At my favorite Thai restaurant, there's a dish called the Amazing. If you are friends with me, you've probably heard me talk about this or I've taken you there to try it for yourself. If I haven't talked about this to you or taken you to have a try, shame on me!
It truly is amazing. It's basically just a spicy peanut sauce. Some friends who recently moved away figured out the recipe and gave us two jars of the yumminess plus the recipe for Christmas. Maybe the best gift we got! Here's the how-to:
Amazing Thai Spicy Peanut Sauce
13.5 oz. can of coconut milk
2 oz. can/jar of red curry paste
3/4 c. unsweetened natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 tbsp. salt
3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1/2 c. water
1. Put everything into a medium pot and bring to a gentle boil on medium heat, whisking constantly.
2. Let mixture stand and simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat. Be careful not to let mixture scorch at bottom.
**Sauce keeps in glass container (1 batch will make 4 small jars) in fridge for weeks. If thickens, re-thin with water and reheat. You can also freeze.
**This sauce is probably best with chicken and/or veggies with rice or rice noodles.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Kindl-ing
So Rachel Wilkerson does it again, pretty much summing up my feelings about the Kindle. You can read her post here. It's fab, and I especially love the fun quotes she found. Funniest part of her post is the mention of Berenstain Bears, who I also loved. Remember the one about Mama's quilt shop? She opened it in the trunk of a tree, and it had a fabulous window in the front that showed all the quilts inside. Loved it.
I didn't get a Kindle this year but did last year. We gave Will's parents Kindles for Christmas this year, and I won't lie, the new ones are sexier. I'll get over it though. At the moment on my Kindle, I'm reading The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love. It's the story of a NYC journalist who interviews a farmer and ends up marrying him and becoming a farmer's wife. They aren't just farmers, but are completely self-sustaining--grow everything, animals rather than machines, they make yarn for clothing. Yea, all that. In the past year, my backyard has become a mini farm. We are not self-sustaining nor as extreme as the characters in this book, but there are some similarities. Here's a description of Mark, the farmer, that reminds me of Will:
"One of the gorgeous and highly annoying things about Mark's personality is that, once he bites into an idea, he'll worry it to death, exploring every possibility, expanding it to the point of absurdity and then shrinking it back down, molding it around different premises, and bending logic, when necessary, to cram it into a given situation. No matter what he is doing or saying or thinking, the idea is perking away in the background of his formidable brain, details accruing. Bits of it will surface, iceberglike, in a burst of chatter, but the bulk of it remains hidden until the whole thing appears at once, fully formed and fiercely defended."
That's my husband for sure! Thankfully what we have going in the backyard is fairly realistic though we do stick out compared to the neighbors. Who wants to be like the neighbors though??? Not us for sure!
Anyway, this book is a fun read if you're into farming/green living plus a minor love story. Best part is that I'm learning lots of farming words which I will be filing away in my mind (hopefully I can remember them) and will be using in random conversation with Will to see if he notices.
I didn't get a Kindle this year but did last year. We gave Will's parents Kindles for Christmas this year, and I won't lie, the new ones are sexier. I'll get over it though. At the moment on my Kindle, I'm reading The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love. It's the story of a NYC journalist who interviews a farmer and ends up marrying him and becoming a farmer's wife. They aren't just farmers, but are completely self-sustaining--grow everything, animals rather than machines, they make yarn for clothing. Yea, all that. In the past year, my backyard has become a mini farm. We are not self-sustaining nor as extreme as the characters in this book, but there are some similarities. Here's a description of Mark, the farmer, that reminds me of Will:
"One of the gorgeous and highly annoying things about Mark's personality is that, once he bites into an idea, he'll worry it to death, exploring every possibility, expanding it to the point of absurdity and then shrinking it back down, molding it around different premises, and bending logic, when necessary, to cram it into a given situation. No matter what he is doing or saying or thinking, the idea is perking away in the background of his formidable brain, details accruing. Bits of it will surface, iceberglike, in a burst of chatter, but the bulk of it remains hidden until the whole thing appears at once, fully formed and fiercely defended."
That's my husband for sure! Thankfully what we have going in the backyard is fairly realistic though we do stick out compared to the neighbors. Who wants to be like the neighbors though??? Not us for sure!
Anyway, this book is a fun read if you're into farming/green living plus a minor love story. Best part is that I'm learning lots of farming words which I will be filing away in my mind (hopefully I can remember them) and will be using in random conversation with Will to see if he notices.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
New Tradition! New Tradition!
And it involves a stick of butter! My grandma would be so proud! Seriously, I'm not joking.
Last night, Will and I had Christmas dinner on December 21st. To celebrate Christmas, of course! It was simple and I didn't have to work very hard which is even better. We didn't do anything fancy, not even a red napkin. In fact, we used some leftover napkins from Halloween. They were orange. Thanks to Honeybaked Ham and pal Abbey's recommendation on these sweet potatoes, I was full and happy in no time.
I decided sometime last week that we should start having a traditional Christmas meal. One side of my family used to do this, but over the years it has changed and morphed into lunch in a restaurant on Christmas Eve. Tasty, but where's the ham and sweet potatoes??? So, I kicked off our new tradition this year. I really could have waited until Christmas Eve or even the day before, but honestly I couldn't stop thinking about sweet potatoes. I could wait no longer!
So while being thankful for my husband and Honeybaked Ham, I'm also thankful for some other stuff this holiday season:
1. This dog, who sits on the couch beside me all the time and totally would have my back in a fight. (Not that there are ever any fights, but if there were she'd save me.)
2. This dog, who sits at the table with Will in hopes that one day he'll let her have her first beer.
3. My candles that smell like Christmas trees. I have two, and they have almost tricked me into thinking we actually got a tree this year.
4. Hummus. Yea, really.
5. The chickens in my backyard. Never thought I'd say that.
6. Coffee from the morning reheated at 2:30 in the afternoon for a quick pick me up.
7. Christmas Station on Pandora. Bing Crosby followed by Mariah Carey can't be beat.
8. Cupcakes. Tomorrow I'm baking 48 of them and not eating a single one. Giving them all away. Yep, promise!
9. My health.
10. Family and Friends.
Okay, so number 9 & 10 really were serious ones. I truly do love hummus though and am thankful someone created it.
Last night, Will and I had Christmas dinner on December 21st. To celebrate Christmas, of course! It was simple and I didn't have to work very hard which is even better. We didn't do anything fancy, not even a red napkin. In fact, we used some leftover napkins from Halloween. They were orange. Thanks to Honeybaked Ham and pal Abbey's recommendation on these sweet potatoes, I was full and happy in no time.
I decided sometime last week that we should start having a traditional Christmas meal. One side of my family used to do this, but over the years it has changed and morphed into lunch in a restaurant on Christmas Eve. Tasty, but where's the ham and sweet potatoes??? So, I kicked off our new tradition this year. I really could have waited until Christmas Eve or even the day before, but honestly I couldn't stop thinking about sweet potatoes. I could wait no longer!
So while being thankful for my husband and Honeybaked Ham, I'm also thankful for some other stuff this holiday season:
1. This dog, who sits on the couch beside me all the time and totally would have my back in a fight. (Not that there are ever any fights, but if there were she'd save me.)
2. This dog, who sits at the table with Will in hopes that one day he'll let her have her first beer.
3. My candles that smell like Christmas trees. I have two, and they have almost tricked me into thinking we actually got a tree this year.
4. Hummus. Yea, really.
5. The chickens in my backyard. Never thought I'd say that.
6. Coffee from the morning reheated at 2:30 in the afternoon for a quick pick me up.
7. Christmas Station on Pandora. Bing Crosby followed by Mariah Carey can't be beat.
8. Cupcakes. Tomorrow I'm baking 48 of them and not eating a single one. Giving them all away. Yep, promise!
9. My health.
10. Family and Friends.
Okay, so number 9 & 10 really were serious ones. I truly do love hummus though and am thankful someone created it.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thank you, Pandora
Confession: I rocked out to the Katy Perry station on Pandora this morning while on the treadmill. I often think she's a weirdo because she always dresses up to look like a toy or like she's made out of plastic. But to be perfectly honest, it made the run awesome. I might of even danced a little to Natasha Bedingfield and her pocket full of sunshine and some crazy mash up of "Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing. Yea, I'm not sorry. I had fun and looked no sillier than the guy that was impersonating Rocky as he did that scooting jab punchy thing all the way around the gym. Really, he made a whole lap and even kicked a few times too.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Observations & Other Randoms
1. The cold weather has led to a great consumption of post-dinner hot chocolate. I have a sweet tooth, and I've convinced myself that if I use milk to make hot chocolate, it is good for me. You know, calcium!? But here's what is BEST about making hot chocolate--the whole time you are waiting for the milk to heat up, you can eat marshmallows which are also good for you, in the same way that candy corn is good for you.
2. I had to go on a gym sabbatical from mid-October until last week because I was consumed by school and stuff. I squeezed in random runs and all, but the actual visits to the gym came to a screeching halt. As of Sunday, I'm back to that regular gym routine and wow, in just 2 months, the staff at the gym is completely different. Of all the "trainers" running around counting for people and making them pull stacks of weights around on the floor or do a series of jumping jack/bicep curl ridiculousness, there are only like 3 of the same old crew. The rest...all new. This makes me wonder what happened in November.
3. Today while taking a shower I turned around to see that my dog had gotten into the shower with me. Why!? I have no idea. A lot of screaming ensued. If you know my dogs, you might be wondering which one because they are both curious creatures. It was Lily, the border collie, which is much less alarming than turning around to find a giant German shepherd in the shower with me. I'm assuming she was scared of something, but really, getting in the shower for safety? That makes no sense. It just made her scared and drippy rather than only scared. How is drippy scared better? Dog logic is so confusing.
4. Over the weekend, I decided it was time to accept the fact that Christmas is drawing near. I read a lot of blogs and lately lots of people (bloggers) have been admitting that they aren't in the holiday spirit. I have been in the same non-holiday-spirit situation. We are not decorating the house this year because we are in the midst of remodeling the den which is where the tree goes. No tree has meant no stockings, no wreaths, no anything. On Sunday I found a Santa tea towel way in the back of the linen closet. I hung it on the handle of the stove, and that's the extent of our holiday decorations. A-MA-ZING! To try to trick myself into the holiday spirit, I decided to make fudge. That's holiday-ish, so it had to get me in the holiday spirit. Fudge requires heavy cream. If you've ever read my blog you know that I'm sort of opposed to heavy cream because it will make you heavy. (Marshmallows and candy corn won't though!) So, I used fat free half and half, which I now know will NOT make fudge. Instead it will make goo. I'm going to have to try again and might actually buy heavy cream. This is sort of a big moment.
5. Today, I was standing in the custodian's closet/room at school using the microwave. Yes, this is occassionally the life of a teacher. There were some custodians eating lunch as it was chicken finger day at school. Someone shared with the group, "It's Obama's fault that we have to eat healthy now." Hmmm, really? I have no comment. I quietly tip toed away, hoping they wouldn't ask me to join the conversation because that could lead to a lecture about why heavy cream should be avoided (except for in fudge. maybe.).
6. I'd forgotten that Linus' little brother was named Rerun. How funny. Thank goodness for Charlie Brown holiday specials to remind us of the important details!
2. I had to go on a gym sabbatical from mid-October until last week because I was consumed by school and stuff. I squeezed in random runs and all, but the actual visits to the gym came to a screeching halt. As of Sunday, I'm back to that regular gym routine and wow, in just 2 months, the staff at the gym is completely different. Of all the "trainers" running around counting for people and making them pull stacks of weights around on the floor or do a series of jumping jack/bicep curl ridiculousness, there are only like 3 of the same old crew. The rest...all new. This makes me wonder what happened in November.
