Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Love & holidays

I'll admit, I've been behind on my blog for a while. Posting Ten on Tuesday is pretty much all I had time for, and by the time I've caught up with my Google Reader there's not a lot of time to actually post.  But I'd like to work on this a little, so let's start slowly with a little bit of a list.

+ Biggest & brightest reason I've been absent? I got engaged!  Back in October M & I headed out to Kansas for a KU football game (my first trip out there).  He wanted to show me the town where he spent his college years since in our home it's Jayhawks all the time.  Well, toward the end of the campus tour he started acting a little weird.  We made it to the campanile which overlooks the stadium and he pulled out the most beautiful ring.



We spent the rest of our trip celebrating it up and cheering on the football team even though they lost.


+ Because of the engagement it's been a bit of a whirlwind around here.  As per usual, everyone we come in contact with wants to know details.  Have you set a date? September-ish.  Where is it? Not sure yet. Etc. etc.  Add in the fact that almost every other friend I have is engaged or married right now that's all they want to talk about.  But we have appointments on Sunday to look at some venues...so stay tuned.

+ Thanksgiving came and went with a lot of drama.  My grandparents usually do dinner at their house, but my mom called me the Tuesday before saying my grandfather had a really bad cold.  Because of this my grandmother didn't want to get the rest of the family sick.  My mom offered to host the event, but I reminded her that her oven was out of commission and in turn Thanksgiving was at our place.  Almost 20 people over and a 25 lb turkey?  That would make most people's head spin...let alone two days before the event.  Add in I've never even roasted a chicken before, let's just say I was a little anxious.  But it went off w/o a hitch...no burnt turkey and everyone had a great time.

+ As for now?  I'm hopelessly trying to get my holiday shopping done in time.  I managed to get my cards out, but I have another 250 to do at work so I just keep remembering to breathe.  Anyone else running behind schedule???

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Ten on Turkey Day


I'm a little behind as Thanksgiving was dumped in my lap yesterday so let's get this started! Compiled at Roots & Rings (Chelsea) and questions provided by E is Random (Elizabeth).

 
[source]
1. What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?

This year was supposed to be at my grandparent's place, but my grandpa caught a horrible cold.  As of yesterday morning a few phone calls were made and now it's at my place.

2. What are you most thankful for this year?

A great group of people around me.  Family, friends & future family make things wonderful.

3. Do you have any traditions on Thanksgiving? The parade? Football? Long naps?

In our family this is the start of having lefse.  For those not of Scandinavian decent, it's kind of like a potato tortilla. You put butter & sugar on it, then roll it up.


For M he insisted on the Macy's parade & football on TV at all times.

4. Is it called stuffing or dressing? Is it in the bird or a separate dish?

It's called stuffing if it's inside the bird, and dressing outside the bird.  We usually have both.

5. Do you cook?

I do this year!  I usually bring a few dishes (I was supposed to bring 3 apps) but I'm going to attempt a 25 lb turkey and have 20 people over to my house.  Please wish me luck, I'll need it!

6. What is your favorite dish?

I love stuffing & cranberries (real, not in a can).  Oh, and the wine. :-)

7. What is your dessert preference?

Pumpkin pie all the way, with real whipped cream.

8. What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

When I was little I used to sit on my grandparent's organ seat at the table because it was a little higher up.

9. Do you plan to shop on Black Friday?

Absolutely not.  I have a hard enough time shopping on a normal day, I can't handle that many people being inconsiderate.  M might go out tomorrow on his own though, he loves a good deal.

10. What are you most dreading about Thanksgiving this year?

Honestly? Part of me is dreading hosting...only because it's harder to get away.  When we have this many people together I usually need a few mins to get away and recharge.  It's easier when it's at someone else's house, but if I have to lock myself in the pantry I'll do it. Ha!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Ten on Tuesday: Pasta Edition

 Today's Ten on Tuesday post comes from Kristen @ St. Monica's Bridge and it's all about pasta.  As pasta is one of my favorite foods ever I couldn't resist.

1. Red Sauce or White Sauce?
I like a little combination of both.  Or, even better...make a red sauce & add a little cream (and syrah!)

