Not Me! Monday!

Welcome back to Not Me! Monday! the blog carnival brainchild of MckMama, where bloggies like me have the chance to 'fess up to everything we've NOT been up to lately.

It was NOT me, who realized on Friday night that I'd already slept my last sleep in the 74012, chased my last wild kitten, driven my last fifty-minute drive home in traffic, shopped my last groceries at my favorite Reasors, and cooked my last meal on my fantastic gas stove.

My last meal was NOT a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a side of roasted mushrooms? What kind of meal is that (NOT)?

And after seeing pictures and hearing about so many amazing running stories, I did NOT get on a huge running kick today and map out a plan for 3 long distance races over the next year. A quarter marathon August 7, Tulsa Run (9-miler) on 10/30, Route 66 half mary in November, and a full next April. NOT me!

It was NOT ME! who enlisted the help of Jason and Andrea, who are one hardworking power couple! By the time they left five hours later, they had NOT fed us homemade pizzas (Andrea), helped move all of the heavy furniture (Jason), packed and cleaned my kitchen (Andrea), and completely filled our POD! But if they DID, I would be forever grateful for their hard work. And I'd invite them to be our first dinner guests if so!

another random one!

we throw the best office birthday parties. of all time.
complete with 3D decorations and make-your-own mud pies

(there's no alcy in those jello shots. promise.)

*    *   *

I got over my terror of packing and we've made pretty good progress.
my husband is living up to his self-proclaimed moniker, "Professional Packer"
I guess he's moved a lot?
either way, I am glad to be married to such a fast, efficient, and encouraging mover.

as our house empties, I'm coming to terms with it
and detaching myself from the idea of it as my home
here is a glimpse of home now:

 still amazed by this.
I can't wait to find out why God called us to this house
and opened every single door
when it's way more than we need for several years,
way more than I ever imagined we'd be blessed with.
it's a mystery

*   *   *
I had every intention of doing "weight loss wednesday"
with my beauty mama friend Sarah T. this week,
but decided to do another random post.


If they are becoming regular, does that mean they're not random anymore?

anyway, there is absolutely no way I can post about weight loss this week.
not on a week when I have worked out once (tonight)
and am still getting over the plague.

plus, I have acquired three cookbooks this week.
my mom bought me Giada's latest and the Julia Child cookbook, too.
ironically, I have not cooked once this week, unless you count PB&J.
do you count PB&J?
last night, I had a weird craving for roasted mushrooms on the side of my PB&J


the third cookbook is TOTALLY different:

I emailed Kath of KERF, and she recommended this to me.
I've already bookmarked my favs.
I really want to jump on the "whole foods" bandwagon more,
but it just feels so sinful to cheat on my Braum's soft serve like so!
 nevertheless, here at the marriage of an undomestic,
I decided three blogs is way too  many, so
I've pretty much combined them now.
you will be seeing "improving LB" and "undomestic kitchen" posts
right here in the near future!

letters

April 19, 2008

Dear Flu, Please leave Casa Tomlinson. We'd like to breathe normally and be socially acceptable again soon. So pack your bags and take Coughing, Sniffling, Achies, and the rest of your cronies with you, too! Already feeling better, LB

Dear Weekend to Remember, You were our first marriage conference to ever attend and, boy, were you a lot of information to grasp! You encouraged us to put God first, our marriage second, and everything else should come after those two things. We learned more about communicating with each other, were encouraged to express our love better, and can't wait to put the gems you taught us to practice in our marriage. Grateful, LB

Dear Colt McCoy, When I saw you on TV in a Longhorns jersey, I have to admit it was bittersweet. They were showing the 2007 bowl game on ESPN Classic, and I was both happy at the fond memories of a great Christian team leader and a knockout QB, and sad when reminded of the disappointing note on which you left. Can't wait to see what a great NFL quarterback you will be. Good luck in the draft this week! Maybe a little too invested in college football? LB


Dear The Chalkboard, JT took me to you on Saturday night, one of my first visits to a super nice restaurant! Your house salad with goat cheese, apples, pecans, and bing cherries was fantastic, and I'm still dreaming of the beef bourguignon that I'm sure would make even Julia herself squeal with delight. We'll have to save you for very, very special occasions unless we want Dave Ramsey on our heels, but thanks for helping us celebrate in style! One happy customer, LB


Dear POD, You are arriving on Tuesday and I have ten days to pack my entire life into you. I have to admit I'm a little intimidated at that prospect. Will you please be easy to pack and provide enough space for Casa Tomlinson's epic download? Thank you in advance for moving our possessions across town and storing them for a week 'til we're ready to move into our new house. I'm sure with the help of God, prayers of my friends, and a lot of hard work, we'll figure out some way to get you packed before we close! Baffled in Broken Arrow, LB

Dear Routine, About once a year I have a moral crisis in which I examine you. Am I spending my time wisely? Am I doing everything I want to do? My BFF, the esteemed counseling fellow, always tells me that I both need and deserve down time, but is there such thing as too much of a good thing? Would devoting an hour a day to exercise and an hour a day to writing help me accomplish my goals better? Let's talk later, LB