3. Today while taking a shower I turned around to see that my dog had gotten into the shower with me. Why!? I have no idea. A lot of screaming ensued. If you know my dogs, you might be wondering which one because they are both curious creatures. It was Lily, the border collie, which is much less alarming than turning around to find a giant German shepherd in the shower with me. I'm assuming she was scared of something, but really, getting in the shower for safety? That makes no sense. It just made her scared and drippy rather than only scared. How is drippy scared better? Dog logic is so confusing.
4. Over the weekend, I decided it was time to accept the fact that Christmas is drawing near. I read a lot of blogs and lately lots of people (bloggers) have been admitting that they aren't in the holiday spirit. I have been in the same non-holiday-spirit situation. We are not decorating the house this year because we are in the midst of remodeling the den which is where the tree goes. No tree has meant no stockings, no wreaths, no anything. On Sunday I found a Santa tea towel way in the back of the linen closet. I hung it on the handle of the stove, and that's the extent of our holiday decorations. A-MA-ZING! To try to trick myself into the holiday spirit, I decided to make fudge. That's holiday-ish, so it had to get me in the holiday spirit. Fudge requires heavy cream. If you've ever read my blog you know that I'm sort of opposed to heavy cream because it will make you heavy. (Marshmallows and candy corn won't though!) So, I used fat free half and half, which I now know will NOT make fudge. Instead it will make goo. I'm going to have to try again and might actually buy heavy cream. This is sort of a big moment.
5. Today, I was standing in the custodian's closet/room at school using the microwave. Yes, this is occassionally the life of a teacher. There were some custodians eating lunch as it was chicken finger day at school. Someone shared with the group, "It's Obama's fault that we have to eat healthy now." Hmmm, really? I have no comment. I quietly tip toed away, hoping they wouldn't ask me to join the conversation because that could lead to a lecture about why heavy cream should be avoided (except for in fudge. maybe.).
6. I'd forgotten that Linus' little brother was named Rerun. How funny. Thank goodness for Charlie Brown holiday specials to remind us of the important details!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
PhD Flu
I would like to announce that I have the PhD flu, and it's contagious. Symptoms come in the form of:
headaches
frizzy hair
itchy eyes
sore neck muscles
forgetfulness
too-much-in-my-headedness
habitual to-do list making
belly aches
sleeplessness
dizziness
headaches
frizzy hair
itchy eyes
sore neck muscles
forgetfulness
too-much-in-my-headedness
habitual to-do list making
belly aches
sleeplessness
dizziness
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thanksgiving!
For the first time, Will and I hosted Thanksgiving for his family. Just his mom and step dad came, but it was super nice. I zoomed to the upstate for lunch with my family and made it back home before they arrived. It was a super busy day, but I'll admit the best part of hosting is ending up with the leftovers at my house rather than leaving them behind at other people's homes. To prep though, I had to make the table festive, which for me is way more stressful than the food. Last weekend, I was at my mom's and borrowed her orange tablecloth. After a quick trip to Pier 1, I ended up with this.
I forgot to take pics of the tasty meal we made, but I did snap these of cupcakes and cranberries pre-cranberry sauce!
It was a nice Thanksgiving with lots of family time and lots to be thankful for.
The best part about Thanksgiving is that it happens on Thursday which means we still have 3 whole days until heading back to work! For us, Black Friday was for:
*wearing pj pants ALL day!
*online shopping from my couch (just as many deals/no crowds)
*looking at magazines and catalogs of things I can't afford
*eating tiny turkey sandwiches from leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls
*watching multiple episodes of Dexter
*sitting by the fire with the pups
I forgot to take pics of the tasty meal we made, but I did snap these of cupcakes and cranberries pre-cranberry sauce!
It was a nice Thanksgiving with lots of family time and lots to be thankful for.
The best part about Thanksgiving is that it happens on Thursday which means we still have 3 whole days until heading back to work! For us, Black Friday was for:
*wearing pj pants ALL day!
*online shopping from my couch (just as many deals/no crowds)
*looking at magazines and catalogs of things I can't afford
*eating tiny turkey sandwiches from leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls
*watching multiple episodes of Dexter
*sitting by the fire with the pups
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
I Feel Weird
Today I got this email:
_____________________________________________________________________
Hi Everyone,
We're proud and exicted to announce that we've submitted the CELT book ms to the publisher. We're really excited about its contents and are anxious to use the book in courses we're teaching now and in the future. We think you'll be very pleased. Of course, in order to fit page/word restraints, we had to make some deletions of text, but overall the uniqueness of each chapter and extension is preserved. We'll be in touch soon. Please keep your eyes out for a snailmail document; that will be your contract for the work.
Thanks again for your hard work, patience, and endurance.
______________________________________________________________________
Now, people who really know me and get to deal with me on a regular basis know what this email means. It means that this whole thing I had to do called a "research internship" is possibly going to come to fruition. I won't get into it here, but if you've heard me talk about this whole experience, well you just know it was a bit earth-shattering at the time and it occasionally creeps back up on me when I least expect it. Basically, in the big scheme of things, you shouldn't do certain things until you are ready. Like for example, you shouldn't jump out of an airplane until you've had ample training. This internship was sort of like that except my life wasn't in danger, but my sanity was! I didn't have a clue about anything and was trying to write something like I actually did have a clue. I still don't 100% have a clue, but it's a lot closer now than two-three years ago. So yeah, there's a book manuscript that's been sent to a publisher and my name (and WEAK internship research/writing attempt) is in it.
The best part, that gives me the BIGGEST laugh (at myself,) is that the email went to people who I think are famous like Ken and Yetta Goodman, Dorothy Watson, Ruth Davenport, and a bunch of others who are probably important but I couldn't figure out based on their email address.
This whole thing makes me feel weird. I'll just add it to the list of things that I've done/am doing that make me feel weird. The list is long.
_____________________________________________________________________
Hi Everyone,
We're proud and exicted to announce that we've submitted the CELT book ms to the publisher. We're really excited about its contents and are anxious to use the book in courses we're teaching now and in the future. We think you'll be very pleased. Of course, in order to fit page/word restraints, we had to make some deletions of text, but overall the uniqueness of each chapter and extension is preserved. We'll be in touch soon. Please keep your eyes out for a snailmail document; that will be your contract for the work.
Thanks again for your hard work, patience, and endurance.
______________________________________________________________________
Now, people who really know me and get to deal with me on a regular basis know what this email means. It means that this whole thing I had to do called a "research internship" is possibly going to come to fruition. I won't get into it here, but if you've heard me talk about this whole experience, well you just know it was a bit earth-shattering at the time and it occasionally creeps back up on me when I least expect it. Basically, in the big scheme of things, you shouldn't do certain things until you are ready. Like for example, you shouldn't jump out of an airplane until you've had ample training. This internship was sort of like that except my life wasn't in danger, but my sanity was! I didn't have a clue about anything and was trying to write something like I actually did have a clue. I still don't 100% have a clue, but it's a lot closer now than two-three years ago. So yeah, there's a book manuscript that's been sent to a publisher and my name (and WEAK internship research/writing attempt) is in it.
The best part, that gives me the BIGGEST laugh (at myself,) is that the email went to people who I think are famous like Ken and Yetta Goodman, Dorothy Watson, Ruth Davenport, and a bunch of others who are probably important but I couldn't figure out based on their email address.
This whole thing makes me feel weird. I'll just add it to the list of things that I've done/am doing that make me feel weird. The list is long.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Sometimes
Sometimes things are so ridiculous there are no words. So, here is me having no words to talk about a list of about 10 things that are too ridiculous for words:
And that's that. It is what it is.
And that's that. It is what it is.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Paper Writing
Writing papers is all I do on Sunday. Ever. I would like to poke a fork in my eye. Thanks for listening. Meh.
In other news, Will is currently knocking a giant hole in our house. On purpose. Looks to be a productive day all around.
In other news, Will is currently knocking a giant hole in our house. On purpose. Looks to be a productive day all around.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sanity Restored
It's hard to put the Rally to Restore Sanity situation in words. It was the most civil, large group of people I've ever been around.
Here's a top 10:
1. Will and I both tried to think of a time we were in as big a crowd. We couldn't think of anything bigger.
2. It felt important. I overheard so many people commenting that it was so great that the rally even happened, that they were blown away by how many people were there, that they hoped Glenn Beck was watching, etc. etc. I agree with them on all of those points.
3. I have always loved loved loved John Stewart. See, I even wrote about him way back in 2005!
4. I especially think he's looking fabulous in this picture that I borrowed from Rolling Stone's coverage of the event.
5. The rally was made up of happy people. All around me people were having the best time. Lots of times in big crowds, people get a bit out of control, but not here. People were just nice and friendly and smiling.
6. I don't think they planned for the massive onslaught of people. From where we were on the steps of the National Gallery, we couldn't see the stage and could only hear parts. I heard bits and pieces of Stewart and Colbert and Ozzy, but that was it. There was only one set of speakers and screens not even halfway down the mall from the Capitol. They had no idea so many people would be there I'm sure. So watching it online once I got home was pretty cool. I kept having that "Ohhhh, that's what was going on" moment. Over and over.
7. The signs were awesome. Here are pics of the ones I got.
Here's a link to the best 100.
8. I agree with the point of the rally. We do need to take it down a notch and realize we are all in this thing together. At work last week, someone made a comment that John Stewart was a communist, which could have possibly also been a passive aggressive way of calling me a communist. Possibly. Well, I'm not, and I don't think he is. And what's with the name calling? That doesn't help anything which was the point of the rally. Let's not get into a battle of ridiculous name calling. Let's be rational, reasonable people instead.
9. Best line: "If we amplify everything we hear nothing."--Stewart during his speech at the end.
10. The weather was awesome.
Here's a top 10:
1. Will and I both tried to think of a time we were in as big a crowd. We couldn't think of anything bigger.
2. It felt important. I overheard so many people commenting that it was so great that the rally even happened, that they were blown away by how many people were there, that they hoped Glenn Beck was watching, etc. etc. I agree with them on all of those points.
3. I have always loved loved loved John Stewart. See, I even wrote about him way back in 2005!
4. I especially think he's looking fabulous in this picture that I borrowed from Rolling Stone's coverage of the event.
5. The rally was made up of happy people. All around me people were having the best time. Lots of times in big crowds, people get a bit out of control, but not here. People were just nice and friendly and smiling.
6. I don't think they planned for the massive onslaught of people. From where we were on the steps of the National Gallery, we couldn't see the stage and could only hear parts. I heard bits and pieces of Stewart and Colbert and Ozzy, but that was it. There was only one set of speakers and screens not even halfway down the mall from the Capitol. They had no idea so many people would be there I'm sure. So watching it online once I got home was pretty cool. I kept having that "Ohhhh, that's what was going on" moment. Over and over.
7. The signs were awesome. Here are pics of the ones I got.
Here's a link to the best 100.
8. I agree with the point of the rally. We do need to take it down a notch and realize we are all in this thing together. At work last week, someone made a comment that John Stewart was a communist, which could have possibly also been a passive aggressive way of calling me a communist. Possibly. Well, I'm not, and I don't think he is. And what's with the name calling? That doesn't help anything which was the point of the rally. Let's not get into a battle of ridiculous name calling. Let's be rational, reasonable people instead.
9. Best line: "If we amplify everything we hear nothing."--Stewart during his speech at the end.
10. The weather was awesome.
RV Adventures
RV trip=WIN!
We had the best time, and of course now we want to buy one.
This is what Will looks like when he thinks about buying an RV. Eeeek!
We got it from Cruise America. It was basic and not fancy at all, but it was comfy.
A view from the road!
We had the best time, and of course now we want to buy one.
This is what Will looks like when he thinks about buying an RV. Eeeek!
We got it from Cruise America. It was basic and not fancy at all, but it was comfy.
A view from the road!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
So, What Happened on the Potomac?
Yesterday, Will and I crossed over the Potomac River in our RV and this is the conversation we had.
Will: We are crossing the Potomac! (in a sing song announcer voice)
Kris: Yay! So, what happened on the Potomac again? I can't remember.
Will: It's historic!
Kris: I know! What happened?
