Hello!

I am not dead, just busy!! I have several ideas for posts, plus two awards to accept (thanks Natalie and Lucy!), and pictures to upload. Summer is great, sometimes too great because it gets so crazy. I am dog sitting for the next two weeks so I am sure that will really keep me busy. I am also reading a book I have just fallen in love with, "The Girls from Ames". I picked it up at Target on a whim because I needed something to read while I work out (yes, I read while doing the elliptical and stationary bike, I am not all hardcore & sweaty about exercise!) and I absolutely LOVE it. Has anyone else read it?

I just did a really long update at my other blog. Be sure to stop by there and I will be back here SOON. Don't forget to enter my Blog Giveaway over at the other little blog.

Happy Weekend!!

Dog Sitting

Last weekend I got to baby-sit an adorable little Shih Tzu named Roxie. She came to stay with us while her family went to Milwaukee. I had her from Friday night to Sunday afternoon - just enough time to fall in love with her.

For quite a while now, it has been my dream to have a second dog and in particular a girl dog that I could dress up. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you might remember that I have wanted a girl Shih Tzu and I want to name her Betsey Johnson and I even bought a yellow dog sun dress with no dog to put in it! You can read about that story here.

So when my co-worker, Susan, asked me if I want to dog sit, I jumped on the chance.

This is Roxie

This is the note that Susan's daughter wrote with instructions for taking care of Roxie:

We went to a garage sale on Saturday and she was a featured guest at a barbecue at my girlfriend's house on Sunday

She is very frisky and feminine

Noodles made sure that Roxie knows I am his mommy only!

Roxie is coming back to stay with me next week while her family goes to Yellowstone National Park. I will have her for 10 fabulous days!

Famous Crack Dip Recipe

I got my yummy dip recipe from my friend, Andrea, probably 10 years ago and since then I have probably put it on my blog two or three other times. It is a very popular dip recipe and everyone is always asking me to bring it to parties, barbecues, showers, potlucks etc.

I am not sure what the real name of this dip is, but for as long as I can remember my friends and I have called it Crack Dip because it is so addictive ... like crack. It is our party drug of choice.

I made it this past weekend for a friend's barbecue and here is the recipe step by step including pictures.

First you will need two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese



I prefer Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese and the full-fat kind. No fat free for this recipe. That goes for everything else too. Full fat! Andrea told me she tried to make it with fat-free ingredients once, but it turned out too runny. This dip needs to be fairly thick.

Blend the cream cheese - it helps to let it sit out at room temp for a while.



Then add 16 ounces of Sour Cream. My choice is Daisy.



BLEND




Next add 16 ounces of Salsa. I prefer Pace Chunky Salsa in Medium.




BLEND, BLEND, BLEND



Finally add in 8 ounces of Shredded Cheddar (I prefer sharp cheddar).



The cheese is the final step so make sure everything is completely blended.




TAH DAH



It tastes better than it actually looks in this picture. Serve with tortilla chips or veggies.


It helps if you have 2 Junior Chefs like Roxie and Noodles!



So in a nutshell:

*16 ounces of cream cheese (not the fat-free kind)

*16 ounces of sour cream (again, not the fat-free kind)

*16 ounces of salsa (the chunky Pace kind is the best)

*8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese

Blend together the cream cheese, sour cream and salsa with an electric mixer until it is smooth & well blended. Add shredded cheese & stir in.

Chill and then serve with tortilla chips or veggies

Minnesota Bloggers Dinner

On Saturday I attended my first ever blogger dinner for Minnesota bloggers. It was a fun gathering organized by Cathy at Antsy Pants and Lisa at Mommy’s Nest.

We all met at Napa Valley Grille at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. Napa Valley Grille serves a Northern California cuisine and they also have locations in Westwood, California and Paramus, New Jersey (just a side note!)

I was a little nervous at first and I was the first to arrive (which was a shock because usually I am late and on Lesli time). But as soon as I saw Lisa I relaxed and felt comfortable because she was so warm and welcoming and we chatted for a few minutes in the lobby before Cathy showed up. I later found out that Lisa used to be a DJ for KS95 which explains her bubbly personality.


LISA

I originally “met” Cathy when she won a Kate Spade makeup bag from one of my favorite bloggers Elledee at Glammed. I decided to see who this lucky Cathy was who had won a Kate Spade bag and so I checked out her blog. I was so excited to see that we have the same birthday (October 13) and that she is an interior designer, which is what I went to school for. I loved her right away and have followed her blog ever since.

So we were seated at our table and ordered drinks (and we got carded by our waiter). I ordered white wine and Cathy and Lisa had cucumber martinis (I think, right?).

Shortly thereafter Whiskey Marie showed up to join the fun. She ordered a Manhattan and I think it is the first time I have ever been with someone who ordered that. Now I know what it looks like (it has a cherry). And bourbon, I think. She has the longest lashes I have ever seen in my life and I found myself wondering if she uses Latisse?


