Christmas eve eve

• Thistlehair The Christmas Bear by Alabama

 

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I am approximately 12 hours from eating cranberry bread and opening my stocking.  Hooray.  The cranberry bread is baked and sitting on my washer (what?  Doesn't everybody cool baked goods on the washer?)  One of the stockings is stuffed.  Minus the last item hidden under the bed.

I have made the final Target trip.  Orange juice (necessary for cranberry bread).  Pretty shiny muffin papers (cranberry bread went into these).  Eggs (you need scrambled eggs for breakfast with cranberry bread).  And milk (well in case I want to drink milk, or maybe it's for Santa).  I am not going to the store again until after Christmas. 

I have also made the final liquor store run.  Good thing since all the ones in Kansas are closed at this hour.  Sigh, stupid Kansas. 

Anyway.  I am ready for Christmas.  I got a haircut the other day to avoid the crazy hair Christmas picture.  My hair girl is fabulous.  I mean seriously fabulous.  However, my bangs are too short.  Not quite the little girl who cuts her own bangs short.  But the -- they will be perfect in 2 weeks -- too short.  Oh well. 

Crossing my fingers, praying and doing a no snow dance.  I know, you always dream of a white Christmas but when travel is included in your holiday plans you do everything you can think of to ward away snow.  I would like to not spend my entire Christmas holiday in fuzzy boots. 

Christmas

Oh, I love Christmas.  I mean I really truly love it.  I love all the preparations.  I love the anticipation.  I love spending time with friends and family (most of the time anyway). 

Almost all of the presents are wrapped.  I have to finish up wrapping some books for a very cute munchkin.  And maybe whip out a couple more crafts.  Otherwise I am ready.  I am baking on Christmas Eve.  I have the day off and it seems like the best thing to do.    This week I have wonderful plans of relaxing and watching Christmas movies.  I got a Muppet Christmas Carol in the mail today.  This has got to be one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time.  Ah!  I love it so much.

I burned my butterscotch brownies today.  I don't think I've ever, in all the years I've been making them, burned a batch.  Sad day.

The wrapping paper matches the tree.  The ribbon is color coded for where they go.  2 presents are already delivered as I'm not sure we'll be there in time for opening at the first of three Christmases.  But, ooh, I cannot wait.  Hooray for Christmas.

blech

I am sick.  Have been since Thursday.  What a way to finish up finals.  I was off work yesterday and had such grand plans.  I ended up spending the day in bed/on the couch.  I'm just now starting to be productive.  And not even very productive. 

I have aspirations of going to Hobby Lobby in search of Christmas cards and meringue powder to make icing.  I was supposed to go to a birthday party tonight and a Chiefs game tomorrow.  I think Hobby Lobby and wrapping presents is about all I'm up for.

I love love love Alka Seltzer cold medicine.

almost there

One more day and I will officially have completed 3 terms of grad school.  Hooray!  One paper to still finish by tomorrow.  It's 2/3 finished though.  It won't take much more time.  And then I will have an entire month off from school!  Oh what will I do with my time?

-make Christmas cookies
-make holiday candy:  peanut butter fudge & divinity
-cover things in chocolate:  marshmellows, candy orange slices, peanuts, pretzels
-crochet 3 scarves (hopefully)
-clean my house
-make delicious food for dinner
-remember what a pleasant person I used to be
-watch Christmas movies (White Christmas here I come)
-go to 2 more Chiefs games
-finish Christmas shopping
-paint my toenails

So you know, not too much.  Oh and go to the eye doctor.  I've already scheduled myself a sick day during Christmas break.  I will require excessive amounts of pampering post eye doctor.  I hate going.  It's traumatic.  Ug.

It has been insanely cold.  I just checked the weather.  It's a whopping 5 degrees outside with a windchill of -7 degrees.  That is too damn cold in case you were wondering.  No one was meant to survive in these conditions.  I had to wear under armor to work this morning.  My car also had to be dug out from ice and snow.  Sigh.  I hate winter.  Even if it means I get to wear cute boots.  I will trade boots for flip flops any day.

lists

I made four lists today.  Four lists that will hopefully save my sanity for the next 2 weeks.  A list for stuff to do for school.  A list of things to get done before the weekend.  A list for my Christmas shopping and a list for his Christmas shopping.  Whew!

If I can just make it to next Friday.  We have a fabulous fun filled weekend planned for this weekend but I just have so much to do that next week that....  It'll be fun though.  Christmas shopping, christmas party, football game, advent dinner.  And then I'm taking Monday off to study for a final. 

There will be delicious wonderful wine and a day off next Friday.  It's going to be great.

on holidays

I love holidays.  I truly love them.  I love the feeling, the preparation, just not the actual event.  I hate that.  I loved all my baking on Wednesday night.  I was exhausted but I was happy.  2 chocolate pies, a pumpkin cake and spinach dip.  All delicious and a big hit. 

I am getting ready to do my Christmas tree.  Or will be as soon as  I write this tiny little article review for Psychodiagnosis.  It only has to be 1 page long but I can not get motivated.  Ug.  I just printed my article.  1 page is not that hard to write.  I just want to start on my tree.  I'm procrastinating in hopes that I will have tree decorating help though. 

I'm excited about Christmas this year.  Looking forward to starting new traditions.  The month leading up the the actual event will be full as usual.  Hopefully my Christmas spirit will stick around. 

My tree from last year -- pink, turquoise and silver.  As soon as it goes up and I have time, there will be new tree pictures.  I'm going back to my old burgundy and gold.

on things I love

I rarely have time for this anymore.  So much to do, so little time.  Thanksgiving is almost here and it's almost time to start baking.  I will start tomorrow -- 2 chocolate pies, a pumpkin cake and spinach dip.  Yum!  I'm looking forward to it.  But, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are some things I am thankful for.

I bought this today with a $2 off coupon so it was like half price.  I am already in love.  I have the driest skin in the world and this was fabulous.  Ah!  I love it!

This year I am loving fuzzy boots.  My feet have become permanently cold I'm pretty sure.  I got these the other night while shopping on a girl's night with my best friends.  Hooray for shoes and great friends.

My best friend is currently on her way to my house.  I'm taking her to the airport in the morning because I am an awesome friend.  **This also means I should be cleaning my house right now.

Getting ready to order Minsky's pizza for dinner at the request of previously mentioned best friend.  Possibly the best pizza ever.  Yum!

yeah, um

There are not enough hours in a day.  There just are not.  I think I could do quite nicely with 26 or even possibly 28 hours in a day.  I am doing laundry.  And sewing.  Oh yes, you read right, sewing.  I am fixing a hook on camo coveralls in preparation for duck season.  Because I am awesome.

This week I have also cooked like a crazy person. 
Saturday: Lasagna.
Tuesday:  chicken enchiladas.  **Did not have sour cream for them because I don't read when I go grocery shopping and instead of sour cream got a small carton of cottage cheese.  Dur!
Wednesday:  Mac & Cheese with brats.  Oh yes, just like the childhood mac & cheese with hot dogs.  But all grown up as shells and cheese with brats.  It was delicious.
I was desperately hoping I was done cooking for the week and could survive on leftovers.  Tomorrow night I have class and I usually don't cook when I have class.  That's when those extra 2 hours in a day would come in handy.