2. Do you prefer pasta you can twirl or stab?
I like both, but we do a lot of angel hair so there's some serious twirling going on in my house.

3. Baked or boiled?
Mostly boil, but on occasion there is a casserole around here.

4. Do you like meat in your sauce or do you kick it vegetarian style?
I think if I didn't include meat in the sauce M might kick me out of the house.  I used to do veggie because I had a serious phobia of raw meat, but I'm getting better.

5. Where have you had your very best pasta ever?
Probably at my grandparent's house.  My grandma gave me the recipe and I make it almost weekly.  But it's super basic...chicken, carrots, broccoli, pasta, swiss cheese, cream & garlic.

6. What is your favorite pasta dish?
My step dad's chicken parm w/pasta alfredo is pretty awesome.

7. Do you serve meatballs when you make spaghetti or just do a meat sauce?
Mostly do a meat sauce unless meatballs are requested.  I don't really like balls or loaves of meat (insert joke here) so I break it up a lot.

8. Why type (rice, whole wheat, egg, etc) of noodles do you use?
Umm...whatever the standard is.  I don't go out of my way to buy gluten free or anything extremely nutritious.

9. What type of meats or vegetables do you put in your sauce?
Mostly hamburger & spicy ground sausage, but I had leftover zucchini one day...threw it in and I loved it.  M on the other hand requested I never put it in again.  So sad.

10. Do you make a “Sunday gravy” to use throughout the week or do you just open a jar of whatever and heat it up? (No judgment on this one!)
That would probably make more sense, but I'm more of an open up a jar kind of girl.  At least for the base, adding herbs, onions & garlic along with the cream & wine from above makes it taste almost completely homemade.

In other news tomorrow I head on vacation to Kansas of all places.  M went to college there so he's giving me a complete tour even with a football game.  The weather's supposed to be way nicer than at home, so I plan to relax and enjoy.  Now if I can only get everything done before we leave...that's a whole different ball game!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Can the planners of the world please stand up?

[source]
Do you think you're a planner out of necessity, because it's your nature or something else?  I think I'm a little of the first two.  In my job I'm an office manager.  While the image of this is usually payroll or accounting...in my situation neither of these really apply.  I work in a building that is probably 4-5 times the size for the people we have which means facilities management.  I work with people who need a lot of hand holding.  But most of all, I plan EVERYTHING.  Office parties, moves, board meetings...you name it - I'm the glue.  And the only way I can keep track of everything is a massive to-do list.

But I'm also a planner in every day life.  Whether I'm planning a vacation (especially coordinating with lots of friends), figuring out the menu for the week (yes, I write it all out) or scheduling things for the weekend it's what I do.  But is it ALL I do?  Am I a planner at home because I'm a planner at work?  Or am I a planner at work because it's in my nature and I'm getting paid for something I do well?

Sometimes it's exhausting.  In my group of friends there's a lot of planner types and I will just step back and let them take the reins.  Just tell me where to go, what to do and how much it's going to cost.  I need to turn my brain off.  Is it surprising I have anxiety?

If there is any of you out there, please feel free to share your tips to make things run smoother or thoughts in general.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

There is a real post that I need to get around to making but I've been lazy and haven't transferred my photos to the computer. So in the meantime, let's play Ten on Tuesday courtesy of Chelsea @ Roots & Rings (questions by Sarah).

1. Do you do laundry all at the same time or a load here and there?
I try to do laundry all at the same time, but ever since we started softball things have been off. Laundry day is usually softball day, so I get one load done (w/our shirts) and then hope I can get the rest done during the week.

2. What kind of detergent do you use?
Costco's free & clear (Kirkland Signature). I have really sensitive skin, so most anything else makes me itch like crazy. M once attempted to be nice & do laundry but used the leftover soap he had from his house...let's just say he's doesn't do laundry anymore.

3. Do you use fabric softener?
Nope, just go with the dryer sheets.

4. Do you use dryer sheets?
See above, the Bounce free ones.

5. Do you iron your own clothes or take them to a cleaner to get pressed?
I don't think I've ever taken my clothes to a cleaner to be pressed. Those items that are complicated to iron usually are dry cleaned anyway so it's a 2 for 1 deal. I kind of like ironing though, it's calming.

