This house DESPERATELY (and I emphasize desperately because it's so true) needs food. Can you believe we only got one plate of Thanksgiving leftovers?! I contemplated on what I could make for lunch today and realized there's nothing here. Oi! So on a whim, I put together some chicken broth (with salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, and thyme) with some egg noodles, frozen corn, and peas..hoping for the best. All I've got to say is.....WOW! So simple but, I gotta say, it was delicious. So good that I didn't even get to take a picture of it. :)
Wanna X-ray my belly?
December 1, 2009
November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
The past week has been a whirlwind. Work has been picking up and the Christmas season is rapidly upon us. As I end my evening with thoughts of Thanksgiving, just hours away, I think of how thankful I am for the friends and family I have in my life and the MANY blessings that I have (no matter how much I complain). ;)
Enjoy your Thanksgiving tomorrow. Don't feel bad if you overeat a little (or a lot). Treasure the time you have with your families and be sure to create some new memories!
Enjoy your Thanksgiving tomorrow. Don't feel bad if you overeat a little (or a lot). Treasure the time you have with your families and be sure to create some new memories!
November 20, 2009
Sluggard
It's amazing how quickly time flies! I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted (I really was trying to be better about it-- optimistically once a day and, what I thought would be more feasible, at least once every other day). It's proof that the season is upon us! And maybe I shouldn't beat myself up if I can't keep up. It is the first time I've truly made an effort to post more.
Stephen showed me this website he found tonight. If you need a good laugh, check it out! I was crying. With laughter.
Stephen showed me this website he found tonight. If you need a good laugh, check it out! I was crying. With laughter.
November 13, 2009
Being Productive
Tuesday I was unproductive and Wednesday I was, as well. I had just about enough energy to lie on the couch and get myself glasses of orange juice. I tend to let colds run their course; I don't really like to take medications. However, yesterday I did actually take some DayQuil. Thank you, DayQuil! I was so productive yesterday! I made homemade chicken noodle soup in the slow cooker and cut fabric for some Christmas gifties for...listen to this....9 hours! I've been meaning to get started on these for about a week now and something always seems to get in the way. But since I had a day off from work, I really had to take advantage of that time. Enter DayQuil.
That's not to say I'm not still sick. I actually sort of enjoy those few days of sick you get when it's close to wintertime and Christmas. I don't know why, really. And I guess it's sort of strange. It just seems like it's something that tends to go hand-in-hand with the whole season. You get to bundle up, wear thick, warm Christmas socks, drink hot tea, and eat chicken noodle soup (homemade if it's available). I don't know, I kinda like it.
Speaking of bundling up, here's what I found snuggled up in my fabric yesterday when I was getting ready to iron....
There are actually two more prints but I've been having an awful time try to block them out...the fibers must have really gotten warped at some point between being shipped and me washing them. So I haven't had a chance to cut into them yet. Soon though!
That's not to say I'm not still sick. I actually sort of enjoy those few days of sick you get when it's close to wintertime and Christmas. I don't know why, really. And I guess it's sort of strange. It just seems like it's something that tends to go hand-in-hand with the whole season. You get to bundle up, wear thick, warm Christmas socks, drink hot tea, and eat chicken noodle soup (homemade if it's available). I don't know, I kinda like it.
Speaking of bundling up, here's what I found snuggled up in my fabric yesterday when I was getting ready to iron....
Cats! They always have to be on whatever you're working with. Isn't that the truth?
I was kind of hesitant to post pictures of my cut fabric. I'm not exactly sure who's reading my blog and I don't want to spoil any surprises, but I think the picture I have will be OK. Even if the people these are for are reading my blog, I don't think they'll be able to figure out what the end product is. So, please enjoy my lovely holiday prints!
There are actually two more prints but I've been having an awful time try to block them out...the fibers must have really gotten warped at some point between being shipped and me washing them. So I haven't had a chance to cut into them yet. Soon though!
November 10, 2009
Incoherent Drivel
I love this time of year-- the chill in the air (although it's been a bit warm the last two days), the remaining leaves hanging from the boughs of branches, and the dry, crackly leaf piles up and down the neighborhood streets. However, what I don't like is that it's almost pitch black by five o'clock. I really wanted to take photos of the new fabrics I got on Monday so they could be viewed in the flesh. Unfortunately, work has kept me from doing so. Drats! Well, I guess I have to make a living somehow, right?
