START
Step 1: RSVP to party. Ask what you can bring.
Step 2: Make sure the host(ess) asks you to bring bread.
Step 3: Toy between buying bread and baking bread. When the weather is cool earlier in the week, commit to baking bread. Foolishly talk through your decision with someone who will be at party.
Step 4: Ask a friend for a bread recipe. Make sure (s)he swears it is the easiest, most foolproof bread recipe in the world.
Step 5: Discover that the weather is in the mid-80s. Reconsider buying bread.
Step 6: Remember that you SAID you were going to bake bread and you can't let the masses down.
Step 7: Prepare the dough. Use every last bit of your flour up. Notice that everything goes exactly as planned - this is gonna be great!
Step 8: Preheat the oven. Cry.
Step 9: Put the dough in the oven.
Step 10: Cry some more. Dig portable fan out of closet.
Step 11: Discover that foolproof bread is doughy on the inside, almost burned on the outside, and flat. And it smells like...yeast.
Step 12: Have a flashback to days with a newborn.
Step 13: Decide that no way, no how are you serving anything that can induce flashbacks to days with a newborn.
Step 14: Remember that all your flour is gone, so you can't bake anything else.
Step 15: Discover that you forgot to turn the oven off.
Step 16: Go to store. Buy questionably fresh bread at astronomically high price.
Step 17: Remember that you had a salad for lunch. Think about how small that salad was.
Step 18: Buy the bread. All the bread.
Step 19: Unwilling to leave the store's air conditioning, walk up and down each aisle to prolong the visit. Remember your empty flour container. Buy more flour.
Step 20: Visit the produce section. Buy the produce. All the produce. Except the onions. No onions.
Step 21: Well, maybe green onions.
END
Showing posts with label Household. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Household. Show all posts
Friday, May 17, 2013
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Unrelated Things about our New Place
1) It's awesome. And here's a secret - I never actually saw the place. Josh picked it out all by himself. The first time I saw it was for the walk-through before moving in. Yay Josh!
2) I miss "our" dog. And our neighbor girls.
3) We are a five minute walk from the library. Literally, five minutes. (!!!!!!!) I. am. happy.
4) We have a dishwasher for the first time since getting married. And you know what? It's not really all that. We still have to rinse the dishes and scrub off crusty stuff...we just do it with colder water and no dish soap. So really, not all that much less work.
5) Did I mention we're FIVE MINUTES FROM THE LIBRARY??!!?!?! We've been here one week and we've been there....four times.
6) And five minutes from all our P-ville family members. Oh my gosh. So happy.
7) The local Panera donates all the day-old bread that they can't sell to our apartment complex, and they put it out on a table and it's free for the taking. French bread, sandwich rolls, vanilla cream cakes. And here I just made it back to pre-pregnancy weight...goodbye to all that!
8) I love unpacking. I love finding places for everything.
9) So. Much. Room. And a walk-in closet that makes our clothes look pitiful.
10) We moved to cut down on Josh's commute and gas. But of course, now we drive twice as much because it's half as far. Hopefully the novelty will wear off and twenty minutes will seem long again.
2) I miss "our" dog. And our neighbor girls.
3) We are a five minute walk from the library. Literally, five minutes. (!!!!!!!) I. am. happy.
4) We have a dishwasher for the first time since getting married. And you know what? It's not really all that. We still have to rinse the dishes and scrub off crusty stuff...we just do it with colder water and no dish soap. So really, not all that much less work.
5) Did I mention we're FIVE MINUTES FROM THE LIBRARY??!!?!?! We've been here one week and we've been there....four times.
6) And five minutes from all our P-ville family members. Oh my gosh. So happy.
7) The local Panera donates all the day-old bread that they can't sell to our apartment complex, and they put it out on a table and it's free for the taking. French bread, sandwich rolls, vanilla cream cakes. And here I just made it back to pre-pregnancy weight...goodbye to all that!
8) I love unpacking. I love finding places for everything.
9) So. Much. Room. And a walk-in closet that makes our clothes look pitiful.
10) We moved to cut down on Josh's commute and gas. But of course, now we drive twice as much because it's half as far. Hopefully the novelty will wear off and twenty minutes will seem long again.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
"tired of all this drama"
During my angsty teenage years, I heard some advice. Never make any big decisions or have a big conversation when you are:
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired
I added to it "never post on the internet" - although these days I might as well delete facebook and my blog if I'm not going to post when I'm tired.
BUT! You can be thankful to the person who gve me that advice. You were spared the gruesome details of this week, which are pretty well described by the song "No More Drama"
On Sunday, we were moving this Saturday.
On Monday, we weren't moving...possibly until October.
On Tuesday, we were probably moving on Saturday the 21st.
As of yesterday (Wednesday) evening, we're moving again on Saturday! :D :D :D This momma with her empty pantry and defeathered nest all is pretty happy about that.
But. I had stopped packing. So now lesson learned: no matter how diligent you are on packing early...there will be a last minute scramble. And we're showing the apartment tonight, so I'm trying to keep the pretty stuff out and the boxes to a minimum.
Fortunately, I expect it to take about two hours tomorrow to wrap things up. Two hours translated into "I have an almost-three-month-old" is really more like half a day, but that's doable.
