In a Round Sort of Way

Treasures of Darkness

2010-02-19T19:05:00.001-08:00

Sometimes moments, days, weekends, just seem to big, too fun, and too awesome to be able to shrink down tiny enough to fit onto the interweb...but alas for fear of being cast out I must attempt.

It's a funny beast to make friends in the real world post college. In high school you had slumber parties, and college is just one big fat slumber party, I suppose if I were to continue the analogy post college life would be the walk of shame? It's just an interesting beast to make friends after college. The evolution of friendship might look something like this. I don't know anyone here, I have no friends, I know some people, I go to lunch with some people at work but we don't really talk after work, I met some friends at x, y, or z but that is the only place we see each other, I think I have some friends we do lunch, oh my gosh I have something to do on Friday night!, etc, etc. But with all of that it just takes longer to make friends. It's not really the cool thing to do to ask your new friend you met if she wants to come spend the night when you're 27. The majority of people my age or older are having a "shackin up" (as g-mama likes to say) every night with those roommates they call husbands.

So, ~~a few weeks~~ about a month ago I went on a mountain weekend with my Small Group...i.e. our first slumber party. I got the idea after my parents showed me the super swank mountain house they were staying at with their friends for new years...a girls weekend in the mountains was going to be necessary. The end of January magically worked for all of our schedules, the single jet setters, the ball and chainers, and those with ankle biters. I think approximately 347 emails were sent in preparation for the trip, who would bring what, who would cook what, oh and the small detail of where we would go. The original plan was Gaitlinburg, but that was before Global Warming strike 1 and the pending snow storm of doom. Global Warming strike 2 changed us from Lake Lure to Lake Jocassee...that apparently was exactly where God was asking us to meet him, little did we know.

Friday afternoon we all got off work early to beat the snow, and well, because who wouldn't want to spend as much time as possible on girls mountain weekend 2K10? Two of our nine were planning a Saturday afternoon ~~escape~~ return for some things they had going on but "global warming" was already threatening their plans. Never the less, we hung out at Kelly's awesome lake house which was the perfect size for us, for the afternoon and snacked on some salsa.

Sometimes I forget how big I am until I see myself in a picture next to people like Nikki.

Also, please note the swoop bang party foul which makes an appearance in nearly every picture from the weeked. Thanks for letting me know girls...

That evening Anna and Amy prepared us a feast of the Barefoot's spaghetti and meatballs. Those were some darn good balls of meat. Oh, Ina, your dependability for tasty delights warms my heart.

During dinner it started to snow so our early departers decided it was best to head on home for fear they might get stuck if they stayed over night.

The group protested the idea for fear the roads were already too bad, but alas the party had to go on and party on we did.

First we watched Kelly frolic in the snow with the glee of a 4 year old. Shortly there after followed by a rapper dance party like you have never seen before complete with wardrobe changes, alter egos named Na-kiki, and video footage...which is never to be seen again. Leave it to the ~~heathen~~ me to have plenty of rap music on my ipod to keep the party "raging" (as my students like to say) for a while.

Unbeknownst to us our music was a smidge loud. So, loud we couldn't hear any phones ring, not that we had service but on the off chance that we did, and it was reported to us that the music could be heard from the road. Fear not, it was not the cops that came to tell us our music could be heard from the road, but our fearless espcapees who got stuck at the top of the road and spent an hour sliding back down the steepest hill I have ever seen in my life to get back to the house and their loving friends rapping away in their absence. The near death experience put an end to the rapper party, so we hung out and chatted for a while more before everyone headed to bed.

Saturday morning we woke up to this

and this

Dear Paula Deen, thank you for thinking that it would be a good idea to dip biscuits into butter and brown sugar before covering them in oats, blueberries and more butter and sugar.

We went to fetch the abandoned car at the top of the hill and decided to go for a walk around the lake.

After watching Julie and Julia over Christmas we decided to try and tackle Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon "the Boef" for dinner on Saturday. The recipe is pretty intense and takes a while with a lot of steps so we started early. Around 1. About an hour or so into prep work the power went out. Some tried to blame me and my high maintenance hair dryer for blowing a fuse, yet I insisted it was all the "global warming." We flipped every breaker for the house to no avail. It seems me and my hair dryer were not the culprit after all. Anna, the only one with cell phone service and only at one certain spot on the porch called Duke Power for us...the first of many phone calls to our many different friends at Duke. In the meantime we entertained ourselves with some really deep reading, and lots of fun conversations.

A few hours and a few chats with our friend Duke later the power turned on! We quickly got to work on the Boeuf and the snack we had been dying for all weekend...Hot Bacon Swiss Dip, or "Fat in a Pan" as it is lovingly called.

After only minutes the power cut off again. With mouths hanging in expectation of the greasy goodness that is fat in a pan to say our stomachs were devastated might be an understatement. After conceding that the power might have gotten the best of our plans the greatest idea of the weekend was born, like a clear message sent from above. After years of growing up with annual power outages I have seen many an item cooked in a fireplace. I wasn't completely ready to throw in the towel. I was convinced we could somehow cook the fat in a pan in the fireplace, it would be hot enough to make the fatty goodness bubble with love. But, there was a wood burning stove in the basement we lit when the power first turned off to help warm the house in addition to the fireplace upstairs. With its warm flat surface, it seemed it would make a perfect place to heat our pan o fat. After leaving down there for a while I confessed that either my stomach was playing tricks on my mind, or I smelled fat in a pan so Epsie went to check. At the top of the stairs she proclaimed she did indeed smell it, and with each descending step her declaration became that of jubilee! Our fat was 'a bubblin! A few bites into the goodness we determined if we can cook fat in a pan on the wood burning stove why not give the boeuf a try! Of course this was only after more conversations between Anna and our friend Duke with continually delayed ETP (estimated time of power.)

It was starting to get dark by this point...

The sous chefs upstairs peeling tons of pearl onions.

The real chefs downstairs:

It was actually a lot darker than this...note Epsie's flashlight. It actually looked a smidge more like this:

While they cooked...we watched

I had jokingly stated that God is funny in these situations and will wait until the very last minute to make himself known and to a big work in our favor, therefore as soon as all the cooking was finished the power would most likely turn on. But as we waited on the boeuf we decided to go ahead with an activity we had planned for Sunday morning. We wanted to take some time to recognize what all God had done in the past year and our prayer requests for 2010. So we sat in the dark, piled on these two twin beds and shared our hearts and about the Lord's faithfulness. It was such a sweet time for our friendships. The late night chats that sleepovers are made of. As layers were peeled away from each of our hearts God revealed his plan to us. Sitting on our beds in the dark all of a sudden it was clear as day. We needed that darkness, we needed that intimacy, we needed to be stripped from all distractions and insecurities to just be real with each other and God. And, in true God fashion, he met us there in a big way and just as we finished talking and set the table for dinner...the power turned on.

This is the God that we worship. A God that is bigger than our minds can comprehend but loves us so intimately that he would pay attention to the smallest details of a girls weekend in the mountains. He is the weaver of our friendships, he toils the soil for the seeds of rich deep friendships.

Is 45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

Serving up the masterpiece

The master chefs with their rustic masterpiece. I doubt even Julia had to cook her boeuf on a wood burning stove!

On Sunday morning after some more calorie killing deliciousness (i'm just gunna say...grits made with heavy whipping cream...there are no words) we decided to go for a scenic hike.

Becoming less of an outdoor poser...

The Issue

2010-02-19T16:06:00.001-08:00

I made a decision not to blog at "inappropriate times."

Get it?

And well, that just doesn't leave a lot of time. At least not time that I seem to be able to sit before of my computer and think decent thoughts.

So here we are at this blog stand off of sorts.

My solution...not one I'm a huge fan of.

Lucky for you my most free night of the week...seems to be Friday.

What I've Been Cooking

2010-02-10T09:21:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the recipes I have cooked recently between office birthday parties, girls mountain weekend, valentines, and cooking club prep night ...all of them turned out pretty descent!

Paula Deen's Granite Steps Blueberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (12-ounce) can buttermilk biscuits

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a 9-inch square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well with a fork. Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and dip each piece in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mixture. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the oats. Combine blueberries and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Spoon over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup oats. Drizzle remaining melted butter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and center is done. Cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Barefoot Contessa Granola Bars

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped pitted dates

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup dried cranberries

(I use any random dried fruit that I have)

Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan (I instead use muffin tins so you don't have to try and cut the granola after it cools, just grease it really well). Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Italian Turkey Burgers

POINTS® Value: 5

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 10 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

The addition of fennel seeds makes these burgers reminiscent of Italian sausage. Top them with fresh basil and tomato for a wonderful summer main course.

Ingredients

1 spray(s) cooking spray

1 pound(s) lean ground turkey

1/3 cup(s) onion(s), chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp fennel seed

1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

4 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray

2 small tomato(es), ripe, yellow and/or red, thinly sliced

1 cup(s) basil, fresh, leaves, torn or thinly shredded

4 item(s) reduced-calorie hamburger roll(s)

Instructions Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, onion, garlic, fennel seed, salt and pepper; form into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Coat burgers and inside of rolls with cooking spray. Grill burgers for 5 minutes; flip burgers and add rolls to grill. Grill open-face rolls until lightly charred, about 1 to 2 minutes; remove to serving plates. Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes more. To serve, top grilled rolls with tomato slices and burgers; garnish with basil. Yields 1 burger per serving. Notes For an extra hit of flavor, rub the bread with a cut garlic clove as it comes off the grill. Try these burgers with arugula leaves instead of the basil.

Cream Cheese Cake

This recipe is already doubled.

4 pkgs crescent rolls

4 – 8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1 ½ cups sugar 2 egg yolks (save whites)

2 teas. Vanilla

Roll out 2 packages crescent rolls on cookie sheet. Be sure to pinch seams together. Beat together cream cheese, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. Spread mixture onto rolled out crescent rolls. Top with remaining 2 packages crescent rolls (be sure to pinch seams together). Brush top with egg whites. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Diet Coke Cake

Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 can diet coke

Mix the dry cake mix with 10-12 oz of diet soda. (Do not use the egg or oil listed on the box). Spray a 9 x 12 cake pan (or cupcake tin) with non-stick spray and bake according to package instructions. Some have said an entire can of pop makes the cake TOO moist ... 10 oz. seems to be the least I've seen suggested. Experiment yourself to find the best amount for your taste.

Tip: Make sure to let the cake cook completely before you try to cut it. Because you aren't adding eggs, the cake will be tender and can tear if you cut it while it's warm. Some people have started adding 2 egg whites to the mix. It doesn't raise the points any (less than 1 point) but they report that the cake is firmer and rises better.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese (not rock solid, but it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese) with 5 Tbsp. softened butter and 2 tsp. vanilla until combined. Gradually add 2 c. powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue to add more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.

Barefoot Contessa's Brownie Pudding

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup good cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.
When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.
Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.
Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Stranded

2010-02-03T06:07:00.000-08:00

We got some pretty wimpy winter weather last weekend. I fortunately was powerless in the mountains with 8 other girls, a post on that later. So when I got home Sunday night my driveway was pretty much a solid sheet of ice. I logically thought to park on the flat part of the driveway, honestly, not all to worried about it. Monday morning I even was so proactive and prepared as to be ready a few minutes early to allow time for my windshield to thaw out. However, when I walked outside to crank the car (ya know since I don't have one of those new fangled husbands to do that for me) my car was NOT where I parked it the night before! Fear not, no one wants to steal my precious little civic even if I do live in the ghetto. Nope, my not so all terrain vehicle SLID down my driveway! And poor little city girl's car couldn't make it back up the driveway! It would spin and spin and then gradually slide farther down.

Being the handy yet clearly not at all butch single independent capable and totally dedicated to my job girl that I am I went to get a shovel and start digging. (Now I preface the following details with the fact that I have a friend that in her singleness retreated to Wyoming and had to endure much much worse conditions without the ability to call her daddy for help...I. AM. NOT. THAT. TOUGH. I would totally retreat to the Bahamas not Wyoming.) After a good 20 minutes of that crap, I tried again. No luck. In tune with my new outdoor authenticity from "roughing it" all weekend I decided to get some hot water and attempt to melt some of the ice, then shovel some more. After about an hour of working I threw in the towel, resolved to wait it out. After talking to my dad I remembered that I had some sand in my basement so I attempted to spread some sand to help the situation, again, with no luck. Finally, I gave in and had to call dad for help. He too had several failed attempts, some more shoveling. The ice was so intense on the driveway dad could hardly stand to dig without sliding around. Finally with him pushing from the front of the car and me gunning it in reverse the civic was a free woman.

I opened the gates at the bottom of the driveway in case the rolling got out of control!

All that hard work in the early morning hours and this is how much ice I was able to breakup.

I was originally parked at the top of this paved part!

Entire front yard was a solid sheet of ice, so I sanded my walkway. PS my neighbor couldn't get his truck out either.

Winter Blooms

2010-02-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

While my flower pots outside are having zero luck blooming, I have managed to bring some life inside. This was my first year planting paperwhites and man was it fascinating! I loved watching them sprout up from bulbs, and I swear sometimes I watched them grow before my very eyes!