Also, during all of my wonderful cooking, my dishwasher continues to suck.  Not just kind of suck.  It's really pretty pointless.  I'm fairly sure the dishes are cleaner when they go in than when they come out.  Gr!  I spent a couple of days handwashing my dishes and then realized I didn't have time for that.

Back to repairing coveralls.  And looking for more time in my life.

tackle

I've started the closet. I bought some more hangers. I wish Wal-Mart would sell bright pink hangers year round. Now I'm stuck with some white mixed in. I'm color coding though. All the sports shirts are on the white ones. And jackets are on the light pink ones. It's already so much better in there. I always loved organizing my closet when I was a kid.

I'm also doing laundry. Mountains of it. Now I remember why I should do it way more often. Last week I refused to do it. Now I regret that. Oh well. 2 loads are already done. :)

This week is going to be great. Today is laundry and the closet. I'm going to start on a scarf for one of my friends (I promised it to her last winter, oops!). I'm going to make cheesy chicken and green beans for dinner. Yum! There are also plans for a chocolate pie and tailgating food for 2 football games. I'm also going to clean the whole apartment. Yesterday when I went to buy the Kaboom shower foam they didn't have any. Rats! I was so excited. I love the regular spray!

I wish I could have taken this week off from work too....

what it's not

I should be studying for a lifespan development final. Doesn't that sound like oodles of fun. I should be unloading and reloading the dishwasher. I should be unpacking from the weekend.

I'm not doing any of those things. My brain is tired. I'm not sure it could hold any more. Good thing I have another final on Thursday. And a paper due. Whee.

All I really want to do is the fun stuff I have planned for next week. The glorious 7 days I have off from school. Like clean my closet. And crochet a scarf. And make a chocolate pie. And sleep in. And so many things that are so much more fun than studying. Even unloading the dishwasher.

on being.... a grown up

So I did two relatively icky things tonight that might classify me as an adult. Are you ready for this? Because I'm not sure that I am.

One. Because I am the best (I do mean best girlfriend in the whole world) I skinned a chicken. Can I just say that it was super gross. I mean yuck! Blech. I pride myself on being able to cook whatever I set my mind to. But skinning chicken grosses me out. Ug. I usually buy boneless chicken. Everyone is happier that way. But, because I am awesome, I skinned a chicken. It is currently in the oven with cajun butter injection and Famous Dave's chicken marinade cooking away. Deliciousness is sure to ensue.

Two. I cleaned my air vent thing on my heat/ac/water heater closet. It was disgusting. Don't judge me. I'm reasonably sure it wasn't even clean when I moved in. But I have people coming over on Friday and it looked gross. I got out that big duster thingy and tried to knock the dust(?) off. It sort of worked. So I got out my tiny Dirt Devil vacuum and attacked it. It's still not good, but it's better.

Are you impressed yet?

Well get ready. Here's how to make a chocolate pie. Not the actual ingredients, but a photo summary.

iPod. Check. (By the way, much cooler now bcs. I have an iPod dock)

Betty Crocker cookbook. That's the recipe doubled on the pink sticky note4 separated eggs. I rock at separating eggs!

Milk Lots of milk. Here is the milk all measured out in a 4 cup measure. 1970s tupperware measuring cups and measuring spoons. All necessary

All ready to startMmm! It's going to be delicious

It's almost pie.

I didn't take any pictures of the finished project. I think I ran out of time. It was delicious though. And I don't know why everything is showing up as a link. If you click nothing will happen. I just failed. I wasn't even trying to make links. Crazy.

Back to cleaning. Hopefully nothing else gross.

toaster ovens and tests

So I went shopping today. I had two gift cards to spend. One from Kohl's (a birthday gift) and one from Target (from returning a bag) I got such good bargains. I think I only ended up spending about $10 of my own money.

From Target:

I've been wanting a toaster oven for a while. I asked for one for my birthday and didn't get one. This seemed like the perfect time to buy it. It was pretty cheap but should get the job done.

And from Kohl's:

I'd been wanting some actual beverage glasses. They were 40% off! So that made it even better. We are having margaritas tonight. Pretty excited to try out the new glasses.

And now there is space in my kitchen to store all of this new stuff. Cleaned off the top of the microwave for the toaster oven. Classy, I know. And I bought a drawer to put my tupperware stuff in so now my mixing bowls and bar glasses can go above the sink. Yay!

awesomeness

So this may sound vain but sometimes I like to think about why I am awesome. And then I maybe like to remind myself of my awesomeness. Today is one of those days. So, here is why I am awesome.

• I am currently doing a fantasy football draft
• I installed a router pretty much by myself
• I made a new casserole tonight
  
• I'm going to bake chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
• I wrote 3 weeks worth of lesson plans and a newsletter
  
• Did I mention I installed a router?

These may not seem like awesome things but I also worked a full day and totally overslept. I woke up 10 minutes after I usually leave for work but still made it with 2 minutes to spare. Because I am awesome.

So, if you're curious the new casserole recipe:
2 Jiffy Cornbread mixes
2 eggs
2/3 cups milk
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can cream corn
Chopped jalapeno peppers (I use the kind in a jar)
1 pound ground sausage
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (divided)

Make the cornbread mixes according to the directions. Brown and drain sausage. Stir everything into the mixed up cornbread and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

on being 26

Really? Am I 26? I'm not sure I believe it. 25 was such a good year. I absolutely loved it. So many good things happened. I believe 26 will be equally great. So, 26 things about being 26....

1. BBQ -- brats, fish, and burgers at my parents
2. Blackberry cobbler. Yum!
3. Losing weight. I turned 26 12 pounds lighter than I was at 25.
4. New jeans. I got $20 in the mail today that bought me a pair of jeans that fit.
5. The lake. 2 days relaxing in the boat.
6. Bongos. Delicious (non-diet) Italian food at the lake.
7. Sundaes. Delicious (non-diet) burger and fries at the lake.
8. People I love.
9. iPod dock. Absolutely the coolest.
10. New baking dishes
11. Kitchen utensils
12. A good hair cut and eyebrow waxing :)
13. Awesome black flip flops to replace the dying ones
14. Still forgetting to pack things
15. Being happy with who I am
16. Sleeping on the dirt sheets
17. Eating cake for breakfast
18. Being told repeatedly that I could do what I wanted because it's my birthday
19. People that love me
20. Birthday cards
21. Random electronic birthday wishes
22. Smiling
23. Looking forward to the future
24. Being surprised by life
25. Old friends
26. Sunsets

lost hours

How is that I can spend an hour in Target and only buy like 5 things. I was on a quest for three very specific things. For some reason those three things were nearly impossible to find.
-a file card box. Never found it.
-a basket to put magazines in. Found it but it's still not exactly what I wanted.
-a hook to put on the closet door to hold things. Found it after walking across Target a thousand times.
I am usually a very successful shopper, so why am I such a failure at Target? Ug.

