check out his photos from our trip!

The Best Judge on TV!

2011-06-17T16:57:00.003-04:00

There is one (and only one) judge on TV court shows that is any good. And it is Marilyn Milian on The People's Court.

She's the only one who knows anything about the law. And she's the only one who cares about the law. She's funny. And she doesn't put up with stupid nonsense.

My sister was lucky enough to be in their studio audience once. And I'm very jealous.

Remember:

"Don't take the law into your own hands!--you take 'em to court!"

The Extra Point: YAWWWWWWWWWWWWN - The blog is awakened.

2011-06-16T16:10:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: YAWWWWWWWWWWWWN - The blog is awakened.: "Ok, it's been about 7 months - I have received no requests begging for my thoughtful quips on the wide world of sports (is that term tradema..."

CSA Week 2 -- Produce a-Plenty

2011-06-16T14:57:00.006-04:00

Last Thursday, I picked up our second installment of the CSA share. I was tempted to write right away about our lot but figured it would make more sense to wait through the week and review our crops!

Week 2 we received:
- Strawberries
- Rhubarb
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Parsley Plant

We've used the tomatoes in some salads and as a little garnish with last night's very delicious salmon grilled on a cedar plank. (No, the salmon and cedar plank have nothing to do with the CSA -- it was just really good. I highly recommend it!)

We made a VERY simple and delicious strawberry and rhubarb crumble and with the kale we made some kale chips. One small recipe note about the kale chips -- we used cider vinegar and I increased the temp and baked for less time.

Reviews:
-The crumble was amazing - so fast and delicious.
-The kale chips were a nice addition and oddly tasted a bit like pumpkin seeds. I don't think I would go to the store and buy kale just to make kale chips again BUT if it shows up in future CSA drops, I'd be happy to make more chips - or try kale in a different way.

Things I've noticed about the CSA produce:
1. It lasts much longer. I haven't even touched the lettuce we got last week and it still looks beautiful. Same with the spring onions from week one. There's one or two floating around and they are in prime shape. I suspect the produce coming straight to us from a very local farm means a much longer shelf life.
2. This stuff tastes AMAZING. I tell ya -- the strawberries were smaller and more misshapen than what you see at the grocery store, but so much more FLAVORFUL! I don't care if they are smaller -- they are much better!!!

Today is pick up number 3!! Stay tuned for next weeks' culinary adventures!

Here's Something For Me To Be Proud Of!

2011-06-15T06:36:00.002-04:00

I'm (basically) as good as a pro!

Scott Kelby--who is one of the masters of contemporary photography (those of you who can't name a photographic great other than Ansel Adams will just have to trust me on this one!)--keeps a pretty regular blog. One of his tricks for keeping his content fresh is to commonly feature guest bloggers.

His guest blogger today was a guy named Bill Fortney. I've never heard of this character before, but whatever!--he's a guest blogger for Scott Kelby, so he's gotta be somewhat good, right? Fortney--like pretty much all other guest bloggers included tons of his images in his post.

OK, so here's where I'm going with this. Look at the two images below. One of them is one of Fortney's picture. The other one is one of my pictures in my portfolio. Can you tell which is which?

Mine is the first one. Frankly, looking at the two of 'em together, I kinda prefer mine!

Regardless of your personal tastes, though, and even if some of you could sniff out subtle superiority in the pro's shot, I'm still pretty impressed at the similarity!

Perhaps Scott Kelby should start following my blog! I'm sure he'd love to see all the pictures of Libby we've posted up here!

2011-06-13T03:40:00.001-04:00

I got this message from Facebook the other day, which I think is pretty funny:

Given all that I've been writing about in my last couple of posts, I consider this message to be something of a badge of honor--something to be worked towards and proof of my commitment.

Anybody else gotten anything along these lines from Facebook?

Facebook Combat Strategy #2: New Mobile Site

2011-06-09T10:06:00.003-04:00

Truth is, I created the monster.

I was the one who put the first smartphone in Sweet Kati's hand. I was the one who encouraged her to take up my habits of mobile web surfing. And I was the one who installed all the apps on her iPhone.

And anybody who's tried to have dinner with her in the last 2 years knows the result: it's impossible to get that thing out of her hands!

Now, in fairness to my lovely wife, she is typically doing something constructive: checking in with a babysitter via text, trying to update me on the score of the hockey game, looking up a little factoid that's relevant to our conversation. All things that I should--and do--encourage.