While super easy to grow, fascinating to watch, and literally make my house feel alive during a bleak Winter and like Spring is maybe right around the corner...paperwhites are not for the super sensitive nose. The scent is STRONG. Just, don't say I didn't warn you.

Waving the White Flag

2010-01-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

My mom is an aerobics-a-holic. When I was a little kid she made me go to something called Fit Kids. Now, before you go thinking I got shipped off to fat camp every Saturday morning, I wasn't fat (yet), at least not that I can recall. Fit Kids = ~~torture~~ aerobics for kids = miz. Pretty much ever since I rocked my lime green t-shirt with the aerobicizing mouse on the front at FK I have been traumatized and HATED all group led workouts whether there was dancing involved or not. Sports and weights maybe even toss in a few minutes of cardio I can do, but line dancing and calling it exercise is where I drew the line (no pun intended). I quite frankly was in a stand off with any sort of fitness "class." Kind of like how for decades my brother refused to try chocolate chip pizza at Pizza Inn because no matter how much anyone defended its delicious morsels of melted chocolate cookie dough in your mouth (my stomach is growling and my my mouth is watering just thinking about it) he just thought it was a gross idea and dessert should not be in pizza form. And then it just turned into a strike for the sake of a strike, he had gone that long why give in at this point, until one day he did and has never looked back since.

I started taking group ride (spin) classes a few months ago with some friends and have really enjoyed it. It's a great high intensity workout in 45 minutes, and I HATE all things cardio so that works out well for me. But, I defended my choice as not really giving in since there was no standing in line dancing around, it was all for the most part seated and if you do the wrong thing no one notices (except those people that pop out of their seat early because they are trying to be all gung ho to climb that hill which we aren't about to do.)

Well, upon contemplating the purchase of P90x I finally realized that was stupid when I already pay a gym membership and they do this same thing/close enough there. So after years of literal begging and pleading down on her knees for me to try the weightlifting class at the gym, like the good ole South who finally realized they had fought the good fight I finally waved my white flag and gave in. Last weekend I asked mom to go with me to the Group Power class to teach me how to do it. She, of course, played it all calm, cool, and collected but I know the jazzercizer inside of her was jumping up and down clapping and cheering that she had won, she had finally won!

And so, I did this for the first time on Monday and am plotting my return later this evening.

I still can't straighten my arm all the way out for the pain, but I'd be lying if I said I hate it. I actually...wait for it...enjoyed it...*GASP! I'm sure after two times of doing it I am totally going to look like that chick in the red...you can see her abs through her shirt. You can see my tubby rolls through my shirt...it's kind of the same right? And yes, that bicep curl where they pause half way up...that's why I can't straighten my arms...and can barely brush my teeth. And the MC Hammer song with the shoulder work out didn't help either.

This Is So Me

2010-01-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

This is totally what I have been feeling lately...to a T...every letter in every word...exactly my thoughts and feelings

Scandalous Beverages

2010-01-20T19:07:00.000-08:00

My dad is a funny man for many reasons, some of which fortunately or not so fortunately, are genetic it seems. He loves to watch lifetime movies, abc family movies, and ridiculous movies that come on his "movie channels" (which I just realized sounds like adult films but they definitely aren't) which are total B team channels not a single one of the 12 HBOs in the bunch. He has been known to get me addicted excellent entertainment such as the Love Comes Softly Movies, and the Lifetime Original Army Wives. He is, however, I assure you a ~~very~~ manly man who plays every sport known to mankind well, coaches high school tennis and Special Olympics (I know doesn't that warm your heart) and is a retired PE teacher, so fear not for his sexuality even with what I am about to tell you. His beverage taste is very much in tune with his movie taste...flat out, no holds barred, unabashedly...GIRLY. He has been spotted on more than one occasion packing his cooler for the golf course with smirnoff ice. Luckily, I did not inherit that gene as the sugar in those drinks makes my stomach hurt before I can finish one. However, what I did inherit his ability to get totally hooked on something, really anything. As I have said before I have the more syndrome. If a little is good, more is better, and a lot is darn good. On my father's list of addictions in the past has been fireballs, double bubble, popcorn, quiznos and according to mom currently jello and banana popsicles. What can I say, when my dad and I find something we like we tend to stick with it until we can bare it no more. So a few years ago, I do not even know when or how, my father discovered a certain beverage that in a completely innocent and not in need of rehab way, can't get enough of. Welcome to the era of Buttery Nipples (a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream and Butterscotch Schnapps.)

Spring Break 2K9, my parents went to the beach with their friends...this is their friend's daughter posing with the empties

New Years this year, my parents with their friends...and I see the evidence on the table!

Before nearly every social function dad would premix himself a little container so he could share the love. One day my brothers family and I were eating our official Sunday lunch of Wades and before I knew it dad was mixing "dessert" for everyone. At my first oyster roast a couple of years ago he would make tray after tray and bring them out to all the guests, kind of like the miller lite girls, or redbull girls...except my dad. Then he decided he wanted to take "a batch" over to G-mama and G-daddy's to share after a family dinner. Maybe it was mother's day? So after our no doubt fun and festive family gathering dad breaks out the B.N.'s. He mixed and chilled them for everyone, pouring a small (some might ever refer to as a shot) glass for each person (over the age of 21 of course). G-mama being the classy dame that she is sipped upon her B.N. for several minutes, lavishing in every drop full. With each sip, she would exclaim with delight, what a "marvelous drink this is" and oh my gosh "Roy, how did you learn how to make this?!" She referred to it as an "after dinner drink" even though I'm pretty sure most places serving them aren't all too concerned about your dinner. And then, just has we had all feared "What do you call this?" I mean what do you say? No one was about to look my 80 year old grandmother in the eyes and utter the N word. Someone quick on their feet replied "It's just butterscotch and Irish Cream." G-mama, still completely taken aback by the warming after effects of the beverage quipped "but what do I call it if I want to order it out at a restaurant?"

Pause for the cause...please picture my grandmother out at a bar hollering over the counter to the bartender that she would like a round of buttery nipples, or better yet, in a fancy restaurant with a nice white tablecloth and a craving for a classy "after dinner drink" to accompany her dessert, calls the waiter over to the table with the nice white tablecloth and requests a pair of buttery nipples. Suffice it to say, she still doesn't know the official name of the drink, although about once a month she talks about how she wants my dad to make her some more of "those drinks" sometime.

Fast forward a year or two to this Christmas. Remember this party? Well what you didn't know is that just a few weeks before that I resolved to ~~force myself~~ learn to like red wine, because I just felt like it was the classy grown up lady thing to do. Luckily some of the men I work with have excellent taste in booze so I knew they wouldn't let me down. Sure enough they introduced me to what is still at this point in time my favorite red wine...Menage A Trois (I know, so much for being a classy red wine drinker.)

Even if red wine is not your speed, give our Ménage à Trois Red a try. This wine exposes the fresh, ripe, jam-like fruit that is the calling card of California wine. Three saucy grapes make up the blend. Zinfandel adds a juicy character, Merlot mellows and Cabernet adds backbone. Forward, spicy and soft, this delicious dalliance makes the perfect trio.

That brings us to Christmas night, where we are having Christmas dinner at the G's. G-daddy opens a bottle of red and white wine and asks what we would prefer. I inform the G's of my resolve to ~~choke back~~ learn to like red wine, so I'll have that. My brother and I begin discussing the topic of red wine. He goes on to say that Costco sells a really great red wine called Menage A Trois. I proclaim with the delight of a classy red wine drinker that it is my absolute favorite, and proceed to go on and on about it...reminiscent of my father's enthusiasm perhaps. The sound of glee in her young(ish) granddaughter's voice caught G-mama's ears and what I am excited about she lovingly wants to ~~attempt to~~ be excited about. Fascinated by the name I informed her it was Trois because of the three grapes they blend to make it.

Fast forward again to a few days later where "the girls" (me, mom and G-mama) are out to lunch at a nice restaurant (white table cloths) where G-mama couldn't wait to sit and chat the afternoon away over some wine. Not much of an afternoon drinker myself, with a few exceptions like football games, the pool, and well really as long as I'm not drinking alone my arm can easily be twisted, and twist G-mama did. So after looking over the wine menu for a moment, as I am about to order my glass of Chard to the polite waitress standing beside me G-mama chirps in,

G: You're learning about red wine why don't you get a glass of that?

Me: No thanks, that seems like more of an evening beverage. To waitress: I'll have a glass of Chard.

G:Do they not have that wine you like?

Me: No, probably not. I'm pretty sure it's not a fancy wine and it's pretty random since it's a blend of several things.

G: Well what was the name of it? Lets ask the waitress.

Me:No, really thats ok I'll just have white.(Meanwhile waitress is still standing there confused as to if the order is standing or changing)

G:Well,I want you to write it down for me so I can remember it and be sure to look for it in the grocery store and at restaurants.

Me:Ok, fine, Ill write it down. *writing it down on random note pad

G:Oh yes! To waitress: Have you heard of a menage a trois?

Me:*Hides head in shame.

Welcome To A Round Sort of Reading Reviews

2010-01-19T06:31:00.000-08:00

I stayed up late one night last week and finished The Giver but haven't reviewed it yet for lack of planning. Decision making is not my forte, but I wanted a plan, a system, a code. Logically I needed to consult
one of my expert blog bffs and thus the grading scale was born.

Me: So I would like to create a grading system for the books I'm reading like thumbs up, but thats boring. So I was thinking doughnuts? corndogs?

WAJ: Burritos?

Me: I like burritos! I could give it like 4 homewreckers and a joey jr.

WAJ: And if you don't like it do the art vandalay. Or perhaps you could just compare it like this book is like eating an art vandalay...there's no meat. Who knew burritos and books had so much in common?

And yes, these are really what my g-chat conversations are like.

Heaven on Earth

2010-01-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

EA came into town for the holiday weekend, which isn't really a holiday for those of us who have to be at work even earlier on a day when everyone else is at home sleeping late...but whatever. Saturday we cooked breakfast and were sitting around watching some classic Saturday entertainment of Beverly Hills 90210, discussing what we wanted to do that afternoon. Then an inspiration sent from above, and the perfect Saturday plan came about. We had been plotting it for months but were never able to make it a reality until this predestined Saturday the Sixteenth of January in the year two thousand and ten. Me, being the gracious, twenty something daughter every mother only dreams of, extended the invitation to my mom because I knew she had been tying to embark upon this adventure as well and what better explorers to embark with really?

Thus we departed for perhaps one of the greatest rainy Saturdays one could hope for. Sincerely my eyes have been opened to a world it has only dreamed of...a decorating Mecca, full of furniture and accessories as far as the eye can see, accompanied by the cherry on top of cheap, I mean dirt cheap prices. Ladies and Gentlemen...I have been to IKEA and I am certain I shall never be the same. It was better than anything I have ever dreamed it would be! It is it's own tiny universe of pleasure and delight where my imagination ran wild with possibilities! If I lived closer to Charlotte I am fairly certain I would never go to Wal-Mart again. The only necessity other than food that they did not have was toilet paper, and darn it I could just steal it from the restrooms. I had visions of Novalee Nation in Where The Heart Is living in Wal-Mart, only Sweedish, and classier.

At first sight of the JAM PACKED parking lot these three IKEA virgins thought we had perhaps bitten off more than our small Target minds could comprehend. But the store, was surprisingly the antithesis of Wal-Mart and though there were hundreds maybe thousands of people in there it felt as though it was your own personal experience! I never felt crowded or a lack of personal space, and I hardly noticed the other people for my constant drooling and desire to soak in every single detail. We strolled through every single display room they had jaw dragging the floor, ooohing and aaaahing at their ability to put together rooms down to the finest creative detail including the sample clothes hanging in the sample closets! They had entire display living rooms set up for less than $1,000! It was the most user friendly shopping experience, similar to a Disney World of home goods complete with Child care, lockers, and arrows pointing you in the direction to travel through the display room so as not to miss anything! Once we walked through the doors it was as if we had stepped through the wardrobe and entered the world of Narnia, or perhaps Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and all of a sudden everything was color! With each display room they had a pamphlet with every item in the display room, how much it costs, and where you could find it in the textiles section, I mean this place left no stone unturned when planning the shoppers experience!

Similar to how you can study a foreign language for years and still suck at it until you study abroad and spend some time immersed in the culture and people only speaking the language thus forcing you to catch on, the IKEA website suddenly makes much more sense after now seeing the items live and in person as part of a larger room. We spent approximately 3 hours in the store, but one could never really know for sure as you lose all sense of time once you enter the magical doors, and I assure you I could have spent countless hours more drooling over the rooms. I feel like I missed so much, and there is so much hidden potential! I have no doubt that I could create some stunning storage systems in my house now, but I would have to invest in more crap to fill them! Should I ever have another warm soul move back into my house and thus need to sacrifice the use of the second closet I have a perfect storage system picked out to ease the transition.

I entered the experience expecting to love looking at everything but covet little due to my narrow ill-informed mindset that all the furniture would be uncomfortably modern with minimalistic straight lines. I was impressed with their traditional options and furniture that would easily feel at home in my traditional cottage like abode.

At the end of the day with a mind strung out on interior design crack I bid farwell to my new best friend IKEA.