But it's Friday. New classes start on Monday. I have two of my three books. I have a relaxing weekend ahead of me. My living room is getting clean. The weather is gorgeous. Life is pretty good.

studying and shopping

So I'm studying for my last final for this term. It's tomorrow. And I desperately needed a study break. I made some cheesecake pudding. It was pretty delicious. Not as good as homemade chocolate but... you take what you can get.

My lasagna was a hit. And I finally slowed down. I felt like I was going in fast forward last night. Like it was never going to slow down. Tonight has been a little more relaxed.

I ordered my text books the other night for my next term. Those classes start on Monday. Yup, no break. I forget when our first break is, that's probably something I should know. So, I ordered these books:

Prett exciting, right? So then I ordered this. I decided I deserved a treat. Not because I don't shop for myself regularly but because a new bag is always happy and fun.
That picture is tiny and ridiculous, but the bag is cute. And yellow transitions to fall, right? I'm sure it does.

Back to studying. I am obviously procrastinating and I need to get that under control right now. I also need to do some ironing.

tonight

I'm trying really hard to find a balance. And right now that balance means life is very very busy. But full and joyful. I may be exhausted at the end of the day, but it is worth it. Since I have been off work....
....watched Gilmore Girls
... made flash cards to study for Intro to School Counseling final
... did 2 loads of laundry
... folded and put away about 1000 loads of laundry
... made a lasagna
... did the dishes
... emailed a good friend whom I miss
... took a shower
... straightened my hair
... checked facebook a thousand times even though I hate it
And I feel satisfied. I am ready to sit down on the couch, watch some Boston Legal and relax before I go to sleep.

pie in the sky

I've been busy. So busy I feel like it will never stop. Working 40 hours a week with preschoolers and going to school full time. I feel like I am always at work, at school or studying. The end result will be good though. However, it has left little time for the fun things I like to do. I am still making plenty of time for the lake and fishing. I caught some giant (for me anyway) catfish over 4th of July.
And I've done a little cooking. Very little. I've managed to try a couple of new things. I made chicken salad and it was a hit. I just looked until I found a recipe that sounded right. Turns out, you don't really need a recipe. Just dump things in until it looks right.
Cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (apparently I don't know how to skin chicken)
Light Miracle Whip (my choice)
Pineapple tidbits drained, leave a tiny bit of juice
Red grapes, halved
Chop up the chicken and dump it all in a bowl and mix. Easy peasy. And delicious.

The other night I made fried zucchini and fried mushrooms. While I was frying mushrooms, I had hot grease pop in my eye. Ouch! I heard the mushrooms were good. I think any mushroom is a bad mushroom.

I made my first ice cream cake for my mom for Mother's Day. Yes, I am that behind around here. Anyway, she loved it. I got strawberry ice cream from Braums (the kind with real strawberries), strawberry jam, vanilla sandwich cookies and Sandies. I just layered it all and froze it. It was so good and people were impressed. I'm going to make a dreamcicle cake this weekend for my sister's graduation.

I just finished making homemade chocolate pudding for a chocolate pie that is a couple of weeks late. Hopefully the pudding will set up this time. The last time I made it, it never did and was a total waste of time. I took pictures of the pie making process but lack the motivation to post my clever pictures. Look for them to come if I ever find time.

One more day of work and class and then off to the lake for a long weekend.

disappearing act

I've been working on feeling incredibly overwhelmed. And my domesticity has taken a definite slow turn. I'm trying so hard there is just not enough time in the day. Tonight I did a halfway cleaning of the apartment. It's not really clean. Just picked up. And I bought a few groceries. And I will be studying until I die.

Mondays and Thursdays I work 8 hours and then I go to class for 4 1/2 hours. If you're counting, that is over 13 hours that I am gone (including drive time). Ug. It's fairly exhausting. I like school. I do not currently like my job. Preschoolers are insane. I think we had 19 on Friday.

I did manage to make some really good chicken on Wednesday despite being sick. I keep getting dizzy, I'm pretty sure it's not good. Anyway, I pounded chicken breasts out and then marinated them in Baja Chipotle sauce. Then I rolled them up with cream cheese and jalapenos. I had planned to wrap it in bacon but forgot. They were still delicious.

Tonight I'm making spaghetti. Noodles and Hunts sauce. Nothing complex. I can only do so much.

I still need to do dishes and straighten my hair so I don't have to deal with it for a few days. I just finished writing a mini-paper that my brain was definitely not up to writing. I took a nap and I'm still so tired. I wish I could hire a maid. The other day I did come home and the dishes were done, I was so happy I almost cried.

muffin tops

No, not those kind of muffin tops. Even though those are a tragedy. Nobody (no matter how skinny you are) looks good with ill-fitting jeans. Anyway.

So tonight I was eating a biscuit for dinner (yup, breakfast for dinner). I definitely have a favorite biscuit half. I love the bottom of the biscuit. Not so much that I won't eat the top though that definitely seems like a me thing to do. But I always eat the top first saving the best (the bottom) for last.

Same with muffins only my favorite half is the muffin top. I'm not one of those people that will only eat the top, I enjoy the bottom as well, it's just not as delicious. I think it's something about the texture post baking.

So, what do you think? What are your weird eating mannerisms?

-I do not like my food to touch. Unless it is food that is meant to touch. Biscuits and gravy; taco salad; cereal and milk. You get the picture.
-I also eat one food at a time. I think this goes back to not liking my food to touch. Don't even want it to touch on the way down.
-I think eating meat off the bone is disgusting. I don't care if other people do it, I just don't want to do it myself. Yick. I once made a cave woman reference that I am yet to live down.
-I will not eat cold canned pineapple. I want it straight out of the can or not at all.
-When I eat a piece of cake that has icing, I always eat the cake first and then the icing. Yes, this makes me about 4 years old.
-I only like American cheese on eggs. Everything else tastes weird.
-Milk and eggs together = gross. Coffee with food = gross. Milk for breakfast (unless accompanied by something covered in syrup)=gross.
-I made chicken pot pie last night that smelled more like beef stew.
-I once had an elephant ear at a festival (Cornerstone to be specific) and have not really stopped thinking about it since.

lists

Holy cow I am exhausted and it is only Wednesday.

