Wednesday, October 28, 2009

wordless wednesday


Saturday, October 24, 2009

project LGN

Two weeks ago, I made a goal to revive my Project LGN blog, and I'm 90% there. It's under construction right now, but I hope to have it up very soon.

Basically, it's a healthy lifestyle blog. (I refuse to call it a weight loss blog) I will put progress pictures, workout plans, healthy recipes, and track good decisions I've made.

Here's the catch: I start Monday, and I'm 90% sure I'm going to make this blog open to invited readers only. So if you'd like to read this, what promises to be my most candid, possibly TMI blog ever, leave a comment and I will add you!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

this is not a happy post.

Original Post

I am never making paella again.

This is what I get for having Delusions of Domesticity, I call them.

A friend of mine, a newlywed, called me from the store to get my advice about basil. I should change the name of my blog, I thought. WRONG.

I was so out of sorts today that I cut my onion wrong and had to dice it the long way. And why has no one ever told me how long it takes to peel the casing off of chorizo? It took me so long that I burned my chicken stock. I decided to make new, flavorful chicken stock out of burnt chicken stock, and scraped off the little bits to incorporate them.

Then, I finally got my casings peeled. (Most of them. I hope JT doesn't die from a little casing that might have slipped in there.) I added the chicken stock, and it absorbed nicely, but when it was finished cooking, I peeled back the layer of aluminum foil and was bit by a shark.

"Easy Paella," Ingrid Hoffman told me in her adorable little accent as she picked up her thongs (she can't say it right).

Easy Paella never burnt someone's thumb so much she wanted to cry.

The next morning...

The paella turned out great, so I forgive it. A little. I served it with a makeshift version of MckMama's Texas Caviar and some red wine JT picked up. We're house sitting for my parents, who are in Italy, (I know! Not fair!) and they didn't have anything for salad, so I rinsed and tossed a can each of diced tomatoes, garbanzo beans, black beans, and two cans of corn into a bowl with some salt and Italian dressing, and we ate it with organic corn chips. YUM!

I have an angry red welt on my thumb that might blister. Note to self (and you): even if the foil isn't hot, the steam beneath is scorching! My skark was at home, so all I had were some flimsy cloth potholders. Lesson learned.

So maybe I will make paella again, give it a second chance. But does anyone have any tips on peeling sausage casings to prevent a 20-minute fiasco?

Thursday Thirteen


Because JT had a big day,
here he is as a kid



13 Manners and Rules My Mother Taught Me:

1) Always say "please" and "thank you."

2) When someone else answers the phone, say, "May I please speak with..." instead of, "Can I talk to..."

3) Three words: "It's 'Yes, Ma'am!'"

4) No calling people's houses after 8:00.

5) Say "bottom" and "poot" instead of "butt" and other unacceptable alternatives.

6) Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, always, and if you're coughing incessantly, leave the room lest you become the victim of a passive aggressive glare.

7) Never call boys. Under any circumstances.

8) Never ask if someone can come over or spend the night in front of that person.

9) Only 2 Oreos at a time. (That really set me up for failure haha)

10) (This isn't really a rule, but I got in trouble several times for continuing to talk and ignoring her minivan when she came to pick me up.)

11) Send thank you notes and other tokens of appreciation. (I wish I was better about this.)

12) Respond "Doing well," when someone asks how I'm doing instead of "Doing good." You don't know how much fun I had explaining that that was grammatically incorrect, though she didn't believe me until I had an English degree.

13) Always serve my husband's dinner plate and beverage. I only always do this at her house :)


What about you? Did you have any crazy rules or manners growing up? Are there rules or manners you wish would become laws?

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

eye candy

As your token favorite Undomestic, I have never had an eye for decorating or what things should look like in my home. As manly as he is, JT is also blessed with a great eye for design, and he comes up with all of the great ideas to make our home cozy and cute. But right now, I'm obsessed with berries and blossoms of all kinds and fake fruit used in unconventional ways. Somehow, I think he disagrees with my tastes. My mom has the cutest orange and yellow fall berry spray framing her front door and I love it. Since everyone is starting to think about Christmas decor, I think I'm going to try to make a berry and lime wreath for our door before Christmastime. For my house, I'm not a fan of the conventional pointsettia/pine needle look. So I'm going to see what we can do differently!

