Another Distraction

Wedding Crafts

2011-04-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

This last Tuesday Ryan, my mom and I spent the day working on wedding crafts. Here is a picture from our hard work

We had some fun (and very stressful) times with spray paint. When they are all done I will post a picture and show you the final product.
The wedding is just a little over 3 months away! It is coming up so fast and we still have soooo much to do.

I heart the Library Part 2

2011-04-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I rediscovered the public library. I have been hooked ever since. I recently calculated the amount of money that I have saved by checking out books and DVDs at it totals almost $1000. Can you believe that???? I was amazed. I have checked out so many novels, craft and knitting books, cookbooks, and dvds.

So in light of learning this amount of savings my goal is to try to no longer buy DVD's and books. Yes, I will still buy a few DVD's that are my favorites to add to my collection as well as my favorite authors. But over all I'm going to try to just check them out at the library. I have a huge stack of books at home that I need to read and I am then going to get rid of them. Any takers? This was Ryan's idea. He really just didn't want to have to move all of the boxes of books again. I think that this might be a great idea for streamlining our place and life. Trying to get rid of clutter. And when you read at least a book a week they can stack up quick! I will let you know how this goal goes.

on my needles

2011-04-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

My first sweater...

Hats

2011-04-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

I made a couple more hats for myself. I'm such a hat person, so knitting has only added to my obsession.

I really wanted a purple cable hat since watching Erin Andrews on the Civil War a couple years ago. The yarn is the perfect color, but wasn't the best choice for that hat. I needed a slightly more dense yarn.

This hat...I so love it. It is warm and cozy and slouchy and cute! It also had an interesting pattern to knit. The bulky yarn made it fast to knit up. I think I did it in two days. Next time I may add a few extra rows so it will even be more slouchy.

pattern -Elizabeth by Jane Richmond

yarn - Paton's Shetland Chunky
also detailed on my raverly page

pattern -Shroom

yarn - lion brand wool-ease quick 'n thick in black
also detailed on my raverly page

Bella!

2011-04-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

So in case you didn't know I'm kinda in love with the Twilight series of books and movies. In the movie Twilight Bella wore a pair of amazing mittens.

These mittens are kinda the reason I really started knitting. I wanted a pair. So I spent some time learning how to knit and finally made myself a pair!

Sadly the pictures aren't that great due to the lighting, but I LOVE the mittens. I really want to make another pair with nicer yarn now that I know that they aren't to advanced for me.

pattern -Bella's Mittens
yarn - lion brand wool-ease solids
also detailed on my raverly page

Baby Shower Crafts

2011-04-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

Ryan's cousin Sarah recently had a baby boy. I decided to knit her up a few items to add to the baby clothes that we got her. She got two bibs and a hat.

sorry for the lousy pictures, I guess I shouldn't take them when it's dark out. Sarah said that she loves the bibs that they are awesome because they are longer than most baby bibs. The hat however was to small. So I will need to try a bigger size for future babies.

pattern - Modern Cabled Baby Bib II
yarn - Lily Sugar and Cream
also detailed on my raverly page

pattern -Big Wool Little Hat- Sarah Shepherd

yarn - lion brand wool-ease quick 'n thick in navy
also detailed on my raverly page

Christopher 1 and 2

2011-04-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

I decided that Ryan needed a nicer hat than the first one I knitted him. He also had told me that the first hat was not very warm. So I searched for a warmer pattern for him. this is what I found. That hat was easy and fun to knit. It is reversible and double layered. Thus making it very warm. Ryan liked the hat so much that he had me make one for Shaun. Ryan even went and picked out the yarn for Shaun's hat (Blazer colors).

pattern -Christopher by Jane Richmond

yarn - Paton's Classic Wool
also detailed on my raverly page

Beach Trip

2011-04-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last week Ryan and I planned on going to Bend for the week. That did not happen do to the weather they were having (driving in the pass with a ton of snow is not that fun). So we decided to take an over night trip to the beach. We haven't been to an Oregon beach in over two years. Kind of sad right? I called on Monday and made reservations at a hotel and we left Tuesday morning.

We went here and walked around. It has a great nature area with lots to see. Not to mention a beautiful light house.

After our visit we headed into Newport and were going to go to the aquarium. But Ryan found Rogue and we went on the brewery tour and had a few drinks.

We drove back to Lincoln City to our hotel and they wound up upgrading us to a suite for free!! We got a killer view, fireplace, soaker tub and a king bed. It was so AWESOME!! It's fun when something good like that falls into your lap. We relaxed in the room for the night had pizza and watched a couple movies.

The next day we got up and went to the outlet mall. I surprisingly didn't buy anything but Ryan got some new shoes. We also went to Mo's for some yummy chowder and salad. We were so happy with our trip! We couldn't have asked for better weather. It only rained at night, so it was perfect.

bad blogger

2011-04-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

It has been WAY to long since I last did a blog post. I'm sorry. I wish I had an good excuse... but I really don't. I have just been super busy and when I do have free time I haven't thought to blog. I will really try to make a better effort at it.

Wedding planning has been taking up the majority of my free time. I think that we have now got all of the big things out of the way. What is left is detail things. I have a feeling that they are going to be a pain in the butt to get done. Things like song selection, linen colors, centerpiece selection, decorations, ceremony flow...and so on. This is all important stuff, but just alot of work to complete.

I made a wedding website if you want to check it our. I still have some stuff to add to it, but from my work on this blog you can probably guess it will take awhile.

We booked our honeymoon!! We will be going to Hawaii for 10 days. We are both soooo excited for this trip. We decided to go in Late October, when the weather is starting to get bad here. Also by going then we can get more time off at work.

I hope that I can stay more up to date on this!!

Autumn

2010-12-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

I knit a hat for me!

I am soooo in love with this hat. It is soft and warm, was super fast to knit, and the color makes me drool. This pictures can't even start to show how awesome the color is (one again sorry for the lousy pics). The hat is supposed to be more slouchy, but I must have a big head to fill it out. Next time I will add a few more rows to it.

details:

pattern -autumn by Jane Richmond
yarn - lion brand wool-ease quick 'n thick in grass
also detailed on my raverly page

My first hat!