For the bargain price of $83.00 I am the proud new owner of the following IKEA products:

Nevermind the fact that the largest spoon is in some random metric measurement, I was in need of some new measuring spoons!
The woes of being a calorie counter are measuring everything, thus my measuring cups are constantly dirty from the latest hopes of being less round measurement.
While it's not exactly a micro planer it should be close enough to avoid future injury.
Hello largest butcher block cutting board in the world for $10, don't mind if I do! You shall be an excellent replacement for my tack-tastic plastic one!

And people...I am not even playing around when I tell you that a set of thick, not even cheap looking, white curtain panels was $15! I thus bought enough panels for the entire front of my house, 7 windows total, 4 packs with 1 panel to spare for $60! I am working on plans to modify/personalize them some, but more on that later. Let's just continue to bask in their quality yet uber cheapness.

Things I have my eye on for a return trip:

- that storage system shall stay stored in the back of my mind, no pun intended, until I need it

- slip cover for the chair in my bedroom but measurements will be required

- parsons chairs for my dining room which I have been obsessing over for years

Thus I proudly proclaim to you, that I my friends, am an IKEA virgin no more.

UPDATE: While dragging my ignorant body to a new workout class with mom I was reminded of several items I failed to mention in this ode to IKEA, one of which I have already forgotten however my newly sore muscles are constantly reminding me of the other. At one point while seriously shouting with glee over ever morsel of a display room EA happened to sit down on a bed, I think potentially more out of a need to step out of the way as my mom and I ran past her to devour the most stunning closet system we had ever seen. As EA's tiny tush landed upon her first IKEA mattress the most delighted sound I have ever heard came out of her mouth beckoning mom and I both to rest our hineys for a bit. Upon tush contact it was the most heavenly bed I have ever experienced in my life. I kid you not, I did not want to get up again. It's a good thing their stuff is cheap because I am certain whoever owns that bed is unemployed due to inability to arrive at work period much less on time. It was like memory foam on steroids coupled with a down comforter that must surely be down from angels wings as it was unlike anything this fallen sinful body has ever touched.

I've Moved!

2010-01-14T07:55:00.001-08:00

But don't panic...I've only moved one room down.

I contemplated the decision for a few days, I was just simply and plainly put in need of change. I start to get this itch around my house to move something, paint something, or buy something. Considering the fact that I have painted nearly everything that would stand still long enough twice, move something seemed to be the cheaper, more new years resolution friendly option. Thus I packed up my belongings and began to shift things around. I moved 3 beds, a dresser, a chest of drawers, curtains, and two closets all by my single self.

The very next day my good friend Beth (as in the very famous and has no clue of my existence Moore), posed the question on her blog...are you a mover or an immover? Clearly the answer was obvi for me, but her two posts dedicated to the subject, in her ever so timely way were hilarious. Beth, is an extremist immover.

Some movers rearrange so obsessively that, among those married, many coinciding husbands don’t put down their brief cases after coming in from work until they see their own wives’ faces. They simply never are sure they’ve walked into the right house. And God forbid that they get up during the night and try to navigate their way to the bathroom in the dark. Many have been discovered in various stages of brokenness. Ronda’s husband claims never to begin his descent into a sitting position until he has checked carefully to make sure a chair is still there.

Many movers, Ocean Mommy among them, just happened to mention that they love to rearrange the furniture once a month. I’m just sayin.

Others had no specific pattern. I suppose we might say they are movers with irregularity.

Some immovers are more naïve than unwilling. PraisinYahweh was willing to take us back to the basics by begging the question,

“Moving furniture? Can we do that?”

For others, reluctance to domestic change is not their fault. It’s their phobia. “MadeforHim” says of her and her man:

“Truly we are both scared to death of color. Our walls are all white.”

Speaking of fears, one of my very own trusted sisters described in her insightful comment what I fear – and she pegged – could be me:

“My friend Laura is like you. Gets it like she likes it and leaves it alone. She moved into a new house a few years ago, and when I went to see her I walked in the front door and died laughing. EXACT same floor plan as her old house, just bigger and with one more bedroom. Tickled me to no end.”

But really it all started with the ~~want~~ ~~desire~~ need for a more tranquil place to lay my head a night. Decorating magazines and blogs are going to be the death of me. But I am obsessed with these bedrooms that just have that serene, tranquil, light, airy quality about them. Like this one courtesy of coastal living.

Since, I can't afford, nor can I justify a total redo. I want to work with what I have. More pictures to come, accessorizing still needed, and furniture placement not certain but consider it a rough draft.

See that sunny spot? That's where I spent a few hours Sunday afternoon and it was heavenly.

In order to let more light in I dropped my bed down off the risers, and the curtains need to be moved up but I'm waiting on the yard boy with the drill to come help with that.

And note the new lamps from this conversation. They still have the plastic on them just in case I need to change my mind about them. Also...the fancy bedside tables composed of a table top and a stool with a sheet over them, just to give the effect. Options are going for a bigger table top...hmm, still contemplating that one. And clearly table cloths for them, as I might need those sheets sometime.

I have contemplated incorporating some khaki in with the mix so I purchased a khaki quilt on sale at Target in hopes of then turning my green bedspread into one that remains folded at the foot of the bed but the khaki was too dark and it looked gross in the room.

I am contemplated incorporating stripes either black and off white like the rest of the fabric or maybe khaki...big fat stripes like in the picture I love and or ticking stripes.

The Dingo seems to be enjoying the new room regardless of it's lack of pulled togetherness.

Cooking In A Less Round Way Pt 2

2010-01-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

Vegetable Bowls With Yogurt-Lime Dressing

(courtesy of Better Homes And Gardens)

(Courtesy of In A Round Kitchen)

I made this for dinner last night and it rocked! I know, whoa, two new recipes in one week I'm gettin' crazy here. I tasted the dressing alone and was not such a huge fan and therefore began to doubt the dish, but to my surprise with the first bite it was love. I made mine smaller than the "bowl"-like dish the recipe prescribed...I went with more of a ~~lettuce~~ cabbage wrap. Total it took about 30minutes from start to finish but I loved that the only cooking involved a microwave! They were surprisingly filling and I was not left with that sad empty feeling that my stomach hates.

ingredients
1 recipe Yogurt-Lime Dressing , recipe below
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. fresh oregano, snipped, or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. sweet potatoes (2 to 3 medium), peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and chopped
8 large savoy cabbage leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
Lime wedges (optional)
Toasted baguette slices (optional)

directions
1. Prepare Spiced Yogurt-Lime Dressing; set aside.

2. In small bowl stir together soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and olive oil; set aside. Place sweet potatoes in medium microwave-safe bowl. Place beans in small microwave-safe bowl. Evenly spoon half the soy sauce mixture on potatoes, and half on beans; toss to coat. Cover bowls with vented plastic wrap. Microcook sweet potatoes on 100 percent power (high) 9 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally; set aside. Microcook beans on 100 percent power (high) 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through, stirring once.

3. Divide potatoes, beans, tomatoes, and avocado among cabbage leaves. Sprinkle with green onions. Pass Yogurt-Lime Dressing and lime wedges. Serve with toasted baguette slices. Makes 4 servings.

Yogurt-Lime Dressing: In small bowl combine 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and 1 clove minced garlic. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil until well combined. Or stir 1 tablespoon chili powder into 1 cup bottled light Ranch-style dressing.

nutrition facts
Calories 409, Total Fat (g) 21, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 14, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 2, Sodium (mg) 896, Carbohydrate (g) 51, Total Sugar (g) 10, Fiber (g) 14, Protein (g) 13, Vitamin C (DV%) 53, Calcium (DV%) 17, Iron (DV%) 17, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

What Was For Dinner?

2010-01-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

Granted, the year is young, but I am at this point impressed with my zeal for my new years aspirations!

Thus far:
- I am about half way through with my first book of 2k10, The Giver
- I figured out how to count calories and have been doing so for a whopping 4 days in my food journal
- I have started to figure out how to coupon shop
- I actually planned my menu for the week before grocery shopping
- I have learned 1 new scripture
- A bonus, I have been inadvertently seeing some classic best of all time movies that I have never seen!
- And I cooked my first adventurous dinner!

It was a little stressful, on the moderately expensive side, and blood was shed, but it was a GREAT meal! I will totally keep all three of these recipes to use again. The recipes weren't paired together as a meal, they actually came from a couple of different websites, but they ended up having similar ingredients (garlic and lemon) so it flowed great as a complete meal! The biggest stressor was not at all that cooking any of it was hard, or a new ingredient I wasn't familiar with but timing three things that I had to cook to be ready all at the same time...whew. It was so involved I didn't take pictures until I shed blood. Last night while I was at my parents house I had just mentioned how I wanted a microplaner...could have used one tonight.

I was trying to grate lemon zest and not only did I bleed, but it also all got stuck to the front of the grater! So my lemon broccoli was a little lacking on the lemon, and I burned the bread crumbs while I was tending to my wound. sigh. One of the perks to growing up eating everything burned (love you mom) is that you have a pretty big margin of error when it comes to these things, thus the bread crumbs were deemed acceptable.

One recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens, I had some frozen snapper so I just searched around for a recipe that sparked my interest to jazz it up some. I love BHG recipes because they all have a calorie count on them which makes it so easy! The other two are weight watchers recipes. I'm not doing WW but knew that they would be healthy. There is no real way to convert backwards from points to calories because of the equation used to come up with WW points, so for these I did have to count calories for the ingredients.

Better Homes And Gardens Snapper with Cilantro Pesto
Makes: 4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Grill: 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness

ingredients
4 4- to 5-ounce fresh or frozen red snapper or halibut fillets, 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick
1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts or slivered almonds
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
directions
1. Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Set fish aside.

2. For pesto, in a blender or food processor combine the parsley, cilantro, cheese, nuts, garlic, the 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and the 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cover and blend or process with several on-off turns until nearly smooth, stopping the machine and scraping down sides as necessary. With the machine running slowly, gradually add the 2 tablespoons oil; blend or process until the consistency of softened butter, scraping sides as necessary. Transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl stir together the 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the 2 teaspoons oil. Brush fish with lemon mixture. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper.

4. Place fish in a greased grill basket, tucking under any thin edges. For a charcoal grill, grill fish on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals until fish flakes easily with a fork (allow 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness of fish), turning basket once halfway through grilling. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place fish on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.) To serve, spoon pesto over fish and top with tomato. Makes 4 servings.

nutrition facts
Servings Per Recipe 4 servings Calories 254, Total Fat (g) 15, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Cholesterol (mg) 45, Sodium (mg) 281, Carbohydrate (g) 4, Fiber (g) 0, Protein (g) 27, Vitamin A (DV%) 10, Vitamin C (DV%) 44, Calcium (DV%) 10, Iron (DV%) 12, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
POINTS® Value: 1
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 8 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, nutrient-dense and mash into a wonderfully creamy concoction when blended with fat-free yogurt and a just a touch of sugar.

Ingredients
3 medium sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 pounds)
2 medium garlic clove(s), peeled
1/2 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt, Greek-variety recommended
4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
Instructions
Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are fork-tender, about 8 minutes.

Drain potatoes and garlic; transfer potatoes and garlic to a large bowl. Add yogurt and sugar to bowl; mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.
Notes
Think beyond regular mashed potatoes and create a colorful addition to any dinner plate.

Broccoli with Lemon-Garlic Crumbs

POINTS® Value: 2
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 6 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Steamed broccoli is okay. But broccoli tossed with buttery lemon-and-garlic bread crumbs is a definite home run.

Ingredients
1 pound(s) broccoli, florets, fresh
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup(s) dried bread crumbs, panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp table salt
Instructions
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large pot. Place broccoli in a steamer basket and set over water. Cover pot and steam until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 5 to 6 minutes; drain. Alternatively, you can cook broccoli in microwave.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bread crumbs, increase heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat; stir in lemon zest and salt.

Spoon broccoli into a serving bowl and toss with crumbs. Yields about 1 cup of broccoli and 2 tablespoons of crumbs per serving.
Notes
Look for panko in the ethnic aisle of your supermarket or in an Asian grocery store.

Try the same recipe with spinach, kale or collard greens.

Use the bread crumb mixture for oven-frying chicken and fish, too.

Approximately 5 minutes later...

Sullivan was disappointed she didn't get a taste.

All My Praise

2010-01-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

I will follow You through green pastures
And sing hallelujah to Your Name
I will follow You through dark disaster
And sing hallelujah through the pain

And even in the shadow of death
I will praise You
And even in the valley I will say

Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise
Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise

You are seated on your throne in heaven
And You see all of us down here
And You have promised You will not abandon
So I shall not fear

And even in the shadow of death
I will praise You
And even in the valley I will say

Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise
Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise

You made every star
And You taught it how to shine
You knew my name before there was time
And all this was just part of Your glorious design
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise
Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise

Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise
Holy, My God
You are worthy of all my praise

Calorie Counting for Dummies

2010-01-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to learn how to count calories for a while but didn't really know where to start. I have contemplated buying books but $20 just seemed like a lot. So with the help of my good friend the world wide web here you go:

BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate. Essentially the number of calories you burn a day just to do nothing, ie basic body functions like breathing.

To calculate for adult women use this formula:

BMR= 655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

or go to this link for a dummy proof calculator.