Anyway. Pray that the drama is over and this time the move date holds up.
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired
I added to it "never post on the internet" - although these days I might as well delete facebook and my blog if I'm not going to post when I'm tired.
BUT! You can be thankful to the person who gve me that advice. You were spared the gruesome details of this week, which are pretty well described by the song "No More Drama"
On Sunday, we were moving this Saturday.
On Monday, we weren't moving...possibly until October.
On Tuesday, we were probably moving on Saturday the 21st.
As of yesterday (Wednesday) evening, we're moving again on Saturday! :D :D :D This momma with her empty pantry and defeathered nest all is pretty happy about that.
But. I had stopped packing. So now lesson learned: no matter how diligent you are on packing early...there will be a last minute scramble. And we're showing the apartment tonight, so I'm trying to keep the pretty stuff out and the boxes to a minimum.
Fortunately, I expect it to take about two hours tomorrow to wrap things up. Two hours translated into "I have an almost-three-month-old" is really more like half a day, but that's doable.
Anyway. Pray that the drama is over and this time the move date holds up.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Moving
We're moving next week. My feelings on it couldn't be any more mixed.
On one hand, I'm really excited. I'm excited to be near Josh's brothers, and my blue-eyed niece and my brown-eyed nephews, and my sister-in-law. I'm excited to be able to invite people over without the drive being an inconvenience for them. I'm excited to be within walking distance of the library (!!!), the park, and my alma mate.
Not to mention that I LOVE the act of moving. Is that just me? I adore packing, and discovering old treasures at the top of the closet like the box of letters Josh wrote to me during our summer apart. I enjoy taking a pile of perfectly good but unloved-by-us stuff to Goodwill. And what's better than the feeling of organizing a brand-new (to me) kitchen? It's like getting a new journal, with pages fresh and begging to be filled in.
But...
I am so, so sad to leave this little farm. I'm in love with our apartment. I like that the kitchen is a part of the main room, so I can cook and be a part of the daily happenings. I like that I can clean it in fifteen minutes a day. I like that our five little neighbor girls come running to talk to us whenever they hear our door open.
But most of all, this year has led to some major lifestyle changes, ones that I hope will stick with us for the rest of our lives. Changes that have us absolutely determined to - someday - come back to West Virginia. We want this.
It's the hard work, self-sufficiency lifestyle of our landlords that have us searching for out-of-the-box ways to use the ingredients and supplies already in our home. That have forced us to value the things we have, rather than the things we want.
It's the need to be intentional about our friendships and relationships, instead of waiting for them to just "happen." About choosing the people we want to be our closest friends.
It's the distance from the high-stress, always-on-the-go lifestyle of NoVa. It's the time on the drive where we can just chat. Sing country songs with the radio. Ride in silence, each admiring the beauty of the drive.
It's the walks together as we pick out our dream houses, complete with window shutters and a front porch swing ("and rocking chairs, because we'll never be able to get the grandkids off the swing"). It's the dreaming that brings us to talks about long-term plans, goals, and hopes. And more kids.
It's the kindness of the people everywhere we go. The old men who stop us to see if we need a ride or if we would like to cut across their lawn for a shorter walk ("oh, thank you, but we're actually walking for the exercise!"). People who aren't too busy, too stressed, too exhausted, too mistrustful to smile and say hello.
I'm going to miss that.
I often tell people that in hindsight, if we had known Josh was going to change jobs, we wouldn't have moved. That's true. We never would have knowingly chosen his commute. And we were hoping to be able to stay here for at least a couple years.
But in hindsight, that may have been God's providence. We're both so glad we lived here. Our mindsets and goals have changed drastically. Our lifestyle and commitments have been so much more intentional. I'm becoming better at managing our home. We're both becoming better at maximizing the time that we have together.
*Sigh*
I've now managed to write myself into nostalgia. But isn't that a good thing? We love where we've been, we love where we are, and we love where we're going.
On one hand, I'm really excited. I'm excited to be near Josh's brothers, and my blue-eyed niece and my brown-eyed nephews, and my sister-in-law. I'm excited to be able to invite people over without the drive being an inconvenience for them. I'm excited to be within walking distance of the library (!!!), the park, and my alma mate.
Not to mention that I LOVE the act of moving. Is that just me? I adore packing, and discovering old treasures at the top of the closet like the box of letters Josh wrote to me during our summer apart. I enjoy taking a pile of perfectly good but unloved-by-us stuff to Goodwill. And what's better than the feeling of organizing a brand-new (to me) kitchen? It's like getting a new journal, with pages fresh and begging to be filled in.
But...
I am so, so sad to leave this little farm. I'm in love with our apartment. I like that the kitchen is a part of the main room, so I can cook and be a part of the daily happenings. I like that I can clean it in fifteen minutes a day. I like that our five little neighbor girls come running to talk to us whenever they hear our door open.
But most of all, this year has led to some major lifestyle changes, ones that I hope will stick with us for the rest of our lives. Changes that have us absolutely determined to - someday - come back to West Virginia. We want this.
It's the hard work, self-sufficiency lifestyle of our landlords that have us searching for out-of-the-box ways to use the ingredients and supplies already in our home. That have forced us to value the things we have, rather than the things we want.