Dear JT, Congratulations! We have been promoted to Year 3 of Marriage! It's been quite the adventure, and I'm so glad I get to be your helper for the rest of our lives. Thank you for making me laugh every day, like when you told me tonight that you'd left a message on our bed to tell me how you feel -- just like the conference said to do -- and I found a package of brownie mix waiting for me. Thank you for your kindness when you choose graceful words, consideration when you listen to my stories, patience when you're waiting for me to get to the point already, selflessness when you let me pick the movie, thoughtfulness for a wonderful date night and a thousand other ways you show you care throughout the day, humility to let me take care of you when you're sick, flexibility to adapt to our differences in personality, and faithfulness to show me God's love as the closest example I have of it on this earth. You are the most important person in my life.  I choose us! LB

my husband, the cook

Reason #23093209 why I love JT

Yesterday evening on the phone, while I am home from work sick:

JT: Would you feel up to making s'mores tonight?
LB: I don't really feel up to anything.
JT: Oh. Well, I kind of told my office I'd bring some tomorrow.
LB: ...

So JT drove to the store (I had forgotten Golden Grahams, the MOST crucial ingredient) and made his very own S'more Bars for his co-workers. I am so proud!

**Update**

JT has just come home from work:

LB: I missed you!

JT: Are you going to take a shower?

LB: (Smelling myself) Why, do I stink?

JT: Ummm...no, you'll just feel better after you take a shower.

When I returned from the shower, this is what I found:

Sick

Last night I got that heavy, prickly feeling that usually signals my annual sickness. The heavy head, the scratchy throat, the vertigo when I make any sudden movements.

So I prayed that at least I wouldn't get strep, my fatal weakness, and I'm grateful my prayers were answered. Even though it's a miserable feeling not being able to go anywhere without a trail of Kleenex or hold my head up for more than a few minutes of time, I embrace my sickness as a chance to rest.

My arsenal for battling sickness is lots of water, orange juice, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and of course, my beloved Bayton.

What is your weapon of choice?

in limbo

Weekend highlights: Stonehorse Friday date night with my favorite person in the whole world and the French onion soup that literally changed my life, a daytrip to see my brother-in-law's play, playing "Mary" from church today, a great time with my girls from SoCoChicks (including a dance party with some of my favorite little girls Emercyn & Kennedy afterward), and getting to see the last blooms on my favorite tree during my Sunday afternoon jog!

When I say we played "Mary" from church, I mean hooky. After getting in from OKC at 1 a.m. I slept through my alarm and we decided a little more sleep would do us well. Some of you might know that I am a worship leader at my church, and pretty much every week we are at church early Sunday to practice and spend time with some of our favorite people.

At my Bible Study tonight, someone happened to bring up this passage:

39  She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40  But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41  But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42  but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Between a busy season at work, selling and buying a house, pretty much doubling my workout schedule, and all of the other day-to-day things that come up, I have felt like a Martha a lot lately. We both felt like our accidentally sleep-in and playing "Mary" after a hectic Saturday would do us well this week. So we enjoyed sleeping in until about 10:30, eating homemade waffles with flax, and then running some leisurely errands around town. The extra sleep not only energized me, but I promise the little break also rejuvenated some areas of my attitude that needed a tune-up.  


So here I sit in limbo between two weeks, awake late Sunday night (because of my extra sleep, no doubt!) at the time of week when my thoughts are most abundant. I will tell you one thing. I feel full and hopeful about this week!

Sweet Onion and Mixed Vegetable Stir-fry

Tonight's original plan was cereal for dinner. But as I was driving home, I remembered some vegetables I had in the fridge that were almost past their window of peak freshness, and I decided to seize the day. You can make this really with any vegetables you have, and even add some meat, but I absolutely loved this combination of my classic favs. Let me know what combination works for you!

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
3-4 stalks diced celery (for crunch!)
1 carton of  mushrooms, sliced or whole
1 bunch spinach, stems removed
1 T rice wine vinegar (a splash or two)
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame dressing
2 T honey

Directions

Heat up a wok or big skillet on medium to medium high heat as you chop your vegetables. Add a drizzle of oil to the bottom of the pan when you're almost finished chopping. The pan should be nice and hot.

Add the onions, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and stir to coat in the oil. I thinly sliced my onions instead of diced them because I wanted their caramelized sweetness to be a major star in this dish. When the onions are glossy and translucent, add the minced garlic and stir.

Stir in the vegetables, except for the spinach, adding a few sprinkles of salt and pepper. If the skillet looks dry, splash with a little rice wine vinegar. You can also use chicken stock, dry white wine, or anything that will keep it moist and give it flavor. Just remember: less is more. You want to give your veggies a little drink, not drown them. Add the spinach and coat it with the pan liquids so it will begin to wilt.