Then you need to figure out the number of calories you would need to maintain your current body weight, so pretty much what you are already doing without paying attention to it. For this you use the Harris Benedict Formula based on your current activity level...how many calories you burn on a normal basis currently.

Activity Factor
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job)

Maintenance Calorie Level = BMR x Activity Factor

Now that you know how many calories you are currently working with you can begin to calculate calories to lose weight.

3500 calories = 1 lb

If you are like me that seems like a big ole number for a tiny result. Thus is the plight of the cheeseburger.

Your options are to create a calorie deficit through consuming less in food, burning more in exercise, or both.

3500 = 500/day to lose 1 lb a week.

A good start is to reduce by 500 calories a day, but not more than 1000.

A healthy weightloss goal is 0.5lbs-2lbs a week. You know, for those of us not on the biggest loser. They say this helps to ensure the weight you lose will actually stay off.

However you should never drop below 1200 calories a day for women.

I did some research online and the type of spin class I do should burn on average of 400-600 calories per class. So that is good news. Exercise on machines like treadmills and ellipticals thankfully will tell you how many calories you have burned.

So that was my calorie lesson for the day. There is clearly more to learn when it comes to what foods you are actually eating to achieve this goal, that will have to be another lesson. Next goal...to start keeping track and figure out how to actually do this. Good luck 2010!

PS don't google foods with most caloric bang for your buck...or you will be forced to stare at pictures of the most delicious foods you have ever seen which one bite is about what you just calculated your daily caloric intake to be! My mouth is watering. I thought my google results would be like super foods...not super unhealthy foods. oops.

Slumber Party

2010-01-07T08:37:00.001-08:00

During Christmas I wanted to get in some good hang out time with my nephews so I asked them to come spend the night! I just so happen to have 2 empty twin beds perfect for two little (or not so little anymore) boys. However, they have this ridiculous fear of dogs (blamed on the fact that Eliza Blue only the sweetest puppy ever nipped Wesley on the butt once in her short little lifetime. She honestly just wanted to play with him!) When I first got Sullivan the family came over to meet her and she followed Tucker into the kitchen who then proceeded to panic, back into a corner and start bawling...Sullivan just stood there wagging her tail staring at him. So clearly this dog thing just needed to be overcome, especially now that Sullivan is older and a little calmer. So the mission...forced puppy interaction in hopes of bonding...or at least peaceful coexistence.

We hit up our favorite Pizza Inn for dinner. I was, however, very disappointed with the rate at which they replenished the pizzas. Note* Tucker's necklace haha.

Gotta love a little brother...

They both started singing a Journey song as soon as it came on the radio...knew every word. This is also coming from the kids who went to see Kiss for their birthdays in Oct.

During dinner Wesley asked if we could keep Sullivan in her cage the whole time. So I explained to him that Sullivan would NEVER bite anyone. Sometimes she wants to jump and play but she would never hurt him unless it was an accident. So he agreed to give it a try.

5 minutes later he asked me to take this picture.

PS I hate the flash on my camera.

And then I caught Tucker trying to hide the fact that he loves him some Dingo.

Wesley is one of the funniest kids I know. I can't ever remember half the stuff he says but it flat out makes you roll on the floor. I have no idea what he is doing in this picture.

I love Sullivan watching him play Wii! She thinks it's so weird when we play haha!

Then we decided to build an awesome fort. I mean hello, Aunt Courtney's house= best time ever!

Update: I would like to give all the credit of my awesome fort building skills to my loving mother who taught me how to build a fort in our dining room when I was a tiny tot.

Inside the fort.

Playing Wii from inside the fort.

I told them we could sleep in the fort if they wanted to, or they could have their own bedroom. They voted on the fort. Wesley said he was going to sleep in this section, the master bedroom, or where ever Sullivan was going to sleep.

Of course Tucker woke up when the sun came up after we stayed up watching a terrible Christmas movie about a dog until about 1. So they played some more wii...classic mario brothers! I however am too old to sleep on the floor in a fort and could barely move the next day.

Must Reads?

2010-01-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm not making any promises but I am trying to be proactive on my New Years aspirations. I want to be more of a reader. I'm not talking crazy talk like I'm never going to watch TV or read blogs so I can read a book a week or something. I was thinking maybe a book a month? That would be 12 books in a year, and quite frankly aside from Bible study books 11 more than I read last year. If I shoot for big books it may be less but at least its something to aim for. My only problem is I don't know what to read! If I'm only reading 12 books I don't really want to waste my time with some trash from the Target book aisle just because it has a cute cover. I googled every combination of must read book list, to best books etc to no avail... I had never heard of any of the books.

I would like some best of the best. Nothing weird, Nothing too intense. It's fine if it's Christian but I don't really want to read 12 Desiring God's or something along those lines. I tend to like girly books, and I like a good story. I would like to challenge myself to read some of the great must reads and not just trendy twilight books. Like I am considering Beach Music being one of them.

So I need your help blog friends! Tell me your must reads! What are they?! What books should I be embarrassed that I haven't read, because chances are good that I haven't! i.e. What are your favorite books of ALL TIMES!

Christmas Conversations

2010-01-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

The joy of being with family over the holidays is all the great bonding time you get. A chance to sit back, relax, and catch up on each other's lives and well maybe if your family is anything like either side of my family you get to share special moments like these:

Uncle Ron: So Courtney, what's up with you? When are you ever going to get married?

Aunt Carolyn: Oh, just go ahead and be honest with him Courtney. You're one of those lesbians.

Me: Um, Jason (Ron's son) is several years older than me and he is just now getting married and I don't recall anyone questioning his sexual orientation!?!

Uncle Ron: Oh, don't worry we did.

Me: Are you kidding? Every time we came to visit he had a new girlfriend!

Aunt Carolyn: Ah, that was just a cover up.

Me: Well then my hetero-sexualtiy should be certain as I clearly have not been trying to cover anything up!

Uncle Ron: That's true.

And remember this? Well I brought it up to G-mama at Christmas.

Me: Boss lady said she and her hubs had fun visiting with you and Gdaddy the other night at the Christmas party.

G-mama: Oh, yes we did. She looked great.

Me: She does look really good these days. So I heard you feel sorry for me because I don't have anyone else to have in my Christmas card except a dog. (Insert fill in the family on the story and they laugh)

G-mama: Well boss lady proposed a toast in your honor.

Me: I'm sorry WHAT!? Y'all had a toast at the party on the fact that I am an old maid?!

G-mama: Well, just the four of us.

Me:And what exactly did you say in this toast?

G-mama: Here's to Courtney finding a man in 2010.

Christmas Recap: Christmas Day

2010-01-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

Santa came to see Sullivan on Christmas morning!

She got a new squirrel, some tasty homemade treats, and some new clothes!

She was so excited she practically begged to try on her clothes!

Then mom and dad and I headed over to my brother's to have Christmas morning with them. The boys were really into a new Wii game they got.

Some of the loot and tour of Christmas tree's...I think my sister in law has 7 total.

Notice Tucker's new phiten necklace that all the pro athletes wear. Mom asked if he could feel a difference wearing it and he said yes, he felt more relaxed.

Christmas night we headed over to G-mama and G-daddy's for dinner. This year instead of exchanging gifts we decided we would save the money to go on a family trip to the beach this summer. Since we weren't doing gifts mom came up with a great activity where we told the boys about the real reason for Christmas, shared the gospel, and then everyone got $10 to pick out gifts from Samaritan's Purse or Compassion. You could pool your $10 with someone else to buy something bigger or buy something under your $10. This was us tabulating what all we bought, which included several chickens, vegetable seeds, toys, milk, and education. It was a great activity that I highly recommend for families, we all had a blast picking out the gifts, and it felt great to hear my mom share the gospel with my nephews.

G-daddy, dad and I bought a goat. Note* the feast of hors' behind Gmama, my favorite part of Christmas night!

Wesley opening some gifts.

Each of the boys got some new books from the family.

Note the phiten necklace making him more relaxed.

Church directory pictures were taken this year so everyone got new pictures of my parents and grandparents for Christmas...yay?

Each of the boys also got one bigger gift, Tucker said he already knew what it was as soon as he picked it up.

A brick! This is the claim to fame best family gift you can get. Why, you might be asking. Well, it means your gift is too big and awesome to fit in a box! So instead we wrap a brick as a decoy. Note* gatorade bottles, canned goods, and bags of dried beans have also been used as decoys in the past.

So whenever you get a brick you have to have instructions or a note. Preferably something catchy and rhyming that tells you where to go find your awesomely too big gift.

or maybe just to another clue!

And then you will find your gift!

Wesley has the gift of being an excellent gift receiver. Anytime you give him something he is genuinely appreciative which is such a fine art! He said over and over again how this was the best Christmas, and these were the best bikes, and his was his favorite colors!

One of Tucker's books was how to make all kinds of paper airplanes.

Taking the new plane for a test spin. Note* all the church directory pictures of Gmama and Gdaddy in the background behind Eve. They ordered soooo many they just had them all sitting out over every surface in the living room, it was hilarious, those pictured are not even half of them!

Christmas Dinner! Enough to feed a small army... or us 10 times which is how many we ate it.

Christmas Recap: Mamaw's House

2010-01-05T05:51:00.000-08:00

Every year we go up to my grandmother's house in Tennessee for a few days before Christmas. We do family Christmas on Christmas Eve and then head home in time for the 11:00pm candlelight service.

We pack ~~a bunch of rednecks~~ our family into Mamaw's house like clowns in a clown car. 13 people sleeping in a house with 3 beds and 1 bathroom. My cousins and I sleep on air mattresses in the den but there are so many of them once you are on your bed you can't move because there is no floor space to walk. So when Alex kept me up all night snoring...well there was nothing I could do about it except hit him a few times to try to make him roll over...it didn't help. At mamaw's house healthy food doesn't exist, hard work for men is squeezing in 5 naps instead of 4, and sarcasm is a love language.

This is what life looks like at mamaw's...feet propped up watching TV. Suddenly do I make more sense to you now that you have seen my genetic background?

Wesley, my youngest nephew, has a total man crush on our cousin Reid so when Reid and his wife brought the boys a toy to play with it was heaven on earth. Then Tucker started doing tricep dips on the steps haha.

My cousin Alex and I went shopping with Aunt Carolyn. Alex needed a hippo and I wanted rockband. Alex's shopping trip was more successful than mine.

Blurry but I couldn't resist showing you my 4'8" aunt in her red swishy suit.

The tiny men folk learn at a early age...

How many men does it take to start a turkey fryer? Later I asked Reid what the problem was. His response: Apparently there was a safety feature that cuts the burner off if it heats up too much too fast, so we just disabled it. Me: What do you mean? Reid: We ripped it off. Me: oh, good.

Note Alex in the Green sweater. Same cousin as above. After he took a shower that day he came out wearing the same sweater as his dad but in Green and with his hair parted just like Bob. Hilarious.

There she is...just waiting to be fried.

Some of the delicious southern food.

The finished Turkeys!

Father and son hard at work carving turkeys.

Mamaw's fridge. I'm not the only one who includes furry 4 legged family in Christmas Cards. Please note the matching scarves that my cousins and their dogs Stink and Bella have on!

Waiting in line for food.

My dad and his brother...Uncle Ronnie (I think in 27 years the only thing I have ever seen this man wear is flannel.)

The battle of the Banana Puddings. Easy pudding kind on the left, baked awesomeness on the right.

Back in the day we used to get real gifts at mamaw's, but then we got old. So my aunt Carolyn started a white elephant gift exchange, except she puts together all of the gifts every year. And I use the term gift loosely, just because its wrapped in a box does NOT mean you want it.

Mamaw, Uncle Butch, and Aunt Brenda paying close attention to the rules.

Alex being brave and hoping he gets something awesome.

Too bad...it's some random dollar store reindeer.

Butch opening the "golf package" with athletic socks, golf balls, and a flashlight "to find your balls." Later his gift was stollen and he ended up with the "bandaid package" which makes an appearance every year...its a collection of bandaids, neosporin, asprin, etc. Brenda got a scarf that she thought was a towel. Alex then proceeded to show her how she could use it as a towel.

I however got the best gift of the year! The coveted spare change gift! 1 roll of each denomination of change = $17! It is the highly fought over gift every year, that and the lottery tickets.

And to close out the night dad's game. He puts $1 in every card except for one that has $50, $20, and $10. Then he reads a poem (that he wrote himself and is always sure to be entertaining) and every time he says right you pass it to the right, left pass it to the left. I only got $1. Oh well.

Be Careful What You Write

2010-01-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

The bottom line is that I should have known better than to write New Years thoughts/goals/aspirations (NOT resolutions...I am resolved to nothing)on my blog. Only 3 days into the year and I have a feeling I am going to be hearing a lot more mom-conversations like this one.

Mom: How were your errands? Did you find a table?

Me: No, but I found some really cute new lamps for when I do find the tables.

Mom: What was all that you wrote on your blog about not spending money all the time?

Me: Well they were a really good deal.

Mom: You know you can go to the poorhouse on deals like that.

Bless my friend Maggie and the moments that our lives parallel.

Ah hem, and if you saw her more recent post that was definitely NOT me she was having that conversation with. I would never engage in such an embarrassing text-versation, for fear that it may or may not end up on the internet somewhere.