Today...
6:30 - woke up
7:00 - got to work
8:30 - left work and went to QT for coffee (coffee sucked)
9:00 - went and observed at a preschool
11:30 - wished I wasn't out of creamer and went grocery shopping
12:00 - cooked delicious lunch
1:00 - sit on couch and stare into space
2:00 - go to work again
7:00 - leave work after working booty off (kids were crazy and I'm trying to get end of year stuff wrapped up) to go on another wal-mart run
8:00 - sit on couch and stare into space, organize kitchen cabinets, eat dinner, do dishes
9:00 - make potato salad (because I'm an awesome girlfriend)
10:00 - wish I was in bed and think about starting chicken for T's dinner

Tomorrow:
6:30 - wake up
7:00 - get to work
9:00 - hopefully go home and take a tiny nap
11:00 - go back to work with giant coffee in hand
12:00 - take kids on field trip that is currently making me crazy
3:00 - return from field trip and try to wrangle kids until parents come to pick them up
6:00 - go home from work and go buy a wedding present for my awesome friend

Friday is the kids last day of school. Thank God!
But Saturday we're going to a class reunion.
Sunday is the wedding of previously mentioned awesome friend.
Monday is relaxation day at the lake. Whew! I can't wait for Monday. Never thought I'd say that.

chicken fried

Only it was turkey. Last night I tackled a new cooking project. I happened to have wild turkey in my freezer and it was requested that I fry it. So with my dad's phone advice, I made fried turkey. I thawed out this lovely turkey and sliced it really thin (while making gross faces. Raw meat is soooo gross). I dipped it in milk and egg and then flour with cajun seasoning and garlic. End result -- absolute deliciousness. And not just my opinion. I was pretty impressed with myself. I was initially a little terrified. I'd honestly never fried anything before in my life. And hot grease is scary especially considering I'm quite accident prone in the kitchen. It was a success though. There will definitely be more turkey frying going on at my house.

And now I'm getting ready for house guests. My sister is coming for the weekend. I'm pretty excited, I have a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives weekend planned. We're going to eat all the places in my area that they've visited on the show. Should be fun.

I'm also in the process of baking 4 dozen cupcakes for work tomorrow. I'm having an un-birthday party for the kids tomorrow to celebrate all their birthdays. Oh yes, inspired by this record....

seafood boil

I'm doing a crab boil and it just may kill me. The minute it started boiling the fumes drove me out of the kitchen. I've turned on the exhaust fan, the living room fan and opened the door. And still. I wish I were somewhere else. Hopefully it will taste delicious. I cannot stop sneezing.

on sports

So I never thought I would be a sports girl. I didn't grow up watching sports, I only went to football games to socialize in high school and went to one baseball game and thought it was horribly boring. Fast forward a few years....

I've started going to baseball and football games with some degree of regularity (football especially) and watch even more of them on tv. I have to admit, I kind of like it.

I love the atmosphere, I like the people. I love booing the other team and cheering when my team scores. I love the camaraderie. Everyone talks to the people around them and experiences the game sort of as a strange little family. It's fantastic.

I love the parking lot even. There are all these random people selling tickets. I love tailgating. The grills all around and having a beer at 8 in the morning. Where else can you do that? And walking in carrying a drink and talking about how the game will go.

I don't even mind sports talk on the radio so much. It's usually on the radio on the way to and from the stadium. I've realized I'm starting to recognize the different sports casters voices and how they lean on different subjects. I love the KC sports guy on the news that obviously hates KU. It makes me laugh.

Is it true? Have I become a sports fan? I own multiple Chiefs, Royals and MU shirts. I'm a little surprised by myself. But I don't mind it.

saucy

So tonight as I was preparing to eat my dinner, I realized I have way too many condiments in the refrigerator. I don't believe this is really all my fault. I believe other people enjoy dipping. So, now for your enjoyment, a picture of my refrigerator.
1. Kraft Blue Cheese Dressing. For putting on fake buffalo chicken.
2. Jiffy All Natural Chunky Peanut Butter
3. Cocktail Sauce (it got cut out of the picture) And there's probably cheese behind that little door.
4. Cottage cheese -- for the lasagna this week
5. Hunt's Ketchup. The only kind to buy.
6. Miracle Whip
7. Silver Dollar City Barbecue Sauce (my sister buys it for me because they don't sell it where I live. It's delicious!)
8. Ott's Wing Sauce. Oddly, they do sell this here. It and SDC sauce are bottled the same place. Weird.
9. Kraft Caesar dressing.
10. Applesauce. Made by my mom. The best ever.
11. Sweet & Sour Sauce. Not just for Sweet & Sour. We inject it in chicken sometimes. Yum!
12. Kikkoman Soy Sauce. I have an addiction to Chinese food. It can't be helped.
13. Roberts Skim Milk. Not a condiment but that's where it fit when we bought groceries.
14. Salsa. This is Medium, the Wal-Mart brand. Until about 3 days ago, there was 2 other kinds. Mexicali Blues Salsa and Peach Pineapple Chipotle. Oh how I miss those 2 salsas.
15. Beer. Some kind from Montana.
16. Tony something's Creole Butter injection. Primarily for cooking whole chickens. I injected a chicken last week. It was gross.
17. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
18. Pancake syrup

What do you think? Too many condiments?

On a side note, I cut the crap out of my finger on a ceral box today at work. Last week it was a box of Goldfish crackers. Damn super size boxes.

it's all good

Do you ever feel like everything just slips into place? I got accepted into grad school this past week. I love my apartment (I got my dining table this weekend). I like my job. I have great summer plans. I mean, life is good.

I am just wrapping up a fabulous weekend. We went and saw two different couples with their adorable babies. Ate some delicious BBQ that the boys grilled. Drank a lot of pineapple rum. Spent a lot of time in the trunk. Had great discussions. Spent time with good friends. Watched the Royals win in over time. Slept late. Got to watch 3 hours (or so) of Scrubs. My parents came to visit. Took me out to eat at Gates. Yum! All in all, a great weekend.

And I have good stuff planned to cook this week. It's the boyfriend's birthday so I'm making him homemade pizza and the infamous chocolate pie. I also have stuff to make lasagna. And he shot a turkey this morning so we have turkey as well. Pretty excited!

things i like 2

• Chocolate pudding with marshmellows. It makes me feel like I'm 8.
• Being accepted to grad school.
• Knowing that I am loved.
• Long talks with old friends.
• Remembering that said friends are just a phone call away and that a call can cure loneliness.
• Knowing that people are proud of me.
• Cooking dinner (tonight chicken and green beans).
• Eating Chinese food from Hyvee with my boyfriend. The crab rangoon was pretty good.
• Watching Gilmore Girls. I can't help it. I love it so much.
• Pineapple rum.
• Pink nail polish.
• Good bargains.
• Being accepted to grad school.
• And did I mention pineapple rum?
  

the lottery or grad school

Well apparently my message sounded a little excited. I found out today I got accepted to the grad school program of my choice. I filled out my FAFSA and tomorrow after I mail my first $100 to them it will all be official. I can't believe it! Five years ago if you had asked me about grad school I would have said no way. And now I'm so excited about it. A little terrified, but I know I can do it.

I went shopping yesterday. Ug. Sometimes shopping makes me absolutely crazy. Yesterday was one of those days. I should never go to Bass Pro by myself, it makes me super grumpy. But I redeemed the day with a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond. I loooove Bed Bath and Beyond. I bought 2 fantastic things I am so excited about. I bought this:
It's now hanging inside the cabinet under my sink and holds a few plastic bags. I try not to get plastic bags at Wal-Mart and what not but sometimes you can't help it. And I always use them as a bag for the trash can in the bathroom. I feel less bad about getting them if I reuse them. I took a ton back to Wal-Mart to recycle the other day. I usually use these charming green Walgreens shopping bags my sister gave me. I always feel like a goober carrying them into the store but at least I'm doing my part I guess.