Will: George Washington stood on people's heads in his boat and held his sword out.
Kris: Then what happened?
Will: He said, "'scuse me!"
Kris: HAAAAA!
More to come about our RV adventure. We're in DC. This morning we are heading out to see John Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity/Stephen Colbert's March to Keep Fear Alive. Good times will be had by all!
Will: We are crossing the Potomac! (in a sing song announcer voice)
Kris: Yay! So, what happened on the Potomac again? I can't remember.
Will: It's historic!
Kris: I know! What happened?
Will: George Washington stood on people's heads in his boat and held his sword out.
Kris: Then what happened?
Will: He said, "'scuse me!"
Kris: HAAAAA!
More to come about our RV adventure. We're in DC. This morning we are heading out to see John Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity/Stephen Colbert's March to Keep Fear Alive. Good times will be had by all!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Secret Agent
A chat with a 6th grader at school today.
6th grader: Are you a secret agent?
Me: Um, yea. I am. How could you tell?
6th grader: I just figured.
Me: How about you? Are you a secret agent?
6th grader: Yea.
Me: Who do you work for?
6th grader: I can't tell you that.
Me: Why?
6th grader: It's a secret.
I realize this is silly, but I love it. Middle schoolers crack me up!
6th grader: Are you a secret agent?
Me: Um, yea. I am. How could you tell?
6th grader: I just figured.
Me: How about you? Are you a secret agent?
6th grader: Yea.
Me: Who do you work for?
6th grader: I can't tell you that.
Me: Why?
6th grader: It's a secret.
I realize this is silly, but I love it. Middle schoolers crack me up!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Just one more
I'm impressed with my posting this weekend. It will come to a screeching halt tomorrow though, so here's one more.
My sis came over for dinner tonight. Here's what I made: Sweet Chile Pineapple Fish. I'm feeling funny about the spelling of Chile in this recipe. It's in reference to Asian Chili or Chile sauce. I don't know which it should be. The recipe spells it with an "e," but I'm not sure because isn't Chile the place? I googled "Asian Chili Sauce," and it found some things that look right. Then, I googled "Asian Chile Sauce," and it changed to Chili with an "i." This recipe is from Publix. Perhaps I should call them because I think they have it wrong. Anyway, this sauce is the same that's in the curry noodles I love. It's with the Thai food if you're on the hunt for it.
I used tilapia instead of salmon. Try it!
Because I love my sister, I also made dessert...CHOCOLATE COBBLER. I hate fruit cobblers...fruit should not be warm and mushy. It should be cold and crunchy. But chocolate, on the other hand, should definitely be warm and mushy. This was awesome!
Off to another week of exhaustion. This one ends with a road trip to DC in an RV though, so at least there are some adventures in store.
My sis came over for dinner tonight. Here's what I made: Sweet Chile Pineapple Fish. I'm feeling funny about the spelling of Chile in this recipe. It's in reference to Asian Chili or Chile sauce. I don't know which it should be. The recipe spells it with an "e," but I'm not sure because isn't Chile the place? I googled "Asian Chili Sauce," and it found some things that look right. Then, I googled "Asian Chile Sauce," and it changed to Chili with an "i." This recipe is from Publix. Perhaps I should call them because I think they have it wrong. Anyway, this sauce is the same that's in the curry noodles I love. It's with the Thai food if you're on the hunt for it.
I used tilapia instead of salmon. Try it!
Because I love my sister, I also made dessert...CHOCOLATE COBBLER. I hate fruit cobblers...fruit should not be warm and mushy. It should be cold and crunchy. But chocolate, on the other hand, should definitely be warm and mushy. This was awesome!
Off to another week of exhaustion. This one ends with a road trip to DC in an RV though, so at least there are some adventures in store.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Can't Wait
For this book:
When I was a kid, I read ALL of the Sweet Valley High books. This is amazing. Apparently, though, Jessica and Elizabeth are estranged. Hmmm, really? It doesn't come out until March 29th though. I found out today that is also the day I can upgrade to an Iphone 4 for less then 1000 dollars. It's also one day before I turn 30. At least I can fool myself into joy at no longer being in my twenties with gadgets and a sob story about two drama queens from a fake California town!
When I was a kid, I read ALL of the Sweet Valley High books. This is amazing. Apparently, though, Jessica and Elizabeth are estranged. Hmmm, really? It doesn't come out until March 29th though. I found out today that is also the day I can upgrade to an Iphone 4 for less then 1000 dollars. It's also one day before I turn 30. At least I can fool myself into joy at no longer being in my twenties with gadgets and a sob story about two drama queens from a fake California town!
Snacks
I have a weakness. I have a lot, but a major one is snacks. I love them. I think about snacks. I pack myself snacks. I'm always on the mission for the perfect snack that makes me happy but doesn't make me get heart disease. Didn't expect that, huh? Heart disease. Yea, it's dreadful.
So, these have been around forever, but I've only recently tried them. Larabar. They are not new at all. Here's my fave: Coconut Cream Pie!
They have like 10 grams of fat which is a lot for a snack. It's because they have almonds. So, I eat half and save half. Smart, huh? Rocket science. They also only have like 5 ingredients, ALL of which I can pronounce. Yet another reason to add them to your grocery list.
In other news, SC is actually getting a Trader Joe's in Greenville.
I stopped by last weekend to marvel at the building. It's a similar feeling I had when Columbia actually got a Starbucks. I have no idea why we are the last to get everything. We are full of college kids who love all of this stuff. And then there's me. I love all this stuff too! Even though I couldn't go in to Trader Joe's because it wasn't open yet, I did chat with a guy who works there. I asked him when we would get one in Columbia. He said that both Columbia and Charleston are on a list. Then he told me he'd said too much and hurried away. Such secrets in the special-grocery-store world. I know TJ's isn't special either. Kinda like the Larabar. Trader Joe's has really great snacks though if you are lucky enough to live in a city that has one.
So, these have been around forever, but I've only recently tried them. Larabar. They are not new at all. Here's my fave: Coconut Cream Pie!
They have like 10 grams of fat which is a lot for a snack. It's because they have almonds. So, I eat half and save half. Smart, huh? Rocket science. They also only have like 5 ingredients, ALL of which I can pronounce. Yet another reason to add them to your grocery list.
In other news, SC is actually getting a Trader Joe's in Greenville.
I stopped by last weekend to marvel at the building. It's a similar feeling I had when Columbia actually got a Starbucks. I have no idea why we are the last to get everything. We are full of college kids who love all of this stuff. And then there's me. I love all this stuff too! Even though I couldn't go in to Trader Joe's because it wasn't open yet, I did chat with a guy who works there. I asked him when we would get one in Columbia. He said that both Columbia and Charleston are on a list. Then he told me he'd said too much and hurried away. Such secrets in the special-grocery-store world. I know TJ's isn't special either. Kinda like the Larabar. Trader Joe's has really great snacks though if you are lucky enough to live in a city that has one.
Noodled.
I've been meaning to post some things for days, but really who has time. So, today I'll catch up and post a few. Funny thing is I thought all week, "Oh I need to blog about that!" and then really now, all of these things seem sorta silly. Oh well. That's the way of things.
To start... Red Curry Noodles. These are seriously tasty comfort food. At my favorite Thai place, there are two dishes I love. One is called the Amazing, which is a curry dish, and the other is the drunken noodles, which are noodles that are drunk they taste so good. This recipe is sort of like a combo meal of the two. Sort of. Here it is:
Red Curry Noodles (This will serve 8. I cut it in half which is enough for two meals. These are awesome the next day too!)
6 whole Chicken - Boneless, Skinless Breasts (cubed)
2 cans Coconut Milk
2 teaspoons Red Curry Paste
1 Tablespoon Ginger (fresh, Grated)
1 Tablespoon Cilantro (fresh, Chopped)
¼ cups Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
500 milliliters Chicken Or Vegetable Broth
1 package Rice Noodles
1 whole Onion (julienne)
2 whole Red Peppers (julienne)
1 cup Broccoli Slaw
1 Tablespoon Salt To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Start with a large pot over medium-high heat. Scoop the cream off the top of the coconut milk, and put into the pot. The cream will be used as the “fat” instead of oil or butter. Along with the cream, add the curry paste and ginger. Let this simmer for 1 minute.
Then add the chicken. Cook the chicken through.
Then add the rest of what is in the coconut milk cans, sweet Thai chili sauce, cilantro, and chicken broth. Bring this to a simmer.
Then add your julienned veggies and rice noodles. Simmer this. You will see the broth slowly thicken as the rice noodles absorb it. It should only take about 5 minutes for the rice noodles to be cooked through.
Pull the pot off the heat, and let sit for about 5 minutes. It will thicken during this time. Then, it’s done. Slurp these noodles out of big noodle bowls! Garnish it with a bit more cilantro.
**Stuff I did differently: I don't measure at all. So try that and then also throw in a little brown sugar. Also, they are good with some lime squeezed on top. Is that weird?
Here's the how to from the Pioneer Woman where I found the recipe.
Check it out! Eat 'em up!
To start... Red Curry Noodles. These are seriously tasty comfort food. At my favorite Thai place, there are two dishes I love. One is called the Amazing, which is a curry dish, and the other is the drunken noodles, which are noodles that are drunk they taste so good. This recipe is sort of like a combo meal of the two. Sort of. Here it is:
Red Curry Noodles (This will serve 8. I cut it in half which is enough for two meals. These are awesome the next day too!)
6 whole Chicken - Boneless, Skinless Breasts (cubed)
2 cans Coconut Milk
2 teaspoons Red Curry Paste
1 Tablespoon Ginger (fresh, Grated)
1 Tablespoon Cilantro (fresh, Chopped)
¼ cups Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
500 milliliters Chicken Or Vegetable Broth
1 package Rice Noodles
1 whole Onion (julienne)
2 whole Red Peppers (julienne)
1 cup Broccoli Slaw
1 Tablespoon Salt To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Start with a large pot over medium-high heat. Scoop the cream off the top of the coconut milk, and put into the pot. The cream will be used as the “fat” instead of oil or butter. Along with the cream, add the curry paste and ginger. Let this simmer for 1 minute.
Then add the chicken. Cook the chicken through.
Then add the rest of what is in the coconut milk cans, sweet Thai chili sauce, cilantro, and chicken broth. Bring this to a simmer.
Then add your julienned veggies and rice noodles. Simmer this. You will see the broth slowly thicken as the rice noodles absorb it. It should only take about 5 minutes for the rice noodles to be cooked through.
Pull the pot off the heat, and let sit for about 5 minutes. It will thicken during this time. Then, it’s done. Slurp these noodles out of big noodle bowls! Garnish it with a bit more cilantro.
**Stuff I did differently: I don't measure at all. So try that and then also throw in a little brown sugar. Also, they are good with some lime squeezed on top. Is that weird?
Here's the how to from the Pioneer Woman where I found the recipe.
Check it out! Eat 'em up!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Parents!
This weekend, I went to the upstate to hang out with my parents for a bit. Really that translates to shopping with my mom and watching the Gamecocks lose with my dad.
The Gamecocks situation was sad. I never watch football. Even when I go to a football game, I just chat or play on my phone. I don't pay attention. I think this is really because I don't understand football. I get it overall, but there are things that I don't get. I do have one new question based on the fact that I actually watched the game. I paid attention to players' numbers so that I could try to keep track of who was who. Garcia is #5. Then, there's this guy who plays defense who is ALSO #5! How can this be!? I mean, I get that one is playing offense and the other is playing defense, but really how can there be two #5's on the team? Is it because Garcia is QB, so he doesn't count? Is it really just because they are in different categories? Oh the mystery. I talked a lot about that during the game. I think my dad was annoyed with me, and we were both annoyed that they lost in the last seconds of the game. The one game I watched too. Bad football karma maybe? Speaking of #5, when I played basketball in middle school, I was #5. How 'bout that?