Speaking of which, have you ever worked in the sale section of a clothing store? How about the sale section in an Anthropologie store? Yowza! As the Sale Specialist at the Anthropologie I work at, I'm in charge of marking down apparel and home items and merchandising it into our itty, bitty sale room. In an effort to improve our sales and move items out, I spent 8 hours straight today marking items down and moving them around to better merchandise them. And right when the second half of my day started up, so did a wicked sore throat. By five o'clock, my nose was running uncontrollably while I was...guess what? Driving to the grocery store! Ugh...all I wanted to do was go home, change into pajamas, and snuggle up in bed. Especially since I was working off of 4 hours of sleep today. Needless to say, that's probably why you're thinking in your head, "This post isn't very coherent or cohesive." Or maybe you're not thinking that. Maybe you're thinking, "This poor gal really just needs to put on some thick, warm socks and get a good night's rest." I do look a sorry mess right now. So maybe I'll take your advice and mosey off to bed. If Stephen asks where I've gone off to, you can tell him you thought I should go to bed. G'night everyone and sleep tight!
Speaking of which, have you ever worked in the sale section of a clothing store? How about the sale section in an Anthropologie store? Yowza! As the Sale Specialist at the Anthropologie I work at, I'm in charge of marking down apparel and home items and merchandising it into our itty, bitty sale room. In an effort to improve our sales and move items out, I spent 8 hours straight today marking items down and moving them around to better merchandise them. And right when the second half of my day started up, so did a wicked sore throat. By five o'clock, my nose was running uncontrollably while I was...guess what? Driving to the grocery store! Ugh...all I wanted to do was go home, change into pajamas, and snuggle up in bed. Especially since I was working off of 4 hours of sleep today. Needless to say, that's probably why you're thinking in your head, "This post isn't very coherent or cohesive." Or maybe you're not thinking that. Maybe you're thinking, "This poor gal really just needs to put on some thick, warm socks and get a good night's rest." I do look a sorry mess right now. So maybe I'll take your advice and mosey off to bed. If Stephen asks where I've gone off to, you can tell him you thought I should go to bed. G'night everyone and sleep tight!
November 8, 2009
Weekend Boxwood
For Stephen's birthday (in late October), I bought him two Boxwood plants. I know it's not a conventional birthday gift but Stephen and I aren't your conventional couple. He loves Boxwood. Really loves it. It reminds him of when his family would go on vacation to Colonial Williamsburg when he was younger. He says the smell is "so classy."
Our front garden area, on the left side of our house, was so incredibly bare. When we first moved in, we didn't like the plants the previous owner chose and, thinking we were going to be really proactive with fixing things up in the beginning, we tore everything out (I'll post a "before" picture once I've had a chance to locate it-- it's on our old desktop). Needless to say, this is our first house so we weren't really prepared with the costs that go into fixing things up. So, for 3 or 4 years it remained this hideous area that was completely empty in the center-- save for a few hostas that would come up in the Spring and Summer and some random plant smack dab in the center, all by its lonesome. Our quandry was that in the Fall and Winter, when the hostas would die out, there was nothing there. So. Ugly. I wasn't gung-ho about getting the Boxwood at first (they sort of smelled like cat pee, contained in my car, as I drove them home), but outside where there's TONS of airflow they actually do smell good. Very earthy. And they look pretty dang good, too!
Isn't he handsome surrounded by fresh mulch?
Our front garden area, on the left side of our house, was so incredibly bare. When we first moved in, we didn't like the plants the previous owner chose and, thinking we were going to be really proactive with fixing things up in the beginning, we tore everything out (I'll post a "before" picture once I've had a chance to locate it-- it's on our old desktop). Needless to say, this is our first house so we weren't really prepared with the costs that go into fixing things up. So, for 3 or 4 years it remained this hideous area that was completely empty in the center-- save for a few hostas that would come up in the Spring and Summer and some random plant smack dab in the center, all by its lonesome. Our quandry was that in the Fall and Winter, when the hostas would die out, there was nothing there. So. Ugly. I wasn't gung-ho about getting the Boxwood at first (they sort of smelled like cat pee, contained in my car, as I drove them home), but outside where there's TONS of airflow they actually do smell good. Very earthy. And they look pretty dang good, too!
We loved the idea of finally having some evergreens to fill up the space so we went out and got three more. Now we have a total of five out front. Unfortunately, they're already dormant so they won't fill out the space until next Spring. But at least the twenty feet of empty space are finally filled with something. And now I have new motivation to plant some flowers in the Spring since they'll have quite a handsome backdrop.
This little guy is my favorite....
Isn't he handsome surrounded by fresh mulch?
November 6, 2009
Gift Making in the Works!
Guess what's coming in the mail today?
I love Fabric.com! What do you think I'm making with them? Well, "gifts" is obvious...but what kind of gifts?
November 5, 2009
Pumpkin Pie Payback
I signed on to my blog with intentions of posting today and thought, "Hey! I wonder who else has posted today." I saw about 6 or 7 posts from some blogs that I frequent regularly and almost started catching up. But there will be NO DISTRACTIONS! ...At least until I'm done my post.
