the storm before the calm

I'd hoped to update you on my exciting week and weekend, but it looks like I won't get the chance.

This has nothing to do with my post, it's just cute!

If I don't get the chance to say goodbye, we are leaving for our cruise tomorrow straight after work. I'm super excited, working on getting packed, and also working to get ahead at work pretty much nonstop. Between writing three weeks' worth of press releases in three days among my other work duties, and last minute shopping and packing, I will be going going going going until Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.

I've broken my Don't Bring Work Home rule every night this week, but fortunately JT is very understanding.

This is what I call the storm before the calm: three days of riotous frenzy followed by ten days of nothing. I'd say it's a more than fair exchange.

wordless wednesday

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!

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?

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.

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!