6. Do you like heavy starch or light starch?
Light starch on a rare occasion. It seems silly, but I like it on my sheets if anything. I think the smell brings me back to my childhood.

7. Do you wash all your laundry at once or separate it?
Separate it, definitely.

8. How do you separate it? By people or by colors?
Colors & type. There's whites, bright colors, darks, jeans/sweats, dark or light work clothes (dress pants/sweaters), towels, sheets...I think that's it.

9. What clothes get hung up and what goes in drawers?
Everything is hung up except basic tanks & tees.

10. Do you use plastic, wire, or wooden hangers? Do they all match?
I use plastic white hangers. I think there's a few random ones thrown in that I haven't tossed yet, but I like it to match.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Over it


Over the last few months (aka since January) I've been suffering from chronic ear infections. Now the last time I had one of these things I was in elementary school, so to say I'm not amused is an understatement.


Because of these ear infections the doctors are always quick to give you antibiotics and send you on your way. This is all fine and dandy, until you've gone through 2-3 different antibiotics with your primary care person and then they throw their hands up and say "I don't know!" and send you to a specialist.




  • So I've been seeing the specialist for a few months (probably April). After a few more types of antibiotics (and supplementing with probiotics so my body doesn't freak out) I've learned a few things.


  • Probiotics only get you so far. Your body will do what it wants....period.


  • You will learn very quickly if you are allergic to something. Found out the hard way that I'm allergic to sulfa and then proceeded to freak out when someone told me they had the same allergy and also couldn't drink red wine because of it.

There is a horrible bacteria you can get if you take to many antibiotics.


That last bullet point? SUCKS SO FREAKING MUCH. I started having problems last weekend (thank me because I will not do the TMI thing here) and by Wednesday I called the dr. thinking "hey, this probably isn't good and let's chat". The long and the short of it is they told me to get my butt to the emergency room as soon as I could...and by the way you can't drive yourself on the off chance you pass out. Woot.


Luckily M came home a little early so we headed out...and sat waiting for about 45 mins because people kept coming in with more important things than mine. Despite the annoyance I guess a heart attack is a little more important. :-) 4 hours later I'm full of fluids and finishing off the finale of The Voice in a hospital bed, but I got to go home, so that's the most important part. Well, that and I was told I was highly contagious.


So here I am, thankfully with a company that will let me work from home for a few days. Well, and alternating with cleaning the house from top to bottom because you don't want anyone else getting the stuff. But the weirdest thing of all? Using too many antibiotics gives you a horrible strain of bacteria that's cure is what? ANOTHER ANTIBIOTIC.


What's worse, an antibiotic that doesn't let you have even a sip of alcohol. That's right, no wine, cough syrup or even certain mouthwashes because it could make your heart do crazy things. Thanks so much world, for giving me this for 4th of July weekend. Fan freakin' tastic. Well, that and the super bland diet I'm on right now. The only "spice" I'm allowed is salt, and salt is nasty. I've cheated a little, a tiny bit of salsa on my eggs & a little cheese on some pasta.


I have to say, this is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Never felt so sick in many many years. But I'm on the mend, and headed to Seaside, OR for a few days. I've missed a good day at the beach.







Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sneaking

I'm feeling behind. Right now pretty much everything in my life is normal (at least my normal), but I have this sense of being just about 1 or 2 steps behind where I need to be. My internal to-do list (and my external one) keeps getting checked off, but it seems there's either too much on it or I just can't keep up.

Like I should be popping a pill.

I have anxiety, this has always been a constant. It got pretty bad a few years ago and I started taking medication, but after a mixture of that and trying to realize the reason behind my anxiety I've been able to control it...mostly. There's the occasional panic attack, my heart or head racing but I don't freak out anymore. I realize what it is and can make it though.

What's tripping me up this time is that I don't have any of those symptoms, just the feeling of being behind. I have phone calls to make, emails to return, appointments to go to and tasks at work to complete. I have a 30th birthday sneaking up on me and I still don't know how I feel about that.