2010-12-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

I finished knitting my first hat! I'm very excited. I can't even begin to tell you how good it felt to knit again...or just be crafty! I have missed it so much. I have to appologize for the lousy pictures. I got a new camera for a graduation gift and it hasn't came yet. I gave my old one to my mom so I just have a point and shoot currently.

As you can tell Ryan was the lucky winner of this hat. The name of the pattern is "Turn a Square" you can see where it gets its name from the top of the hat. See the square?

Knitting a hat wasn't nearly as hard as I had expected. I did struggle with the jogless striping on it. You can kind of see in this picture how the stripes don't line up...that's where I had the trouble. You are to only slip the first stitch of the color change...not all of the color change. So that is why it looks so funny. But I was so excited to finish the hat that I couldn't rip it out and do them again. Ryan says he still loves it. I wish I would have used better yarn. I guess I will have to knit him another hat. I really liked this pattern and will use it again

details:

pattern - Turn a Square
yarn - Loops and Threads Solids
also detailed on my raverly page pattern

update!

2010-12-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

I have been a very bad blogger. But in my defense life has been VERY crazy since my last post back in August ( by the way Karla your last blog post was 8 months ago!). So here is a quick run down of what life has been like:

Ryan and I went on vacation with my parents. We had such a great time and go to see so many things. We traveled through 5 states saw one of the most amazing places on the earth. Ryan also discovered my obsession with collecting my national park stamps, which was highlighted by my Dad driving way to fast in the pouring down rain so I could get my stamp before the visitors center closed.
I got very sick. Before we left on vacation I had a trip to the ER. I had been having horrible abdominal pain that would not go away. I couldn't eat with out vomiting it all right back up (sorry for that visual). The doctor in the ER said that he thought that it was a virus or something and that I would be better in a few days. So I decided to go ahead with our family trip. I got better for a little over a week. But I still couldn't eat much without having a ton of pain. Our trip came to a quick close in Spokane Washington with a big dinner that ended with me in the fetal position crying all night. We drove home the next day and I saw more and more doctors. Had tons of tests ran, lost 20lbs (on the bright side awesome for the wedding!), and ended up having surgery.
Had surgery on October 28th I had my gallbladder removed. While I did have a few complications after the surgery, I feel so much better now! It still blows my mind that I just have 3 tiny scars on my tummy. I also can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to eat again. before my surgery all I could hold down was smoothies and bland soup. So that 20lbs I lost will be work to keep off.
Started my last term of school. So my last term of my nursing program was insanely hard. Not only was I sick and had to have surgery I logged in 90+ clinical hours, 100+ classroom hours, put over 2400 miles on my car driving to said classroom hours and through all of that I still passed my final with a 95%.
I graduated from my nursing program! On December 3 I was officially done!! All my hard work for the last 5 years paid off (I can't believe that is how long ago I started my very first nursing class). I now can put all of these fancy labels behind my name. Here they are in the order that I achieved them CNA, CHT, LPN, RN, BSN, MSN.... PhD (haha not quite that far).
Job search....since I graduated I'm not exactly sure that my plans with legacy will play out as I hoped. So while waiting to see how the cards fall I am exploring my other options. And let me tell you that the job market is bare out there! But I have faith that it will all work out and I will end up with an awesome job that I love.
Holidays. Halloween, this year I was way to sick to even consider carving a pumpkin. That made me so sad. I will have to carve extras next year to make up for it. Thanksgiving was fun since I could start eating by then. Now on to Christmas!

So that was the quick run down of life over the last 4 months. I will try to get some pictures up from vacation and graduation soon.

peace out!

2010-08-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

We are off to Yellowstone!

The East Side

2010-08-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

This last Thursday Ryan and I spent the day with our friend Julie and Steven. We had an action packed day! We started out going here

The Vista House is a special place for Julie and Steven but Ryan and I have really never gone. It was so pretty! Not to mention that it had an AMAZING view

The color on this picture is off because of the filter lens I messing around with, but I like the pink tones in the sky.

Julie and I being dorks. After we finished up here we headed to Multnomah Falls for a hike. So pretty! We were all amazed on how crowded it was for a weekday.

After our hike we went to The View Point in so I could dork out. They filmed the final scene in Twilight there (the prom). This place has a killer view. I would love to go stay there some time.

After all our looking around we went to HUB for happy hour. Ryan has been dying to go to this brewery since it opened. We just don't get out on that side of town very often. We we stopped for some beer and probably the best pretzels I have ever had. After that we went to Foster Burger for dinner. The burgers were really good, check out Julie's blog to see some pics of the guys going at the burgers. After dinner we were all so full we could barely move. It was such a fun day!

We've set the date!

2010-08-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

After a blur of venues Ryan and I found one that we both love! We will be getting married on August 6, 2011 at Elk Cove Vineyards. We are super excited!!

Summer Reading Part 2

2010-08-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

I have finished yet another stack of books! I have been doing so much reading at work lately because I have been doing a lot of 1:1 with patients. It is so boring to just sit and stare at the patient for 12 hours, so thankfully we can read during this time.

I really disliked this book. I wanted to stop reading it on so many occasions, but didn't because I kept waiting for something to happen in the book. When I finished it I was like...ok now what. There was no climax to the book what so ever, which was disappointing. I really can't tell you what the point of the book was. So far I have been very disappointed in Madeleine Wickham's books. I love her books when she writes as Sophie Kinsella, but this pen name is very different. The books often deal with affairs and more serious issues. Which can be quite the downer.

Another Twilight book. This one was very short, it only took me a couple of hours to read. But it was interesting seeing the vampire side of the story. On Stephenie Meyer's website you can read a few chapters of Twilight from Edward's perspective. It is amazing! I would love it if she published more books from the vampire's point of view.

This book I actually enjoyed. I almost didn't read it because I have been so disappointed in Wickham's books, but I decided to give it one more go. I was pleasantly surprised. This was about a woman who is getting married, but she is already married to another man...a gay man. It was a fun book and made me really think at times about the issues in it. Because of this book I will give Wickham another try.