New Year's Sunsets and Aspirations

2010-01-01T22:38:00.000-08:00

It's ~~late into the night on new year's day~~ early morning Jan. 2 and I can't sleep. Who knows why, maybe it's that God and I needed to do some thinking or maybe all my laziness over my vacation is finally catching up to me and I can be lazy no more ( I don't really think that's possible). I hate New Years. Honestly, more than Valentines. For years now I have hated the hype and pressure to have a celebration on the 31st that was awesome enough to send the year out in "style." I also hate the contradiction that two married people can sit at home doing nothing on New Years Eve and no one thinks they are pitiful, sad and lonely. I'll step down from my soap box now.

So anyways, when Sullivan and I left on New Years Eve to head to Charleston I wasn't all that jazzed. It was cold and rainy outside, and remember my sentiments from above about the aforementioned holiday, how could you forget right? Well, the long and short of it is I have been praying about life a lot recently wondering what I'm doing here on this earth and if I am really serving God as much as possible and really living life to the full or am I just biding my time? Most of the drive to Charleston and today has continued in that thought pattern. Don't worry, I still don't have any answers or any new great passions that I think are leading me in a certain direction and I probably won't because here is what I think.

It was cold rainy and nasty on Thursday, and then all of a sudden it stopped. Literally, within half a mile the weather became drastically different. And then as I drove into Charleston I saw this.

and then it turned into this

My poor little camera phone doesn't do it justice, but isn't that just like God? Life is life and it is what God has called us to. Do I have all the answers? Nope. There are plenty of things I am still searching for and trying to figure out, I won't even go into it, but despite all of my uncertainties, doubts and insecurities, God is still going to bring the sun out after a nasty day of weather, and every day whether we can see it or not God is going to make the sun rise and set...and so are the day's of our lives, haha no, but really. I just loved it. I felt so at peace and comforted to know that Thursday. It doesn't matter that even though I would say 2009 was a pretty good year, one of my better ones I might even add, a year later or really 27 years later and I am still asking questions...some that I have been asking for a while and still battling some of the things that I probably will battle for a while, but despite all of this my God is a faithful God and that I know. I don't have any huge answers for my questions, but just like that beautiful sunset, sunset club worthy I might add, after a nasty day of weather the sun will set. Predictable, dependable, consistent, yet on Thursday surprisingly beautiful. I too must carry on with life in 2010 and admist daily albeit struggling faithfulness and doing "regular" life and work most likely struggling at that too, God will maybe make it into a surprisingly beautiful thing.

So with that sunset in mind here it is, my New Year's ~~resolutions~~ aspirations
1. To memorize scripture. Beth Moore started scripture memory on the 1st and 15th of every month. I would like to follow that schedule.
2. To spend more consistent time with god, specifically in intentionally devoted prayer time.
3. I want to be more intentional in life...how about that for a measurable goal haha.
4. I'm thinking I need to watch less tv. I contemplated being bold and going cold turkey. Then I decided I wasn't really feeling that calling, so perhaps just being more intentional about it...note aspiration #3 above.
5. Read more, ya know, like something other than blogs, maybe those things with pages and a cover. I think they are called books.
6. Exercise more. Well it has to be on here. I've really gotten into spin classes, but you wouldn't know it by looking at me other than this new protruding muscle on my shin...like that's really where I wanted an awesome new muscle.
7. Start some new things. Some people call them hobbies, I call it life. Regardless I need to get one.
8. Spend less and give more. I could churn off a list as long as this list-o-aspirations of things that I want to buy, just like that off the top of my head, but as much as the worldly part of me longs for those things, I don't want to live like that from never ending list of thing to thing. See #3
9. Coupons. Note #8
10. I want to be a meal planner, possible with the help of #8 and #9, and try new recipies. I always thought this was something I would start doing once I got married, but why wait! I need to be more #3 about my grocery shopping and this will help.
11. Get ~~married~~ ~~engaged~~ ~~a boyfriend~~ go on a date

Happy New Year's from In A Round Sort of Way and the Dingo!

A Christmas Tragedy

2009-12-30T13:26:00.001-08:00

Well, that MIGHT be an exaggeration, but I am sad none the less. My computer has been on it's last leg for a while but I have been able to patch it up over and over again to keep it alive. Last time it went to the Doctor he warned me that I was getting close to a final breakdown. The place where you plug it in to charge wasn't fitting snuggly and when it finally broke it would really be too expensive to repair...you could consider the computer totalled if you will. Well, apparently the copious amounts of internet play over the holidays did him in, and he will no longer charge. Goodbye Mr. Mac it's been a pleasure and you have turned many a friend into a Mac person because of your solid companionship. I will miss you but I am hoping to donate your organs to those in need so you will hopefully live on in the lives of other struggling Macs, and help pay for your predicessor (is that the word for a follower or the one that comes before? I'm not sure.)

Now for the great dilemma that really shouldn't be. Most times in life I unfortunately freely spend my money, something I have really been working on over the years. But, there are inevitably those times that I absolutely labor over making decisions about things and about spending my money. I am in need/want over some new "equipment" which I was doing a pretty good job of saving money up for until an unexpected expense of a new computer arises. I have been saving for a new automobile of some sort, yet to be decided, because I don't feel confident to go purchase one at this financial point in time. I also need a camera so I can quit stealing my mom's, her patience is running thin in this area of moochism (potentially because of all the other items I mooch) and because of weekends such as this when we are both going to be out of town with only one camera between the two of us (mine died a few years ago.) So while I can hardly fathom slipping back in time and reverting to a PC laptop, that is maybe a better financial decision? But oh the thought of viruses, and the lack of cool amenities is almost too much to bear. So I have stopped over at my parent's house to do some research on the situation. I shall keep you posted. Until then, and the return of my (mom's) camera I can't update you on the great Holiday Family Festivities.

RIP Mr. Mac you deserve it.

The Great Blackberry Picture Dump

2009-12-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

I recently dumped all of the pictures off of my blackberry onto my computer. I found a lot of random pictures that I never ended up using on the blog, and a lot of trends...haircuts, food, and funny random pictures from my job. In no particular order, I picked a few to share:

Oyster Roast during Homecoming at work.

Just another day in the office...picking up trash after an event.

Matt Nathanson in the yellow.

My favorite koozie.

Old ladies (me and EA) working a puzzle one night.

Dinner one night

New $9 bedroom shoes from Wal-Mart

The mouse that died in my office

Dingo sleeping in funny position

Bangs

another awkward picture of swoop bangs...hey round face

Stockings pre-messed up

Cute Ben that I babysat for

Nephews at thanksgiving, killing me at some random airplane game

A really good dinner

Fraternity House covered in kudzu for a party

Sullivan ate a pen

Birthday present from boss lady

Birthday cakes my students brought me in class

Awesome birthday present from Gmama

Sullivan at the Dr for a checkup

Let me out of here!

Fraternity Bid Day

Awesome dinner again

At work during orientation

Took this to show my recruitment chair all the stuff she ordered that turned out awesome!

B5 Reunion in Greenville

Season finale of Real Housewives of NJ

B5 Reunion when we had to sneak into the pool, we were really sly with our huge cooler

Sugarland concert...

Graduation at "The College"

Just a normal afternoon at work

This vehicle was sitting outside of the Nu one day...I said lets take a picture...so EA logically climbed in.

My fearless assistant inside the fair food trailer at May Day Play Day.

Spring Weekend...

Sand Volleyball Tournament

We truck in that sand to build the court early in the morning.

Shaving Cream Fight

Slip and Slides

This would become a bungee jumping aparatus.

Huge pile of mulch dad had delivered to my house one day, it sat there for a year.

Reliving some old memories

Dinner. And I forgot about that purse until I saw this picture. Can't wait to bust that out when I get home!

Rug Shopping

Eli J at dinner one night forever ago.

G-mama Encounters with the Boss Lady

2009-12-23T07:05:00.000-08:00

G-mama and G-daddy have a fun tendency of bumping into boss lady out and about in town. Oh the joys of a small town, and your grandparents somehow sharing a similar social circle with your boss.

The first time it happened was a few years ago when I was first applying to work at "The College," my first year out of college. Our sorority formal during the Spring of my senior year, a year I had chosen to begin drinking for the first time (yes I rebelliously waited until I was 22 before I started drinking), happened to be on April Fools day. I had recently turned over office in our sorority, and at some point in the evening the new sorority president and I thought it would be fun to play a little prank on the chapter. So we partnered with the security officers we hired and planned for them to come arrest me off of the dance floor. Plan goes into action, I did inform my date (good ole Weston) about what was going to happen so he was on board. Weston and I were dancing, and I was pretending to act a little bit rowdy even though I wasn't, and the security officers come up to me and start acting rude saying they need me to step outside with them. About this time most of the girls take notice of the situation going down. I demand to know why, to which they refuse to say anything other than "ma'am please step outside with us." After refusing again they slap handcuffs on me and escort me outside. A bunch of the girls started getting involved, yelling at the cops wanting to know what I've done (such faithful sisters), and then begin to follow us outside, especially fearless Festa who is YELLING at the cops and trying to grab me away from them, she followed us all the way outside! As they escort me outside the new president hopped on the mic and yelled "April Fools!" It was awesome! So awesome, in fact, that when my grandparents first meet the lady who could potentially be my boss in my first big girl job they think that is an appropriate story to recount to her over the dinner table. Awesome. Lucky for me, she thought it was funny and hired me anyways. I suppose it was a good story to prepare her for just who she was hiring.

Well, apparently G-mama and G-daddy ran into my boss at another dinner earlier this week. According to boss lady they had a great time chatting (oh geez). According to boss lady part of the conversation went like this:

Boss Lady: I loved Courtney's Christmas card! It was so cute!

G-mama: Yes, it's just a shame she doesn't have anyone else to put in it besides her dog.

Oh G-mama, ever so supportive.

Fun Weekend Recap

2009-12-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was so busy but so fun!

Thursday night I went and picked up Festa, you may remember her from these posts, from the Columbia airport. Her plane got in at 10:20, then we headed to Laurens to spend the night with the Molony family. I think we got to Courtney and Ryan's around 12:30 and stayed up talking and laughing until 2ish. I was so proud of how late Courtney was able to stay up with us younger folk! She has rarely been able to do that, even in college! We had a great time talking and laughing late late into the night.

I made these awesome signs to hold up at the airport so Festa would be able to find me...you know, in the crowd of 10 other people and all.

My favorite quote from the night was when we were discussing Durham and something came up about her having to be swaddled to sleep through the night. During the discussion of swaddling Festa claimed she had never heard of such, she was definitely not swaddled, so this must be a new trend with babies "when did it start" she asked. Knowing full well that yes, we were swaddled as babies, I was overtaken by the smart ass in me and quickly quipped "they wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger...Jesus is when they started swaddling!" Oh how I love her.

I took Friday off so Courtney, Festa Durham and I pretty much laid around all morning in our jams. Ryan and Courtney woke me up when D. first woke up at 6:15 so I could see her released from her swaddle! I saw the event and crawled right back into bed until after Durham's morning nap, when she and Courtney came to greet us. The weather was NASTY outside, so I was more than happy to stay inside with a sweet little baby. Some of you will be proud to know that I did share and let Festa hold her a few times, ya know since she had to be all trashy and move to TX and all.

(Please note Festa yammering on about how awesome Dallas is in the background, haha!)

The girls and I met Ryan at Hummingbirds for lunch. Hummingbirds was one of my FAVORITE places to eat in college, and since it is small town America they are NEVER open when I am back in town. Ya know they are one of those places that closes for every possible holiday, even chocolate covered raisins day I think. So I was pretty excited for my sweet potato chips and chicken salad salad. It was just as good as I remembered!

After lunch and a few errands I headed to Charleston to see EA in her new homestead. Krissie was supposed to come for the weekend but was sick and wasn't able to make it. We missed you KB! We try to make it an annual event when Krissie head's south for the holidays. The rain slowed my traveling time to a gradual crawl, and it took me over 4hrs for a trip that should have only taken 2.5! It was raining so hard you could only see the car in front of you and had to drive about 20mph below the speed limit. Then as I was getting into Charleston downtown was flooded due to high tide and the rain, so I was rerouted which took FOREVER! All the traffic from downtown was bottlenecked and miserable. But I finally made it and it was worth it! EA and I had a great weekend. Most notably taking home the Best Overall Dish in her roommates Christmas Cook-Off Party for our Chimichangas! Thanks to Amy for introducing us to the bite sized mexican jubilees. It didn't hurt that EA went around all night politicking for votes!

Rolling the Chimis is neither mine nor EA's strong suit but they still tasted awesome!

Frying these bad boys up outside.

And afternoon DVC to keep me awake on the drive home!

Sunday as I was driving home my dad and brother called to see if I wanted to go to the Panther's game with them. I literally had enough time to run in the door, change clothes into about a million layers for the freezing football game, and hop in the car to head to Charlotte. This was my first Panther's game and it was really fun! We had a "bird's eye view" i.e. we were high enough to be with the birds. I think there were maybe 5 rows higher than us in the entire stadium. The Panthers were playing the Minnesota Vikings, which always reminds me of Marshall on HIMYM. We got home from the football game around 1:30 that morning, but it was totally worth it!

The cute family all bundled up.