Maybe I'm not ready. Turning 30 seems like you have all your shit together. You're responsible, an adult. Someone people look to for answers (both in business and personal). Am I there already? Am I just scared?

I don't have the answers. But maybe this feeling will pass as quickly as it snuck up on me.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ten on Tuesday (but on Wednesday this time)

I'm a little behind this week, sorry guys. Here's the Ten on Tuesday, love the questions.

1. How many blogs do you read every day and what are they? (I’m talking the ones you NEVER miss)
My Google Reader has tons of blogs, but I don't read all of them daily. There's a couple places (Lifehacker,Oh No They Didn't etc) that have gobs of posts per day and not all of them are interesting. But for those personal blogs, food/wine blogs or crafty ones I read them all.

2. How many “best friends” do you have? Do you have different “besties” for different areas of your life?
Can I be ooey, gooey, gushy for a minute? My best friend is M. He makes me happy, makes me laugh and understands all my little crazy parts and shares all of my life with me. But I do have one girl friend who I consider a best. Too many bests and it just dilutes the meaning.

3. What’s your daily make up routine?
Moisturizer, primer, foundation, concealer,powder, blush & mascara. Sometimes (like today) I'll skip the foundation (I'm out until Friday) because it's during the week, but I try to step it up on weekend nights (ie: a touch of eye shadow).

4. What is your ideal girl’s night?
Wine, shopping, silly movies or video games and tons of gabbing.

5. Do you keep up with your nails/toenails or are they au natural?
I'm trying to be better but mostly my nails go naked. My toes get painted sometimes but then maintaining the color is another ballgame. Plus with my nails the polish chips so fast it's not worth it. I've been hearing about that shellac manicure though, better bite the bullet and test it out.

6. What’s your best roommate story (assuming you had a roommate at some point in your life)?
I've only had one roommate (outside of living w/family) and she is my best friend. Her biggest quirk was insisting we never turn the heat on. For someone who's always cold this obviously didn't go over well. We only lived together 3 months but I think that made our friendship survive. Plus, she's always said I've been her best roommate. :-)

7. What’s your “go to” outfit that you wear more than anything else?
Right now it's either dress slacks or skinny jeans (work or play) a tee w/a cardigan over it. I'm testing out this posture bra which comes up pretty high on the neckline so there's a limited # of styles I can wear. After the testing they'll rework it for the pretty factor but until then this has kind of become my uniform.

8. Do you have a beauty secret?
Eating well I think is key. When you do this and get enough water your skin looks nicer. I don't always do this but I can tell a serious difference when I don't. Oh! And don't blow dry your hair every day.

9. Did you read Seventeen magazine growing up?
Oh man, I loved this magazine. I remember starting around 14 but I was mostly looking for the quizzes and the outfits.

10. How did you learn to put on makeup?
I think I mostly learned from magazines & a trip or two to the makeup counters. My mom would be the first one to let me know if it was too much, but I've never really worn that much to begin with.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Show me your handwriting!

I found this meme way of Chibi Jeebs over at Just One Anna and thought it was too fun to pass up. You write the following:
  • Write ‘Hello!’
  • Your name/blogger name
  • Your blog name/URL
  • Write ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.’
  • Favorite quote?
  • A number
  • 5 words
  • Favorite music?
  • A really awesome website you read
  • Anything else you want to say?
So here we go!


I feel a little proud of myself since I only tried writing this one time (usually anything takes a few tries) and that I had my green pen handy. Anyone else super particular with their pens? I use the Pentel Energel series & now have my entire office using them.

Let me know if you participate in this as well, getting to see someone's handwriting is almost as exciting when you see a pic of them for the first time.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

I'm going to pretend I'm doing a little better here. Posting once every two weeks might actually eventually get me to my just now made up goal of posting once a week. Here's hoping!

Ten on Tuesday

1. If you work, do you drive to work or take public transportation?
I drive to work, usually 40 mins in the AM and 40-60 mins on the way home. I had a bad experience once on public transportation...so it's driving for me.