It's the need to be intentional about our friendships and relationships, instead of waiting for them to just "happen." About choosing the people we want to be our closest friends.
It's the distance from the high-stress, always-on-the-go lifestyle of NoVa. It's the time on the drive where we can just chat. Sing country songs with the radio. Ride in silence, each admiring the beauty of the drive.
It's the walks together as we pick out our dream houses, complete with window shutters and a front porch swing ("and rocking chairs, because we'll never be able to get the grandkids off the swing"). It's the dreaming that brings us to talks about long-term plans, goals, and hopes. And more kids.
It's the kindness of the people everywhere we go. The old men who stop us to see if we need a ride or if we would like to cut across their lawn for a shorter walk ("oh, thank you, but we're actually walking for the exercise!"). People who aren't too busy, too stressed, too exhausted, too mistrustful to smile and say hello.
I'm going to miss that.
I often tell people that in hindsight, if we had known Josh was going to change jobs, we wouldn't have moved. That's true. We never would have knowingly chosen his commute. And we were hoping to be able to stay here for at least a couple years.
But in hindsight, that may have been God's providence. We're both so glad we lived here. Our mindsets and goals have changed drastically. Our lifestyle and commitments have been so much more intentional. I'm becoming better at managing our home. We're both becoming better at maximizing the time that we have together.
*Sigh*
I've now managed to write myself into nostalgia. But isn't that a good thing? We love where we've been, we love where we are, and we love where we're going.
 |
| And let me tell you...this guy's ready to go places |
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Feminist Homemaker
The homeschool generation has a very interesting dichotomy when it comes to feminism. Half of my class has been raised in the idea that being a stay-at-home and homeschool mom is the only option. If you choose to work instead, then you might as well be sacrificing your children.
Then there's the half that grew disillusioned with homeschooling and are rather embittered by the thou-shalt-homeschool attitude. Like most "ordinary" people, they plan on having 2-3 children after waiting 4-5 years while they enjoy their lives as young married couples and get their fill of the career world. Then they may or may not homeschool - that's a decision they will make depending on how their careers are going.
I was talking to an old college friend last month and I got the distinct impression that she viewed my decision to quit my job with a "yep, you've been brainwashed" attitude.
Neither side of the coin really seems to be interested in the choice. Even the more "feminist" among them don't really care about what I *want* to do - they just assume my choice is due to family and social pressures.
I like my job. And I'm really good at it. In the past year I've made huge improvements to our office and I know that I could go far in the job world. I have the highest recommendations. For only having been in the working world for two years, I have a wide variety of experiences and knowledge and I am confident that I could learn other skills very quickly.
But you know what? Being part-time has shown me that I really prefer the homemaking. I love planning out our budget and pinching pennies so that we can pay off student loans as quickly as possible. I love talking over our long-term spiritual, financial, and family goals with Josh, and coming up with ways to meet those goals. I love planning for baby on a budget, cutting up old t-shirts and using them to sew re-usable wipes and little hats and mittens. I like freezing big meal batches for later and packing Josh's lunch and stocking my pantry and having a sparkling bath tub. I like going grocery shopping and surprising Josh with cinnamon rolls when he comes home after a long night in class.
At work, I do a lot of the same things. I work within a budget and pay bills and play with numbers and look for ways to save money within the office. I go shopping for office supplies and plan office parties once in a while and get resourceful with things we bought years ago and never used. I make sure the office stays clean so that our volunteers are comfortable. And I enjoy it. It's for a good cause.
But it's not for the people I love most. Same type of work, but the pride I feel in having a clean desk space is not the same pride as when Josh is greeted with the smell of his favorite meal when he gets home.
I despise mopping and dusting. I don't mind doing dishes, but someday I would really like a dishwasher. And I know especially when baby comes there will be frustrating days, sleepless days, days when I feel trapped.
I have those days at work, too.
At work I can't cuddle with the two loves of my life to make it better.
So call me a feminist, because I made a decision based on what makes me feel best. That just happens to be staying at home. Or call me a victim of brainwashing, whichever you prefer. Then I am quite happy being ignorant and "wasting" my talents to benefit my family. Rather than earning an income, I can manage my home well. I think that for our family, the financial benefits are actually better long-term.
If staying at home is a decision that would make you feel trapped, then by all means, you don't have to stay home. You will only make your family unhappy. But don't stay in the work force if you don't love it, just because you feel like it's the only way to maximize your potential. I don't think the empowerment of women was supposed to mean grand careers. It was meant to provide women with an option.
And I've chosen mine.
Then there's the half that grew disillusioned with homeschooling and are rather embittered by the thou-shalt-homeschool attitude. Like most "ordinary" people, they plan on having 2-3 children after waiting 4-5 years while they enjoy their lives as young married couples and get their fill of the career world. Then they may or may not homeschool - that's a decision they will make depending on how their careers are going.
I was talking to an old college friend last month and I got the distinct impression that she viewed my decision to quit my job with a "yep, you've been brainwashed" attitude.
Neither side of the coin really seems to be interested in the choice. Even the more "feminist" among them don't really care about what I *want* to do - they just assume my choice is due to family and social pressures.