Jane Green was the first author that I read in the Chick Lit books. Her writing has changed very much over the years. I can really tell that she writes from her own experiences. At first the books were about young twenty somethings trying to find love, then about getting married and having kids, affairs, divorce, finding love again and so on. This one was very different from all of her other books. It is about a woman who has cancer. It was a beautifully written book that made me think a lot of my experiences of my Grandma and her cancer. A fun thing about this book was each chapter had a recipe in it. The book wrote from many point's of view so you could see how all the family and friends were affected by the cancer. I felt very silly because I read the book at work and it made me cry. I was trying so hard to keep it in, but the book hit so close to home that I couldn't help it!

Emily Giffin has a knack for writing about affairs. It seems to happen in most of her books, but this one was different. It alternated each chapter from either the wife's point of view or the other woman's point. Very fun to see both sides of the story and really made me think about the complexity of an affair. It isn't always so black and white.

Engaged!

2010-08-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I are getting married! I know I should have written about this when it happened (7/22/10), but I can't even begin to tell you how busy I have been.

Ryan proposed to me on a Thursday night. We went out to dinner, watched an outdoor concert then when back home. We were sitting around watching TV and next thing I knew Ryan was down on his knee asking me to marry him. The ring is absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way. I wish I had some pictures to show you from that night, but taking pictures was the last thing on my mind. But here is one from the next day

Ray LaMontagne You Are The Best Thing

2010-07-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

good stuff

2010-07-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ok so I totally love Ray LaMontagne's music. He is pure genius. I just thought I would brighten your day with one of my favorite songs by him

Summer Reading Part 1

2010-07-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

Now that school is out until September I have been doing a lot of reading. I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to read for fun! Here is the damage I have done so far:

I heard about Jen Lancaster from my friend Julie. We have very similar taste in our books so I had to give this author a try. Oh my god! She is so friggin funny!! I laughed out loud through out this entire book. This is not always a good thing, especially if you are reading at work. This book is basically about a girl who is living the life. She has a great job earning tons of money, perfect trendy apartment in the city (Chicago), all the latest fashion from all the biggest labels, hair done by the best stylist in the city, and an attitude to match. Then everything crashes down when she loses her job and can't find another. I could relate to Lancaster in a few ways in this book. Mainly I went through a phase where labels and status were a big deal to me (stupid girl I was). I learned my lesson alot quicker than Lancaster did. This was a great book and I highly recommend it to you! Lancaster is a smart ass but she is funny.

Another Jen Lancaster book. This is the follow up to "Bitter is the New Black". While I have never lived in a big city, I have always wondered what it would be like. Sex and the City made it seem so awesome. Thank you Jen Lancaster for showing me that it is not always so super. While Lancaster tells you her tales of apartment hunting, life being employed, job hunting and her other shenanigans in a funny way it wasn't quite as laugh out loud funny as "Bitter". Still a fun read.

When I first heard about this book I had mixed feelings. I LOVE Sex and the City! So the idea of learning about Carrie's past intrigued me. On the other hand I really haven't been a huge fan of Bushnell's other books. But I decided to check the book out at the library and give it a shot. I did not want to put this book down once I started. It was really well written and had great characters. I had to stop a few times and think because some of the story lines differ from the TV show. The book leaves you with a HUGE cliffhanger that left me begging for the next book. But I don't think that the next book comes out until next summer :-( Like I even need to say this, go read this book!

Mac and Cheese Friday

2010-07-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yet another mac and cheese recipe! This is food networks #1 rated recipe for mac and cheese. I made it quite awhile ago, but just haven't gotten around to posting about it. It was pretty good, but not the best I have had. However the one thing that I will take from this recipe is hands down the panko bread crumbs. The crunchy topping on this was amazing. I liked the flavor the onions gave it, but really it needed a few more cheeses for complexity. By the way did you notice my awesome new baking dish? I choose this picture to show it off rather than the food :-)

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Ingredients

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Twilight: The Graphic Novel Volume 1

2010-07-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

*sigh* I have some serious love for Twilight. This graphic novel just made me love it even more. This is the Twilight story told in pictures. It was a super fast read, I devoured it in about an hour. But what I enjoyed the most was the pictures were what I had imagined in my head when I read Twilight for the first time. Young Kim, the artist is so talented. I cannot wait until the next volume comes out. This book ended with Bella and Edward kissing for the first time. If I were to guess I think that their will be 4 volumes for the Twilight book. If you loved Twilight and get the chance to read this do it! I promise you will enjoy it.

PS- Julie read the dang Twilight books already!

Better Together

2010-07-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

There's no combination of words

I could put on the back of a postcard
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
Like a, shoebox of photographs
With sepia tone loving
Love is the answer,
At least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing it's always better when we're together

It's always better when we're together
Yeah, we'll look at them stars when we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

And all of these moments
Just might find their way into my dreams tonight
But I know that they'll be gone
When the morning light sings
And brings new things
For tomorrow night you see
That they'll be gone too
Too many things I have to do
But if all of these dreams might find their way
Into my day to day scene
I'd be under the impression
I was somewhere in between
With only two
Just me and you
Not so many things we got to do
Or places we got to be
We'll Sit beneath the mango tree now

It's always better when we're together
We're somewhere in between together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no, combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing

We're better together.

Kiwi

2010-06-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Meet Kiwi, she is the newest member of our kitchen family.

Kiwi is a 3 qt french oven who I have been wanting to bring home for quite awhile. She will be perfect for fixing smaller things in, such as our first meal in her

I made fire roasted tomatoes with shrimp, feta and zucchini. It was AMAZING! And the best part about cooking in french/dutch ovens is you just put it in the oven and leave it until it is done. It is the best thing ever for a busy person.

Sookie Stackhouse Series

2010-06-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to do some reading at night and in my free time. I am now caught up on the Sookie Stackhouse series.

There are 10 books in the series this far (yes, I know that there are only 8 in the picture). The books were fast reads...well except for the last one. The last book was not so great. "Dead in the Family" seemed as like the author had to write a book, but didn't want to. The book didn't have much of a plot and was hard to get finished. I am still surprised with my self that I have liked the books. I never would have thought that I would get caught up into a world of vampires, werewolves, fairies and other supernatural creatures.