I also bought 2 of these. Yeah, I know, I'm like a 70 year old woman.
Only my are filled with Busch Light and Sam's Choice Cola. Neither beverage is mine, they just live in my fridge and I figured they might as well be organized. So now I'm very happy when I open my fridge and see nice rows of cans instead of a half empty Busch Light box and cans of soda in the case in the dining room.

Even though it replaced Life on Mars (and I'm kind of pissed it went off air) I've been watching The Unusuals. And it's been driving me crazy. The chief, or whatever his official title is, was so familiar. I knew he was from something else I'd seen. Um, he's the dad from Save the Last Dance. Oh yes, if you are in your mid 20s you know exactly what I am talking about. I was so glad to solve that mystery. Ridiculous, yes. And that's why I'm going back to school, so I can think about education instead of pop culture trivia.

laundry: how to

I learned a laundry lesson long ago from my high school speech coach. Sometimes us busty gals have problems finding t-shirts that fit right. If you wash a shirt and while it is wet, turn it upside down and stand in the shirt, you can stretch it with your legs and it will stretch evenly. Then air dry and perfection!

So I bought a little boys Royals shirt to wear to the game tonight and well, it didn't quite fit right and I grew disgusted in the quest for a good Royals shirt so I did the trick above. And now I'm drying it hillbilly style. I have to leave for work soon and obviously did not want to put it in the drier because it would shrink back up. So my shirt is laying on the bench on my porch with a fan pointed at it. It's working but it's a little.... well, you know. I wouldn't want anyone to catch me doing it.

things I like

• Spring that actually feels like spring
• Wearing flip flops
• Good hair days
• Driving with my windows down and the radio blasting
• Naps
• Healthy food that tastes good
• Diet Cherry 7Up
• Going to the lake
• Pens that write in pretty colors
• Being organized
• My new dining room painting (I made it myself!)
• The new bench I bought for the porch (hopefully)
• Standing barefoot outside
• Drinks that come with little umbrellas
• Talking about going on vacation with friends (even though we most likely won't go)
• Planning real trips
• Going to Target
• Getting home from work when it's still light out
• Pretty nail polish
• Bubble baths

being domestic

So you may have already figured out I seriously love being domestic. I love making a delicious dinner. I love having things put away, all neat and organized. I love making my place look pretty. I don't even mind terribly doing laundry or dishes. I love the end result.

Over the weekend I learned how to make my mom's potato salad. It was a big hit. And now I have a new appreciation. Everytime I thought I was done she would remind me of something else that needed to go in. It was frustrating but delicious. All of the leftovers at my house have been eaten (I think I got 2 forkfuls....)
Potato Salad:
6 potatoes (or so, depends on how many you're feeding)
4 boiled eggs
Onion
Relish
Cheese (we use Velveeta)
Mayo
Mustard
Salt
Add ingredients until it looks right.

Oh yes, these were the instructions I really got. And that is really how you make it. It's totally by how it looks and not exact measurements. Because well, potatoes are not specific sizes. It's very frustrating to me because I really like exact recipes. I like things to be black and white. Very organized, very precise. I'm working on it.

it tastes like being 6

Remember those weird little marshmallow eggs that were always in your easter basket. The individually wrapped ones with the colorful shell type thing. I ate one today. And it tasted just like being 6 years old. I felt like I should be wearing my new Easter dress and swinging my feet in white patent shoes with lacy socks. That egg was still the combination of delicious and disgusting. I wanted to eat the whole bag.

So I've been organizing my closet. If you're keeping record, I moved into my apartment approximately 2 months ago and yes, I'm already reorganizing things. It seems when I was trying to dress for my aunt's funeral, my closet exploded while I was trying to find clothes that didn't suck. So now I'm working on putting it back to rights and making it more accessible. I know, it's gigantic, this should be easy. Closets have always been a struggle for me. My closet has always been secretly kind of messy. Usually my shoes specifically. I've gotten the shoes conquered, now I'm working on everything else. The main problem now seems to be not piling things on the drawers at the back of the closet.

Last night I did massive amounts of laundry. But guess what, I forgot an entire basket of clothes that were just chilling in my closet. Arg. Who does that? Me apparently.

Right now I want to kick hotmail in the throat. For some ridiculous reason, I cannot log into my email. It says I don't have an inbox. Seriously?! I have had this same email for years. Why does it now all of a sudden decide not to work. Stupid Microsoft.

I better finish up the closet and go to bed.

mushrooms

So I hate mushrooms. I always just thought I kind of didn't like them, but last night I realized how much I do not like them. If I can, I always order something without mushrooms, if it comes with mushrooms, I ask for them to be left out. I thought maybe they taste okay but the texture is so absolutely disgusting that I could not do it.

Well last night I was making Todd pizza for dinner. Pepperoni and mushroom because I am fabulous like that. I always fry up the pepperoni and drain the grease so the pizza isn't all ooky. Then I got the brilliant idea to saute the mushrooms in the pepperoni grease. Great idea, not so healthy, but I heard it turned out tasty. So as I was cooking mushrooms, the smell hit me. Absolutely disgusting. I mean, yuck!

I think the pizza turned out well though. And the mushroom stench did not ruin my skillet. My fried egg sandwich today didn't taste the least bit mushroomy.

Where is spring this year? About a month ago it felt truly like spring and then it did a disappearing act. Is it like this everywhere? Or just in stupid Kansas? I think this week is supposed to be warm-ish and I am so excited. I want to pull out the flip flops. I want to go lay in the tanning bed so I'll look like I've had real sun (of course I won't because I have no money and I don't want skin cancer). I'm ready for the lake and fishing and flip flops and the smell of sun screen. I'm ready to have my big sunglasses laughed at and to fight my unmanageable hair in the humidity. C'mon spring, get here all ready. You are so late for the party. Past fashionably late, now you're just being an a-hole, it's mid-April for gosh sake.

april fools

Did I ever mention I hate April Fools day? I think it's about the dumbest most made up day ever. If I were industrious I would research its history. But I just don't care that much. I just don't like it.

Instead I should be loading the dishwasher, washing jeans, straightening my hair, doing sit-ups, putting lotion on my skin (which may be the driest in the world) and doing a little victory dance for getting my taxes done (damn turbo tax charged me like $60, I'm fairly confident I could've paid a real person that much to do them for me).

I am doing none of those things. I'm sitting around in fuzzy slippers listening to Hank Williams on my Pandora. Yes, I am slightly addicted to Pandora. If I am home by myself and not watching embarassingly lame tv shows, I am listening to Pandora.

making..... pancakes

I made pancakes for.... we'll call it lunch. I refuse to use the term brunch. I just don't like it. I'm not really very good at making pancakes so I always pull out Betty Crocker. So as I flipped to the pancake recipe, I noticed ham pancakes. Oh yes, you read right, ham pancakes. Apparently you dice up ham and throw it right in the pancake batter. Weird! My boyfriend thought that seemed like a brilliant idea.