Our Minnesota Viking Seat Neighbor...enough said.

Final Score, Panthers Win!

I'm exhausted just recapping everything! It was such a fun weekend!

What Does It Mean When...

2009-12-21T07:16:00.001-08:00

Your office hosts a maintenance appreciation breakfast with Hardee's biscuits and one of the maintenance guys walks by and looks at you and the tall thin blonde you are standing beside and asks why y'all aren't eating. You politely reply with "oh it's for y'all not for us" or "oh, we just wanted to be sure there was plenty for y'all" to which maintenance man replies pointing at tall thin blonde beside short dumpy brunette "you really need to eat one...or several."

Apparently I have had more than my fair share of biscuits in this lifetime.

Happy Monday!

Ornament Exchange That Will Go Down In History

2009-12-17T05:59:00.001-08:00

Last night was my work Christmas Party, oh excuse me, I mean Holiday Party since we are so diverse. Even though I work at a religiously affiliated institution, apparently we still have to embrace diversity...I promise the most diverse we are as a staff is Catholic and Baptist, and last time I checked they however diverse both celebrate Christmas. Our invitation even said something about coming together to celebrate all of our various holidays...um do you mean Christmas?

Here is the perfect example to sum up how these things normally shake out. Earlier this week my boss announced in front of most of our staff of Directors "I can't wait to see who Courtney is bringing as her date to our Christmas Party this week!" I said I couldn't wait to see who would be my date too, findmychristmaspartydate.com was all out.

However, the gleaming light of this festavus for the rest-of-us was one special word different from any other...a USED Christmas (er, I mean, Holiday) Ornament exchange. Now, the concept of a used ornament I can make happen. Of course, because its our office, people had to make a big deal about "what if I don't have a used ornament?" or "what if I don't want to give one of mine away?" People are such babies. I finally got annoyed enough to speak up in our staff meeting and suggest people keep their pie holes shut, stop making a big deal about it, and take themselves to the dollar tree, where for one dollar they can purchase a new ornament that appears sufficiently used, or just buy a freaking new one elsewhere if you are really telling me that no one has ever given you an ornament that was a little on the fug side. It's really not that hard. My boss then said she had a plethora of ornaments that will no longer fit on her tree so she would bring a box people could choose from, problem solved, geez. I perused my tree and pondered for a while which ornament to give away, perhaps one of these? But, at the end of the day I couldn't bear to part with a piece of my destiny, after all how many cats does it take to make a cat lady?

Lucky for me, my parents have been teachers for too many years to count, and if you aren't familiar with teacher law, christmas for a teacher = ugly ornament capital of the christmas celebrating world. So after work yesterday I stopped by mom and dad's house to check out the "left over" ornaments that didn't make it on the tree, with mom's permission of course. I consulted her over the phone as I was "shopping" to be sure I didn't take the one ornament that she would inevitably declare was her favorite even though it hadn't graced the family tree in 13 years. The other teacher christmas ornament law is that the student has to write on the back "To Mrs. S, Love insert name of the worst student you have ever taught to date so when you look at this ornament for years to come you will say ugggggghhhh and then in a moment of silence thank god we both survived." Needless to say, there were several of those. I really was seeking something either from the 1980s, or something with someone's name on it...funny was of top priority.

And then, like a gift sent from heaven, there at the bottom of the ornament box, a light shone down from above and the angels started to sing...there she was. The perfect USED christmas ornament. I quickly sent mom a pic-text and said I think I found it, can you part with this one?

Here she is, one half of the perfect used ornament gift set. Criteria met: homemade, check. Used, you bet. Hilarious, most definitely.

And then with a spark of creativity and a mother's blessing, the perfect used ornament gift set was completed, just in case someone wasn't grateful enough for a homemade hand with the perfect number of holiday fingers remaining.

I could feel how grateful someone was going to be to proudly display these ornaments on their family "holiday" tree, or whatever diverse apparatus they chose for hanging of decorative festive paraphernalia.

The homemade hand gesture, really did start out with more fingers I promise, and no I did not intentionally break them off they were just loved off with time, or as mom suggested a mouse probably ate them because the fingers weren't in the box, but it was one of her favorite ornaments she couldn't bear to part with offensive hand gesture or not. As all mother's are, so willing to sacrifice for their children, in good diverse holiday spirit my mom was willing sacrifice for a good laugh.

The homemade hand gesture was very fragile and I couldn't risk losing the remaining finger before the start of the event, so I no lie, packaged both ornaments in foam inside of this box. A silver heart that says 1996.

I forgot to take a picture all wrapped, but it was wrapped in paper that says Courtney all over it, just in case someone wasn't sure who that fourth grader inside was.

During the dinner portion of the evening I sat upstairs at the kids table with all the younger, single people...and a couple who just knows we are the cool crowd. One of the single people, being not of the younger crowd came and sat beside me. He was recently exchanged from another department, so he is the newest person on our staff and in general awkward to be around. The experience did not disappoint, it was awkward. Everytime we were all joking about something he didn't get it, he always thought we were being serious when we were being sarcastic (apparently sarcasm is a generational thing?), and was always two stories behind us and getting confused, or would make a joke that was so strange you couldn't even muster a courteous chuckle. It was just plain awkward. Thankfully I was granted my reprieve when I was instructed to lead the ornament portion of the evening with one of my coworkers. Things were going swimmingly. At first a couple, the ones that like to hang out with us young folk, that I am good friends with chose my ornament set, at my suggestion. Everyone had a great laugh about it and the exchange proceeded. Then the creepy old dude stole the ornaments I brought! I was AWKWARD! I don't even know this cat and he stole a picture of me in the 4th grade to hang on his tree? WEIRD! Thankfully my boss stole them for herself, even though her husband wanted the nice snowflake ornaments. Then she said after I get laid off she will put someone else's picture in there, and she thinks the hand gesture will be well utilized. I agree. All in all, used ornament exchange = very fun. Oh, and to cap off the evening, creepy old dude hugged me goodbye and KISSED ME ON THE CHEEK! This is NOT Europe! Luckily one of my friends was standing there to observe the event, followed by my vom in the mouth. What does he think this is? A departmental dating service?! Ick!

Merry Christma-rama-hanna-kwanza to all, and to all a good night!

Merry Christmas From the Dingo

2009-12-15T13:53:00.001-08:00

Picking out cards was a little bit harder this year. I needed something just right to go with the bright colors and hot pink in these pictures that my good friend Rachel took for me. Let me just go ahead and tell you, not many cards work with hot pink. I did find a few options though.

The next big debate was what verse to put on my card this year. There were some more traditional Christmas verses that I liked, but I kept wanting to put a verse from Esther. My small group and I just finished our Beth Moore Esther study and it has hands down been my favorite bible study to date. Every week I felt challenged and comforted all at the same time. It was the perfect study to be in when one enters their late twenties. I kept coming back to this verse, and finally decided it may not be Christmasy, but it is where God has me in 2009, so it was the verse I wanted to remember this Christmas by.

"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

I ordered the same amount of cards as I did last year, but I ran out this year...apparently I was more popular in 2k9. So if you didn't get one, please know that I still love you (if I know who you are)!

Merry Christmas from me and the Dingo!

A Pink Christmas

2009-12-14T05:49:00.000-08:00

I'm #619 over at The Nester's Christmas Tour of Homes, I'm fairly certain no one reads 619 posts. But, none the less, old and new blog buddies alike welcome to my house at Christmas!

My first Christmas in my house I decided I wanted a different color scheme besides the traditional red and green, and red just wasn't going to go with colors in my house...so pink it was! I found my tree skirt and stockings at Hobby Lobby. They aren't the fanciest things, and they were pretty cheap, but they are the only pink stockings and tree skirt I have found to this day. I took them to have our names put on them this year, they were supposed to be in green but they got confused. I may or may not have had a melt down, only fueled by the ignorance of the store that messed them up. I was, however, quickly reminded of how unimportant of an issue this was in the grander scheme of life which I was thankful for.

Here is my mantel all decorated.

Every year I end up doing things a little differently. Like this bowl of ornaments on my coffee table...the greenery was a new touch this year...we'll see if it makes a repeat appearance next year.

Last year I started looking for a table runner that I liked for Christmas and could never find one that matched my colors. So this year I decided to take matters into my own hands. I bought some burlap and made them! I used no sew fabric glue to hem them, and cut ribbon to lay across the top and I love the way it turned out! The ribbon isn't attached so if I want to use the burlap for other holidays I can.

Pretty much all of my decorations I continue to play around with and move them around. The dining room I have already re-done 3 different ways. I wish I had more of the mirror trees because I really liked them on top of the pie safe to add height over there, but then the middle of the table was kind of lacking.

Growing up my grandmother collected these little corn shuck/corn husk dolls. She has them for every season of the year and I used to love looking at them as a little girl. So, when I bought my house she decided it was time that I start inheriting them so I have a few for every season, but the Christmas ones are my favorite.

My first Christmas I also bought these mirror snow flakes that I hang in my windows. I have seven windows at the front of my house, unfortunately a few of them didn't fair so well in the summer heat in the attic and are awaiting repair. On a sunny day, which we haven't had in a while they are so shiny! I love them.

And last but not least the tree! Not my best lighting job ever but I redid it twice and finally I just had to be done with it. I may or may not have been disappointed with my original tree once I got it home and then taken my parents up on an offer to switch trees with them...only for them to get my original tree home to their house and discover there was a hole in the stand thus the tree due to lack of water was well on its way to an early death. They took the tree back and exchanged it for a third tree, but I promise I'm not spoiled. I would only be spoiled if I ASKED for their tree...they offered it.

Thanks for stopping by! Merry Christmas from In A Round Sort of Way!

In The Works

2009-12-10T06:12:00.001-08:00

Here are a few sneak peeks on what I started working on last night:

Those first two aren't really part of the project but I needed to move my giant pink ornaments out of the way and that seemed to be the best location at the time...and then I thought it was really neat looking.

I'm planning to do a full Christmas decorations post for this:

So stay tuned!

And look what I stayed up late to finish!

That's right, they came in the mail during my lunch break yesterday and are ready to go out this morning! Note the very professional multicolored addresses...that really causes my twinge of OCD to flair up...my pink pen died half way through. So upsetting.

In other exciting news I over slept once again this morning due to the late night projects, caught Sullivan eat the poopy dirt from the sewage leak in the backyard yesterday (shes probably going to get worms or something now and cost me hundreds of dollars), I didn't have time to put on makeup so I grabbed it to put on at work only I left it somewhere either at home or in the car so I am makeup-less, and there is an unidentified stink in my office, I think it one of my furry friends from this post may have seen the end of his life somewhere in my office yet to be determined.

Destiny on a Tree

2009-12-08T12:52:00.001-08:00

One of our family traditions growing up was to get a Christmas ornament in our stocking so that when we were old enough to have our own tree we would have sentimental ornaments to decorate it with. Every year I got an ornament symbolic of that year like a Saxophone for the year I was in the band (turns out there are some things we wished we could forget now documented in ornament form), a house for the year I bought my house, a PC ornament, you get the picture. As I was unpacking my Christmas ornaments the other night, I couldn't help but take note that my destiny seemed to be greeting me with every other ornament.

Cats...lots of cats. It seems I am a in fact truly a cat lady merely disguised with a dog. Admittedly growing up I was a cat lover. I asked Santa for a kitten for years, but my parents ever so logically explained that Santa couldn't put a kitten in his sleigh because it would jump out. It wasn't until my parents foolishly let me watch Miracle on 34th Street for the first time that the jig was up. My young logic finally trumped theirs and I made sure Santa knew it. If Santa can bring someone a house he can surely figure out a way to get a kitten here. I'm pretty sure my parents still have the note I wrote to Santa informing him of this. And thus, that very Christmas, I was greeted on Christmas morning by Callie the Calico.

You may think I'm kidding about the cat ornaments...

Look familiar? Yep, I have two of those.

Apparently ballerina cats were big.

It's as if even at such a young age I identified with Mrs. Twitty the cat lady across the street whose cats used my sandbox as a giant litter box.

As you can see one can only embrace their destiny so I put each and every cat on my tree this year...hidden...in the back where the embarrassing ornaments belong...beside the saxophone.

Biggest Loser Finale

2009-12-07T20:36:00.001-08:00

The Biggest Loser finale is tonight!

So cast your vote, who do you think is going to win?!

Rudy?

I didn't really care either way about Rudy during the beginning of the show but he seemed like a nice enough dude when he was Dina's partner. Then as the season wore on, the size of his head seemed to directly correspond with each pound he lost gradually getting bigger and bigger as my apathy towards him turned into dislike. The final straw was the temper tantrum he threw when voting Rebecca off. Did anyone catch last week that he said he has been married for just over a year and has a 3.5 year old and a 10 month old? Sketch.

Liz?

The brown team was another team that I wasn't really passionate about either way for most of the season. The week Liz decided she was going to do whatever ever it took to be the Biggest Loser and vote Crazy Tracy off I loved her! Then she didn't follow through with it and after that just seemed kind of mean. Her interviews got on my nerves, as did the elderly alliance they had going on.

Danny?

I think Danny and Rudy have the best potential for being the biggest loser and of the two I am team Danny all the way! He seems so like-able and humble.

Amanda?