WHISKEY MARIE

And to complete our group was Minnesota Mom from Happy to be From Iowa and her cute teen daughter (who was the designated photographer). She is originally from Iowa (oh, can you tell from the name of her blog?) and she actually grew up in the next town over from where my mom now lives. So I bonded with her over the whole Iowa thing but I also just adored her because she was so kind and had such a wonderful outlook on life despite some recent difficulties. She was just an angel!


MINNESOTA MOM & CATHY

She also came to my rescue after dinner when I realized Nordstrom was closed and that was where I had parked my car. She insisted on giving me a ride to my car. She and her daughter were just two peaches in my eyes! Loved them. Maybe I also love her even more after she wrote on her blog that I reminded her of a combination of Bernadette Peters & Debra Messing!

As far as the meal went, I can’t even tell you what everyone else ordered but I had a shrimp cocktail and the best ever bleu cheese mashed potatoes, 2 glasses of Riesling and a coffee for dessert.

Our meal lasted almost 4 hours. The time flew by. Everyone was so wonderful and I loved them all. They all had stories to tell and other blogs to share. The wonders of social media, I tell you!! I hope we can do something like this in the future and I plan to stay in touch with everyone.

Love you all!

My SATC 2 Review

I went to see Sex and the City 2 on the first Friday it was out in the theaters—which would have been May 28, Memorial Day Weekend.

Undaunted by the negative reviews, I was looking forward to an afternoon with my girls, and by girls I mean the girls of SATC.



I didn’t go with any of my friends and I decided not to drag my husband THIS time (he did see the first SATC with me & hated every second). I deliberately chose Friday afternoon when most people were still at work and most kids were in school so the theater was relatively empty and I had a whole row to myself.

I happily settled in with my buttered popcorn looking forward to 146 minutes of girl talk and fashion and the continuing romance of Carrie and Big.



I don’t really need my movies to be critically acclaimed or Oscar nominees. Just give me a chick flick, a romantic comedy, a pretty set design and lots of pretty clothes and I am happy!

I honestly enjoyed SATC 2 and most of my friends (who think like me!) did too. In fact, I am going to see it again next weekend with a friend (a mom of two children under 3) who hasn’t been to a movie since last summer. Hi, Donna!

One of my favorite scenes involved Charlotte baking cupcakes with her children (and what a cute apron!).




I also liked the part of the movie where Carrie needed to get away for awhile and went back to her old apartment to write and it looked exactly the same. She even still had her home phone in service, her landline—which I thought was a little odd since the apartment was supposed to be basically unused.



But anyhow I secretly have always liked the idea of still having a place to go back to, my old studio apartment in Edina, or my old condo in Woodbury. It would just be nice to know you had a place to return that was still yours & I guess something that remains of your single days. So that struck a chord with me.

And, of course, the part of the movie where Carrie ran into Aidan in the market place half way around the world. How would it be to run into an old boyfriend like that and what choices would you make?



So, anyhow, yes, I liked it and am looking forward to seeing it again. I want to get a second look at the fashion!!

Summer Give Away!!!

Stop by my other blog (you know, the one where I TRY not to shop??) and enter to win my summer give-away.

Good luck!

Garage Sale

One of my girlfriends is having a fundraising garage sale this Saturday, June 5th. I myself contributed some clothes (mostly summer tops in size medium) and a really big plastic bin full of lots of good books.

My Pug, Noodles, and I and the little Shih Tzu I am dog-sitting this weekend will be making a cameo appearance, so if you would like to stop by and you are in the Minneapolis area, let me know and I will give you the address!

Thanks!!

And the Give Aways Just Keep Happening!

Here is a fun new give-away from my newest blogging friend, Gina, at HiYaLuv.


She is giving away several fun books (like the one below!) that she picked up at Anthropologie and LAX, and a $10 gift card to Starbucks for some cold drinks.




Contest ends this Friday, June 4th at Noon.



Good Luck!

The Bees Knees - Cute!

Love this cute new summery bag from Kate Spade!

Colorful creations embellish this lightweight canvas tote. With an open top and over-the-shoulder straps, it's perfect for stowing away all the essentials for a day of spirited summer adventures (there's room aplenty for a beach read, a bottle of sparkling water and a just-in-case pair of ballet flats).

$175

Ta Dah ... and the Winner Is

The winner of my Big Give Away of chocolate, candle and coffee is ......

drum roll....

Phat Girl! And the runner-up (should Phat Girl not contact me) is Shoshanah!

Phat Girl, please contact me on Facebook or my email address of lesli13@hellokitty.com before June 8th and let me know your mailing address and also which candle you prefer.

Your choices are Thankfulness (a really yummy caramel vanilla) or Happiness (a rhubarb sugar cane). They are both personal favorites of mine.

And that's all you have to do! I will get your package in the mail ASAP.

And everyone else, thank you so much for entering my Give Away. I am going to have another Give Away on my other blog later this week. I will be giving away more chocolate, maybe more Starbucks, and definitely one of my favorite books.