The pancakes were good. Even without ham. Just a minute ago Jack Johnson's banana pancakes was on my Pandora. I honestly hate that song. For the most part, I like Jack Johnson. That song however, always makes me think of a girl I used to work with. Couldn't stand her. She once accused me of being lazy. I almost punched her in her silly little face. And that is what I always think of.

I love diet Cherry 7Up.

someone's in the kitchen with dina...

So tonight as my meatloaf bakes, I bring you kitchen tips. Yes, I'm also wearing heels and pearls while I cook and my hair is sprayed within an inch of its life. Think June Cleaver.

Tip #1: Make sure dish scrubby is not in drain before running garbage disposal. Otherwise you may learn what a dish scrubby is actually made of. I'll just tell you and save you ruining your scrubby -- that plastic stuff that you scrub dishes with and weird little pieces of sponge. Rats.

Tip #2: There is a right way and a not right way to load the dishwasher. I am fairly sure dessert/salad plates do not go on the top rack. I think that is for glasses, coffee mugs, bowls, etc. I could be wrong...

Tip #3: If you are designing your own kitchen and don't know what to put in that large empty space, may I suggest cabinets. Always more cabinets. Maybe even add on a kitchen annex for more cabinets. Nothing is worse than a lack of cabinet space. Come to my house and you will see every appliance I own stored on top of my cabinets. And a bag of flour on top of the drier.

Tip #4: Always smell the milk to make sure it's good. Because rotten milk is super nasty. I seriously smell it everytime I open the milk to use it. Even if I've already used some that day. It may have turned....

Tip #5: Seal up the brown sugar. Why, you ask. Oh, let me tell you. I had to dump out a 1/4 of my lovely pink Tupperware canister of brown sugar because I failed to put the lid on all the way. Know what happens to brown sugar when exposed to air? Yup, you guessed it. It becomes a giant rock of brown sugar.

Tip #6: The crisper drawer is not the beer drawer. I know, it seems like a really good idea. And in theory it is. However, think about it -- opening and closing the drawer causes the beer to roll back and forth. And what happens when you shake a can of beer (or soda for that matter)? You got it, it explodes everywhere. I suggest keeping it in the door. And then you can open the fridge and smile at all the lovely bottles of Boulevard there to greet you.

Tip #7: When expecting company for dinner, always set the table ahead of time. It will make you look more ready than you may actually be. *I learned that from my mother.

Tip #8: Do not put knives in the oven. If say, you are heating up wings and for some reason you were using a knife in your dinner preparation (???), make sure you do not leave it on the baking sheet. The handle will melt. Yes, the knife may still be usable but it will be a little special.

Tip #9: Tupperware is the greatest invention ever. Okay, that's not a tip. That's just me admitting I love Tupperware. I really truly do. It's a little embarassing. I may need help.

Tip #10: When in doubt, ask someone older and wiser.

chicken enchiladas

It is a common discussion as to who in my family is the best cook. I choose to believe that it is me. This may or may not be correct. But I will usually try to make most anything at least once. Remember the chocolate pie saga? I did make a chocolate pie last week and it turned out beautifully. It was a big hit. As was the beer bread. And as always, the butterscotch brownies.

Very few of the things I make are original recipes, I just hunt until I find the exact right thing. And I'm trying to be better at writing things down when I find them or printing them off and filing them away to use again. Otherwise, I end up going on the beer bread recipe search every time I want to make it. Trust me, I have gone on this search many times. That and the great sugar free peanut butter pie quest. I make it for my grandparents and they love it, but I always have to hunt for the recipe. So annoying.

Anyway, tonight I am making chicken enchiladas. They are absolutely delicious. I switch the recipe up a bit and make it more lasagna style just because I'm lazy and don't like to roll up enchiladas. I got the idea from Alton Brown. But this recipe is from AllRecipes. I love it!
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch cilantro
1 cup sour cream
2 (7 oz) cans jalapeno salsa
2 (7oz) cans prepared green chile salsa
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
Onion **I only use about half
12 (6inch) tortillas **I believe I use about 6 medium sized whole wheat for the "lasagna style"
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. To Make Sour Cream Mixture: In a blender or food processor, puree cilantro, sour cream, jalapeno salsa and 1/2 can of the green chile salsa. Set aside.
2. To Make Chicken Mixture: In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, onion and the remaining 1 1/2 cans of green chile salsa. Mix well.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Heat tortillas in conventional or microwave oven until soft. Pour enough of the sour cream mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish to coat the bottom. Place 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of the chicken mixture in each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Pour remaining sour cream mixture over all and top with shredded cheese.
5. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes, or until dish is heated through and bubbling.

It's absolutely delicious! I can't wait to eat this for dinner. I made it for one of my sisters and it was a big hit.

Saturday was my aunt's funeral. I suppose it was good as far as funerals go. We had a gigantic meal for lunch provided by the church ladies. There was some potato salad my bf loved. He wanted me to get the recipe. So I talked to my mom and had her find out who made it and she got the recipe. So, here we go. Get ready.
WALT'S POTATO SALAD
Boil and chop 4 eggs.
Go to the grocery store deli and purchase potato salad.
Open potato salad container, dump into own container.
Top with boiled eggs and paprika.
Isn't that the best thing you ever heard. I can't wait to tell my boyfriend. And then to maybe learn how to make real potato salad. I have confidence I can do it.

Another one of the dishes we had was made by one of my very favorite people, Sammy. She makes amazing sweet potato casserole that is more dessert than main dish. Everything she has made that I've tried is amazing. Saturday was no different. She brought these amazing lemon bar things. They had a graham cracker crust and a whipped cream topping. And the lemon, so perfectly tart. I hugged her as she walked out the door. She's an older lady and just the sweetest person ever. I talked to my mom this afternoon and she said Sammy passed away this morning. Her husband took her to the hospital last night and this morning she was gone. I saw her yesterday and she seemed fine.

Death sucks. It just doesn't even make sense. I don't know what to say.

On another note. I can't find the jeans I had on earlier. No idea where I put them. Damn.

awesomeness

So I just finished baking approximately 5 dozen cookies. Half butterscotch chip and half chocolate chip. Whew. And a loaf of beer bread. I broke my diet (terrible, I know) just long enough for one tiny fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookie and a mug of skim milk (I always drink milk like that in a mug, weird). It was delicious. That is always the perfect cookie. Now I have to clean my kitchen. Yuck. I plan on just throwing everything in the dishwasher. After I unload it first.

Beer bread, did that intrigue you? Would you like the recipe? I bet you would. It's delicious and oh so easy. Here we go.
3 cups all purpose flour (sifted)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
12 oz. beer (I use Busch light usually because that is what we frequently have)

Mix ingredients together (you can even do this in the pan). Bake in a greased loaf pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

I am so unbelievably excited. There was a necklace on etsy that I desperately wanted. I waited too long and it sold out. I posted a comment on the store owners (?) blog telling her how much I loved the necklace and wanted one of my very own. Well, today I happened by her store and noticed she had one for sale. I immediately purchased it. Eek! I'm so excited. I literally cannot wait for it to show up in my mailbox.

sad

My aunt died today. She had battled cancer for a long time. It sucks. A lot. Just the whole thing does. Instead of talking about it, I'm going to entirely avoid it and write about something I totally want.