Let it cook, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the sauce in a small bowl so you can get the taste just right. I started with equal parts soy sauce and sesame dressing and drizzled in the honey to taste. I ended up adding a little more sesame dressing because I wanted my stir fry to be more savory and I knew my onions would release their natural sugars. But if you want it to be sweeter, honey is your main man!

Once you've perfected the sauce, add it in increments. Once again, less is more. You want there to be just enough extra liquid to drizzle over your rice, but if it starts to look like soup, you've added too much. Stir it around until the vegetables absorb the sauce a little, taste test to see if you need to adjust your seasonings, and serve with brown rice, sesame noodles, Ramen, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Other ideas: try it with bell peppers, snap peas, or pineapple. Sprinkle some crunchy Asian noodles on top for texture. Add some red pepper flakes for a little heat. Add cornstarch or flour to your sauce if you want it to be thick.

my most random post to date

It's starting to bloom!

JT planted this beautiful tree in our yard because he knows how much I love white buds. If you were at our wedding you know I am all about white buds and cherry blossoms. I appreciate him so much for being such a thoughtful husband and for being such a hard worker.

*   *   *

Tonight American Idol almost broke the final straw. 

I vowed to JT that if the judges didn't use their save on Michael Lynche, my very favorite from the beginning, I would stop watching the show once and for all. And I was completely serious. One thing that was worth America's stupidity: I got to hear his rendition of "This Woman's Work" again, which is one of my favorite songs. Makes me want to watch Love and Basketball really bad! Love that movie!

*   *   *

I want to make this recipe this week:

Whole Foods pork and pineapple tacos. Yum lime! Yum cilantro! Maybe if I add some avocado I will learn to like it? I really want to learn to like it! I'm sure it would taste good with mango, too, if I liked mango!

*   *   *

I had a super healthy dinner tonight.  

Since I'd exceeded my daily carb allowance and took a day off from cardio (just one Extreme Tower Strength pilates class, thank you very much!), I ate probably 10 celery sticks with one wedge of Laughing Cow cheese and yogurt with sliced strawberries and a sprinkle Kashi cereal on top. It was amazing!

Since a few weeks ago when that last rogue snow melted and the temperature has been perfect, I have been running outside 3-4 times a week with my dad on top of my 2 resistance strength Pilates classes a week. He turns 50 this year, and our goal is to get him fit + nifty = fifty by October. And I'm pretty proud of our progress. We run anywhere from 2-3.5 miles depending on the day and we're slowly finding our stride and breaking down the runner's wall (you know the one)! If I can say goodbye to eating unreasonable amounts at my parents' house and office goodies, I can say hello to bikini season and more long distance running again!

*   *   *

My life would be absolutely nothing without God and His grace. 

This week, I rediscovered The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. It's my favorite book in the entire world, and I got so much out of it that I typed out all of my favorite quotes. Reading through them was sobering and exhilarating at the same time. If you want to see my little outline, let me know and I will send it to you!

*   *   *

Aside from my relationships with God and people, I need singing and listening to music and writing regularly to feel whole. In addition to my blog, I have written one book (written during my senior year of high school through my sophomore year of college, which will never, ever see the light of day) and I have an idea for another based on my heart for young twenty-somethings who are figuring out adulthood and whatnot. My English professors and classmates would probably exile me, but I have grown to absolutely adore Christian chick lit (like my friends Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt, and Judy Baer) as a way of escape when the 40-hour work week leaves me brain dead. 

All of the books in this genre I have read usually have to do with a successful young woman who has everything and loses it or doesn't like it, but I have yet to find one where the girl starts with nothing and has to figure life and love out on her own. Anyway, all that to say I have been working on this project here and there, and it's making me very happy!

*   *   *

I don't know why, 

but these past few weeks, 

I have felt 

whole

always a work in progress, 

but more complete.

God is good!

a family tradition

My brothers and I have an Easter tradition: 

hoops

I am the oldest and the shortest out of the three now, but my brothers can't take my mean hook shot. Just kidding. They totally let me cheat. The name of our game is 21, and yesterday I won for the very first time. 10 shots, 1 free-throw. Plus, they are sweet and don't take away all of my points when I miss a shot and they tip it in. 

But the fun of basketball isn't in dribbles, swishes, follow throughs, or any of that. It's in the trash talk. My brothers and I have a pseudo-gangsta language we've used ever since NBA Hangtime 1999 or something like that. 

I love my brothers!

"ain't nothin to it"
"all day, baby"

a memory

This is what happens when you try to bake a cookie in the microwave. An unnamed coworker of mine stuck the cookie dough in the microwave for only one minute, and what resulted was a cloud of foul-smelling stench that turned another coworker's office into a force field that punched you in the face the minute you penetrated it. To top it all off, we work in a former hospital with a smoke alarm and several sprinklers overhead. We did not want to be responsible for the evacuation of a 60 story building and thousands of dollars of electronics damaged by the sprinklers.

So here are my coworkers desperately fanning the smoke away from the sprinklers. I am not pictured, hiding behind the camera, laughing hysterically in between trying to prevent smoke inhalation injuries to my lungs.

This is a memory I want to remember forever.