I like my job. And I'm really good at it. In the past year I've made huge improvements to our office and I know that I could go far in the job world. I have the highest recommendations. For only having been in the working world for two years, I have a wide variety of experiences and knowledge and I am confident that I could learn other skills very quickly.
But you know what? Being part-time has shown me that I really prefer the homemaking. I love planning out our budget and pinching pennies so that we can pay off student loans as quickly as possible. I love talking over our long-term spiritual, financial, and family goals with Josh, and coming up with ways to meet those goals. I love planning for baby on a budget, cutting up old t-shirts and using them to sew re-usable wipes and little hats and mittens. I like freezing big meal batches for later and packing Josh's lunch and stocking my pantry and having a sparkling bath tub. I like going grocery shopping and surprising Josh with cinnamon rolls when he comes home after a long night in class.
At work, I do a lot of the same things. I work within a budget and pay bills and play with numbers and look for ways to save money within the office. I go shopping for office supplies and plan office parties once in a while and get resourceful with things we bought years ago and never used. I make sure the office stays clean so that our volunteers are comfortable. And I enjoy it. It's for a good cause.
But it's not for the people I love most. Same type of work, but the pride I feel in having a clean desk space is not the same pride as when Josh is greeted with the smell of his favorite meal when he gets home.
I despise mopping and dusting. I don't mind doing dishes, but someday I would really like a dishwasher. And I know especially when baby comes there will be frustrating days, sleepless days, days when I feel trapped.
I have those days at work, too.
At work I can't cuddle with the two loves of my life to make it better.
So call me a feminist, because I made a decision based on what makes me feel best. That just happens to be staying at home. Or call me a victim of brainwashing, whichever you prefer. Then I am quite happy being ignorant and "wasting" my talents to benefit my family. Rather than earning an income, I can manage my home well. I think that for our family, the financial benefits are actually better long-term.
If staying at home is a decision that would make you feel trapped, then by all means, you don't have to stay home. You will only make your family unhappy. But don't stay in the work force if you don't love it, just because you feel like it's the only way to maximize your potential. I don't think the empowerment of women was supposed to mean grand careers. It was meant to provide women with an option.
And I've chosen mine.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Life Update (and a Baby Bump-ish Picture!)
Sometimes it seems like our lives are changing so quickly in so many ways that I forget who I've told what. So a quick summary of all the happenings in all of our lives...
Josh: got his clearance in January, started working full-time, and is now crazy busy. Last semester he had the luxury of working part-time, so he could leave early in the afternoon to get to class and not have to make up the time. Now he leaves home earlier in the mornings to make up the missed time. Still, he's amazingly pleasant and patient with me, considering the many demands on his time and the late nights and early mornings. He's a trooper. :)
I went from full-time to part-time a couple weeks ago, and it's been wonderful. Last semester we were scrounging peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the middle of the week, because both of us were out late on Josh's class nights and didn't get a chance to cook. Being home a few days allows me to clean the house, menu plan, pay bills, and make dinner/pack lunches before Josh gets home, so his time at home is free for sleeping or studying or spending time with me. :) Plus, fewer late nights for me. Additionally, I gave up the part of my job I like less (administrative and mailings), and kept the part I like more (financial and data management). Win win win!
I'm also apparently lucky enough to be one of those women for whom morning sickness continues throughout the pregnancy, but it is much less frequent and I'm able to eat a greater variety of foods now. Since it's worse when I'm tired, the part-time work schedule has really helped, and I no longer make myself motion sick just by walking out to the mailbox. Woohoo! Rich, sugary foods and onions still set me off, but when I told my midwife that, she simply nodded and said "oh, that's great." Thanks for the sympathy. :-P
Baby Kekoa: is a boy! I'm still bummed that I can't put all pink stuff on my baby registry (well...I could, but I don't think either of my two Josh's would appreciate that very much), but we are both excited to meet him, and I know his pack of uncles will train him well in sports. We're calling him Kekoa (first part of his Hawaiian middle name) to distinguish him from Daddy.
The ultrasound revealed that Kekoa's measuring a bit ahead of average (crossing my fingers for an early birth here.....), and I started feeling him kick around 17 weeks. Josh felt him kick for the first time at 18 weeks, and just last week I started seeing his movements from the outside, which was completely weird. Suddenly all these milestones started hitting that made everything a bit more real. This is week 20 for me, so halfway to meeting him!
^ That is the highly elusive and extremely finicky beginnings of a baby bump, of which I am very proud. I'm still in the annoying people-can't-tell-if-I'm-fat-or-pregnant-so-they-stare-awkwardly-at-my-abdomen stage, but at least we're getting somewhere.
And...as a family, we've started the hunt for a place to live come August when our lease expires. We would love to stay here, but we want more time for Josh to sleep and to be with our little family. So we're looking for an affordable place closer to his work, preferably where we could stay until he finishes school.
So that's us in a nutshell right now! Now everyone (at least everyone who even knows I have a blog) is on the same page, and caught up with the various and sundry changes in our lives. Many more to come!