More interesting was shopping with my mom. We had fun and she got me treats which I totally didn't need or really deserve. She's just awesome like that! Most exciting was the fact that I got new boots. Exhibit A:
I seriously love these boots. Love them.
Then there are these guys. Exhibit B:
Now here's the thing about these boots. They pretty much require that I wear them over my jeans. I have a problem with that though. I normally don't wear my shoes on the outside of my pants as that's a fashion trend that is well, weird to me. I'm game though; I'll totally play along. But, I always wear boot cut jeans, so that's a lot of pants to stuff in your boots. I need tips on this practice. I seriously have contemplated buying skinny jeans, another fashion trend that gives me the heebie jeebies, just so I don't have to have put forth so much effort to put the shoes on the outside of the pants. Oh, the dilemmas I face!
The Gamecocks situation was sad. I never watch football. Even when I go to a football game, I just chat or play on my phone. I don't pay attention. I think this is really because I don't understand football. I get it overall, but there are things that I don't get. I do have one new question based on the fact that I actually watched the game. I paid attention to players' numbers so that I could try to keep track of who was who. Garcia is #5. Then, there's this guy who plays defense who is ALSO #5! How can this be!? I mean, I get that one is playing offense and the other is playing defense, but really how can there be two #5's on the team? Is it because Garcia is QB, so he doesn't count? Is it really just because they are in different categories? Oh the mystery. I talked a lot about that during the game. I think my dad was annoyed with me, and we were both annoyed that they lost in the last seconds of the game. The one game I watched too. Bad football karma maybe? Speaking of #5, when I played basketball in middle school, I was #5. How 'bout that?
More interesting was shopping with my mom. We had fun and she got me treats which I totally didn't need or really deserve. She's just awesome like that! Most exciting was the fact that I got new boots. Exhibit A:
I seriously love these boots. Love them.
Then there are these guys. Exhibit B:
Now here's the thing about these boots. They pretty much require that I wear them over my jeans. I have a problem with that though. I normally don't wear my shoes on the outside of my pants as that's a fashion trend that is well, weird to me. I'm game though; I'll totally play along. But, I always wear boot cut jeans, so that's a lot of pants to stuff in your boots. I need tips on this practice. I seriously have contemplated buying skinny jeans, another fashion trend that gives me the heebie jeebies, just so I don't have to have put forth so much effort to put the shoes on the outside of the pants. Oh, the dilemmas I face!
Going to the Fair
On Friday afternoon, Will and I headed to the State Fair. We don't go to the fair every year because it's like a repeat from the year before, but this year, we were really just in need of Mini Doughnuts.
From the minute we entered the gates, we were on a mission for these guys. Yum.
Lots of fair food vendors tell lies about how they have Elephant Ears, Funnel Cake, Mini Doughnuts! This vendor had it right. Really, it's just fried dough. No need to call it fancy names.
Other than the doughnuts, we were able to resist all of the other options, though we did share a fresh squeezed lemonade that was loaded down with sugar.
But really, that was all!
Other than eating we checked out the animals. In the cattle barn, I was amazed by all the 4-H kids who were working and taking care of their cows. They were teenagers, who were willingly working. With cows. Amazing. Because I was so impressed by the kids' efforts to take care of cows and was carrying on about how I never had experience with animals blah blah blah, Will seized the opportunity to launch into a discussion about how we should get a milk cow. Maybe like this one.
I really have no idea if this is a milk cow. Could just be beef. No clue.
We added this to our plans for after I finish school and we suddenly are free to do things like move to a farm. Will suggested I use the cow idea as motivation for finishing school. Dr. G on the farm with her cow. That's not quite what I'd pictured, but hey, at this point if I can just be finished I'd be happy, even if I do live on a farm with cows.
This cow, in particular, was huge and pregnant. She made me worry about child birth because, well...look at her. Holy crap. Huge.
The only ride I was brave enough to get on was the chair lift because I seriously don't trust rusty rides that fold up and travel around the country. Yea, that'd be the one that could drop you from the cable leaving you with nothing but a broken neck. Here's the view.
From the minute we entered the gates, we were on a mission for these guys. Yum.
Lots of fair food vendors tell lies about how they have Elephant Ears, Funnel Cake, Mini Doughnuts! This vendor had it right. Really, it's just fried dough. No need to call it fancy names.
Other than the doughnuts, we were able to resist all of the other options, though we did share a fresh squeezed lemonade that was loaded down with sugar.
But really, that was all!
Other than eating we checked out the animals. In the cattle barn, I was amazed by all the 4-H kids who were working and taking care of their cows. They were teenagers, who were willingly working. With cows. Amazing. Because I was so impressed by the kids' efforts to take care of cows and was carrying on about how I never had experience with animals blah blah blah, Will seized the opportunity to launch into a discussion about how we should get a milk cow. Maybe like this one.
I really have no idea if this is a milk cow. Could just be beef. No clue.
We added this to our plans for after I finish school and we suddenly are free to do things like move to a farm. Will suggested I use the cow idea as motivation for finishing school. Dr. G on the farm with her cow. That's not quite what I'd pictured, but hey, at this point if I can just be finished I'd be happy, even if I do live on a farm with cows.
This cow, in particular, was huge and pregnant. She made me worry about child birth because, well...look at her. Holy crap. Huge.
The only ride I was brave enough to get on was the chair lift because I seriously don't trust rusty rides that fold up and travel around the country. Yea, that'd be the one that could drop you from the cable leaving you with nothing but a broken neck. Here's the view.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Best Sunday Ever
Here's how to have the best Sunday ever, if you're into that kind of thing. :)
1. Sleep in.
2. Eat blueberry pancakes (made by husband, not from a box mix) and drink cinnamon coffee (Starbucks new flavored line is actually good, and I'm not always a fan of flavored coffee.)
3. Watch CBS Sunday Morning News, which is the best news program on television.
4. Get back in bed and read a magazine with more coffee.
5. Go for a run to take in some fall sunshine.
6. Go back to bed with laptop to read blogs and look for fall-like recipes.
I haven't gotten to numbers 7+, but 1-6 have been fabulous.
1. Sleep in.
2. Eat blueberry pancakes (made by husband, not from a box mix) and drink cinnamon coffee (Starbucks new flavored line is actually good, and I'm not always a fan of flavored coffee.)
3. Watch CBS Sunday Morning News, which is the best news program on television.
4. Get back in bed and read a magazine with more coffee.
5. Go for a run to take in some fall sunshine.
6. Go back to bed with laptop to read blogs and look for fall-like recipes.
I haven't gotten to numbers 7+, but 1-6 have been fabulous.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Calling Egypt
Tonight I went to Tractor Supply with the husband. We had to buy rabbit food and stuff to make a gate. Just usual Thursday night errands.
We go to Tractor Supply on a weekly basis, so the people who work there know us and are always super nice. They are mostly high school students, so I find them to be very funny. Tonight, the guy checking us out asked Will for his phone number. Will told him no because we never really cooperate when people ask for our number. So, the girl who was working watches him click through to the next screen on the register, and she said, "Why didn't you make one up?" The guy said he didn't care about his rating, so I assume the more phone numbers they get from customers, the higher their rating. So this little happening led to a conversation all about making up phone numbers or not making up phone numbers. The girl said she always made up numbers when people didn't just give them to her. The guy replied, "Yea, I think you put in a number for somewhere in Egypt the other day." She started laughing and asked him if he knew that for sure. He said that he did because he saw it on the paper in the office. "It said Egypt or something. For real!"
Who knew calling Egypt was so easy you can just make up a number? For real!?
We go to Tractor Supply on a weekly basis, so the people who work there know us and are always super nice. They are mostly high school students, so I find them to be very funny. Tonight, the guy checking us out asked Will for his phone number. Will told him no because we never really cooperate when people ask for our number. So, the girl who was working watches him click through to the next screen on the register, and she said, "Why didn't you make one up?" The guy said he didn't care about his rating, so I assume the more phone numbers they get from customers, the higher their rating. So this little happening led to a conversation all about making up phone numbers or not making up phone numbers. The girl said she always made up numbers when people didn't just give them to her. The guy replied, "Yea, I think you put in a number for somewhere in Egypt the other day." She started laughing and asked him if he knew that for sure. He said that he did because he saw it on the paper in the office. "It said Egypt or something. For real!"
Who knew calling Egypt was so easy you can just make up a number? For real!?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Butternut!
For the past couple of years I've wanted to cook with butternut squash, but never really got around to figuring that out. This year though, that has all changed.
I made some yummy ravioli for dinner with a butternut squash sauce. The ravioli was store bought spinach ricotta. In my opinion you should always have a box of ravioli in the refrigerator. So good! Totally a comfort food at my house. Tonight I changed up the sauce though and rather than the usual marinara, I went all kinds of butternutty!
I used this recipe from Martha Stewart. I'm not the hugest Martha fan, but her recipes are pretty much a guarantee for a good meal. Last week, I stayed home for a personal sanity day and Martha was on Today. Her segment was all about meals you can make in place of something yummy and bad for you. Meredith was the Today anchor on the segment. They started with a replacement for pizza. Martha shared a recipe for tomato soup. Seriously!? Meredith called her out about it and kind of laughed at her for thinking soup would be as satisfying as pizza. Martha responded, "Oh but Meredith, you didn't try it with the crusty bread! It's just like pizza!" Meredith said, "Um, maybe for you!" and rolled her eyes. I love Meredith! I'm with her on this one. I love tomato soup, but it certainly doesn't replace pizza.
But the butternut sauce was a winner. I changed just a couple things.
*I didn't use a whole cup of half and half, just enough in my opinion, which was only about half a cup. I also used fat free.
*I used garlic out of the jar and just put it in at the time I pureed it. Roasted garlic would have been lovely I'm sure, but I use garlic from a jar because I'm not that fancy.
*After I pureed the sauce, I put it in a sauce pan to heat it up. I added some grated parm at this point b/c parm makes everything amazing.
Okay, that's it. Now, go try it!
I made some yummy ravioli for dinner with a butternut squash sauce. The ravioli was store bought spinach ricotta. In my opinion you should always have a box of ravioli in the refrigerator. So good! Totally a comfort food at my house. Tonight I changed up the sauce though and rather than the usual marinara, I went all kinds of butternutty!
I used this recipe from Martha Stewart. I'm not the hugest Martha fan, but her recipes are pretty much a guarantee for a good meal. Last week, I stayed home for a personal sanity day and Martha was on Today. Her segment was all about meals you can make in place of something yummy and bad for you. Meredith was the Today anchor on the segment. They started with a replacement for pizza. Martha shared a recipe for tomato soup. Seriously!? Meredith called her out about it and kind of laughed at her for thinking soup would be as satisfying as pizza. Martha responded, "Oh but Meredith, you didn't try it with the crusty bread! It's just like pizza!" Meredith said, "Um, maybe for you!" and rolled her eyes. I love Meredith! I'm with her on this one. I love tomato soup, but it certainly doesn't replace pizza.
But the butternut sauce was a winner. I changed just a couple things.
*I didn't use a whole cup of half and half, just enough in my opinion, which was only about half a cup. I also used fat free.
*I used garlic out of the jar and just put it in at the time I pureed it. Roasted garlic would have been lovely I'm sure, but I use garlic from a jar because I'm not that fancy.
*After I pureed the sauce, I put it in a sauce pan to heat it up. I added some grated parm at this point b/c parm makes everything amazing.
Okay, that's it. Now, go try it!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Feels Like Fall
The weather is finally cooler and Starbucks has the pumpkin spice latte, so it must be fall, right?
Over the weekend, we went camping. It was fun. We had adventures. Here are some highlights:
Driving through the middle of nowhere in Georgia, we came across these guys.
From them, we bought these.
After the doughnut score, we got behind this guy, so it took us longer to get to our final destination.
Once we made it and set up camp
we went on a hunt for firewood.
Being the only girl on the camping trip is the best because I got to drive, which meant I didn't have to drag tree limbs and such. In the middle of the woods, we did come upon this sign, which was odd but effective because I stopped to think about it.