But one of the other things she's frequently doing is playing around on Facebook. And she does it a lot.

Facebook didn't have a mobile app when they launched, nor did they have one when the details of The Social Network were playing out. But I'm pretty sure the ability to casually check in on your friends' goings-ons from your iPhone in the 2 minutes between the time you order your latte and the time it's served to you are one of the biggest contributors to the site's success.

That's why we at twodoebs are proud to roll out an entirely new mobile site that will allow you the same quick access to our content no matter where you are. We've been hard at work on this new interface and know you'll appreciate its clean, simple presentation.

To access our new site, just visit:

www.twodoebs.com

from any web-enabled mobile phone.

And let us know what you think! We'd love to hear your reactions to our newest improvement.

Facebook Combat Strategy #1: Deliver twodoebs Content to You!

2011-06-08T04:22:00.000-04:00

Consideration of how a blog like twodoebs can remain relevant in an era of Facebook needs to start with an understanding of why Facebook is so popular. One thing Facebook has in its favor is the ease with which it gets content to its readers. You don’t need to manually go to the site to read postings, Facebook brings the postings to you. Blogs--on the other hand--require a reader to return to the site over and over again to check what’s new, even if that process is facilitated with bookmarks. Some of y’all might have enjoyed that task back in the twodoebs glory days, but it certainly seems as if that has become more of a chore than a pleasure.

One of the ways we can match this strength of Facebook is to bring twodoebs content to you. If you know what RSS is, you probably don’t need us to be telling you how to do it. But--for those of you who are tech-inclined--the address of the feed is:

http://doebtown.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

If RSS means nothing to you, we can still help! Here’s how:

Send an e-mail to mail@twodoebs.com with the words “Subscribe twodoebs” in the subject line and nothing in the body of the message. You will be added to a list of recipients who will get an e-mail when new postings are added to twodoebs. Magic!--you'll never miss a new posting.

We know that if we can make it easier for you to find twodoebs content, our loyal readers will be more likely to participate in the blog.

What about you?--do you think that having content specially delivered to you inbox would make you more likely to read twodoebs postings or comment on them?

CSA - Farm Fresh Fun

2011-06-02T22:29:00.003-04:00

This summer, we here at twodoebs will be participating in a CSA. What's a CSA you ask? It stands for Community Supported Agriculture. In essence, you buy a share of a local farm and on some regular basis, you get a share of that farm's bounty. I've been meaning to do this now for a few years but finally got to it this year and I am SO excited!

For the next 22 weeks, we'll receive a small box of goods from the farm - we can even opt in to take advantage of specials the farm will offer throughout the season including meats from a local livestock farm. It certainly won't negate our need for produce at the store, but it will likely reduce it.

The other benefits, of course, are supporting local agriculture rather than corporate farming. Not to mention presumably fresher produce. Plus I imagine we'll get exposed to new produce and try new recipes along the way!

So look forward to regular posts about our progress and reviews. Today was our first installment and we got:
- two tomatoes
- a bunch of asparagus
- a basil plant
- a half dozen eggs
- a head of lettuce
- a large bunch of spring onions

We've used a whole bunch of it all already! We grilled burgers tonight and enjoyed the lettuce, tomatoes and onions on our burgers and grilled the asparagus as a side dish. So far it's all delicious! Looking forward to a salad tomorrow and more CSA fun to come this summer.

Video From Our Hilton Head Vacation

2011-05-28T23:56:00.007-04:00

Kati, Libby, and I just got back from a great week in Hilton Head with my parents and sister. Take a minute and check out the video from our trip--we promise it's like no other vacation video you've ever seen!

Still In It!

2011-05-27T12:12:00.002-04:00

I recently stumbled on a blog that re-awoke my passion for blogging. This particular site was devoted to a passionate craftsperson who sells her wares on Itsy. The blog was mostly presented as a venue for showcasing her products and encouraging sales. But—as any good blog should do—she wove bits and pieces of herself into her posts. The site became about, not just her business, but also her personality.

I spent hour after hour of my vacation reading this blog from start to finish (or, as blogs go, from finish to start!). I wasn’t particularly interested in the actual subject matter of the site, but I truly enjoyed reading everything that was written.

And this experience made me remember why I was originally so interested in blogging, way-back-when in 2004. It’s a unique platform that allows thoughts to be shared in creative ways. Blogs let their readers experience the passion for a subject that the writer experiences every day.