Josh: got his clearance in January, started working full-time, and is now crazy busy. Last semester he had the luxury of working part-time, so he could leave early in the afternoon to get to class and not have to make up the time. Now he leaves home earlier in the mornings to make up the missed time. Still, he's amazingly pleasant and patient with me, considering the many demands on his time and the late nights and early mornings. He's a trooper. :)
I went from full-time to part-time a couple weeks ago, and it's been wonderful. Last semester we were scrounging peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the middle of the week, because both of us were out late on Josh's class nights and didn't get a chance to cook. Being home a few days allows me to clean the house, menu plan, pay bills, and make dinner/pack lunches before Josh gets home, so his time at home is free for sleeping or studying or spending time with me. :) Plus, fewer late nights for me. Additionally, I gave up the part of my job I like less (administrative and mailings), and kept the part I like more (financial and data management). Win win win!
I'm also apparently lucky enough to be one of those women for whom morning sickness continues throughout the pregnancy, but it is much less frequent and I'm able to eat a greater variety of foods now. Since it's worse when I'm tired, the part-time work schedule has really helped, and I no longer make myself motion sick just by walking out to the mailbox. Woohoo! Rich, sugary foods and onions still set me off, but when I told my midwife that, she simply nodded and said "oh, that's great." Thanks for the sympathy. :-P
Baby Kekoa: is a boy! I'm still bummed that I can't put all pink stuff on my baby registry (well...I could, but I don't think either of my two Josh's would appreciate that very much), but we are both excited to meet him, and I know his pack of uncles will train him well in sports. We're calling him Kekoa (first part of his Hawaiian middle name) to distinguish him from Daddy.
The ultrasound revealed that Kekoa's measuring a bit ahead of average (crossing my fingers for an early birth here.....), and I started feeling him kick around 17 weeks. Josh felt him kick for the first time at 18 weeks, and just last week I started seeing his movements from the outside, which was completely weird. Suddenly all these milestones started hitting that made everything a bit more real. This is week 20 for me, so halfway to meeting him!
 |
| 20 Weeks! |
And...as a family, we've started the hunt for a place to live come August when our lease expires. We would love to stay here, but we want more time for Josh to sleep and to be with our little family. So we're looking for an affordable place closer to his work, preferably where we could stay until he finishes school.
So that's us in a nutshell right now! Now everyone (at least everyone who even knows I have a blog) is on the same page, and caught up with the various and sundry changes in our lives. Many more to come!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Why Hello, July
Wait. Where did that month go?
Or maybe the more accurate question would be, "wait, where did that blog go?" It got lost in the day-to-day whirlwind that is preparing for the fall. So I present to you, in five parts: Our July. It turned into a multi-theme month that is cultivating a lot of good habits.
FLYing all the way home
July has been a "get-the-apartment-in-order" month, Flylady style. Yes, the bane of our existence growing up who was always making us throw away old toys has been this month's theme as we prepare for our move.
It's been great. Not only is the apartment in apple-pie order, but we've gotten rid of so much junk. All those baggy clothes, old t-shirts in excess, single earrings, kitchenware that we have duplicates of, all those ratty old college twin bedsets - gone. Woohoo. I even got Josh to part with his terrible bright yellow and red tie.
Plus, we're practically packed for the move. Everything we're not planning on using in the next three weeks is packed away, labelled, and color-coded by room. So this is going to be a pretty easy move, I think, and all because we're spending ten minutes a day on preparations.
Returning to my first "love"
I compiled my book list for "books to get through while Josh is in grad school". There's about 90 books on my list, and so far this month I've read three. Currently I am working on "The Little Prince" in Spanish. After the post-college burnout, I read a little bit, but not a whole lot. Now I've remembered what it is to love reading again, and to spend hours curled up with a book. And Josh is reading right along with me!
Staying fit and having fun
Each day we are spending 15-20 minutes working out. Three days a week this means cardio workouts - running, roller blading, ultimate frisbee, tennis. The other days it means strength training + easy cardio - walking, cleaning, etc. But the rule is to not let them be a "workout", but to be fun. We're playing tennis during our lunch break once a week, and now we're hitting the trails on roller blades on weekends. :)
A surprise improvement
Since I was about 9 and running track, I have always gotten a lot of headaches. I blamed this on computer time, allergies, sleep deprivation...all of the above. I never in a million years suspected dehydration, because I drink a lot of water. I carry a water bottle with me at all times and sip from it all day, drinking almost nothing else. For the past three years, I've been drinking the recommended amount of water of 64oz. a day - in fact, a little more.
So I thought my headaches weren't related to dehydration at all. But then early this month, I decided to drink until at no point during the day I was thirsty. If I'm thirsty, I drink until I no longer want anything to drink.
On the first day, I drank three liters (~101 ozs).
So for a week, I put three rubber bands on my water bottle and took one off each time I drank a liter.
NO HEADACHES!
All that time, I thought I was getting enough water because I was drinking the "recommended" amount. Turns out my body needs more water than that - just like it needs more sleep than the average person (yes, my body wants 10 hours of sleep to be truly happy). Now I'm drinking 3-4 liters a day, and I feel so much better.
So the moral of the story is you're probably dehydrated right now. Go drink some water.
A new era
Josh and I made a commitment that for the first year of our marriage, we would intentionally avoid making too many commitments and instead really focus on intentionally getting to know each other. And that year is over. It's been wonderful.