The firewood helped me make these yummy smores!
After smores, we headed up to the top of some mountain to look at the stars. No picture of that to share, but it was awesome. The weather was amazing so there were no clouds. We could even see the Milky Way and shooting stars and all. We all got on top of the Four Runner, and it was like we were in a movie. Well, maybe not. It was freezing, and I was scared some scary person was going to run out of the woods at us, but I've only seen people sitting on their cars looking at the stars in movies, hence my reference.
On the way home, we drove through Helen, GA just to see it because I'd never been there. Nothing that interesting except a bunch of buildings that looked German? or Dutch? I did see this horse though.
Over the weekend, we went camping. It was fun. We had adventures. Here are some highlights:
Driving through the middle of nowhere in Georgia, we came across these guys.
From them, we bought these.
After the doughnut score, we got behind this guy, so it took us longer to get to our final destination.
Once we made it and set up camp
we went on a hunt for firewood.
Being the only girl on the camping trip is the best because I got to drive, which meant I didn't have to drag tree limbs and such. In the middle of the woods, we did come upon this sign, which was odd but effective because I stopped to think about it.
The firewood helped me make these yummy smores!
After smores, we headed up to the top of some mountain to look at the stars. No picture of that to share, but it was awesome. The weather was amazing so there were no clouds. We could even see the Milky Way and shooting stars and all. We all got on top of the Four Runner, and it was like we were in a movie. Well, maybe not. It was freezing, and I was scared some scary person was going to run out of the woods at us, but I've only seen people sitting on their cars looking at the stars in movies, hence my reference.
On the way home, we drove through Helen, GA just to see it because I'd never been there. Nothing that interesting except a bunch of buildings that looked German? or Dutch? I did see this horse though.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Breakfast Never Tasted This Good
That's the slogan for Nutella. I have some things to say about a current Nutella commercial.
There's a mom in the commercial who is running around making breakfast for her kids. The kids are in the commercial, running around being kids. You know running around pulling on sweatshirts, twirling, etc. The mom is carrying on about how relieved she is to have Nutella because it's wonderful spread on multigrain toast (she holds two slices of bread and waves them around) or even whole grain waffles. She puts plates on the table, puts Nutella on the bread, and then the kids magically stop twirling around, sit and eat their breakfast with giant grins. That's when the mom says something like, I love that I can feed my family a great breakfast so they are ready to conquer their day. Or something like that.
Here's what I want to say about this.
Really? Is Nutella on bread really a fabulous breakfast that will give you energy to take on your day? In fact, is there anything at all that is nutritious about Nutella? When I think about a breakfast that will help you make it through your day, I think oatmeal and a banana, not a jar of chocolate.
I did some googling and found this site about Nutella. I particularly like this bit, "We have a weakness for Nutella; not every thing we eat has got to be of perfect nutritious harmony. However, we certainly don’t appreciate being conned into believing a spreadable candy treat is anything but that."
I agree. Stupid commercial.
There's a mom in the commercial who is running around making breakfast for her kids. The kids are in the commercial, running around being kids. You know running around pulling on sweatshirts, twirling, etc. The mom is carrying on about how relieved she is to have Nutella because it's wonderful spread on multigrain toast (she holds two slices of bread and waves them around) or even whole grain waffles. She puts plates on the table, puts Nutella on the bread, and then the kids magically stop twirling around, sit and eat their breakfast with giant grins. That's when the mom says something like, I love that I can feed my family a great breakfast so they are ready to conquer their day. Or something like that.
Here's what I want to say about this.
Really? Is Nutella on bread really a fabulous breakfast that will give you energy to take on your day? In fact, is there anything at all that is nutritious about Nutella? When I think about a breakfast that will help you make it through your day, I think oatmeal and a banana, not a jar of chocolate.
I did some googling and found this site about Nutella. I particularly like this bit, "We have a weakness for Nutella; not every thing we eat has got to be of perfect nutritious harmony. However, we certainly don’t appreciate being conned into believing a spreadable candy treat is anything but that."
I agree. Stupid commercial.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Remarkable Run
Since about August, all of the runs I've gone on have been so un-remarkable. The most eventful moments have only included me doubled-over at a stop sign catching my breath, cursing a hill, or just giving up and walking. All of these moments have to do with the fact that it has been 90+ degrees in Columbia since May and I've been exhausted because of the start of the school year, and so the result was just slugging through run after run convinced the whole time that I wouldn't make it home ever gain simply due to lack of energy. Today, though, all of that changed.
Things began with the fact that it was only 80ish degrees outside. There was rain, which makes any runner (even slow ones like me) feel like a badass because everyone else is inside hiding from the rain. It was Sunday evening, which means I'd had two decent nights of sleep and two decent naps. So with all of those things working for me, the run didn't suck as all the runs for the last two months have. This on its own was fairly remarkable. I like to narrate while I run, pretending that I'm writing a blog post. Once I got to the worst, most-dreaded hill of the whole route, I heard some people over at the park nearby cheering. I'm sure a little kid scored a soccer goal or hit a baseball or something, but in my narrative, they were definitely cheering for me because they, too, could tell that I would actually make it up that hill and still be running. Things were just working. So they cheered. I gave a quick fist pump to the crowd, and hauled myself up that hill. As if that wasn't remarkable enough, it gets better. When I was almost at the top, I heard a screeching car and a crash behind me. I turn around and see a car slamming into a mailbox and a white Explorer speeding away in my direction. A lot of thinking happened at this point in a split second. 1. I could be hit by that white Explorer runaway criminal! 2. Oh my god they are driving away! They hit that car and are speeding away from the scene! Ahhh! This isn't good! 3. Quick! Run into the closest yard (which I did as fast as I could) to get out of the way of reckless driver hit and runner. 4. Get the tag number. I could only get the first three letters. Damn! 5. Okay, it's over, and I'm standing in someone's yard. Time to do something....go!
Then, reality started again, and I ran back down the hill to make sure the people who got hit were okay. Not sure what I as going to do other than survey the scene (being a lifeguard is always a part of me!) and make sure it was safe. I didn't have my phone or anything, but whatever. There was this guy who was getting in his giant truck nearby who also tried to help. He stuck his head out the window and said, "Which way did they go?" and after we all pointed, he sped off. I love a guy in a truck chasing down a criminal. One time Will chased a guy who stole a woman's purse, except they were on foot. I'm not sure what boys think they are going to do when they actually catch up to the person they are chasing, but I appreciate the effort. After the guy took off on the hunt for the hit and runners, I talked to the two people who told me that they were about to turn into the driveway they were now sitting in. Apparently the house was their brother's house, and their dad had just passed away the day before. They were there to meet the minister. They were so tired and couldn't quite grasp what had happened, so I told them to call the cops for insurance purposes, etc. When it rains, it pours, right?
So that was the end of it really, I wished the two people luck, and started running away. At that point I realized that I had to run up the most-dreaded hill again. Yep, that would be two times up the worst hill ever. Thank goodness that the running was actually working out today. So sorry for the people who were in the accident though.
Things began with the fact that it was only 80ish degrees outside. There was rain, which makes any runner (even slow ones like me) feel like a badass because everyone else is inside hiding from the rain. It was Sunday evening, which means I'd had two decent nights of sleep and two decent naps. So with all of those things working for me, the run didn't suck as all the runs for the last two months have. This on its own was fairly remarkable. I like to narrate while I run, pretending that I'm writing a blog post. Once I got to the worst, most-dreaded hill of the whole route, I heard some people over at the park nearby cheering. I'm sure a little kid scored a soccer goal or hit a baseball or something, but in my narrative, they were definitely cheering for me because they, too, could tell that I would actually make it up that hill and still be running. Things were just working. So they cheered. I gave a quick fist pump to the crowd, and hauled myself up that hill. As if that wasn't remarkable enough, it gets better. When I was almost at the top, I heard a screeching car and a crash behind me. I turn around and see a car slamming into a mailbox and a white Explorer speeding away in my direction. A lot of thinking happened at this point in a split second. 1. I could be hit by that white Explorer runaway criminal! 2. Oh my god they are driving away! They hit that car and are speeding away from the scene! Ahhh! This isn't good! 3. Quick! Run into the closest yard (which I did as fast as I could) to get out of the way of reckless driver hit and runner. 4. Get the tag number. I could only get the first three letters. Damn! 5. Okay, it's over, and I'm standing in someone's yard. Time to do something....go!
Then, reality started again, and I ran back down the hill to make sure the people who got hit were okay. Not sure what I as going to do other than survey the scene (being a lifeguard is always a part of me!) and make sure it was safe. I didn't have my phone or anything, but whatever. There was this guy who was getting in his giant truck nearby who also tried to help. He stuck his head out the window and said, "Which way did they go?" and after we all pointed, he sped off. I love a guy in a truck chasing down a criminal. One time Will chased a guy who stole a woman's purse, except they were on foot. I'm not sure what boys think they are going to do when they actually catch up to the person they are chasing, but I appreciate the effort. After the guy took off on the hunt for the hit and runners, I talked to the two people who told me that they were about to turn into the driveway they were now sitting in. Apparently the house was their brother's house, and their dad had just passed away the day before. They were there to meet the minister. They were so tired and couldn't quite grasp what had happened, so I told them to call the cops for insurance purposes, etc. When it rains, it pours, right?
So that was the end of it really, I wished the two people luck, and started running away. At that point I realized that I had to run up the most-dreaded hill again. Yep, that would be two times up the worst hill ever. Thank goodness that the running was actually working out today. So sorry for the people who were in the accident though.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Being Predictable
We went to my cousin's wedding yesterday. Beautiful day, beautiful couple.
For us it also meant obligatory posing by fountains. So predictable!
For us it also meant obligatory posing by fountains. So predictable!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Memories
I think the memory of smell is maybe the strongest. You know how you walk into a school and smell cafeteria food, and you are flooded with your childhood in school. Or, you walk into a library and smell musty books and remember the public library you went to as a kid. My grandfather always smelled like a mix of sweat, saw dust, and aftershave. I think he used Aqua Velva. It sat in a glass jar in his bathroom and was bright blue like Listerine. He did a lot of wood working in his shop in the back yard that was full of treasures and always smelled of mildew and sawdust. Remembering the way that building smelled is so easy. Isn't it wild how you can remember a smell? So, whenever Will is building something, he comes in and smells just like my grandfather, minus the aftershave. The combination of saw dust and sweat and dirt. We've also been eating actual breakfast on the weekends. Because of the fresh eggs from our chickens, the idea of eating breakfast has become a bit more exciting. Will actually cooks, and I think breakfast on Saturdays should be cooked by the husband. It's just better that way. So, what goes better with eggs? Um, bacon. This morning we had yummy eggs and bacon for breakfast and then ran out to hit the produce market. Okay, really it's the flea market. I would like to call it a farmer's market, but it's just not. So, I have settled for produce market. Another story for another time. We just got home and when we walked in the house, the smell of breakfast was still lingering. You might think that's gross, but all I thought was that this is exactly what my grandparents' house smelled like after breakfast too.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Mercurious Mad Hatters
A few years ago, I posted about Mercury. Read that here (if you are bored.)
Then, today I was teaching science classes ALL DAY and learned some more about the role of mercury. Seventh graders were putting together a book about the elements from the periodic table. I know nothing about this really except that the symbol for gold is Au. I was teaching them how to write a narrative about their element. We mini-lessoned it up, and then as they were working, this kid told me all about mercury and its role in making hatters mad. Yes, as in THE mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Apparently, hat makers inhaled/absorbed mercury in the process of hat making and this made them "mad" or crazy or whatever. Hence, the name. I wikipediaed it just to check. Here's an article if you are interested. I love that seventh graders teach me things.
