Been Busy...

The past month has been very busy. The biggest thing is that I finally finished the sets for Hell's Kitchen 8. I am very, very proud of all that we were able to accomplish. Sadly, I cannot post any photos of our sets until the season begins airing. But here is a snapshot that my friend and shopper, Nancy, took of me standing in one of the kitchens. In case you are wondering, I was not cooking anything but was instead boiling large pots of water to put into our set hot tub. Right before the contestants arrived, we realized that the jacuzzi was not wired properly. After a quick fix, we turned on the heaters but we only had about 5 hours before everyone arrived... about 16 hours shy of what it normally takes to heat a tub. So we were trying our best to accelerate the process. Oh, the tricks of the trade!

If you are looking at this picture and thinking that I look pretty darn tired, it is because I was. This month has been a doozy! Besides work insanity, our house went into escrow (FINALLY!) and we have been frantically searching for a new Casa de Miller. Lots of paperwork, phone calls, inspections, contractors and faxing. Through it all, I have been struggling with a horrific sinus infection that started back in November. After a CT Scan or two, my doctor announced that I must have surgery to clear out my upper sinus cavities that are unable to drain on their own. Perfect timing! The only good news is that I can wait up to two months before doing it. Hopefully soon I will have some idea of where we will be living and then I can book the darn thing. My doctor has warned that I will have about 3-4 days of recovery with flu like symptoms. But hopefully, it will ease my endless infection. After all of this, I will need to have another surgery to fix my deviated septum. And maybe after that, my sinuses will give me a little break. So much fun!

And if all of this was not enough, I turned 40 last week. It has been hard for me, I cannot lie. But my husband really made it a special day to ease my pain. We had two fabulous dinners at my favorite restaurants... one with family and the other with a small group of close friends. Not too shabby, indeed.

Speaking of food, with all that was going on I decided to try a food delivery service for a few weeks. Normally, I get up in the morning and make lunch and dinner for the kids. My slow cooker seems to be on constantly. But with my 6 day work schedule, I couldn't barely find the time to do the grocery shopping. Many of my friends swear by having their dinners delivered. So I gave it a try. In my mind, it was a fabulous situation. Every day I would go to my front door and waiting for me was a bag of delicious, prepared food. I had selected each day's menu via computer so it was all stuff that I new we could eat. Much of it was similar to what I normally prepare anyway. Steamed rice, grilled chicken, fresh fruit, salads and tons of veggies. Some days I was even able to get chocolate dipped strawberries. I would use some of it to build Ella's lunch and save the rest for dinner. And it actually cost the same as it would have if I had gone grocery shopping. Sounds perfect, doesn't it? It was until Ella decided to stage a full boycott of anything and everything that arrived in the pretty little packages. She refused to eat anything that I did not make myself. So strange, because literally it was exactly what I would have cooked. So our poor babysitter would have to make 2 dinners, first trying the delivered dinner and then resorting to something she knew the kids would eat like corn quesadillas. So I am back to shopping/preparing every one's food. Oh well!

Hopefully I will get back to my regular blogging as soon as I can. I have been reviewing some books and cannot wait to talk about our new favorite place, Babycakes NYC in LA. I begin a new show tomorrow and have no idea how busy that will keep me. But all of it is wonderful and fun and I cannot complain one bit. I just miss this part of my life. Thanks for putting up with my long periods of silence. Keep tuning in...