Josh starts grad school next month and we'll have less time together. If that had happened last fall, I feel certain our marriage would have been much less fun. I will miss him like crazy on those nights he is gone, but at least I know we had a fabulous year where our first priority was simply to get used to being married.
August: the Demise of the Photo Faker
So yes, Mom, I'm a photo faker. Maybe it was growing up with a mom who has a camera bag permanently attached to her shoulder. But I don't take pictures. Ever. If something noteworthy happens, someone else has a camera, right? And they'll post them on facebook, because that's all people do with pictures now anyway.
Next month, my theme will be to take a picture a day. And to post it. So it will be a blog post a day. Another two-fer. :)
That's all for now! A nice long post to make up for not posting ever. :P
Or maybe the more accurate question would be, "wait, where did that blog go?" It got lost in the day-to-day whirlwind that is preparing for the fall. So I present to you, in five parts: Our July. It turned into a multi-theme month that is cultivating a lot of good habits.
FLYing all the way home
July has been a "get-the-apartment-in-order" month, Flylady style. Yes, the bane of our existence growing up who was always making us throw away old toys has been this month's theme as we prepare for our move.
It's been great. Not only is the apartment in apple-pie order, but we've gotten rid of so much junk. All those baggy clothes, old t-shirts in excess, single earrings, kitchenware that we have duplicates of, all those ratty old college twin bedsets - gone. Woohoo. I even got Josh to part with his terrible bright yellow and red tie.
Plus, we're practically packed for the move. Everything we're not planning on using in the next three weeks is packed away, labelled, and color-coded by room. So this is going to be a pretty easy move, I think, and all because we're spending ten minutes a day on preparations.
Returning to my first "love"
I compiled my book list for "books to get through while Josh is in grad school". There's about 90 books on my list, and so far this month I've read three. Currently I am working on "The Little Prince" in Spanish. After the post-college burnout, I read a little bit, but not a whole lot. Now I've remembered what it is to love reading again, and to spend hours curled up with a book. And Josh is reading right along with me!
Staying fit and having fun
Each day we are spending 15-20 minutes working out. Three days a week this means cardio workouts - running, roller blading, ultimate frisbee, tennis. The other days it means strength training + easy cardio - walking, cleaning, etc. But the rule is to not let them be a "workout", but to be fun. We're playing tennis during our lunch break once a week, and now we're hitting the trails on roller blades on weekends. :)
A surprise improvement
Since I was about 9 and running track, I have always gotten a lot of headaches. I blamed this on computer time, allergies, sleep deprivation...all of the above. I never in a million years suspected dehydration, because I drink a lot of water. I carry a water bottle with me at all times and sip from it all day, drinking almost nothing else. For the past three years, I've been drinking the recommended amount of water of 64oz. a day - in fact, a little more.
So I thought my headaches weren't related to dehydration at all. But then early this month, I decided to drink until at no point during the day I was thirsty. If I'm thirsty, I drink until I no longer want anything to drink.
On the first day, I drank three liters (~101 ozs).
So for a week, I put three rubber bands on my water bottle and took one off each time I drank a liter.
NO HEADACHES!
All that time, I thought I was getting enough water because I was drinking the "recommended" amount. Turns out my body needs more water than that - just like it needs more sleep than the average person (yes, my body wants 10 hours of sleep to be truly happy). Now I'm drinking 3-4 liters a day, and I feel so much better.
So the moral of the story is you're probably dehydrated right now. Go drink some water.
A new era
Josh and I made a commitment that for the first year of our marriage, we would intentionally avoid making too many commitments and instead really focus on intentionally getting to know each other. And that year is over. It's been wonderful.
Josh starts grad school next month and we'll have less time together. If that had happened last fall, I feel certain our marriage would have been much less fun. I will miss him like crazy on those nights he is gone, but at least I know we had a fabulous year where our first priority was simply to get used to being married.
August: the Demise of the Photo Faker
So yes, Mom, I'm a photo faker. Maybe it was growing up with a mom who has a camera bag permanently attached to her shoulder. But I don't take pictures. Ever. If something noteworthy happens, someone else has a camera, right? And they'll post them on facebook, because that's all people do with pictures now anyway.
Next month, my theme will be to take a picture a day. And to post it. So it will be a blog post a day. Another two-fer. :)
That's all for now! A nice long post to make up for not posting ever. :P
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Change of Plans...
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention...the music theme was scrapped within a couple days and the Josh theme is in. Which means that this month, I am working on learning/experiencing more of Josh's hobbies and tastes. This includes but is not limited to:
-reading Zorro
-learning the game he plays with his miniatures (lotr based, of course)
-probably learning to play Battlestar Galatica
-watching the Cosby show and Muppet clips
-etc.
You might call it getting in touch with my inner nerd/adventurer. We might even pick up Star Wars from the library.
Anyway, the change due to a lot of news that we received all in the same week and that is causing considerable stress to Josh. Therefore, I'm trying to help him be distracted/relaxed at home in the evenings.
In other news:
-we will be moving late July/early August. Possibly to West Virginia (barely, but still. Yay car registration and new licenses). Where we will go, we're not sure, but we are definitely going to move, and definitely moving out of our current town.
-no scholarships have come through yet - please pray that the necessary funding for grad school comes through. We have two and a half months to come up with the first semester's amount.