The thing I love the most though is that all day I held onto this tidbit of information just waiting to get home and tell Will while we ate dinner. If you know Will, you know he is full of random facts. If you ever think you know a fact and you share it with Will, he quickly tells you why you're wrong and spouts off the "correct" information. This is either endearing or annoying depending on your mood. I just knew he wouldn't know about mad hatters and mercury because surely after all these years he would have told me about that. We even watched Alice together and no mention of mercury. So, at dinner I sprung this shocking news about mercury on him, and he said, "Um, I think it's lead not mercury. Who told you that?" I responded, "A seventh grade boy." He responded, "Oh. It's definitely lead." Thank goodness there is always a laptop on the kitchen table. After a quick google search, it was confirmed to be mercury. What this means:
I WIN! I WIN! I WIN!
I don't ever get to win in the random information game that I've been playing with my husband since I met him in 2003.
I WIN!
Then, today I was teaching science classes ALL DAY and learned some more about the role of mercury. Seventh graders were putting together a book about the elements from the periodic table. I know nothing about this really except that the symbol for gold is Au. I was teaching them how to write a narrative about their element. We mini-lessoned it up, and then as they were working, this kid told me all about mercury and its role in making hatters mad. Yes, as in THE mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Apparently, hat makers inhaled/absorbed mercury in the process of hat making and this made them "mad" or crazy or whatever. Hence, the name. I wikipediaed it just to check. Here's an article if you are interested. I love that seventh graders teach me things.
The thing I love the most though is that all day I held onto this tidbit of information just waiting to get home and tell Will while we ate dinner. If you know Will, you know he is full of random facts. If you ever think you know a fact and you share it with Will, he quickly tells you why you're wrong and spouts off the "correct" information. This is either endearing or annoying depending on your mood. I just knew he wouldn't know about mad hatters and mercury because surely after all these years he would have told me about that. We even watched Alice together and no mention of mercury. So, at dinner I sprung this shocking news about mercury on him, and he said, "Um, I think it's lead not mercury. Who told you that?" I responded, "A seventh grade boy." He responded, "Oh. It's definitely lead." Thank goodness there is always a laptop on the kitchen table. After a quick google search, it was confirmed to be mercury. What this means:
I WIN! I WIN! I WIN!
I don't ever get to win in the random information game that I've been playing with my husband since I met him in 2003.
I WIN!
Do I Look Hungry?
I sure feel hungry lots of times, but this weekend I was gifted with food by three lovely people. It was perfect timing too because Friday was a day at work that could set a record for being the worst work day of all time, sending me into a downward spiral by the time I got home for the weekend. Have you ever been sitting at work, in a meeting perhaps, and suddenly lose all sense of yourself? Due to whatever terrible events are unfolding all around, you realize that you don't know who you are, what your job is, why anyone ever thought you were capable of having the unidentifiable job, etc. etc. The big thing about these days is that they come out of nowhere and sort of run you over. Before they are truly finished, they back up and run over you again just for good measure. So that was Friday. The immediate result was a mani/pedi and a margarita. Both of these helped restore clarity to some degree, but the ugh-ishness lurked into Saturday. Poor Will. That's all I can say. He mentioned school (as in graduate school), and I burst into tears. At the time I was lying in the bedroom floor. You can picture the rest. Poor Will.
After the minor meltdown, I headed downtown to get a haircut. I LOVE the hair salon I go to. It's called Shine and is on Rosewood for my Columbia friends. My stylist is the best ever. Though she can give you a great haircut, she has a knack for remembering stuff you tell her and then asking about it the next time you see her. This makes people like me feel special, and so I love her. Plus, I started going to her when she worked at another salon, but last spring, she opened her own shop, Shine, and I'm just proud to know someone who is brave enough to launch out on her own. Her sister is receptionist, shampoo girl, greeter extraordinaire, and helped me out last year when I went to Philadelphia with a whole list of places I had to go. On my trip I picked up a bunch of Tasty Kakes for my two hair pals because that was what they said they missed most about Philly, which is where they are from. Well, this weekend they returned the favor. After I'd paid and scheduled the next appointment, I was presented with a gift of Tasty Kakes straight from Philly. They went home for a wedding and were sweet enough to share some of their TK stash with me. Love those girls. I'm not the hugest fan ever of Tasty Kakes, but I can definitely down them on a Saturday when life seems to be taking the fun out of...well, life.
The day continued with a giant nap to recover from the mack truck meeting on Friday. Late Saturday night, my sister texted me to tell me she was making me some "surprises." WHAT!? Surprises, for me? Already, no matter what it would be, I was happy. I love surprises from my sister. So I begged for the info, and she told me that she had a whole bunch of stuff to bring me on Sunday. Homemade chicken noodle soup, a bowl of chopped up veggies and yummy dip to aid in efforts to eat vegetables, and brownies. Wow, I almost cried. My sister can feel my vibes of being overwhelmed. We also chatted on Saturday, and it may have been clear that I was on the verge of lying in the bedroom floor in tears again. So, she took care of me. LOVE my sister. And I will admit that all I could think about today was eating a brownie when I got home after the longest day ever. I even went to the gym at 5 this morning, so that I could have a brownie minus the guilt.
The third foodie gift was from our neighbor. She gave an aluminum-foiled wrapped something to Will over the fence. I asked him what it was; he didn't know. Who takes food without asking what it is? Husbands. So, I unwrapped it to find what looked like a jelly roll or something. He then recalled something about it being a prune log. Really? Yes, apparently. A prune log. Can't say I've had one of those before. We haven't dug into that yet, but at the rate we're been going we might get desperate by Wednesday or Thursday. Maybe.
After the minor meltdown, I headed downtown to get a haircut. I LOVE the hair salon I go to. It's called Shine and is on Rosewood for my Columbia friends. My stylist is the best ever. Though she can give you a great haircut, she has a knack for remembering stuff you tell her and then asking about it the next time you see her. This makes people like me feel special, and so I love her. Plus, I started going to her when she worked at another salon, but last spring, she opened her own shop, Shine, and I'm just proud to know someone who is brave enough to launch out on her own. Her sister is receptionist, shampoo girl, greeter extraordinaire, and helped me out last year when I went to Philadelphia with a whole list of places I had to go. On my trip I picked up a bunch of Tasty Kakes for my two hair pals because that was what they said they missed most about Philly, which is where they are from. Well, this weekend they returned the favor. After I'd paid and scheduled the next appointment, I was presented with a gift of Tasty Kakes straight from Philly. They went home for a wedding and were sweet enough to share some of their TK stash with me. Love those girls. I'm not the hugest fan ever of Tasty Kakes, but I can definitely down them on a Saturday when life seems to be taking the fun out of...well, life.
The day continued with a giant nap to recover from the mack truck meeting on Friday. Late Saturday night, my sister texted me to tell me she was making me some "surprises." WHAT!? Surprises, for me? Already, no matter what it would be, I was happy. I love surprises from my sister. So I begged for the info, and she told me that she had a whole bunch of stuff to bring me on Sunday. Homemade chicken noodle soup, a bowl of chopped up veggies and yummy dip to aid in efforts to eat vegetables, and brownies. Wow, I almost cried. My sister can feel my vibes of being overwhelmed. We also chatted on Saturday, and it may have been clear that I was on the verge of lying in the bedroom floor in tears again. So, she took care of me. LOVE my sister. And I will admit that all I could think about today was eating a brownie when I got home after the longest day ever. I even went to the gym at 5 this morning, so that I could have a brownie minus the guilt.
The third foodie gift was from our neighbor. She gave an aluminum-foiled wrapped something to Will over the fence. I asked him what it was; he didn't know. Who takes food without asking what it is? Husbands. So, I unwrapped it to find what looked like a jelly roll or something. He then recalled something about it being a prune log. Really? Yes, apparently. A prune log. Can't say I've had one of those before. We haven't dug into that yet, but at the rate we're been going we might get desperate by Wednesday or Thursday. Maybe.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Things I've Learned This Week
1. It is possible to navigate a middle school all day in white pants and not get them dirty. It is possible to go get two iced coffees and juggle them across the road to class without spilling on white pants. It is not possible to sit in class and drink iced coffee without spilling it all over white pants. UGH.
2. Kids in college have ridiculous conversations. We had to do an observation for class in the Russell House at USC. The girls behind me were having a conversation about needing a date for something. They deemed Thursday "boy shopping day." That's tomorrow. Boys, watch out. You are being shopped for on Thursday! This is the oddest terminology ever. I never thought like this. The one girl who needed to go shopping was talking to her friend, "I just don't get why I don't have a date. I mean, I talk to guys, I'm outgoing, but they don't seem to talk to me really...blah blah blah." Then her friend reminded her, "Boys do talk to you. You're just always wasted, so you don't remember." Say whaaaa? Okay, I know we've all been there, but I swear I never had a conversation like that and I for sure never said I was going boy shopping. To wrap it all up, the girls started making those sounds that you make when you aren't drunk but are talking like you are--it comes out like a bunch of sounds really which ends in giggles. This was the weirdest conversation and made me so happy to be 29 in grad school and not 20 in college.
3. It is possible to be so tired/stressed that your body hurts as a way of revolting.
4. A crazy lady could stop you in your driveway while you're trying to back out in the morning for work (which is a very precarious situation if you live on a giant hill) to talk to you about your chickens. That happened this morning. As I was launching up the hill, backwards, I looked back and saw the crazy lady who walks her dog and picks up trash in our neighborhood. She's nice crazy, but still crazy. So, I see her at the top of the driveway and think maybe I was about to hit her. To be nice I stop for her to go by. Then I see she's walking over to my car, I mutter bad words, turn down the music, roll down the window, and she sticks her head in my window practically to say in her high-pitched voice: "You have chickens?" Me: "Yes." "How many?" Me: "5." "Are they a lot of upkeep?" Me: "No." "Do they give you enough eggs?" Me: "Yes." "Do they try to get out of the yard?" Me: "No, you clip their wings." "Will they be more work in the winter?" Me: "Why the hell are we having this conversation at 7:30 in the morning before I've had my coffee and as I'm trying to get to work and why is your head in my window crazy lady!?" Okay, well, that last part didn't really happen, and I did respond with more than one-word responses, but still...really?
5. Homemade chocolate frosting in the fridge becomes fudge. I didn't know this until I pulled out the container of leftover frosting from my sister's birthday cupcakes prepared with a spoon and a plan to console myself after a hard day only to find out that it was hard like fudge. Works for me.
6. And I quote: "It is okay to believe things that are completely incomprehensible and don't go together at all." My professor said that, and I think she's totally right on.
2. Kids in college have ridiculous conversations. We had to do an observation for class in the Russell House at USC. The girls behind me were having a conversation about needing a date for something. They deemed Thursday "boy shopping day." That's tomorrow. Boys, watch out. You are being shopped for on Thursday! This is the oddest terminology ever. I never thought like this. The one girl who needed to go shopping was talking to her friend, "I just don't get why I don't have a date. I mean, I talk to guys, I'm outgoing, but they don't seem to talk to me really...blah blah blah." Then her friend reminded her, "Boys do talk to you. You're just always wasted, so you don't remember." Say whaaaa? Okay, I know we've all been there, but I swear I never had a conversation like that and I for sure never said I was going boy shopping. To wrap it all up, the girls started making those sounds that you make when you aren't drunk but are talking like you are--it comes out like a bunch of sounds really which ends in giggles. This was the weirdest conversation and made me so happy to be 29 in grad school and not 20 in college.
3. It is possible to be so tired/stressed that your body hurts as a way of revolting.
4. A crazy lady could stop you in your driveway while you're trying to back out in the morning for work (which is a very precarious situation if you live on a giant hill) to talk to you about your chickens. That happened this morning. As I was launching up the hill, backwards, I looked back and saw the crazy lady who walks her dog and picks up trash in our neighborhood. She's nice crazy, but still crazy. So, I see her at the top of the driveway and think maybe I was about to hit her. To be nice I stop for her to go by. Then I see she's walking over to my car, I mutter bad words, turn down the music, roll down the window, and she sticks her head in my window practically to say in her high-pitched voice: "You have chickens?" Me: "Yes." "How many?" Me: "5." "Are they a lot of upkeep?" Me: "No." "Do they give you enough eggs?" Me: "Yes." "Do they try to get out of the yard?" Me: "No, you clip their wings." "Will they be more work in the winter?" Me: "Why the hell are we having this conversation at 7:30 in the morning before I've had my coffee and as I'm trying to get to work and why is your head in my window crazy lady!?" Okay, well, that last part didn't really happen, and I did respond with more than one-word responses, but still...really?