I keep seeing commercials for these on cable. Cable commercials are the best. Selling you crap you don't really need. But this is something I'm pretty sure I desperately need. And here's why. I suuuuck at peeling things. I mean I am so terrible. The only way I will peel a potato is if I cook it first. To do mashed potatoes, I quarter the potatoes, boil them, peel and then mash. It works just fine. And well, there's not much else I peel even though I'm told I should. So when I saw the commercial for this I instantly started talking about how much I want it and wish someone would buy it for me. And tonight I Just happened to cruise by the Bed Bath and Beyond website and they sell it there! So now I feel slightly better about wanting it if it's available in a real store. And there's one so close to my house. I may just have to go buy one.
It would be even better if someone would just go buy it for me. I promise I would use it all the time. I would peel all of my potatoes (screw that nutritional value in the peels, some people refuse to eat peels). I would peel peaches for those that do not like peach peels (I personally love the texture). And whatever else it is you peel. Ooh, it would definitely be useful for shaving chocolate to top my chocolate pie for holidays. See, it would be fantastic.

guilty pleasures

So I have some habits that I am highly embarrassed by. And for some reason I'm feeling the need to share them tonight.

I am seriously addicted to Cherry Limeades from Sonic. I could seriously drink one every day. However, I should not drink 2 Route 44 Limeades in one day. If you're counting, that is 88oz of pure deliciousness. However, it's way too much. It will definitely cause a bellyache.

If weather and work did not dictate otherwise, I would never wear anything but sandals. Specifically flip flops. All winter I am dying to wear flip flops. As soon as the weather is vaguely warm, I pull them out. Right now my Margaritaville flip flops are sitting by my front door.

I have fairly curly hair but very rarely wear it curly. I straighten it daily (I know, my hair is all going to fall out of my head). My hair has also not been it's truly natural color for at least 10 years.

I'm addicted to Nivea chapstick. It's the only thing that doesn't make my lips peel. Gross, right.

And I love Gilmore Girls and What I Like About You. I record both of them everyday and watch them when I come home from work. I know, I am 25 years old, too old for these shows. But I just can't help myself. And if I forget to set the DVR to record, I send an emergency text so that it will still record.

I love lamp

My bedroom has no overhead light. This is possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Now that I think about it though, I believe I previously had an apartment (maybe in college) that didn't have a light. I used Christmas lights... That was in college though, when it was whimsical to not have lights. Now it's just annoying. How can I put away laundry or vacuum or find a black bra? Let me tell you, it's very difficult! All I had were these puny little paper lanterns.

So, they're cute right? Just not very bright. They were a Christmas gift years ago and were originally cream and green. Well they hadn't matched anything I owned for quite some time. So I attacked them with brown spray paint (making them less than bright) and pink ribbon and hot glue. A good end result, unless you want to use them to see.

Now comes the new lamps. I bought them post college when I was planning to have a blue room. They were on clearance and I loved the look. Well, I never really had a blue room after I bought them. So I've used them, they just never really matched and it drove me crazy so I did not bring them when I moved. However, after discovering the lack of light in my room I wished desperately for them and had my mom bring them to me last weekend. And thus a craft project was born.

1. This is the original lamp shade. Or what was on the frame. I forgot to take a real before picture. See how the inside is blue. So when the light was on you could see the blue through the white. Clever idea really. Unless your room is pink. So I got out my X-acto knife and a pair of scissors and went to town.
2. So after I cut the old shade off I realized the top and bottom of the shade frame were only held together by the fabric of the shade. Ooh, wooden skewers in the kitchen, problem solved. So, some hot glue, 6 wooden skewers and some white fabric later we have a very plain lamp shade. I was proud that I'd done it but it wasn't anything exciting.
3. Today I bought ribbon. I really just wanted a brown satin (but remember the sucky crafts department at Wal-Mart) but they didn't have any. It was like destiny though. I found pink and brown striped ribbon. So, add some more hot glue and I have fantastic lamp shades. I am so thrilled with how they turned out. I looooove them!

spring cleaning

I just scrubbed my microwave. With a dish scrubby. I'm not sure you're supposed to do that. But I did. And it worked very well. I think cleaning the microwave is my absolutely least favorite cleaning project. Ick. And my cleaner makes me sneeze. Or maybe it's just spring time.

I made a sweet 90s playlist for my boyfriend. It's all music I was listening to in high school. I'm listening to it right now while I am cleaning. I like it.

Tonight I'm making lasagna for dinner. Yum! It always takes so long but it's totally worth it.

I got a new zip up fleece at Cabela's yesterday. I was so excited. It was exactly what I wanted and the price I wanted to pay. Okay, I wanted the grey one from the women's department but the black one from men's was half as much so I got it but, it was a bargain so I was okay with the compromise. Of course, I find this as the weather warms up. But I'm sure spring is not here for good yet. Even still, it will be good for cool spring mornings. Yay!


I was all excited, I was going to start making the grey scarf I promised to make one of my friends. I went to Wal-Mart (I should've known better) to buy yarn. Absolutely no grey yarn that did not feel super scratchy. Arg. I'm going to have to make a Michael's or Hobby Lobby run soon. I need to start being crafty again.

Perfect

The weather is still fantastic. I love it. My door is open right now. And I should be getting ready. We're going out to dinner. I'm planning on a skirt to celebrate the gorgeous weather. And boots to cover up my terrible dry skin that I scratched and then made bleed by shaving my legs. It is now covered with a Hello Kitty band aid. Hello Kitty is okay on your finger, but on your leg, you just look like a clumsy kid. So, what are you doing to celebrate the first few days of spring?

gorgeous

The weather is absolutely perfect today. I am missing out on fishing. I am walking out the door to go to work in about 1 minute. I wish instead, I had flip flops on my feet and a fishing pole in my hand.

Please please please let spring be coming soon. My toes are desperate for freedom. To throw on flip flops, or even Chacos.

being awesome

So sometimes I feel like I am stuck in the 90s. Is it still cool to say "awesome"? I kind of don't think so. But I do it anyway. Quite proudly in fact. I frequently reaffirm my awesomeness. I have some fun domesticness this week. I keep forgetting to buy grey yarn for Meera's scarf. Would somebody please remind me.

I'm making BBQ chicken pizza. That means I need to defrost the chicken so I can cook it. I should be doing that right now. I think that's for tonight.