-the required course, which Josh was told last year he could transfer in b/c the professor teaches the class both at our alma mater and Josh's grad school, cannot be transferred in. Therefore, he ended up adding a class (only offered in the fall and a pre-req to most of the other classes) to his schedule and will be in class on MTW from 6:30-9:30 next fall, after an eight hour workday and before a 1.5 hour commute home. This will however, hopefully be the last 3-class semester.*
*We are appealing to the professor to convince the registrar to let Josh transfer it in. Pray it goes well...
-in preparation for a move (and to get all our we-hate-making-decisions-but-have-to-do-it energy out), we performed a massive purge and our den is now 1/4 full of stuff we are selling/giving away/throwing out.
And that's all for now! We're both doing well, and actually...now that we've gone through the purge, we're both excited to move (we're ready to move now!). And this is really the first time we've had to make the tough decisions as a married couple, so I feel like it's been a worthwhile growing experience. :)
-reading Zorro
-learning the game he plays with his miniatures (lotr based, of course)
-probably learning to play Battlestar Galatica
-watching the Cosby show and Muppet clips
-etc.
You might call it getting in touch with my inner nerd/adventurer. We might even pick up Star Wars from the library.
Anyway, the change due to a lot of news that we received all in the same week and that is causing considerable stress to Josh. Therefore, I'm trying to help him be distracted/relaxed at home in the evenings.
In other news:
-we will be moving late July/early August. Possibly to West Virginia (barely, but still. Yay car registration and new licenses). Where we will go, we're not sure, but we are definitely going to move, and definitely moving out of our current town.
-no scholarships have come through yet - please pray that the necessary funding for grad school comes through. We have two and a half months to come up with the first semester's amount.
-the required course, which Josh was told last year he could transfer in b/c the professor teaches the class both at our alma mater and Josh's grad school, cannot be transferred in. Therefore, he ended up adding a class (only offered in the fall and a pre-req to most of the other classes) to his schedule and will be in class on MTW from 6:30-9:30 next fall, after an eight hour workday and before a 1.5 hour commute home. This will however, hopefully be the last 3-class semester.*
*We are appealing to the professor to convince the registrar to let Josh transfer it in. Pray it goes well...
-in preparation for a move (and to get all our we-hate-making-decisions-but-have-to-do-it energy out), we performed a massive purge and our den is now 1/4 full of stuff we are selling/giving away/throwing out.
And that's all for now! We're both doing well, and actually...now that we've gone through the purge, we're both excited to move (we're ready to move now!). And this is really the first time we've had to make the tough decisions as a married couple, so I feel like it's been a worthwhile growing experience. :)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Domestic Experimentation
I decided to be adventurous tonight in the kitchen and try my hand at a few very unique dishes. I had on the menu grilled chicken and grilled plantain, since I had a couple of those left that were at last ripe. Simple and common recipes.
As I cleaned up around the house, I ran across one of my seasons of Little House on the Prairie. Which of course got me thinking about Laura and Almanzo, which reminded me of the episode in which Nellie asks Almanzo over for dinner and then asks Laura to cook his favorite food - cinnamon chicken. Which she does - with a hearty sprinkling of cayenne pepper instead of cinnamon.
Love that episode. Love that series.
 |
| The Kiss of Good Luck! |
Incidentally, Laura's red dress in season 6 reminds me of the dress and pinafore I wore as Josie Pye in Anne of Green Gables.
But back to the point. I have never heard of cinnamon chicken. So of course I decided to try it. I found a simple-looking recipe, made a few adjustments to prevent it from being overly dry, and whipped it up.
But do grilled plantains really go with cinnamon chicken? More importantly, will my husband (who sadly, I must say, was not a huge fan of my baked plantain chips) become a consumer of plantains or will he forevermore steer me in a different direction at the grocery store?
This cannot happen. My plantain creativity must continue.
Naturally, the solution was to use as much sugar as I could in baking the plantains and serve that instead of the healthier grilled version. The result? Plantain baked in a brown sugar/cinnamon/butter mixture.
In my husband's words at his first bite... "Weird....but good!" Once he was more accustomed to the taste, he rather enjoyed it and went back for more.
The sweetness of the sauce brought out the more banana-y flavor, although it still had the unique plantain flavor that is quite indescribable. It went perfectly as a side dish with the cinnamon chicken, which itself benefited greatly from being used as a mop for excess sugary sauce. Dinner and dessert rolled into one. Double win.
The chicken I probably will not make again, but I already have my eye on a different cinnamon chicken recipe - this one breaded. The plantains, both cheap and versatile, I may introduce to guests to expand their taste buds and cultural experiences. :) Here's to another day of culinary experiments!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Peanut Butter Maple Bars
A couple nights ago I was experimenting with a recipe for no-bake oatmeal cookies. The problem: I didn't have all of the ingredients, and not enough of the ingredients I did have. So I experimented instead!
I brought 2 cups of sugar, a stick of butter, and 1/2 cup of milk to a light boil until it was smooth and creamy. I then removed the pan from the heat and added a dash of vanilla, a glob of peanut butter (probably around 3/4th of a cup), and several packs of instant oatmeal. I then drizzled chocolate syrup over the mess and stirred it all together.