5. Homemade chocolate frosting in the fridge becomes fudge. I didn't know this until I pulled out the container of leftover frosting from my sister's birthday cupcakes prepared with a spoon and a plan to console myself after a hard day only to find out that it was hard like fudge. Works for me.
6. And I quote: "It is okay to believe things that are completely incomprehensible and don't go together at all." My professor said that, and I think she's totally right on.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Random
A few random things I've been meaning to post but that have nothing to do with anything and aren't worthy of a whole post.
1. I forgot one funny garage sale story. There was a lady who came walking down our driveway holding a poster sign. It was actually a sandwich board she'd made from poster board. You know, the kind you wear? She was walking around OUR garage sale with this sign that read: ASK ME ABOUT my 7-piece patio set, massage chair, and some other item I can't remember. So, she walked around holding her sandwich board up for people to read, walked over to me and said, "Are you interested in a patio set?" I simply responded, "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of my garage sale?" She didn't respond but just walked back up the driveway. I have a way with people. I heard a lady say hi to her and ask if this was her garage sale. I mean really? Yea, that actually happened. So weird.
2. Our bunny Annie is going to have baby bunnies soon. She's been making a nest in a box Will made for her. She hops around and collects grass and leaves and has actually pulled a bunch of hair out of her chest which is kind of a nice momma bunny thing to do. I never thought I'd be blogging about the momma bunny in my backyard, but I am.
Okay, I can only think of 2 random things right now. See, this post is even sillier than I thought!
1. I forgot one funny garage sale story. There was a lady who came walking down our driveway holding a poster sign. It was actually a sandwich board she'd made from poster board. You know, the kind you wear? She was walking around OUR garage sale with this sign that read: ASK ME ABOUT my 7-piece patio set, massage chair, and some other item I can't remember. So, she walked around holding her sandwich board up for people to read, walked over to me and said, "Are you interested in a patio set?" I simply responded, "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of my garage sale?" She didn't respond but just walked back up the driveway. I have a way with people. I heard a lady say hi to her and ask if this was her garage sale. I mean really? Yea, that actually happened. So weird.
2. Our bunny Annie is going to have baby bunnies soon. She's been making a nest in a box Will made for her. She hops around and collects grass and leaves and has actually pulled a bunch of hair out of her chest which is kind of a nice momma bunny thing to do. I never thought I'd be blogging about the momma bunny in my backyard, but I am.
Okay, I can only think of 2 random things right now. See, this post is even sillier than I thought!
Antioxidant-Free Zone
Today the weather was amazing. I heard Will say, "Man, I love South Carolina!" about 5 times. I think he also said, "It's so nice out" or "It feels great out" about 30 times each.
We sat on the back porch with a beer for a couple hours tonight, and really it was pretty awesome out, especially after he fogged the whole area with Black Flag which is the most terrible non-green thing we do but kills some mosquitoes instantly, saving me from getting West Nile. Whilst drinking my corona light, I did seriously down a plate of nachos with homemade salsa, followed by a chocolate cupcake. This has been the weekend of no vegetables which pretty much means my mission for antioxidants from colorful vegetables was a bust for the last two days. My house was an antioxidant-free zone unless you count my face moisturizer and coffee. Well actually, if you count Friday night I guess I ate some veggies, but not since then other than salsa. Does that count? Surely it does because it's packed with tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro, whatever is in a can of Rotele, and lime juice. Ugh, I know...it's a stretch. Seriously though, the weekend consisted of yummy quiche and potatoes, buttermilk biscuits, french toast from Motor Supply, and yea a plate of nachos. This is like a confession. Oh well...sorry I'm not sorry. I have a nice healthy sandwich ready for tomorrow, with a plum, and a dill pickle. I'm also supposed to get up at 5 AM to hit the gym. That will surely make up for the weekend of eating like a southerner. Yum! It was worth it though kind of! I mean really, could you resist this?
I seriously doubt it. I made these for my sister's birthday at her request--chocolate with chocolate icing and sprinkles!
We sat on the back porch with a beer for a couple hours tonight, and really it was pretty awesome out, especially after he fogged the whole area with Black Flag which is the most terrible non-green thing we do but kills some mosquitoes instantly, saving me from getting West Nile. Whilst drinking my corona light, I did seriously down a plate of nachos with homemade salsa, followed by a chocolate cupcake. This has been the weekend of no vegetables which pretty much means my mission for antioxidants from colorful vegetables was a bust for the last two days. My house was an antioxidant-free zone unless you count my face moisturizer and coffee. Well actually, if you count Friday night I guess I ate some veggies, but not since then other than salsa. Does that count? Surely it does because it's packed with tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro, whatever is in a can of Rotele, and lime juice. Ugh, I know...it's a stretch. Seriously though, the weekend consisted of yummy quiche and potatoes, buttermilk biscuits, french toast from Motor Supply, and yea a plate of nachos. This is like a confession. Oh well...sorry I'm not sorry. I have a nice healthy sandwich ready for tomorrow, with a plum, and a dill pickle. I'm also supposed to get up at 5 AM to hit the gym. That will surely make up for the weekend of eating like a southerner. Yum! It was worth it though kind of! I mean really, could you resist this?
I seriously doubt it. I made these for my sister's birthday at her request--chocolate with chocolate icing and sprinkles!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Looking for a Bargain
Today we had a garage sale. We decided last weekend that it was time, worked all week to pull things (read: excavate things!) from closets, drawers, and other dusty places. It was definitely worth it in the end. We made 500 bucks off of our junk, only carted one trash bag of leftovers to Goodwill, picked up some funny stories, and learned a few key lessons about garage sales and life in general.
First of all, garage sale regulars are a fun lot of people. Our sale started at 8:00. At 6:45 when we were standing in the still-empty driveway, a man in a pickup leaned out of his window at the top of our driveway and shouted, "Are you open?" I shouted back, "Do you see any stuff yet?" I'm a crabapple in the morning to put it nicely. He parked and came down anyway. He wanted military stuff or guns. We had neither. So he chatted us up about himself for 5 minutes while we dragged stuff out. At this point, it was only 7:00 and there were 5 other people in our driveway already. Umm, the ad I put in the paper said 8:00. People are eager and also cheaters kind of. I felt bad for the people who would show up at 8 when there would be nothing left. This was Lesson #1: If you advertise for 8, either get your stuff out at 6 or make people go away and come back. Our goal was to have it all out and then shut the actual garage door so people couldn't see our stuff plus the door that leads into our house. I'm paranoid about people breaking in through the garage, plus I didn't want people to see all of Will's garage stuff because they'd either ask to buy it or come back when we aren't home and steal it. I know this is sort of a cynical way to think about people but whatever. "Sorry I'm not sorry." (That's a quote straight from Rachel Wilkerson. Love her blog, love her whole idea of "owning it." Been saying "Sorry I'm not sorry" all week and well, loving it.)
After one major faux pas when I lost all sense of clarity and almost sold the guitar my dad gave me when I was in 9th grade for $30 dollars, the whole thing settled down and moved along smoothly. Thankfully an old man told Will to not let me sell the guitar. I appreciate that man. He must have been able to sense that I was having a little heartache over the idea of not having that guitar in my closet anymore. That was Lesson #2: Make sure you really want to sell your stuff. To make up for being a poor saleswoman, I gave the guy who wanted it an old digital camera for two bucks. He got off with a steal. That's the point of a garage sale--You get robbed more or less, but you can't let your sentimental stuff go with the thieves; that stuff you have to hang on to. Lesson learned.
Our chickens in the backyard were a huge hit for lots of people. We explained that we had them for egg laying and no, they don't make too much noise, etc. etc. to just about every other person who showed up. Lesson #3: Hide your chickens or be prepared to become a novelty.
A couple funny moments, included a lady with big white hair declaring to everyone, "I LOVE to hear hens sing!" Then, she started clucking (singing) like a hen and kind of danced around. Another good moment was when a lady was looking at Will's terracotta pot collection. Her husband asked if there was anything she'd like. Her response, "Well, I really needed a big one for the graveyards." Hmmmm. In my head I pictured her using the pots as graveyards for critters--hamsters, fish, birds, or whatever. Will and I discussed this, and he assured me that she was probably going to put them on grave sites with flower arrangements. That seems weird to me too because most graves have a little copper vase. I know this because people often steal the copper. Another woman, who was a short little round lady, tried on one of my old sweaters. It was a petite small--too small for me too, but I'd gotten it super cheap I think. She couldn't fit her arm in it. As she was pulling it off, she explained that she's a 12 petite which she said was an oxymoron and then continued to explain that her body was the shape of a square. I pictured Spongebob Squarepants, even though she looked nothing like him. She went on and on. I could tell Will was uncomfortable. Finally, she walked away. I guess the only other funny thing was when this lady was looking at a box of leftover tile that Will had marked for $3. She said, "How about a dollar?" Will told her it was definitely worth $3. In my head I was thinking, it was worth more like $25 but whatever. She laughed though and said, "Well I know it's worth $3, but it's a garage sale. I'm supposed to ask for it cheaper." Well, duh! Lesson #4: Everybody is looking for a bargain.
First of all, garage sale regulars are a fun lot of people. Our sale started at 8:00. At 6:45 when we were standing in the still-empty driveway, a man in a pickup leaned out of his window at the top of our driveway and shouted, "Are you open?" I shouted back, "Do you see any stuff yet?" I'm a crabapple in the morning to put it nicely. He parked and came down anyway. He wanted military stuff or guns. We had neither. So he chatted us up about himself for 5 minutes while we dragged stuff out. At this point, it was only 7:00 and there were 5 other people in our driveway already. Umm, the ad I put in the paper said 8:00. People are eager and also cheaters kind of. I felt bad for the people who would show up at 8 when there would be nothing left. This was Lesson #1: If you advertise for 8, either get your stuff out at 6 or make people go away and come back. Our goal was to have it all out and then shut the actual garage door so people couldn't see our stuff plus the door that leads into our house. I'm paranoid about people breaking in through the garage, plus I didn't want people to see all of Will's garage stuff because they'd either ask to buy it or come back when we aren't home and steal it. I know this is sort of a cynical way to think about people but whatever. "Sorry I'm not sorry." (That's a quote straight from Rachel Wilkerson. Love her blog, love her whole idea of "owning it." Been saying "Sorry I'm not sorry" all week and well, loving it.)
After one major faux pas when I lost all sense of clarity and almost sold the guitar my dad gave me when I was in 9th grade for $30 dollars, the whole thing settled down and moved along smoothly. Thankfully an old man told Will to not let me sell the guitar. I appreciate that man. He must have been able to sense that I was having a little heartache over the idea of not having that guitar in my closet anymore. That was Lesson #2: Make sure you really want to sell your stuff. To make up for being a poor saleswoman, I gave the guy who wanted it an old digital camera for two bucks. He got off with a steal. That's the point of a garage sale--You get robbed more or less, but you can't let your sentimental stuff go with the thieves; that stuff you have to hang on to. Lesson learned.
Our chickens in the backyard were a huge hit for lots of people. We explained that we had them for egg laying and no, they don't make too much noise, etc. etc. to just about every other person who showed up. Lesson #3: Hide your chickens or be prepared to become a novelty.