2. How often do you get your haircut? Do you go to the same person every time?
I am in serious need of a haircut right now. I can easily go a year w/o getting my haircut (unless I have bangs) and try to go to the same person. Unfortunately my person left the salon & I need to find a new one, that stresses me out more than it should.

3. Do you read the newspaper? If so, a hardcopy or the online version?
Sometimes on the weekend if it's available, but most of the time I get my news from Twitter. I subscribe to quite a few news outlets.

4. What is the best book you have read this year?
Just Don't Call Me Ma'am by Anna Mitchael was pretty good, but a lot of the books I've read this year were re-reads.

5. What is the best movie you have seen this year?
Oh man, I tend to forget what movies I've seen (especially theater ones). Let's go with Black Swan, although probably not the best one out this year the dancing was amazing.

6. Do you tend to crave sweet or salty foods?
I crave both, but mostly sweet. My body usually tells me what it needs (cravings for veggies anyone?) so I try to listen. :-)

7. Do you eat breakfast every day? If so, what do you have?
I am horrible at eating breakfast every day. I wish I could, but most often it's a cup of coffee and MAYBE a yogurt on the weekdays. Weekends are another story, I LOVE weekend breakfasts.

8. If you celebrate Easter, what Easter treat/candy are you most looking forward to?
Robins eggs are my favorite Easter candy, but my grandma makes lemon meringue pie once a year on Easter and it's the best pie ever. The only way you can get it other times of the year is if you request it for your birthday.

9. How late is “sleeping in” to you?
I'd say around 10am, but M thinks the day is half over by that point. I'm lucky if I get to 9am if he's home, but we do go to bed early (9pm) so I still get a decent amount of sleep.

10. Where are you going on your next vacation?
There were no plans for this year, but M mentioned Maui in November. I guess Kansas might be going to the basketball invitational and he wants to be there. Could be fun.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

Hi everyone. I know I have problems blogging on the regular so I'm hoping this will help me get back into the swing of things. Today I'm doing Ten on Tuesday from over at Roots & Rings which is all about food this week. Couldn't resist. :-)

1. What is a food that you never thought you would try, but then tried and liked?
Brussel sprouts hands down. They came w/my meal at a restaurant one day and on a whim I tried them. They were amazing! From then on I've been on a kick to try things I've never had or foods I previously didn't like & now do. Broccoli & parsnips are other examples of it.

2. Do you subscribe to any foodie publications? If so, which ones?
Does the Pioneer Woman count? I always knew about her site but never subscribed until recently. I get most my cooking related info from blogs I subscribe to and on occasion the Cooking Light website/magazine.

3. What ingredient do you find yourself reaching for the most when you cook?
I'd probably say garlic or lemon pepper. Garlic gets put in most everything to give it a little punch up even though M's taste buds are pretty basic. Last weekend I made an amazing shallot lemon butter sauce and I found out later he's not big on lemon. Oops.

4. Are there any foods that you hated as a child, but then learned to like as an adult?
See #1. Broccoli I hated when I was little, same with asparagus. Now I eat both and asparagus is one of my fav veggies. Our taste buds change as we age, so it's important to retry foods you never liked.

5. What do you like to eat that others may consider weird?
I have a lot of eating habits that people find weird, but I don't think they're that big of a deal. Ranch as my goto condiment, blotting my tater tots/mexifries from Taco Time and half & half on my cereal are the main ones.

6. What is the weirdest ingredient you’ve ever cooked with?
I'm still working on being an adventurous cook so I'd say lemon zest.

7. Do you have any major food allergies?
Not like some people do. Nothing like strawberries, peanuts or shellfish. I have issues with anything with a lot of fat (fried foods) or green peppers but it's not like they're life threatening.

8. Is there an ingredient that you would like to cook with, but are intimidated to try?
Maybe risotto or fish sauce? Or a couple different spices, cumin for example.

9. Do you bake?
I am an excellent baker. Baking comes naturally to me since I love exact measurements and following recipes. I make a killer pie crust basically in my sleep even though most people think it's difficult.

10. If you could go on any “foodie” show to compete, which one would it be, and why?
I am so not ready for a competition food show it's not even funny. I love shows like Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef or Iron Chef but I am light years away.
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