Reading the series of books has made me excited for True Blood to start again (on June 13!). The last season of the show was just plain weird to me and I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep watching the show. But after reading the books and knowing what is coming in the show I am so excited!

Happy Birthday Brooklyn and Carter!

2010-06-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn and Carter celebrated their 1st birthday on the 16th of May. Heidi and Chase had a fun backyard BBQ with lots of family and friends. The twins were really not in the picture taking mood, so the good ones were few and far between. But it was still fun to spend the day with them

Disneyland!

2010-06-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I never blogged about our trip to Disneyland that we took earlier this year with Ryan's family. It was a great trip with nice sunny weather. It really isn't fair that some places can have 80's in February. After we got home I realized that I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I did when Ryan and I went two years ago. I think that part of that may have been intentional because I wanted to see the place with both my eyes :-) Also this trip was the debut of the flip camera that my parents got me for Christmas. It is pretty awesome.

I'm pretty bummed because I can't figure out how to post the videos. Oh well! I can't wait to go back when all the construction is over and the new rides are ready.

check this out

2010-05-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

Have you read the pioneer woman blog? If not you really should. It's a great blog that has a little bit of everything in it, including what always steals my heart recipes! There is a great story on there called "from black heels to tractor wheels". It's the story of how she met her husband. It's super sweet and better yet is going to become a movie staring Miss Reese Witherspoon, who I totally heart.

Mac and Cheese Friday

2010-04-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a mac and cheese Friday post is a really long time. I still make it from time to time, but haven't really tried a new recipe due to laziness. But a couple weeks ago I decided to try a new one. This one hails from Ina Garten.

Mac and Cheese
courtesy of Ina Garten and Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top

I left out the tomatoes, but it was still delicious. Plus it was pretty easy to make. I really do love mac and cheese.

Napkins

2010-04-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for practical ways to go green. There are many things that I would love to do such as composting, but I can't due to living in an apartment. So I decided that a small thing that I can do is change from using paper napkins to cloth. I can easily toss them into the laundry that I already do and it saves some trees from being cut down to wipe my face. I have looked at several ideas and patterns online but found most of them to be to large. I don't have a very large table to set, so the large size ones just looked silly. And I think that they are more of a nicer thing, like for holiday dinners and such. But more so I really wanted to be able to store the napkins in a napkin holder on my table. This is what I came up with

I now have a set of 10 napkins that fit perfectly into my napkin holder. I really like them a lot. What made this project even better was that everything came from my existing stash of fabric! I think that what I would like to do is make a few sets of 10 or so that I can change out when I get tired of looking at the patterns or colors. Maybe I will make some bright colorful ones for summer.

One of the reasons why I wanted to do this project, other than the green factor, was to get some practice with sewing straight and doing hand seaming. Here is what I learned: don't sew while talking on the phone, don't decide to do all the hand finishing when you are half asleep, and ironing can do wonders!

I heart the Library

2010-04-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit this but I haven't gone to the public library for anything other than school related things since I was a kid. Boy have I been missing out! A couple weeks ago I made a trip to the Tigard Public Library. First of all I was blown away on how nice the new library is. I was very pleased to see how my tax dollars were spent. Just browsing around I was amazed on how many people were using this public space. People reading books and magazines, using the computers, participating in a book group, kids story time and so on. It really warmed my heart to see all of these people gathering in this amazing space.

What drew me to the library in the first place was to look for some knitting books. I have found that the books cost quite a bit for only one or two patterns in it. So a friend suggested that I look at the library for them. I was so impressed on their selection of knitting books! They even had new releases. The librarian showed me how I could search for books at home, place a hold on them and have them sent to my library when they were available. Are you kidding me!! How awesome is that. When I was at the library on my first trip I just browsed around. They have an epic selection of cookbooks. I really don't see why I would ever need to buy one again.

Tonight I was browsing around on the library site and found that they even have a super selection of DVD's. Ryan and I watch a lot of TV on DVD. We have been contemplating the idea of getting Netflix for this reason, because it gets expensive fast buying them. But I found that the library has a ton of TV on DVD. I placed a request of Deadwood season 1. I also found a few exercise DVD's.

As I'm sure you can now tell I'm super excited about my library. I can't even begin to tell you how much money we will save with it. As long as I'm not in a hurry it is perfect!

I need this!!

2010-04-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

I found this picture linked to a knitting blog that I read. As soon as I saw it I knew that I had to have it.

I already have a love for the traditional "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters from WWI. I have a couple t-shirts that have the phrase on them. It is something that I tell myself everyday. So as I'm sure you all know I seriously heart knitting. As soon as I saw this it was love at first sight! It will be perfect for my craft room. It turns out that the link is to an etsy site that carries some great stuff. I really want to order the knitting bag that has this logo on it.

After finding this I decided to do a google search and see what other creative ways that have changed the classic phrase. I found both of these

My plan after finding all of these is to print them and use them as an embroidery pattern and make a set of 4 (the forth being the original print) to hang on my wall in my craft room. I'm loving it already! Now lets just see how long it take me to make them.

Cloth High Chairs

2010-04-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip that we took with Ryan's family Heidi and Chase struggled with feeding the twins. Since we flew they didn't have a ton of room to pack stuff. The hotel didn't have a highchair so they attempted to feed the twins in their stroller. It was not the easiest of things for them to do. This got me thinking about something that I saw online once. A cloth highchair. I decided to attempt to make Brooklyn and Carter each one.

They seem to work pretty well! On a side note look at Brooklyn's face, this is a new thing that she has started doing. It's pretty funny.

Here is Carter's a little closer up. They are fastened by Velcro and fold up pretty small. They will be perfect for the Lemon's upcoming trip to Arizona.

This was another great project for my beginning sewing skills. I really want to try to make another one because I figured out a few modifications that I want to make. So I need to find another baby to make one for. Also have I ever mentioned how incredibly satisfying sewing is! It's nice how fast you can make something.

I had originally planned on making these for the twin's birthday in May. But when Heidi told me that they were planning a trip to Arizona in April I thought that these might come in handy. Which leads me to my next idea. I really want to try to make everyone on my Christmas list a homemade gift this year. I will get them something else as well, but I think that making something for everyone would be really neat. So far I have ideas for my parents, Ryan, and Julie. If anyone has some good crafty gift ideas please share!!