JT and I want a furry friend so badly, preferably of this variety (Weimaraner). We even have him named and have big plans of taking him running and hiking with us. Of course, I've counted my puppies before they've hatched and want a second dog, too, so he can have a friend. I also want a big sweet Yorkie because I had one briefly growing up and she was the only dog we had who liked me more than my mother. My mother gave her away before I could say goodbye.


Longhorns in celebration is always eye candy to me. Even though the games have been ugly, it's been a fun season!

Is it too early to be thinking about Christmas presents? I think I'd be mad if JT spent $299 on my Christmas present, but I've been eyeing this super cute stand mixer every time I see it in Giada's kitchen. It's my favorite color, and my mom told me not to register for one for our wedding because she was going to buy it, but then she ended up buying something else, so I didn't get it.

If I could have any room in any house, this would be it. If money, time, energy, and space wasn't an issue, I'd transplant the simplicity of this room into my entire house. These are my ideal Christmas decorations: splashes of color I can interchange, not too flashy, hidden storage, and big plush comfort inviting me and guests in to curl up (feet and socks allowed on the sofa) for a cup of cocoa and sink into the cushions for some good conversation -- TV not required.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

lately

outside my office this morning
yes, we're behind tacky gold bars!


Since I didn't have time to do a Not Me! Monday this week (I know, I know!), I will do a Tuesday weekly update.

JT and I are going on vacation in 2 and 1/2 weeks for a cruise. I am only 60% sure where we are going but I'm VERY excited for 8 days off of work, the ocean, great seafood, the warm sun, and quality time with my main man.

So I didn't get everything done from last week's list, EVEN the haircut part. I know. It's pathetic. Luckily, I have an incentive. I HAVE to get my haircut before the cruise. I think that's reasonable. I definitely waited until Sunday and Monday of THIS WEEK to get most of what I did get done done, including cleaning my house and running 3 miles last night and doing Pilates this morning. My body can take it. No big deal. I DID make enchiladas the very next day after I posted the list, and JT and I had them for leftovers a few nights, too.

I won a contest! I will be the proud owner of an autographed copy of Anne & May's brand new release, "A Little Help from My Friends." (Remember? The one with the AWESOME cover?) I'm super excited because 1) I've never won anything before, and 2) I ordered it from border.com, yet somehow, UPS has sent it from Mississippi to Missouri to West Virginia? They must be directionally challenged?

On Monday, I learned a lesson the hard way. You see, I work in an Office Divided, which is an Oklahoma term for houses, families, friends, etc that pledge allegiance to rival football teams. So I placed a bet with my boss and some people in the office last Friday about last weekend's OU/Texas game. The terms were that if Texas beat OU by seven or more, my boss would wear burnt orange apparel and/or take us to lunch, or else we'd have to wear an OU shirt all day on Monday. Well, Texas won by three, but my boss walked in Monday morning and said he thought it was unfair for us to have to wear Sooner garb all day when we did, in fact, win. So I was left with nothing else to wear except for JT's white jersey.

Don and Sammy

Both of my brothers are NEVER in town at the same time, but we got to watch the game together this weekend and laugh our faces off at the brand of humor only we understand from being raised together. It was Don's birthday and much fun!


So I put up a link to my blog on Facebook, and even posted a link on Twitter. I guess that means I'm going public? Not necessary taking the plunge, but maybe sticking a toe in the water.

Since I'm "going public," will you? I blog stalk some people -- and comment them shamelessly. So do feel free to do the same, whether I know you in real life or not! No need to be bashful in this neck of the woods!

Monday, October 19, 2009

snuggles


One of my favorite parts of marriage is when I stir in my warm sleep

and awaken to my husband, gently taking my glasses off my face

putting my book on the bedside table (even if he doesn't remember to save my spot)

and covering me up to make sure I am warm and snuggled tightly in the covers.