I made pumpkin pie yesterday. Well, TWO pumpkin pies, actually. I wanted to make one for our neighbors across the street because, bless their hearts, the husband always mows our front lawn for us. And here's the thing...we really want to take care of our property-- we want it to look nice. I swear! However, my husband won't let me use our lawn mower (he says it's his job as the husband and he's also afraid I might chop my hands off...yeah right!) so I can't do it during the days I'm working later because I want to be obedient to my promise that I won't use it. And when he has time to do it on the weekends, it's usually raining. So, our neighbor has taken it upon his generous self to do it, seriously, like 4 times in the past 2 or 3 months. And even though a homemade pumpkin pie isn't enough in terms of "payback," I figured it was pretty good since pumpkin pie is the best. So, while I was making theirs, I made one for Stephen and I. How could I not?
And as you can see, I couldn't even wait long enough to take a picture of that pie in its perfect state. I just HAD to cut into that bad boy. And immediately following this picture, I cut another slice.
What are you baking these days? :)
I made pumpkin pie yesterday. Well, TWO pumpkin pies, actually. I wanted to make one for our neighbors across the street because, bless their hearts, the husband always mows our front lawn for us. And here's the thing...we really want to take care of our property-- we want it to look nice. I swear! However, my husband won't let me use our lawn mower (he says it's his job as the husband and he's also afraid I might chop my hands off...yeah right!) so I can't do it during the days I'm working later because I want to be obedient to my promise that I won't use it. And when he has time to do it on the weekends, it's usually raining. So, our neighbor has taken it upon his generous self to do it, seriously, like 4 times in the past 2 or 3 months. And even though a homemade pumpkin pie isn't enough in terms of "payback," I figured it was pretty good since pumpkin pie is the best. So, while I was making theirs, I made one for Stephen and I. How could I not?
Don't you just love the texture of sugar? So sweet and tiny and grainy. (And please excuse the horrendous photos...I have THE. WORST. lighting in my kitchen. No daylight reaches this place...which is actually very sad to me because the kitchen is always where I want the most natural light in the house. But that's for another post.)
I love, love, love that burnt orange shade the pumpkin mixture gets when the spices and pumpkin are combined.
However, I also love that creamy shade the mixture gets when you add the evaporated milk.
And as you can see, I couldn't even wait long enough to take a picture of that pie in its perfect state. I just HAD to cut into that bad boy. And immediately following this picture, I cut another slice.
What are you baking these days? :)
November 4, 2009
Sleigh Bells Ring
I hopped on over to Alicia Paulson's blog this morning (my most favorite blog) to see what was going on in the life of Posy Gets Cozy. She had a link to Polyvore, if you've ever been there. I completely forgot about this little gem of a place! So inspired was I by Alicia's fashion layout, I decided to do one of my own. Naturally, I created looks for a holiday get together since I've had Christmas on the brain since, like, August. HA! Meanwhile, I did so while listening to the Classical Christmas station on Pandora. It was playing the warm kind of classical Christmas music that reminds you of old, family, Christmas traditions in Norway or Wales or Ireland where family members are gathered around the fire eating plum pudding and toasting each other and their blessings with a glass of Port. Of course...my "looks" don't resemble any of that feeling. But hey! What can I say. I was working with more modern trends.
What I really should have been doing was a multitude of other things...showering, mulching the front garden, raking leaves, washing dishes, folding laundry, sewing-- you get it. My coffee had long gone cold but I was still finding myself sipping from it. I kept telling myself, "I'm only going to look at one more page" but once I got to the FIFTIETH page of dresses (and I was only on my first item), I realized I had to set some boundaries as to how long I spend picking out each item. Therefore, I limited myself to going through 15 pages of each item. Two and half hours later (EEK!), this is what I came up with.....
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....
...
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What I really should have been doing was a multitude of other things...showering, mulching the front garden, raking leaves, washing dishes, folding laundry, sewing-- you get it. My coffee had long gone cold but I was still finding myself sipping from it. I kept telling myself, "I'm only going to look at one more page" but once I got to the FIFTIETH page of dresses (and I was only on my first item), I realized I had to set some boundaries as to how long I spend picking out each item. Therefore, I limited myself to going through 15 pages of each item. Two and half hours later (EEK!), this is what I came up with.....
.....
....
...
..
I couldn't decide on just one of each thing so I went with three different holiday looks. Who's volunteering to buy me those Alexander McQueen Swarovski Crystal heels?
Anyway, I guess I ought to get back to real life. And (ahem) shower.
October 31, 2009
Fall Harvest-y Goodness
So, Stephen and I planted his birthday boxwoods (or should it be boxwood?) today. (Our memory card was full at the time and we had a rather rainy day, so pictures to come tomorrow.) Afterwards, we headed off to pick up some pumpkins for the front steps and fresh apple cider donuts. Yum!
Look at that hottie! Wow, I really got lucky, didn't I?
Look at that hottie! Wow, I really got lucky, didn't I?
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