Bibs

2010-04-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post Ryan's cousin is having a baby. I was planning on knitting a couple of bibs to give to her, but chickened out because I didn't think that they looked that great.

I made 2 and got both patterns off of Raverly. This is the first one I made

It is just a garter stitch and was really easy and fast to make. But once again I didn't trust the pattern and decided that I needed to cast on extra stitches. So it came out kind of big. I think that the size would be ok for an older baby (like 9months or older). This pattern was my first attempt at a button hole. Let me tell you that got the best of me. There is a hole there for the button to go in to, but I know that I didn't do it right. I really need to practice on making the button holes for future projects. I need to block this as well as almost everything else I've made. Ryan said that I should have given it to her, but I just didn't think it looked so great.

Here is the second one I made

Now this bib was so tiny! It was like sized for a doll. I followed the pattern exactly, except for the strap (which is obviously to long). So I guess that I need to start making swatches before I start a project. I liked the self striping yarn I used on this bib. It was fun. I was reading that if I block this I might be able to make it a little bigger. So that is on my list of things to do.

details:

pattern - bib 1- Simple Bib
yarn - Lily Sugar n' Cream in Hot Pink

pattern- bib 2- easy peasy baby bib
yarn- Lily Sugar n' Cream in Violet Stripes
also detailed on my raverly page

Dirty Girl Washcloths

2010-04-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

Back in November I took a knitting class and fell completely in love with it. My first real project was this and although I was so proud of it, it was kind of a mess. I really needed practice on pretty much everything. A few friends of mine who knit recommended that I make washcloths as a practice. They are fairly quick to make allow you to practice casting on, making stitches, and binding off. So after Christmas I made these

I made all 3 washcloths in just a couple of days. Sadly I am just now getting around to posting them. The purple one is a simple garter stitch. The pink one is a stockinette stitch with a garter edge. The blue one is a basket weave. I love the blue one but here is the funny thing, I had to frog it so many times because I started this project right after I first hurt my back and couldn't hardly move and was strung out on pain meds. Because I had trouble focusing I couldn't keep the pattern going. So I had to finally grab a piece of paper and keep a tally of my stitches. I will have to try the pattern again with a clear mind.

I think that this project really allowed me to improve my skills. Look at how much straighter my edges are! This yarn is also pretty easy to work with, plus is super cheap! I still need to learn how to block my projects. I've just been to lazy to do it.

details:

pattern - Dirty Girl Washcloths from Chicks With Sticks
yarn - Lily Sugar n' Cream in Cornflower, Strawberry and Hot Purple

also detailed on my raverly page

Baby Shower Crafts

2010-04-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

Ryan's cousin Lisa is having a baby girl named Kendal. Kathy (Ryan's mom) threw her a baby shower this last weekend and I decided to make her some burp cloths.

I made two sets of two. I really loved each of the fabrics, they are both made with flannel and are super soft. This was a great project for me being a new sewer. To tell you the truth I decided to make her the burp cloths mainly because I wanted to sew something :-) But these seemed to be a practical gift for a new baby. I gave here these and some onesises.

Spring Break!

2010-04-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

So after 3 months of an insane schedule from school leaving me really no time to do anything I was looking forward to spring break. I had my finals on Monday so that left me with almost 2 weeks off of school. Ryan and I left Monday night after he got off work and headed for Bend. We were really lucky with our drive over and didn't have any snow or ice in the pass. The weather there was beautiful and it was such a nice and relaxing time. We really had a pretty low key week there not doing to much of anything. I did alot of knitting and movie watching. We ate some amazing food and just enjoyed each others company.

This picture is taken at the park a couple blocks away from our house. I know that every time I go to Bend I say the same thing, but I am always blown away by how amazingly beautiful Bend is. I really wish that the economy there would turn around so we could move there for a few years.

We came home from Bend on Thursday and I spent most of that evening and Friday crafting (I will post those pictures in another blog post). I worked Saturday and Sunday. Ryan's mom threw a baby shower for her nice Lisa who is having a baby girl. I stopped by after work to see everyone and give Lisa my gift. This last week wasn't quite as great. I'm still having alot of issues with my back which have left me on the couch alot. I really can not wait to be better. The worst part is that I will feel like I'm making progress and am on my way to being healthy again and BAM! My back is all flaired up again. I'm really hoping that the procedure that I had done this week really will help and start allowing me get better. But on the bright side I did get some more knitting in. I just have to find time to make it up to Julie for not getting to hang out this week.

stressing

2010-03-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Finals are tomorrow and I'm really nervous about them. I think that part of it is that I'm experiencing some MAJOR burnout and am just so ready for this term to be done (that means on 2 left!). It's getting hard to focus and stay calm. Especially knowing that I get two weeks off of school. Two weeks that are a much needed time to rest and relax. So I will leave you with my thoughts for the night...

Some beach

Somewhere
There's a big umbrella casting shade over an empty chair
Palm trees are growin' and a warm breezes a blowing
I picture myself right there
On Some beach, somewhere

Tiny Dancer

2010-03-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

So I knew a little girl who really needed a special outfit. I made her this

She looks pretty stinking cute in it, don't you think?

Did you know that March is National Craft Month? This is the first thing I've really made all year thanks to all the time school is taking up. But spring break is fast approaching and my sewing maching and knitting needles are calling my name. I can't wait!

Dead Until Dark

2010-01-31T13:58:00.000-08:00

So I guess that I lied in my last book post when I said that I haven't had much time to read lately because I have finished another book. I think I have been reading in bed instead of watching TV and night during my "relax" time.

Dead Until Dark is the first book in a series written by Charlaine Harris. The series is known as the Southern Vampire Mysteries, AKA Sookie Stackhouse Novels, AKA the True Blood books. So pick a title of the series that you like and go with it. Anywho, last summer Ryan and I got hooked on the TV show True Blood on HBO. I found out that it was based on a series of books and have been thinking about reading them. My mom got me the first five books in the series for my birthday and I started reading them.