I remember watching her on the Season 7 finale. I like Amanda and follow her on Twitter. I would love for her to win but think it's probably a long shot. Regardless I have no doubt she will look awesome at the finale and really does seem to be so much happier...and in love with Bob. Since we're already casting votes, should we place a bet how many times we will hear something about being America's choice?

We will find out tonight!

This post on Kristin from last season's blog was really interesting about preparing for the finale episode and what all goes on. I love finding out this kind of stuff! For more behind the scenes details check out Amanda Arlauskas and Alison Sweeney on Twitter.

Among the Holiday Traditions I Enjoy

2009-12-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

The lighting of our fraternity houses is one of my favorites! I love to see our guys work on positive things that bring healthy, safe merriment to the whole campus. All of the houses participate but some put forth a little more effort than others. Pictured below are only the award winning of our 6 houses.

The third place house had their lights synchronized with music!

Second Place:

And the Grand Prize Winner! How could they not win?! They had Christmas with a Cause and ran the toys for tots theme throughout the house and even collected toys that night! Made my heart warm and bubbly!

They even had guys dressed up as Santa and Elves!

The Ab Routine of Doom

2009-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving break I a DVR spring cleaning, as in I record so many shows it fills up weekly. But it's not just as simple as deleting some recorded shows. Nay nay, it means creating your own TV marathon so you can be sure and watch them all before you delete them. So, over thanksgiving I had my own biggest loser marathon. I have been recording season 5 of biggest loser on the FLN channel but hadn't been watching them on a regular basis. So last week was the week.

I have been carrying around an article out of November's real simple about a 15 minute Ab routine but have never gotten brave enough to do it. But with my biggest loser confidence and I can attitude I decided to try it. Monday I convinced myself I could run (and by run I mean alternating walk for 5 minutes run for 1.5) on the treadmill for an hour. I don't know how those 500lb people on the show do it for hours and hours...I lasted 20 minutes and decided to move on to weights. I've never been a runner, and don't see becoming one anytime in the near future...it's too much of a mental thing. At the end of my workout I gave the ab routine a go. It was hard to say the least.

I could barely balance on this one and kept tipping over:

On Tuesday after the spin class from hell I decided to hit up the ab routine again. I was already neon pink in the face from spin class and dripping with sweat...I looked quite literally like a hot mess. As I am lying prostrate on the floor in a pool of sweat about to perform this manuever

but feeling more like I look like this

a trainer walks by with his client and says something to the effect of, soon we'll have you doing that. I held the plank of doom for an extra 5 seconds...just to be a good example...for a whopping total of 15 seconds.

Yesterday after spin I ditched the ab routine..ya know...I didn't want to over do it or something?

Speaking of Daytime TV

2009-12-01T06:44:00.000-08:00

It was a busy night last night...clearly. So I also watched my DVR'ed ep of Ellen...because Vince Vaughn was going to be on. He's so funny...and attractive. But to my surprise, Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn sing together. It was so delightful, and no it wasn't Christmas music. I personally think Scarlett is a little awkward and I'm not the biggest fan, but who knew she could sing? And I really liked her voice too!

Enjoy:

Tis The Season

2009-11-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

If I had to look at that picture of chili in the post below one more time I think I was going to vom. Sorry for all the pain that inflicted every time you logged onto my blog over the holiday weekend, which I'm certain was tons in anticipation of my next post.

I am so excited about Christmas this year! I listened to Christmas music all day at work, then while I worked out this afternoon, and this evening when I checked to see what my DVR recorded today it was a Christmas music episode of Oprah...featuring none other than my love...Tim McGraw!

Speaking of Tim, if you haven't seen the Blindside you MUST! It is amazing!

Sugarland, another favorite, was on Oprah today too! Singing with J. Hud!

Did I mention I heart Christmas music? For 24 Hours you can download some of the music that was on Oprah for free! And unlike when she gave the free chicken away...I don't think this one will disappoint!

1,2,3 Chili

2009-11-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I stopped by the grocery store, low on budget I needed to restock the vegetable section of my kitchen. I prefer fresh vegetables, but as a party of one, unless I have something specific in mind for them they tend to go bad before I can cook them. So B Team vegetables are usually Birds Eye Steam Fresh. They are truly amazing and so fresh tasting, not to mention super easy. I HIGHLY recommend them for those of you who are more affluent in these economic times. Never the less, due to budget cuts (i.e. where did all of my money go this month?!) I had a little can food drive for myself. I potentially purchased somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20 cans for myself. Not the most nutritious but at around 80cents a pop and they won't go bad until the year 2012, you really can't beat that on a budget.

So I put my canned products to use Sunday night for a little easy as 1,2,3 Chili. Now, chili has its appropriate time and place in life. The afternoon before a formal affair would not be the time, on a first date would not be the time, the dining hall cafeteria is probably not the place, and Wendy's is debatable in my book. However, when the time and place are right, coupled with the appropriate weather conditions, I love a good bowl of chili.

1.

2.

3.

It's that easy! If you want to spice it up you can toss in whatever seasoning you want. I think I added a little minced garlic, and some random version of Mrs. Dash, some salt and pepper.

Happy Chili-ing

A DPH Christmas Preview

2009-11-24T06:57:00.000-08:00

all my pictures are blurry so more to come on this later, i.e. whenever Margaret uploads her pictures haha.

Young Hearts Run Free

2009-11-20T07:39:00.000-08:00

To most creatures a fenced in yard would probably be considered captivity. But to my little city dog, a fence means a chance to run free!

The next chapter in the backyard makeover was completed yesterday, and this picture says it all!

Sullivan and I are both jumping for joy! No more freezing cold late night treks outside for Sullivan to take a potty break, no sir, just open the back door and off she goes!

All the black buckets are the ground are plants waiting to be planted...more to come on that soon!

Last night when I got home I let her out and was able to go sit in my pink chairs and talk on the phone while she ran around and explored.

We had a little mother daughter heart to heart in which we both agreed that she would not dig holes in the ground, tear up my plants, get really dirty, or turn into one of those stinky outdoor dogs, and every time we come in from playing outside we have to wipe off our feet. So far so good.

From The Inside Out

2009-11-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
my heart and my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out

- Hillsong United

Stand Still Long Enough

2009-11-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

And I will Paint You...

One day a year or two ago, on my mission to eradicate off white, I decided to paint my bathroom. This was actually the first room I painted all by myself in my house. I knew what colors I wanted the other rooms, so logically that seemed to only leave me with a few colors: red, teal, purple or pink for the bathroom. My bathroom at my parents house was teal, and my parents' is purple...I know right? I have always been into painting rooms bright colors haha. Red would clash with the rest of my house, so I opted for pink...hot pink.

While I was at it I painted the bathroom door with chalkboard paint, and the vanity green.

I really liked it at first...then I kind of got over it. It made the bathroom feel smaller, kind of dark, and I started to get insecure that it was too juvenile. So on Halloween weekend I decided enough was enough and thought Grey would be a nice addition to the palette of colors in the house. Everyone was skeptical...doubters. Turns out it looks AWESOME. I am really pleased. It is so calming now, and it feels bigger and more spacious in the bathroom. I painted the top half of the walls grey, and repainted the vanity that was green back to white.

The Grey I chose is Valspar's National Trust for Historic Preservation Mark Twain House Ombra Grey. I tried out another color of grey that was a little too blue, this one was just right.

I also tried out several shower curtains, one classic black and white, and one that was yellow and grey paisley...very anthropology. But neither looked great. So I decided to stick with my white and green one for a while.

4 Things

2009-11-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

I meant to put this up the other day after just a few hours of I Spy...alas things got busy and I never got a chance until just now.

Rachel got the 4 things updated in the living room correct:

1. Fireplace: Screen and Candles
This was actually my mom's idea and it worked out great!

Here are my inspiration photos:

I realized when I first sat the candle holder in the fireplace it was too short. So after looking at these pictures and seeing that most people, unlike me, actually have an open fireplace and set the candles INSIDE not IN FRONT OF the fireplace so I needed to build it up some. So I scrounged up all the old bricks I could find around my house, which was a good number...I think its a requirement of an old house to have old bricks laying around or something. I would still like to add a few more bricks, right now its more of just a wall of bricks, and maybe some more candles sitting on the bricks. Well, what I would REALLY like to do is open up the fireplace. It should be an old coal burning fireplace, not one that you can put logs into, but it would look really cool...and speaking of cool, the reason we haven't is it will probably let tons of cold air in.

2. Pictures on the wall
If you remember from this post I was never really happy with the pictures above my fu. It was just too much, too overwhelming, and too unorganized. I wanted it to have that intentional random effect like something out of pottery barn and instead it just looked random.

But instead...this is what I had:

So after some more studying and thinking I ended up with this:

I am a much happier wall of photos owner now. It just looks cleaner, less messy, and maybe a little more PBish?

3 & 4. Blue Tables

One day while I was hanging out in my living room I noticed my robins egg blue blanket that was randomly laying on the fu popped nicely and seemed to had a color that rounded out the room. I'm not smart enough to know if it is because it is a cool color and there aren't alot of cool colors in there or what, but it accented everything really well. Then I started to notice pops of blue elsewhere in the living room and dining room. Most of the pictures have a similar color blue in them, the vase on the mantel has blue in it, the rug in the living room also has some blue in it, and my fiesta in the dining room has blue. I think it also helps to tie in the blue-ish green sofa.

I wanted the perfect pop of that old antique vintage cottage blue/teal.

The TV table looks so much better instead of that old crappy off white, that was potentially the original paint from when G-daddy built the table for my mom's first apartment. The corner table later became my toyshelf growing up, the source of many mother daughter fights, most infamously the time I was asked to clean up only for my mother to discover I was only hiding stuff places...like dirty socks in a jack-o-lantern. She proceeded to get a trash bag, run her arm across the top of the table and in one swoop of her arm throw all of my toys in the trash bag to "give to some poor child who would appreciate and take care of their toys." haha! So anyways, after I put a good two coats of blue paint on the little corner table I discovered that apparently the "antique white" paint was oil based, thus my latex blue paint didn't really stick. If you look at it wrong it peels off. So one day, I am going to have to sand and prime it...one day. Even though I love the little corner table with so much family history, hand built by my grandfather, I would love to have a corner CABINET not just a table. I used to have my stereo, as in I saved up all of my babysitting money and bought it in junior high stereo, sitting on the bottom shelf, but decided it was time for it to get moved up into the attic. So I need to get a plant or something to go on the bottom shelf, then it won't look so empty.

Before:

After:

And the table between the chairs
Before and WAY Before:

After: I wanted it to have an antique-y look. Not sure if I'm there yet, but you know me...just let me get bored enough and I'll start to paint something.

I Spy

2009-11-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Can you spot the latest living room projects?

Hint: There are 4 things that are different than before...

"To Those Who Could Not Be With Us"

2009-11-08T18:41:00.000-08:00

Oyster Roast 2K9 was this weekend.

47 friends and family in attendance
189,000,000 leaves blown
4 Fire Pits
Clemson 40: FSU 24!
3 Boxes of Oysters
2 Batches of the Family specialty Buttery Nipples
1 Firemaster, thanks Weston!
1 Co-Chef, Oyster Roaster thanks EA!
and 1 Co-Sponsor, and awesome mom!

The Menu:
Homemade Guacamole
Cowboy Caviar
Ham Delights
Pigs in a Blanket
Grapes
Margaret's Beer Cheese "ball" and pretzels
Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese
Marinated Asparagus
Chicken Salad
Pimento Cheese
Homemade Boiled Peanuts (less salty this time!)
Okra Chips
Boiled Shrimp (courtesy of Mrs. Marcia)
EA's Homemade Cheesecake
Leftover Halloween Candy
Chocolate Chip Cookies (courtesy of Mrs. Marcia)

Trick Or Treat

2009-11-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

I don't exactly live in a neighborhood, more like a really busy cut through road. So when the weather altered my evening plans I ended up at home but didn't prepare for any trick-or-treaters. The only knock upon my door came around 9:30. My light was off, just to be sure any passerbys got the memo that I didn't have any candy. Well my 9:30 guests missed the memo and knocked anyways. To which they were greeted by my ferocious guard dingo's bark. Not that I was planning to open the door only to inform them I didn't have any candy anyways, but my decision was confirmed when after hearing Sullivan's bark I heard "Oh Shit!" from the other side of the door. You are officially too old to be tick-or-treating when yelling profanities! Thanks for stopping by anyways!

I Got A Feelin'

2009-10-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FRIDAY!

House with a View

2009-10-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE the fall! I can finally stop sweating from the summer, and it just feels AND smells awesome outside. I moved into my house in the fall of 2007 and my parents and I both decided my house was like a little mountain house with the awesome view, I keep it nice and chilly inside and because my parents just liked to escape and come hang out at my house haha.

So see for yourself my little house with the view. This is what I see when I look out my front door and when I sit in my living room or dining room...a row of perfect bright red/orange/yellow trees!

Too Old for These Shenanigans

2009-10-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

PC Homecoming was this weekend. What does it mean when people repeatedly comment that they almost didn't recognize you because you look so good. Apparently I was tragic in college?

We stayed at the Days Inn in Clinton, it was the only hotel with any rooms left when we made our reservations.