Between the time that I started doebtown.com, which has since morphed into twodoebs.com, and now, a disruptive event for blogging has occurred. It’s Facebook.

I’ve commented many times before that I think Facebook is killing blogging. And I, myself, was guilty of letting the universal appeal of Facebook cloud my commitment to twodoebs.com. But Facebook is not a substitute for blogging. Facebook does not encourage carefully crafted, well-written posts, which incorporate pictures, text, and video. (If you are a huge Facebook fan, brace yourself for an assault on your addiction) Facebook encourages a recitation of mundane quips, at best. It has its place, and I am by no means publicly closing my Facebook account, but it is not a substitute for a good blog.

In many ways, Facebook may prove to be beneficial for the craft of blogging. Facebook gives would-be bloggers an outlet for posting what they ate for breakfast, how much they hate their co-workers, and sweaty pictures of their wives in the delivery room. It, therefore, clears the underbrush in the bloggosphire for well-written, purposeful content. It shines a spotlight on those blogs that do more than just quip 1 liners or post links to content somebody else has developed.

I recently heard this concept referred to as Panda Blogging, in a nod to the code name Google has given for its new search criteria to identify valuable content. We’ll see if this terminology evolves into a true catch-phrase. Call it Panda Blogging, call it 2.0 blogging, or call it good old fashioned writing, but it’s what makes blogs do something that no other medium—including Facebook—can do.

So, I’m recommitting myself to twodoebs.com. I may sound similar to the newspaper lobby trying to convince people that an older medium is still relevant, but I’m willing to make another go of it.

This post is getting too long, even by standards other than the 160 character benchmark, so I won’t share all my thoughts at once. But in the next few postings, look forward to my thoughts on my expectations for the future of twodoebs.com.

In the mean time, what do you think about my blogging renesance? Am I crazy? Has Pink Floyd’s premonition about The Wall manifested itself in the Facebook feature of the same name?

(Incidentally, while I wrote this post, I was, indeed, “sitting on the patio.”)

Twodoebs Analytics

2011-04-05T20:11:00.001-04:00

Old twodoebs.com recently rolled over to 20,000 lifetime hits. I realize many of those hits come from Kati and me, but STILL--I'm pretty blown away by that number.

Even though we continue to struggle to keep this site relevant in the Facebook era, thanks to everybody for checking in on us from time to time and helping us reach this milestone!

Libby and the Flamingos

2011-04-04T13:52:00.001-04:00

To Be Flamingoed -

A harmless fun "prank" where kids from a local church youthgroup plant a flock of pink plastic flamingos in your yard for 48 hours. You can then "pay" the flock to move onto your neighbors or another friends. (see it's a fund raiser)

We got flamingoed last week and Libby was THRILLED. They are gone now - and she asks about them when we leave or come into the driveway. Luckily the flock seems to still be in the neighborhood so we can go say hi to the Birdies.

I like your dress. It's very purpley

2011-03-31T18:41:00.001-04:00

School Picture Day!!!!

Top 5 Ways to Stop A-Salting Your Kidney

2011-03-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

When it comes to dietary sodium, less is certainly best. Yet Americans today consume 50% more than the recommended daily quantity of only one teaspoon of salt per day. Diets high in sodium increase blood pressure levels. High blood pressure damages the kidneys over time, and is a leading cause of kidney failure. In recognition of National Kidney Month and World Kidney Day , the National Kidney Foundation offers the top 5 tips to reduce salt in your diet:

1. Make reading food labels a habit. Sodium content is always listed on food labels. Sodium content can vary from brand to brand, so compare and choose the lowest sodium product. Certain foods don’t taste particularly salty but are actually high in sodium, such as cottage cheese, so it’s critical to check labels.

2. Stick to fresh meats, fruits and vegetables rather than their packaged counterparts, which tend to be higher in sodium.

3. Avoid spices and seasonings that contain added sodium, for example garlic salt. Choose garlic powder instead.

4. Many restaurants list the sodium content of their products on their websites, so do your homework before dining out. Also, you can request that your food be prepared without any added salt.

5. Try to spread your sodium intake out throughout the day; it’s easier on your kidneys than eating lots of salt all at once.