It happens often, but makes me smile every time. I call it

pure bliss

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Thursday Thirteen


Thirteen Traditions I Want to Save/Uphold/Begin for My Family*:

*Disclaimer: This is not an announcement that JT and my little family is growing anytime soon.
Good, now that that's settled, we can continue on with the list.

1) The importance of family: being close to, confiding in, supporting, praying for, and showing love for family. I didn't live close to my grandparents or cousins and regret not seeing them as much.

2) The Cosby Show. Thinking of buying the series on DVD. I want to be exactly like Mrs. Huxtable and solve everyone's problems with witty humor and perfectly timed cake. I won't give JT too much grief for licking the frosting before it's served, either.

3) Eating dinner together as a family. Not every night, because that's pretty much impossible, but much as humanly possible. Hopefully, they will prefer to be there!

4) I want to be able to teach my kids (at least the girls) how to sew and play the piano, two domestic essentials I don't have in my arsenal.

5) Love of playing outside: I once spent an entire afternoon tracking an ant from one side of my backyard to the other. I was always in a tree, jumping on the trampoline, and used to beg my mom to let me eat my pop-tarts on the driveway on summer mornings. I know life happens, but hopefully my kids will spend more time getting dirty than in front of a screen. Then again, look what happened when this mother let her kid play outside for too long :)

6) Christy Miller books. Everything I learned about growing up was from Christy and Todd.

7) Going to church together every week. JT and I have never skipped church unless we were sick or out of town. That aspect of family is important, too!

8 & 9) Music and Laughter: two important essentials I want to always be floating through my home. It will keep JT and me young and our kids worry-free as long as possible.

10) Bayton. I have a quilt named Bayton (I could not say "blanket") made by an old great aunt when I was born. It's pink and has all kinds of vintage fabric squares. It's the softest thing I've ever touched, even a baby's bottom. It's somehow the perfect size for my full-grown height -- I can tuck it under my toes and pull it under my chin. Even though I'm married, I still sleep with it. I want to make my kids one, because they sure as anything cannot have mine :)

11) Boy Meets World. Three words: Corey+and+Topanga.

12) Curiosity. I hope beyond all hope that I will not stifle my kids' curiosity by getting annoyed at their questions, but hope, explore, and believe with them and be inspired by them. I think my mom was great at that!

13) Not just before meals PRAYER, but a constant life of it. Something we depend on. I pray for him/her/them already, but I hope my kids will knock my socks off in this department as it's such an important part of life and I haven't been the best at it.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

possessed


I came across this video today and love it so much!
"What would you have done if this was your little girl and that was you?" I asked JT.
"I would have been scared," he said. "I would have thought she was possessed."

Monday, October 12, 2009

Not Me! Monday



It's that time of week again! Time for us to take down our hair and 'fess up, courtesy of MckMama's brilliant mind!

As a productive wife who makes the best use of my time possible, I did NOT blow off housework Saturday after Pilates. And if I did, surely I would make up for it on Sunday, right?

I did NOT make three trips to Lowe's and one trip to Home Depot this weekend at my husband's bidding.

It was NOT me who spent hours obsessing this weekend over my company's Christmas party skit, and rewrite an entire 80s song to fit a cheesy topic.

As a mature adult, I would never confide my deathly fear of bees to two complete strangers on two separate occasions -- all in the five minute walk to my car. NOT me!

I did NOT go to every bookstore in town to see if they had the latest Anne and May release -- MULTIPLE times, sometimes within the same day. NOPE, NOT me!!

Last but not least, I did not buy fake UGG boots this weekend. I am about ten years too old for those, right? And I definitely did NOT tuck them into my pants even though I made fun of a mom for doing it just hours before.

JT and I did NOT go see Whip It and love it! And I did NOT just discover the band Owl City, who is kind of NOT growing on me.

Well that's what I have NOT been up to. Kind of boring, huh? Your turn!