Dead Until Dark is about a young woman (25 I think) named Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie has what they refer to in the book as a “disability” in that she can read people’s minds and hear their thoughts. It is quite hindering to her in the fact that she can’t maintain a social life, especially when it comes to dating. I can’t imagine what that would be like! Yes, at times I would LOVE to read people’s minds but to hear it nonstop would be insane. This parallels to me with another vampire series of books Twilight. Edward has this same talent. Sookie is a waitress in a small southern town and lives with her Gran. In this fictional world Vampires have “came out of the coffin” and live among the rest of the population. There has been the invention of synthetic blood, which allows them to have nutrients without feeding on humans. Although many still do feed on humans. Sookie falls in love with a vampire named Bill and this book is the story of them falling in love and the drama of a small town.

I will say that this book is pretty different from the TV show. Some of the story lines follow but it is very different in many ways. I don’t want to ruin it so find out how for yourself. They are a pretty fast read. Unlike Twilight, these books are written for adults which is apparent in some of the content. Sookie isn’t nearly the woman that she is on TV, she is much more naïve. But it still makes for an interesting story. I have already started the next book in the series.

I would give this book a 3/5

The Perfect Rain Boot

2010-01-24T13:22:00.000-08:00

I have been in search for the perfect rain boot for quite some time. I live in Oregon so rain is no suprise to me. It's not that I hate the rain, I really don't mind it. I just hate that my feet are always wet and cold when I'm walking around. It it never fails that I will always step into that huge puddle when I'm not paying attention. Then the wetness slowly creeps up the back to my pant legs. It's just not fun! I've been looking at tons of boots in all price ranges, but for some reason it seems that most rain boots look like something a little kid would wear. I like a cute print from time to time but I really wanted something slightly more sophisticated (well as much as a welly can be). So for my birthday Ryan suprised me with these

I LOVE THEM! First of all they are purple, which to me was the perfect splash of color for a gloomy rainy day (not to mention my favorite color). Plus they are super comfortable. I could really wear them out walking around for hours. I have always lusted after these boots with dreams of wearing them working in the garden and rainy days in a farmers market. I didnt' quite realize how popular they were until the last few days. I was watching Twilight and Bella wears them walking on the beach. Flip through a gossip magazine and you will see the likes to Kate Moss, Jennifer Anniston, Kate Hudson, the Royal Fam, and many others sporting the wellys. I guess this means that my feet will not only be dry but fashionable. I've really never been so excited for the rain.

Dear John

2010-01-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

I really love to read. It is one of my greatest pleasures, curling up with a good book and getting lost in the world that the author created and you imagine in your head. But unfortunately I don’t get to read as often as I would like because of school. I spend hours upon hours reading for school, so pleasure reading takes a back seat until I have breaks. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for this December when I am DONE with school! Then once again I can read for fun.

I do manage to squeeze in a few books here and there. My most recent read is

Nicholas Sparks…why can’t you ever write a happy ending? Is it in your DNA to make sad and bittersweet books?? Dear John is about a summer romance between Savanna and John. They are total opposites, they meet they fall in love and something takes them apart. Sound familiar??? Like a ton of other books by Sparks? Yeah, that’s what I thought. But the one thing that I was very curious about was this book is centered around 9/11. I wanted to see how Sparks could write about this tragedy and not offend anyone, because it is still a touchy subject to many 9 years later. He did a pretty good job with it, mainly because he really didn’t talk about it. It really consisted of about 3 sentences. But it was a story we knew well about a soldier, a patriotic call of duty after our homeland was attacked. I have to say that my favorite part of this book as the underlying story of a man who finds love and becomes a better person from it. He defines his moral compass because of his love. Cheesy, yes but very romantic because it is true that love changes you.

Now a movie has been made about this book. I’m trying to decide if I will see it in the theater or wait till it’s out of DVD. The latter will probably win out.

Over all I will give this book a 3/5. Mainly for it feeling too much like the rest of the books Sparks has written.

Bliss

2010-01-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

When I got home from school today I was looking at my google reader and can not wait till I can go to this amazing place.

On a side not how did I go so long without google reader? One of my friends from work, Lindsey, told me about it and over the weekend I got it all set up and it is AMAZING. As you all know I'm kind of obsessed with reading blogs. I spend way to much time each day looking at them. Well, with school starting up again I knew that I would be pressed for time. Would I have to give up my blogging obession *gasp*. NO! The google reader keeps all of my favorite blogs in one place and lets me know when a new post is up. So at the end of the day when I get home I can spend a few moments reading the new blogs. Pure bliss.

Start of a New Decade

2010-01-02T20:02:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe that it is the start of a new decade! This one is the most significant of my life because I can really stop and think about all that has happened in my life over the past 10 years. I am old enough to understand the significance of my milestones. Oddly enough it seems as if the last 10 years have flown by at warp speed. It seems almost like yesterday that we were ringing in 2000 and hoping that all the computers wouldn’t crash. In the past 10 years I have graduated high school, got my first job, started college, graduated from college, got my first nursing job, met Ryan, moved out on my own, said goodbye to loved ones and so many other things.

The most important thing I can say about the last decade is that I have grown as a person and am really happy of who I have become. I have such an amazing family and friends. I have met a man who I love beyond words can say and I know that I will spend the rest of my life with. This core has provided me the strength to explore life and grow. This is a gift that is priceless. These people are the reasons for living. Without them I would be nothing. I have learned (and am still working on) letting go of things and not stressing about things that I cannot control. I get to go to an amazing job that I love and give back to society each day that I am there. I have learned to be grateful for the things in my life and appreciate the small things in life. I learned to create and have found it such a satisfying outlet.

Lastly I have learned not to compare the significance of my life based on others. Life really isn’t about the destination but the journey. It doesn’t matter where you went to school (or if you went to college), how long it took you to graduate, what you majored in, how much money you make, what kind of car you drive, if you own a house or rent an apartment, or so many other material things that I see (and used to myself) measure my worth on. I believe what truly measures the significance of one’s life are things like love. Do you love and let those in your life know what they mean to you, do you laugh every day, do you challenge yourself to think and try to learn something new every day, do you give back to your community in some way, do you help others, and lastly do you go to bed every night and realize how lucky you are to have lived another day. In my mind those are things that make a good person and a full life.