I'm also making lasagna. It's my mom's best friend's recipe. She (my mom's best friend) died when I was a freshman in high school. She was an amazing person. She was my third grade math teacher. I remember singing along with records to learn our multiplication tables... I also remember a lesson involving Pop Tarts, I don't remember what the lesson was, just the mention of Pop Tarts. I loved Pop Tarts (truth be told, I still do -- the brown sugar & cinnamon ones). It always makes me smile to make the lasagna. It's just warm and comforting. My mom quit making it for a long time after she died because it made her sad. If we had lasagna it was that pre-made kind from Sam's Club. My mom makes the lasagna again now and it makes my heart smile to see her remembering her friend as she stirs the ingredients and cooks the noodles.

We made blueberry muffins in home ec the day she died. I was pulling muffins out of the oven when I heard my sister and another boy get called to the office and I just knew. I knew what had happened. I knew she was gone. I have not eaten a blueberry muffin since that day. They turn my stomach -- the smell, the taste. It was a long time before I could eat any muffins at all.

She was definitely an awesome lady though. Her neice has a very cool tattoo in honor of her aunt. I love it.

So, this week the cooking high lights are the lasagna and this ridiculous pizza. I ate some Stromboli earlier. It appeared magically in my fridge. Mmmm! Thanks BF's mom. It was delicious.

Ooh, I also bought new wine over the weekend. I can't wait to drink it! Not because I'm an alcoholic but because it will be so good! Blackberry and a spiced wine that is to be drank warm. Yum! I'm most excited about the spiced. We bought some about this time last year but I was really sick when we drank it. So I wasn't sure if it was really good or just good because I was sick. I tasted it again when I bought it this time -- yup, definitely that good. You should definitely be jealous.

favorite things

...not what I started to write what I sat down, but what sprang to mind when I began typing. What are your favorite things? The things that make you absolutely happy deep down in your soul?

• New shoes. I love shopping for them. I love trying them on again when I get home. Even if I don't buy any, just going to the store is great.
• Sleeping in. I accidentally did this today, woke up 5 minutes before I had to leave for work. Oops.
• People I love. Not just my boyfriend. But friends, family, all those people that just make your heart smile.
• Crocheting. And when I crochet, I think about all the people that helped me learn -- it took years. My college roommate, my RA, my mom, and a great lady at my church. I love to give away the things I make. I'm about to start on a scarf for a fantastic girl, it's going to be grey.
• Reading a good book. I used to always read before I went to bed. I love it so much. Especially books set in England. I don't know why.
• Good music. Especially when I'm driving in the summer time with the windows down and my hair blowing.
• Going to the lake. I cannot wait for it to be warm enough.
• Going fishing. Crazy, right? It's so relaxing. And half the time fishing means I'm laying on the back of the boat drinking a margarita.
• Mangoes. But only a mango bought at a Farmer's Market in Dallas. Then eaten all fresh and warm and juicy. Nothing is better.
• Good hair days. I have finally trained my bangs to go back to swooping. They look great today.
• The perfect day.
• Mornings that feel like church camp or Easter. I cannot explain it, but each of these kind of mornings have a very distinct feeling and I love it so much. It sends me back to being a kid and the excitement of the day.
• Trying a new recipe. I'm making BBQ chicken pizza this weekend. Yum!
  

familiarity

So I guess I had kind of a rough day. It was just... I don't know. I think I was just being overly emotional and crazy. I'm feeling better about it now. How? Well, I have fantastic people in my life. And I did a little bit of memory therapy.

When I feel like things are crappy, I go to Shoe Carnival. Why? Well, I worked there for years and something about it is soothing. I love the smell. I love all the shoes. I felt so good when I left. And then I went to Jimmy John's and got a sandwich for dinner. Between the two, it just made me happy. It made things seem better and everything else seem a little closer.

don't let the bedbugs bite

I love my bedroom. When I was a kid I spent a lot of time there. Not because I was a bad kid or got in trouble, it just seemed like my own little sanctuary. It was full of all the things I loved and it was always so peaceful. I had to wait for good natural light to take pictures.... There is no overhead light in my room and I just have this cute but not very bright lights hanging up.

Previously mentioned lanterns. Very pink and brown theme.... I reworked those lanterns, they used to be cream and green. Now with brown spray paint, hot glue and some pink ribbon for embellishments.... voila!

The top of one of my dressers. Stacking dolls my best friend brought me back from Russia. The change jar. Someone likes to throw their change everywhere. And oh yes, that's a fishing lure you see.

My desk. Yup, that's my blog up on the monitor. Awesome, right. And a Cuba poster I snagged from my dear sister.

My closet. You should be very jealous. It's gigantic. I mean GIGANTIC. I think there have been smaller bedrooms in apartments I have lived in. It's fantastic. And so organized. Aside from that pile of clothes. Don't look.

So I like to think I am a neat person. But secretly I am occasionally messy. I also like to think I am reasonably (for the most part) well dressed. But secretly I love my black Nike sweat pants that are horribly unsexy. I also like to think I have very cute hair. But it is naturally pretty wavy and hard to control meaning sometimes, it looks pretty crazy.

Well, yesterday I got caught. I had great plans for my day. These plans included organizing the closet, vacuuming, doing a bit of a work out, taking a shower, cleaning up the kitchen and a few other various things. All of these of course, were to be done wearing those sexy black sweat pants. I was going to be cute by the time the boyfriend got back from work which should have been around 11pm. But much to my surprise, shortly after 9 (while I am sitting on the couch in said sweat pants with frizzy hair) I hear the key turn in the lock. Oh shit! I was met with laughter. I'm not sure this look had surfaced yet. I try to, you know, save the sweat pants for myself. So I rushed to be a bit cuter and we both laughed about it. So, lesson learned. You might get caught with frizzy hair and sexy black sweats and should get ready sooner in the day.

moving in

So, I moved into my new apartment a couple of weeks ago. I love it so much. Things are almost arranged as they should be. There are no dining room pictures because I don't have my table yet and it's silly to take pictures of empty rooms. So, here are the living room and kitchen....

The bar area. The wine rack (and wine) that we bought today. My cookbooks (if you look close you can see Betty Crocker on the right end) and my Pyrex mixing bowls.

More of the bar. My cool metal collander and Guiness glasses. You can see the matching Guiness sign in the first picture.

Walking into my kitchen. The awesome striped apron my Grandma Celia bought me. :)

One of the cutest kiddos ever. No, not mine. My long time friend Rachel's little boy. This is across from my striped apron.

Fantastic striped/polka dot trash can that I painted and my fridge. And there are two empty Boulevard boxes on my washer. Classy, I know.

Mmm, coffee! We love coffee! The other night I dropped my plate and threw chicken and mashed cauliflower everywhere. It's still in one of the burner pans. Gross, I know! Don't judge me.

Okay, I lied. This is the wall of my dining room. I got these for Christmas and love them.

My book case. My dad made it for me a couple of years ago. And lots of pictures. I love pictures!

A really terrible picture of the built in shelves beside my TV. A picture frame my lovely friend Laurissa bought for me. And a little table I bought to put the cable box, DVD player and XBox on. I got a super bargain on it!

The ridiculously large TV we bought. Yup, I"m watching Grease.

My whole living room. Check out those brown curtains. I love them! It feels so cozy!