Maggie: you's a ho
me: you'se a HOOOOOOOOOOOOE!
Maggie: I said dat you's a ho
Maggie: I'm already skeeved out by staying there anyway
me:hahaha i know
me: at least its new?
Maggie: it's not.
Maggie: this is the old days inn
Maggie: next to the wendy's
Maggie: that's been there forever
Maggie: that used to have signs up that they were selling lamps and comforters - if you were interested
me: hahahahahahaha
me: we're tote going to get an STD

I think we all made it out of there herpes free...except for the guest who decided it was a good idea to take a bath. The tests are still out on that one. And we were lucky enough to get the corner room with a love seat and extra windows of the awesome view of the Hardees parking lot.

From the looks of the following picture it was certain we were not going to starve to death. EA and I made boiled peanuts. They were so salty they made your mouth shrivel up on the inside but not bad for a first attempt at homemade BPs.

We reinstated sunset club just like in the good ole days, i.e. sitting outside with good friends watching the sunset over one of our favorite places on earth.

Hung out with two of my favorite people who I haven't seen in FOREVER! Ann Marie (on the left) was my big sister in ADPi, Jane Harper was her roommate. Together they are two of the funniest people I have ever met. If you look closely you will see Ann Marie's KA nametag...apparently she is a brother of the Order, which to her meant help yourself to our beverages, and she did.

At this particular point in time I found them sitting on the front porch of KA cat calling all the boys that walked by. (My sunglasses are huge! haha)

The Thain Sisters...who both need to eat a cheeseburger.

Maggie threatened to steal a napping Durham.

You know you're old when you have little people at your tailgate. But darn she's cute.

Durham was not happy about a ZTA winning homecoming queen.

Single Girl = fresh arms for mom's who say "Wow, my arms are getting tired. This kid sure is heavy...hint hint."

I am however getting too old for these shenanigans. For the first time I looked around Saturday night and felt like we looked obviously older than the rest of the fraternity house patrons...maybe it was the fact that it was freezing outside and we had on an appropriate amount of clothing unlike the young fetuses they call college students with their strapless dresses on? Or maybe it was the fact that even though we weren't out that late on Saturday night I came home Sunday and immediately collapsed on the sofa, took two naps, and never got up again except to go to bed later that night.

Coming To A Christmas Card Near You...

2009-10-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I won a free photo shoot with my friend and photographer extrodinaire Rachel. Without a husband or small children to join in the photo shoot I was slightly at a loss for how to cash in my winnings...I figured the offer wasn't going to be good for multiple years until I potentially and hopefully found someone(s) to be cast in the aforementioned roles. Alas, when all else fails treat the dingo-like dog as a child, it is after all looking like Sullivan will be gracing the cover of the family of 1 Christmas Card again this year so why not at least get some good shots? So, yes...I am leading up to the fact that I had a professional, free but professional, photo shoot of my dog...ultimate spinster here.

Rachel and I brought along our significant others, her husband, and my bff to assist us in the task. We ventured out to a field in Pauline, hot pink lawn chair, and giant pink and green bow in tow. Except for 1 attempted, nearly accomplished dingo escape, the photo shoot was a major success!

So here is a glimpse of what will be coming on a Christmas card near you in a few short months! Feel free to submit Christmas Card Greeting ideas in the comments section of the blog. If your submission is chosen for the all important honor you will win (drum roll please) the satisfaction and pride of knowing your witty remark was mailed to the mass quantities (insert sarcasm) of loved ones who receive this stunning family of 1 Christmas Card.

What Dreams are Made Of

2009-10-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

In the past year or so I have been having a recurring dream/nightmare. When I told my mom about my dream I could see the concern for my mental stability in her facial expression. Thus some research was necessary. You see, I have this dream where everything is normal and then I will realize my tooth is loose. I kind of wiggle it and it just falls out in my hand. Then all of a sudden another tooth falls out and so on until my hand is full of my teeth and very few if any are left in my mouth. The situation is extremely upsetting in my dream so I begin to cry histerically at which point I wake up in real life, sometimes halfway crying. See...disturbing right? BUT, when typing "Dreams where teeth fall out" into google, as soon as you start typing the word teeth it finishes the question for you...I am not the ONLY one searching for the meaning behind this bizarre dream! In fact turns out it is a very common dream!

So here is what I found...all of these explanations are pretty accurate!

"My Teeth Are Falling"

Dreams that your teeth are falling out are the most common dreams we here at Dream Moods receive. Common dream scenarios include having your teeth crumble in your hands, fall out one by one with just a light tap, grow crooked or rot. Such dreams are not only horrifying and shocking, but often leaves the dreamer with a lasting image of the dream. So what does it mean?

One theory is that dreams about your teeth reflect your anxiety about your appearance and how others perceive you. Sadly, we live in a world where good looks are valued highly and your teeth play an important role in conveying that image. Teeth are used in the game of flirtations, whether it be a dazzling and gleaming smile or affectionate necking. These dreams may stem from a fear of your sexual impotence or the consequences of getting old. Teeth are an important feature of our attractiveness and presentation to others. Everybody worries about how they appear to others. Caring about our appearance is natural and healthy.

Another rationalization for these falling teeth dream may be rooted in your fear of being embarrassed or making a fool of yourself in some specific situation. These dreams are an over-exaggeration of your worries and anxiety.

Teeth are used to bite, tear, chew and gnaw. In this regard, teeth represent power. And the loss of teeth in your dream may be from a sense of powerlessness. Are you lacking power in some current situation? Perhaps you are having difficulties expressing yourself or getting your point across. You feel frustrated when your voice is not being heard. You may be experiencing feelings of inferiority and a lack of self-confidence in some situation or relationship in your life. This dream is an indication that you need to be more assertive and believe in the value of your own opinion.

In the latest research, it has been shown that women in menopause have frequent dreams about teeth. This may be related to getting older and/or feeling unattractive and less feminine.

Traditionally, it was thought that dreaming that you did not have teeth, represent malnutrition which may be applicable to some dreamers.

Other Perspectives

A scriptural interpretation for bad or falling teeth indicate that you are putting your faith, trust, and beliefs in what man thinks rather than in the word of God. The bible says that God speaks once, yea twice in a dream or a vision in order to hide pride from us, to keep us back from the pit, to open our ears (spiritually) and to instruct and correct us.

In the Greek culture, when you dream about loose, rotten, or missing teeth, it indicates that a family member or close friend is very sick or even near death.

According to the Chinese, there is a saying that your teeth will fall out if your are telling lies.

It has also been said that if you dream of your teeth falling out, then it symbolizes money. This is based on the old tooth fairy story. If you lose a tooth and leave it under the pillow, a tooth fairy would bring you money.

Just A Typical Conversation With G-Mama

2009-10-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

Most conversations with my grandmother look the same...very little is required from the receiving end of the phone call other than an occasional "uh huh." If you don't know about G-mama and G-daddy feel free to check out my very first post ever for some more details.

When my dad retired, lucky for him, he was at home during the day and thus became the receiver of the phone calls at my parents house. Considering mom and I both work some really long days, it was just more convenient that way. Well...it seems the same is beginning to apply to EA given the lack of constraints on her schedule these days. EA just happens to be home when the g-rents swing by the house to drop stuff off, or check on the back yard, or be passing by...it really works out well for me.

When I was at work the other day she g-chatted me to let me know she was on the phone with G-mama. Just a standard conversation with my grandmother...

3:37 PM Elizabeth: on the phone w/ gmomma

she's coming to help your dad decide about trees soon

and is still worried about the fence

7 minutes

3:44 PM me: hahaha

Elizabeth: her favorite apple is honey crisp

me: hahah

Elizabeth: they're going to eat w/ the barcombs tonight

3:45 PM she's worried about your pictures

me: barTrombs

Elizabeth: b/c they're messy still

me: but they eat at 5 and she doesnt like that

Elizabeth: oh she just told me that!

me: i know my gmama

Elizabeth: and she introduced them 15 years ago today

did you know that?

me: yep!

Elizabeth: i mean....

me: she was cupid

3:46 PM they moved into summit pointe recently

where they almost moved

Elizabeth: right

me: hshaha

Elizabeth: she mentioned that too

me: so she is coming over today to plant trees?

Elizabeth: not today

me: bc i drew pictures

ok good

Elizabeth: soon though

me: k

Elizabeth: and is worried about the fence

3:47 PM me:haha

Elizabeth: nope

and thinks you might want to split the pictures in the den into 2 groups...and put some in the dining room

and lower them

me: there is no where else in the dining room to put pics

Elizabeth: and have a look at so and so's in the thier house

courtney

you tell her that

she's your grandmother

haha

me: yay my comp charger is in!

3:48 PM Elizabeth: i told her i'd pass the suggestion along

just learned wiley was a bouncer at a bar for a while

3:49 PM i think i met mary anne at their house one time

3:50 PM me: yes you did

Elizabeth: i mean

we are still talking

the map in their house...they've been all over the world

hoping she can find us men too

3:51 PM and how she thinks we act frantic about being single

and how she went through the same thing

oh my gosh

i'd die if she comes and gives us a sermon about her single life

and how we should pursue by asking men to dinner

3:52 PM me: shut up

Elizabeth: courtney

me: this is why i cant talk to her!

Elizabeth: i WISH i was kidding

me: oh i know you arent

welcome to my life

3:53 PM Elizabeth: yeah

18 min

27 sec

we're done

me: and how many words did you actually have to say

less than 20 prob

Elizabeth: maybe 50

me: haha

3:54 PM what did you say about the single stuff?

just uh huh?

Elizabeth: uh huh

me: hahahha

Elizabeth: haha

and giggled a bit

i mean what the hell

so redic

i dont think we're frantic

haha

Where the Green Grass Grows

2009-09-25T07:19:00.001-07:00

As I have discussed previously...decision making is, well... not a trait my family is known for. We finally decided to just play rye grass for the winter and then plant real grass next spring when we know exactly what we are planning to do with it...the shade due to a tree in my backyard is making things complicated.

So last Friday dad finished the tilling, put out grass seed, and covered it all with straw (my yard man is such a hard...and cheap worker.) He kept asking me if I had checked to see any grass blades coming up which I hadn't because honestly no grass grows that fast...or so I thought. Then a few days ago I came home and was amazed as I pulled in the driveway to see the backyard covered in lime green baby grass! I have no clue how it came up so fast, apparently rye grass should actually be called 'roid grass.

So in one weeks time here we have it:

The color has NOT been edited...it is crazy lime green like that. You can see the difference in color from the new grass and the remaining old weeds in the bottom right corner of the second picture.

My Taller Older Sister

2009-09-22T05:46:00.000-07:00

This is a real life conversation that I had yesterday with one of my students, a new freshman...potentially my favorite freshman.

Freshie: Courtney, is your dad Roy?

Me: Yes?

Freshie: My aunt and uncle know him.

Me: Oh, cool. How?

Freshie: I'm not sure they just asked me who my professors were and when I said your name they asked if you were Roy's daughter. (Insert Aside...lets all take a moment and chuckle over the fact that "The College" has actually tricked innocent little freshmen into thinking I am a professor because I teach 2 classes...this from the girl who would prefer to skip any class than attend. Yes, my first reaction every morning that I have to teach is to skip...I guess in the teachers case that is called cancelling class. But I don't.)

Me: Hmm, interesting. Their name doesn't sound familiar.

Freshie: Yeah, they didn't say how they knew him, just his name...and do you have a taller older sister?

Me: No...insert pause...um do you mean my mom?

That's right folks...people confuse my mother for my taller, thinner, older sister. Awesome.

So last night I called my parents to tell them the story and try to figure out who her aunt and uncle are. Turns out they go to the church I grew up at. So, did they think the whole time I was growing up my dad was a single dad with 2 young daughters? Weird and gross all at once.

Marital Dispute

2009-09-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

My friend Rachel often posts funny conversations that she and her husband have...so today is an ode to funny conversations at home. My current "signifigant other"...or just my "other" on the homefront is my BFF EA. We have often joked that our friendship is preparing us for marriage, in a completely Jesus Loving Heterosexual way.

The other night I got home from work and was chatting with EA while she cooked dinner for us (marrital reference #1). That's how she earns her keep around here. We were discussing our days, which for her included going to a friends house to help her organize her life, EA's favorite thing to do and way to serve someone. What's up with that?! She has been living with me all summer and is yet to organize my kitchen cabinets.

Fast forward to post super scrumptious dinner, she disappears into the kitchen. Finally I went in there to see what she was doing...and the conversation went something like this:

Me: What are you doing?

EA: Organizing the cabinets?

Me: You are home all day everyday alone, bored looking for something to do, why don't you do it then?

EA: Because I am in the mood to do it now.

Me: I mean I'm just saying, I'm at work all day long stressed out, it would me nice for us to get to hang out together when I'm home. Why can't you do that during the day when I'm not here to hang out with?

EA: Because I'm in the mood to do it now.

Me: Ok. That's fine. I'm going to go watch some TV.

EA: I mean I can stop and finish later if you want me to.

Me: No, that's fine. Do whatever you want to do, it's your decision.

We both burst into laughter.

That my friends, is a marital dispute if I've ever heard one. Sometimes I am thankful to be single, and for the ability to do whatever I want to whenever I want to...pre or post work hours that is.