Sunday, October 11, 2009

weekly goals

1) clean my house


2) make enchiladas


3) revive my Project LGN blog


4) run 3-4 times (get back to medium distances, over 3 miles)


5) write 5 nights this week
6) get TONS done at work
7) get Anne and May's new book, A Little Help from My Friends. By the way, best cover art ever. See?


8) If I don't post pictures of a new haircut or tweet about it or something by the end of this week, find me, tie me up, and take me to the salon. It is absolutely necessary!

9) Cheer on the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Shootout on Saturday. It's gonna be a great game, as usual!

Must get some sleep!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Not Me! Monday


Welcome to Not Me! Monday, the liberating blog carnival that all started with MckMama! Kids or no kids, there are some things people just feel better about owning up to doing -- or NOT doing!

Like last week, when I stayed home from work sick, there's NO way on earth I'd watch ten episodes of One Tree Hill while I worked. There's no way I would indulge in guilty pleasures like that, much less waste several hours halfway watching a show while getting some serious work done.

Or while driving, I would NEVER honk at the Chic-Fil-A cow dancing on the corner of the street, only to realize it was inflatable and there wasn't an actual person inside. NOT Me!

I have NOT allowed six months to pass without a haircut for three consecutive times. Nope, NOT me! I have NOT resorted to wearing my hair in a ponytail almost everyday because my layers are unmanageable. I do NOT need my good friend Sarah T's help.

In Pilates class, I am NOT ALWAYS the fattest, slowest, and most embarrassing, often the youngest person there. Certainly I can keep up with the best of the 40 and 50 year-old women, and my body is definitely in the best shape since I am probably the only one who has not had children! And after a month of doing it, there's NO way I am still so sore after all of my classes. Surely I can handle them by now.

I would NEVER leave a full minute of grammar instruction on my friend's VOICEMAIL, even if it was asked for. Who would be that pompous?

If you noticed my post below, I did NOT stop on the side of a busy street as I picked up my Pei Wei and hide behind my car so I could take a self-portrait in the pretty flowers. I definitely have the sense not to do that.

I did NOT tear up when I saw the preview for next week's "Office." My life is NOT that vested in fictional characters!

Wow, that's a lot of things I did NOT do this week, but it sure feels good. What about you? Did you waste an entire day NOT looking at blogs? Surely you would NOT spend tons of money on to-die-for boots. Let me have it!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

confessions


Hi, friends. I know I have been neglectful of my blog. I've had lots on my mind, but whenever I have time to post, it means my mind is unoccupied and I can't remember for the life of me what was SO important I had to say.

First thing first, God is SO good! In case you could tell from my subtle hints, I have been having some health issues due to my ulcerative colitis. When my uc is bad, my life is drastically altered, not only physically but mentally and emotionally, too. Since I was seeing no signs of improvement, we were looking at prednisone, which is a kind of steroid that makes me retain water, increases my appetite, and makes me in a perpetual bad mood.

I said if my symptoms didn't improve by the end of this weekend, I'd go on it, and I asked God to pleasepleaseplease work on my behalf and help me get better even though what I'd been doing for about a month wasn't doing much to help. I am happy to admit I am filled with hope because I have had ZERO symptoms today and believe wholeheartedly that it was all God!

My church just celebrated its one year anniversary. We had an amazing service today to commemorate and all got cool new shirts. I am on the worship team, and I have really felt a community of love and worship during our gatherings. My favorite thing about my church is that nobody pretends to be perfect, not even our pastor (whom I watched check a guy hard into the wall in his indoor soccer game last night), and I think the verse about God's grace being sufficient and His power being made perfect by weakness has never been more real.

Today, I wore what I've decided will be my favorite fall outfit, this super cute gray dress with a long sleeve black shirt under it and dark jeans and canary yellow flats. Also, my hair is long enough to do a cute little side braid now!

Other than that, I've been enjoying my absolute favorite month of the year, Texas Longhorns still undefeated football season, and pilates torture classes. Still, I think I'm going to have to do a long Not Me! Monday! post tomorrow because I have lots and lots of embarrassing things to come clean about. Until then!
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