So here is to another year. Happy New Year!

My first knitting project!

2009-12-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

All after a few months of practice I made my first project, a scarf. It's a simple garter stitch scarf from Stitch-N-Bitch. This book has been so helpful for me. I love it. It's quirky and cheeky, which makes it fun to read. It is super for anyone starting out. The book has really helpful step by step pictures and cute patterns.

Over all I am fairly pleased for my first project. I loved working with larger needles and chunky yarn, it made the project go so fast. I did learn that I should trust the pattern or make a swatch for next time. The pattern called for casting on 15 stitches, I didn't think that was enough so I did 30. Big mistake the scarf was HUGE. So I frogged it and started over as the pattern said. My tension has really improved so the stitches are pretty even. My only problem is that I need to work on my edges so they are more even looking. I guess I will read up on how to do that. I think that my next few projects will be wash cloths. They are fast to make and I can practice lots, plus work on my edge problem.

details:

pattern - Go Go Garter Scarf from Stitch N Bitch
yarn - Wool-Ease Chunky Yarn (Lion Brand) in Bluebell

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T17:44:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday!

corks

2009-12-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

Over the summer I was at a garage sale and found this

a box full of wine corks. I wound up getting the whole thing for $1.00. How could I turn that down? I really didn't know what I would do with them, but I knew that they would make for a cool project. Well after months of sitting in our closet Ryan started to get a little cranky about them taking up space so I needed to find a project to make with them. I got a shadow box for 50% off at Michaels, which came to like $6.00.

Next I removed the class and started sorting through all the corks. I was looking for ones that were fun. It wound up being like a puzzle finding corks that would fit to make rows. Once I had them all laid out in the rows I hot glued them into place and wound up with this

I'm pretty excited with how it turned out. I'm planning on hanging it in my office/craft room and using it as a cork board. I think that it's a fun alternative to a classic cork board.

I also decided to make this. We needed some more Christmas decorations for the apartment so I thought that this would be cute. It was super easy and fast to make.

I still have a ton of corks left and want to make some more Christmas stuff. Considering that today is Christmas eve it won't do us much good for this year, but I think I will make them next week so they will be ready to be packed away for next Christmas. I want to make these cute trees and some reindeer ornaments. Both look easy and super cute!

It's Christmas time again!

2009-12-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

I decided that this year I wanted to make Ryan and I stocking for Christmas. I took a sewing class before Halloween and decided that this would make a nice first project.

The stocking took alot longer than I expected to make. I hand stiched the elf and elfette as well as our names. They took me quite awhile to do. I worked on them a llittle in the evenings when I had time. I really lucked out today and got placed on call for work. So I didn't have to go in and got to get them done. I think that they turned out pretty good for my first attempt at sewing. But it was a good experience and I learned a TON! I added little bells for some flair. Sorry for the picure quality!

Here is a picture on our Christmas tree this year! We still haven't found a topper that we like nor a tree skirt. So the tree is a little naked at the bottom. I really need to get cracking and finish up my Christmas shopping. I'd love to one day get good enough at my crafts to allow me to do a homemade Christmas.

It is begining to get alot colder here, which is making me really want to finish a knitting project. Now that the stockings are done I can really focus on knitting.

Happy Halloween (a day late)

2009-11-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I both worked on Halloween and today so it was a pretty uneventful night. But I wanted to share the pumpkins we carved with you.

Left over tomatoes

2009-10-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

This summer we were incredibly lucky to have a wonderful garden at my parent’s house. We didn’t have to buy hardly any veggies this summer. We had a ton of tomatoes left over and I didn’t know what to do with them before they rotted. I should have canned them, but I didn’t feel like making the effort. So I decided to make fresh tomato soup. It was AMAZING! I so love tomato soup. But more so I got to bust out my new toy…

That is my Cuisinart hand immersion blender. I have been wanting on for awhile and I found this one while browsing around Costco. It came with a few attachments too. It seriously blended the tomatoes into a puree in a matter of seconds.

Here is a bowl of the finished product.

Bees!

2009-10-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

We took Heidi and the twins to the pumpkin patch today. Here are a few of the pictures from the trip. The babies are bees for Halloween and they were not very happy about being in the costumes. It was kind of funny. The weather held out for us so we got lucky.

Excited!

2009-10-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you remember but last March I attempted a new hobby. Well between school, my lack of patients and total frustration it took the back seat for awhile. I knew that I really wanted to get into yarn crafts, but more importantly I understood that I wouldn't be able to learn everything from a book. I really needed to see some of the stuff done first hand to do it correctly and wrap my head around it. So this Thursday I am taking a knitting class. I am so frigid excited about it. I decided to put the crocheting on hold for awhile and will hopefully pick it up again come spring. But for the time being I wanted to focus on knitting because I dream of making lovely hats, scarfs and maybe even some day sweaters! And all of that just screams perfect for fall and winter.

I have been relatively lucky when it has come to gathering supplies for my new ambitions. I got all of my Grandma's craft stuff when she passed away. She had lots of yarn and some needles and hooks. She mainly crocheted however. I also have a friend who also wanted to learn how to knit and hated it. This was quite lucky for me because she gave me all of the books she had bought and he knitting supplies. So it seems to me that I am pretty set. I know that starting out I won’t need anything fancy yarn wise. I will probably just use up some of the stuff that I have in my boxes. As I improve I can get nicer yarn.

As I have said before, I spend a lot of time exploring others blogs. This has given me the opportunity to see other people who have learned how to knit and their progress. It has really helped me believe that this is a possible goal for me to have. I discovered Ravelry and have a ton of projects saved on there for when I actually get to that skill level. I am fully aware that some of them might a long time away from being created.

It will be nice to have something else to do to pass my free time I have until I start school again. Having 5 days off a week can get pretty boring. Learning to knit will be a nice hobby to help me pass the time as well as to have something to do since Blazer season is starting back up. I love the Blazers but I cannot watch 4 games a week. I am also trying to make some Christmas stockings for Ryan and me. I really hope that they turn out. I will post some pictures when I actually make progress. Right now I just have the pattern picked out. I still have to go pick out and purchase the fabric. I'm hoping to go this week when it isn't so crowded at JoAnn's. I can also use a 50% off coupon there. It will probably take me a couple weeks to buy all the fabric so I can us a coupon each time. I'm all about saving money.

ps- did you notice that I figured out how to put links in my text? I have seen it in other blogs and now can do it! Yeah me!!