The result was a goop that looked like oatmeal. The cookies that I was semi-imitating were supposed to plop down on foil and then cool into cookies. This wasn't gonna happen with these pups. So I poured them into a baking dish and chilled them over night.
I must say, I was pretty happy with the final product. It's basically peanut butter fudge with the added oatmeal texture. I was so pleased with it that I made another batch to take to a party. I'm inspired to try making real fudge someday.... but with how rich this stuff is, it's gonna take us a while to get through our current batch.
It's been a good week in our little apartment. I revised a spinach quiche recipe I found online for our Labor Day weekend breakfast (the joy of cooking for two -- it lasts much longer!), and was surprised how well it turned out. All I did was lessen the number of ingredients and substituted some ingredients for their more expensive counterparts. Simplification. :)
This morning Josh and I took a walk to drop an envelope in the mailbox and grab a treat. We passed a yard sale on our way and I noticed a desk. We've been looking for a desk. So we decided that on the way back, we would ask how much and if it was less than $40, we would get the car and take it.
$15. That sold us right there. It's sturdy and well-built (as we were about to find out, too well-built), and in fairly good condition. There are decorations on it (i.e., crayon scribbles), but that matches our table perfectly and so goes with the general theme. ;)
We walked back, got the car, drove back, and loaded her up.
Or at least...we tried. Too deep to fit in the trunk and too wide to fit in the back seat. So I drove back, grabbed our toolset, and we disassembled the desk.
Or at least...we tried. The screws attaching the drawer section to the desktop were stripped.
Enter Jeremiah. Faithful carpool buddy came driving to the rescue in his white Subaru. He helped us load it up and then get it into our apartment. We don't have a chair for it yet (that's our next search -- more chairs so we can host more than two people!), but for now we've got Josh's exercise ball.
I finally felt like I was fully moved in as I unpacked. Office supplies are my favorite. Binders, notebooks, sticky notes, freshly sharpened pencils...they're a must. It was great to say hello to my old friends as I released them from the purple bin that was their prison!
I also found a few of my favorite memorized pieces. If, by Rudyard Kipling, The Four Quartets, by T.S. Eliot, and O Captain My Captain now grace my walls. *happy sigh*
It has been amazing how many ways God has provided for us. I know He will always provide our necessities, like food and clothing. But He has answered our prayers far above and beyond our needs.
Now all we need is a buddy with a truck who can help us move a sleeper couch that someone offered to us. :) Then we can have someone spend the night!
I brought 2 cups of sugar, a stick of butter, and 1/2 cup of milk to a light boil until it was smooth and creamy. I then removed the pan from the heat and added a dash of vanilla, a glob of peanut butter (probably around 3/4th of a cup), and several packs of instant oatmeal. I then drizzled chocolate syrup over the mess and stirred it all together.
The result was a goop that looked like oatmeal. The cookies that I was semi-imitating were supposed to plop down on foil and then cool into cookies. This wasn't gonna happen with these pups. So I poured them into a baking dish and chilled them over night.
I must say, I was pretty happy with the final product. It's basically peanut butter fudge with the added oatmeal texture. I was so pleased with it that I made another batch to take to a party. I'm inspired to try making real fudge someday.... but with how rich this stuff is, it's gonna take us a while to get through our current batch.
It's been a good week in our little apartment. I revised a spinach quiche recipe I found online for our Labor Day weekend breakfast (the joy of cooking for two -- it lasts much longer!), and was surprised how well it turned out. All I did was lessen the number of ingredients and substituted some ingredients for their more expensive counterparts. Simplification. :)
This morning Josh and I took a walk to drop an envelope in the mailbox and grab a treat. We passed a yard sale on our way and I noticed a desk. We've been looking for a desk. So we decided that on the way back, we would ask how much and if it was less than $40, we would get the car and take it.
$15. That sold us right there. It's sturdy and well-built (as we were about to find out, too well-built), and in fairly good condition. There are decorations on it (i.e., crayon scribbles), but that matches our table perfectly and so goes with the general theme. ;)
We walked back, got the car, drove back, and loaded her up.
Or at least...we tried. Too deep to fit in the trunk and too wide to fit in the back seat. So I drove back, grabbed our toolset, and we disassembled the desk.
Or at least...we tried. The screws attaching the drawer section to the desktop were stripped.
Enter Jeremiah. Faithful carpool buddy came driving to the rescue in his white Subaru. He helped us load it up and then get it into our apartment. We don't have a chair for it yet (that's our next search -- more chairs so we can host more than two people!), but for now we've got Josh's exercise ball.
I finally felt like I was fully moved in as I unpacked. Office supplies are my favorite. Binders, notebooks, sticky notes, freshly sharpened pencils...they're a must. It was great to say hello to my old friends as I released them from the purple bin that was their prison!
I also found a few of my favorite memorized pieces. If, by Rudyard Kipling, The Four Quartets, by T.S. Eliot, and O Captain My Captain now grace my walls. *happy sigh*
It has been amazing how many ways God has provided for us. I know He will always provide our necessities, like food and clothing. But He has answered our prayers far above and beyond our needs.
Now all we need is a buddy with a truck who can help us move a sleeper couch that someone offered to us. :) Then we can have someone spend the night!
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