A couple funny moments, included a lady with big white hair declaring to everyone, "I LOVE to hear hens sing!" Then, she started clucking (singing) like a hen and kind of danced around. Another good moment was when a lady was looking at Will's terracotta pot collection. Her husband asked if there was anything she'd like. Her response, "Well, I really needed a big one for the graveyards." Hmmmm. In my head I pictured her using the pots as graveyards for critters--hamsters, fish, birds, or whatever. Will and I discussed this, and he assured me that she was probably going to put them on grave sites with flower arrangements. That seems weird to me too because most graves have a little copper vase. I know this because people often steal the copper. Another woman, who was a short little round lady, tried on one of my old sweaters. It was a petite small--too small for me too, but I'd gotten it super cheap I think. She couldn't fit her arm in it. As she was pulling it off, she explained that she's a 12 petite which she said was an oxymoron and then continued to explain that her body was the shape of a square. I pictured Spongebob Squarepants, even though she looked nothing like him. She went on and on. I could tell Will was uncomfortable. Finally, she walked away. I guess the only other funny thing was when this lady was looking at a box of leftover tile that Will had marked for $3. She said, "How about a dollar?" Will told her it was definitely worth $3. In my head I was thinking, it was worth more like $25 but whatever. She laughed though and said, "Well I know it's worth $3, but it's a garage sale. I'm supposed to ask for it cheaper." Well, duh! Lesson #4: Everybody is looking for a bargain.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Get On Over It!
In recent weeks, I've whipped out an old mantra, "It is what it is!" in order to deal with things. (Particular things but there is no need for specifics really!) So, while driving to the beach last week, I put my Ipod on shuffle which can sometimes be risky since sometimes the shuffle feature just plain stinks like a drunk DJ who can't pick a decent song to save his life. Not on this day though. Instead, my Ipod was dead on! It shuffled through the greatest songs, some of which I forgot were even on there. And in a serendipitous (is that a word?) kind of way they were mostly of the deal-with-what-you've-been-dealt theme. I assigned this theme the label of "Get On Over It." Then I remembered the mantra of "It is what it is" and added my new label to it. So now, in a fit of panic (or rage) I just tell myself, "It is what it is, so get on over it!"
A lot of days after work, I drive home in a fit of rage because of something stupid that happened, or sometimes a list of 10-20 stupid things that happened. This is an exhausting way to drive home, and I don't want to do it in more. In an effort to fully change that behavior, I decided I should replace it with a different behavior that is more fun. To start I looked back on my Ipod to find some of the songs that the get-on-over-it DJ chose as I drove a few days ago and put together a Get On Over It Playlist. Here's the list:
1. Home--Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
2. Gives You Hell--The All-American Rejects
3. Lay Me Down--The Dirty Heads
4. Mercy--Duffy
5. Dance, Dance-Fall Out Boy
6. Authority Song--John Cougar
7. Kiss Off--Violent Femmes
8. Poker Face--Lady Gaga
9. Sugar, We're Goin Down--Fall Out Boy
10. Float On--Modest Mouse
11. Hello Sunshine-Langhorne Slim
12. When It Rains--Paramore
13. This Town--O.A.R.
14. Just Dance--Lady Gaga
15. Lost!--Coldplay
16. Hummingbird--Langhorne Slim
17. Hotel Yorba--The White Stripes
18. You Get What You Give--New Radicals
19. This Is The New Year--Ian Axel
20. Rhyme & Reason--Dave Matthews Band
Some notes about the list:
1. If you don't know Langhorne Slim, go to Itunes.
2. Some of the songs are just fun to dance to while driving and have nothing to do with getting over it but make you feel good.
3. Some of the songs are directed at someone and are angry-ish and most of them are about some unrequited love situation. Just pretend it's not about lost love and instead that it's about something that happened at work.
4. Lady Gaga is on the list.
5. I don't have a # 5 but it feels like this should be a list of 5.
The first step when using the playlist is to turn the music up loud so that if your phone rings you can't hear it. Well, unless you have an iphone. Then, the music will stop and the phone ringing will take over. I bet I can turn that off...I will get on that immediately and you should too if you have an iphone because the KEY to the playlist is that it's just for you in the 20-30 minutes it takes to drive home. By the time you get home, it's back to reality and your opportunity to get over it has maybe passed for the day. It's important to leave work at work or at least in the car. The second step is to dance it out the whole way home (that's how you leave it in the car!), singing at the top of your lungs.
I will be practicing this new behavior starting tomorrow.
Here's where the fun begins...if there's a song that you think should be added to the list, leave it in the comments because it's an ever-growing list. I really think only 2 people read this blog, so I can't wait to see what you two post! :)
A lot of days after work, I drive home in a fit of rage because of something stupid that happened, or sometimes a list of 10-20 stupid things that happened. This is an exhausting way to drive home, and I don't want to do it in more. In an effort to fully change that behavior, I decided I should replace it with a different behavior that is more fun. To start I looked back on my Ipod to find some of the songs that the get-on-over-it DJ chose as I drove a few days ago and put together a Get On Over It Playlist. Here's the list:
1. Home--Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
2. Gives You Hell--The All-American Rejects
3. Lay Me Down--The Dirty Heads
4. Mercy--Duffy
5. Dance, Dance-Fall Out Boy
6. Authority Song--John Cougar
7. Kiss Off--Violent Femmes
8. Poker Face--Lady Gaga
9. Sugar, We're Goin Down--Fall Out Boy
10. Float On--Modest Mouse
11. Hello Sunshine-Langhorne Slim
12. When It Rains--Paramore
13. This Town--O.A.R.
14. Just Dance--Lady Gaga
15. Lost!--Coldplay
16. Hummingbird--Langhorne Slim
17. Hotel Yorba--The White Stripes
18. You Get What You Give--New Radicals
19. This Is The New Year--Ian Axel
20. Rhyme & Reason--Dave Matthews Band
Some notes about the list:
1. If you don't know Langhorne Slim, go to Itunes.
2. Some of the songs are just fun to dance to while driving and have nothing to do with getting over it but make you feel good.
3. Some of the songs are directed at someone and are angry-ish and most of them are about some unrequited love situation. Just pretend it's not about lost love and instead that it's about something that happened at work.
4. Lady Gaga is on the list.
5. I don't have a # 5 but it feels like this should be a list of 5.
The first step when using the playlist is to turn the music up loud so that if your phone rings you can't hear it. Well, unless you have an iphone. Then, the music will stop and the phone ringing will take over. I bet I can turn that off...I will get on that immediately and you should too if you have an iphone because the KEY to the playlist is that it's just for you in the 20-30 minutes it takes to drive home. By the time you get home, it's back to reality and your opportunity to get over it has maybe passed for the day. It's important to leave work at work or at least in the car. The second step is to dance it out the whole way home (that's how you leave it in the car!), singing at the top of your lungs.
I will be practicing this new behavior starting tomorrow.
Here's where the fun begins...if there's a song that you think should be added to the list, leave it in the comments because it's an ever-growing list. I really think only 2 people read this blog, so I can't wait to see what you two post! :)
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Just Sayin'
It is okay when things don't work out the way you thought they would or should or could. Really, it is.
I started back to work on Thursday. After two days, you can probably make some assumptions about why I'm repeating this sage advice to myself via blog. :) It will be an interesting year!!!
I started back to work on Thursday. After two days, you can probably make some assumptions about why I'm repeating this sage advice to myself via blog. :) It will be an interesting year!!!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Jalapen-owwww
I was injured today. By a jalapeño pepper.
This morning I made tequila lime marinade for some chicken. Here's the recipe.
Tequila Lime Chicken
Marinade:
3 whole Limes, Juiced
5 cloves Garlic, Peeled
1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ cups Cilantro
½ cups Tequila
5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Combine lime juice, garlic cloves, sliced jalapeno, salt, cilantro, and tequila in a food processor or blender. Pulse until combined. Turn on the blender/food processor and drizzle in the olive oil until it’s all combined.
Slightly flatten chicken breasts with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Place in a plastic bag and pour in marinade. Seal bag and marinate for several hours or (preferably) overnight.
It's from Pioneer Woman, as usual in my life. Here's the link to her post.
You want to look at this recipe and then go immediately make it. If not today, tomorrow. Seriously. I'm not kidding. I don't make it fancy like she does. I just grill the chicken, slice it up and make fajitas. Sauté some onions and peppers, add some cheese, and done. Yum freakin' o!
So, the injury.
Jalapeños are dangerous. While making this marinade, I was still drinking coffee. Apparently, some jalapeño juice was on my hand which touched my coffee cup. After washing my hands a million times so I wouldn't get jalapeño thumbs later on, I touched my coffee cup and then apparently touched my face/nose, and that's when it happened. I was pretty positive that my nose was going to catch on fire, like with flames. Jalapeño on your nose is hot.
At this point I still didn't realize the coffee cup was the culprit. So, more coffee and then I picked up my phone. Jalapeño juice has now made it from coffee cup to face to phone, etc. So about an hour later, I made a phone call and mid-call realized that my fingers were on fire, like with flames! BAH! Jalapeño juice is insane.
Then, 5 hours later...I was thinking which leads to me chewing on my thumb and my lips were suddenly on fire, like with flames.
Jalapeno juice is EVERYWHERE! Dinner better be good!
This morning I made tequila lime marinade for some chicken. Here's the recipe.
Tequila Lime Chicken
Marinade:
3 whole Limes, Juiced
5 cloves Garlic, Peeled
1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ cups Cilantro
½ cups Tequila
5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Combine lime juice, garlic cloves, sliced jalapeno, salt, cilantro, and tequila in a food processor or blender. Pulse until combined. Turn on the blender/food processor and drizzle in the olive oil until it’s all combined.
Slightly flatten chicken breasts with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Place in a plastic bag and pour in marinade. Seal bag and marinate for several hours or (preferably) overnight.
It's from Pioneer Woman, as usual in my life. Here's the link to her post.
You want to look at this recipe and then go immediately make it. If not today, tomorrow. Seriously. I'm not kidding. I don't make it fancy like she does. I just grill the chicken, slice it up and make fajitas. Sauté some onions and peppers, add some cheese, and done. Yum freakin' o!
So, the injury.
Jalapeños are dangerous. While making this marinade, I was still drinking coffee. Apparently, some jalapeño juice was on my hand which touched my coffee cup. After washing my hands a million times so I wouldn't get jalapeño thumbs later on, I touched my coffee cup and then apparently touched my face/nose, and that's when it happened. I was pretty positive that my nose was going to catch on fire, like with flames. Jalapeño on your nose is hot.
At this point I still didn't realize the coffee cup was the culprit. So, more coffee and then I picked up my phone. Jalapeño juice has now made it from coffee cup to face to phone, etc. So about an hour later, I made a phone call and mid-call realized that my fingers were on fire, like with flames! BAH! Jalapeño juice is insane.
Then, 5 hours later...I was thinking which leads to me chewing on my thumb and my lips were suddenly on fire, like with flames.
Jalapeno juice is EVERYWHERE! Dinner better be good!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
North Western Field
Our farm now has what I'm calling the North Western Field. When people go out in the backyard and notice the fenced off section and ask, "Hey, so what's that?" The answer will be, "Oh, that? That's just the north western field." Here's a pic of our North Western Field.
It's where the bunnies live. This is Annie's blog debut.
And where Lily does her tricks. She also likes to get in the fence and herd the rabbits which have technically already been herded by the fence, but she doesn't know that. We aren't telling her because she's very proud of herself after she herds because she feels like she's earning her keep.
Then, there's Clover who is really good at eating sticks and being cute and definitely couldn't clear the fence if she tried. She'd for sure end up in a tangle.
Here's the man who built the fence, still tinkering.
There will eventually be some vine that grows on the fence, so it's less noticeable which should be lovely.
It's where the bunnies live. This is Annie's blog debut.
And where Lily does her tricks. She also likes to get in the fence and herd the rabbits which have technically already been herded by the fence, but she doesn't know that. We aren't telling her because she's very proud of herself after she herds because she feels like she's earning her keep.
Then, there's Clover who is really good at eating sticks and being cute and definitely couldn't clear the fence if she tried. She'd for sure end up in a tangle.
Here's the man who built the fence, still tinkering.
There will eventually be some vine that grows on the fence, so it's less noticeable which should be lovely.
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