“You can learn to adjust to eating less salt,” says registered dietitian Linda Ulerich, member of NKF's Council on Renal Nutrition. “It typically takes about six to eight weeks on a low-sodium diet to get used to it. After that, you’ll actually find that some of your favorite salty foods, like potato chips, taste too salty to you.”

Steelers' SUPERBOWL Video!

2011-02-05T20:08:00.001-05:00

Go Steelers!

2011-01-22T16:38:00.002-05:00

No Two Are The Same . . .

2011-01-11T23:51:00.006-05:00

. . . and they're all so beautifully done, reflecting all your personalities--it's a shame to not feature them!

(To make the ad go away, click on the little "x" in its upper right corner.)

Chia-Obama

2011-01-09T20:39:00.001-05:00

OK!--Chia Obama is all seeded and ready to rock-and-roll. Full growth is expected in 2 weeks.

Libby's 18 Month Portrait

2011-01-09T19:27:00.002-05:00

Art table Fun

2011-01-07T19:55:00.001-05:00

Libby got a new art table for Christmas and it's fully stocked with supplies for maximum entertainment and creation.

This is how we spend our evenings now!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New Years Eve Party

2011-01-01T12:23:00.002-05:00

We couldn't stay until midnight because we had a sick little Libby at home, but we went to Helen and Bernie's last night and had a great time. Even without being there all night, I still managed to bother everybody with my camera.

Christmas Pictures

2010-12-29T20:59:00.001-05:00

Our FIFTH Annual Christmas "Letter!"

2010-12-21T07:03:00.003-05:00

Christmas Message Archive

2010-12-21T06:50:00.000-05:00

First time twodoebs fans won't want to miss the opportunity to go back and see what they've missed from Christmases past. Our regular visitors'll want to go back and laugh at the same stuff all over again!

- Christmas 2006 (2006--the year that started it all)
- The 2006 Year End Blog Recap
- Christmas 2007
- Our Christmas NON-Letter (2008--the first year we did a video)
- Last year--our first year with Libby

Welcome Fiona Mae!

2010-12-20T21:29:00.002-05:00

We are thrilled to announce the birth of another adorable niece!!

Congratulations Cindy, Billy and Amelia on the arrival of

Fiona Mae
Born 10:09am 12/20/10
7 lbs 9 oz, 20.5 inches long

I can't wait to get my hands on this one!!

Thanksgiving 2010/Welcoming Parker to the World

2010-11-28T00:19:00.002-05:00

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Mississippi hanging out with JR and Denise and their beautiful new baby.

The Extra Point: 2022 World Cup

2010-11-22T20:03:00.000-05:00

The Extra Point: 2022 World Cup: "I know I've missed a few big stories lately - but all that pesky full-time job, family, holiday business tends to get in the way. But as I f..."

The Extra Point: Uhh . . .

2010-11-14T23:57:00.000-05:00

The Extra Point: Uhh . . .: "something tells me the Steelers might be coming down a couple notches on the Power Rankings after the total egg they just laied tonight."

The Extra Point: Oh Yuk.

2010-11-09T16:41:00.000-05:00

The Extra Point: Oh Yuk.: "Ok - the power rankings are back out. Good news - Steelers are still number 2. Bad news - the dreaded Ravens are number 1!!!!!!!! Here's wh..."

The Extra Point: What should you DO!?!?

2010-11-07T23:27:00.000-05:00

The Extra Point: What should you DO!?!?: "Shut up. That's what you should do. Just check your ego - which is no doubt every bit as large as your massive frame - at the door. Don't d..."

Rally to Restore Sanity!

2010-11-04T22:49:00.004-04:00

Very Bad News in This Week's Power Rankings

2010-11-02T01:42:00.000-04:00

Not only are the Steelers no longer ranked #1 (deservedly so!), but . . .

1) They've fallen all the way to #3;
2) The stinking Patriots are #1; AND
3) The Steelers are now outranked by the Ravens.

Bad, bad, AWFUL, bad.

The Extra Point: Consol Energy Center

2010-11-01T22:28:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: Consol Energy Center: "I had the opportunity last week to go to the new Consol Energy Center to see a comedian. Sure - it wasn't a hockey game but it got me in th..."

The Extra Point: Another Week - Another Controversy

2010-10-26T11:06:00.000-04:00

The Extra Point: Another Week - Another Controversy: "I really wish the Steelers would go back to just being the team that quietly won football games while everyone else was busy talking about t..."

A Walk in the Woods

2010-10-25T22:31:00.000-04:00