Pumpkins!!

2009-10-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again Halloween!! Fall is finally here and today turned out to be a pretty decent day to go to the pumpkin patch. Ryan and I were a little worried because it was supposed to rain all week. But yesterday was nice and this morning was a little foggy, but we went for it. The pumpkin field was nice and dry and we had a great time. We have gone to this farm for the last 3 years and really enjoy it there. You get to go on a tractor ride out the the pumpkin field (you can see the tractor in the background of the above picture). There were a few schools having field trips there so it was a little crowded at times but still fun!

This is my favorite picture of the bunch. Our annual pumpkin picture! You can't tell from the picture because we both have either a jacket or vest on, but underneath we both are wearing Blazer shirts because we are going to the game tonight. We got a quarter season package the first game is tonight. We are so excited, especially Ryan.

We got to be honorary 2nd graders and go on the potato tour with them. I was amazed on how excited they got over potatoes. They just mainly made me hungry.

wishing for a bigger kitchen

2009-10-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

So as the holidays start to roll around I found myself lusting after new things for my kitchen. The sad part is that living in an apartment I have limited space to store all of the things that I want. As Ryan so kindly puts it, we would need a seperate house to store all of the things that I would like for a kitchen. To had salt to the wound I am getting tons of catalogs which are full of lovely things. Some day I will have the room to fill with things like this:

Tuscan Poppies Pasta Bowl Set from Sur La Table. The set is $69.95 which is a little more that I want to spend of a pasta set, but it is so lovely. My plan is to watch for it to go on sale and then I will snatch it up!

Flame's Maiden Voyage

2009-10-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

So I finally cooked in Flame for the first time. I have been dying to do it since I got her, but the weather was to hot for a while and then last week we were so busy that we didn't eat at home all week. I wanted to make something special the first time I cooked with her and after much thought and consideration I decided on....Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. This seemed perfect to me because this is a French product so why not make some French food in it?

The dinner was so yummy! It took awhile to make, but was totally worth it. We actually wound up inviting Ryan's family over for dinner because it made so much. It feed 6 people with leftovers. I'm not going to write out the recipe because it's like a total of 5 pages, but if you want it you can find it in Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol 1. Or you can also find much simpler versions online.

I wish that the first picture of me cooking the dinner turned out, but it was kinda blurry. It was kind of funny to me because Ryan and I had just came back from a run and I had on my workout clothes with my apron on. I will leave you with a picture of the view from our deck that night...

Grandma's Mac and Cheese: Mac and Cheese Friday #3

2009-10-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

So this is my third mac and cheese Friday. I decided to make my Grandma's mac and cheese. It's super easy to make, very yummy and brings back lots of memories. When I think back to my Grandma's mac and cheese I always think of how much she would tease me about it because when I was a child she made it for me and I refused to eat it because it wasn't Kraft out of the box. Ahhh young Melissa...you had so much to learn!

Grandma's Mac and Cheese

16oz shell shaped macaroni

2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese (we use sharp, but any kind will do)

Milk

Butter

Crushed Saltines

Preheat oven to 350. Cook macaroni then place a layer in a deep baking dish. Next cover with a layer of cheese, crushed crackers and a couple pats of butter. Repeat until baking dish is full and you end with cheese. Next pour milk into the baking dish until you can just see it. Bake for 45min- 1hour until cheese is bubbly and golden.

So I have some bad news about mac and cheese Friday. It will no longer be every Friday. Ryan and I decided that our arteries nor our waste lines could handle this once a week. So maybe every other week or something like that.

more vacation pics

2009-10-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

So my mom emailed me some of my dad's pictures from vacation. Thought that I would share a few.

Ahh yes, this last one is a fam favorite. This is me inside the Amazon exhibit that had tons of snakes in it. Have I mentioned that I am totally afraid of snakes. I wish that this picture was more of a wide angle, but can you see the little bit of Ryan's face and how happy he is?

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2009-10-01T18:00:00.001-07:00

Monday was Ryan's 27th birthday. He asked for a pie. This was my first real attempt at making a pie. I have made the cream filled ones in the pre-made crusts. But this was 100% from scratch. It was a berry pie. It had strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries in it. The lattice top was alot easier than I expected. It's not as pretty as Martha's but Ryan said it tasted great! Happy Birthday Ryan!!!

Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese: Mac and Cheese Friday #2

2009-09-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

This week was a more "classic" mac and cheese, yet still unique.

Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese

Courtesy of: allrecipes.com

1 (8oz) package of elbow macaroni

8 oz of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

12 oz container of small curd cottage cheese

8 oz sour cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and pasta, and cook until done; drain.

In 9 x 13 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, milk, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In a small bowel, mix together bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle topping over macaroni mixture.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

This was a very good mac and cheese. I wont lie...I felt my arteries harden a bit while making this. And worked out while cooking it. But it was worth it. I really was expecting it to be a heavy mac and cheese. It wasn't it was light and creamy. The cottage cheese is what drew me to the recipe in the first place and it was a very nice touch to the meal.
Do you grate your own cheese? I am really beginning to think that cheese that I have grated tastes better than the stuff out of a bag. I do get the stuff in a bag out of laziness some times. But I really do like doing it myself. Also it saves money!
On a side note, my apartment is so dark at night and the lighting is horrible. I have to figure out something so that I can give you some better pictures.

Painted House

2009-09-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

So this last week Ryan and I took a quick trip to Bend to finish painting the house. The majority of the work was done, but we needed to paint the chimney. While we were painting the house my parents had some masonry work done and it needed 30 days to cure. We the 30 days were up and we were running out of nice weather days.

This house has been quite the project. Some day I should post before and after pics of the inside remodel. The majority of our time has been spent on the inside of the house and this summer we started working on the outside. Just painting the house made a HUGE difference! It's difficult to get alot of work done commuting back and forth from Bend to Portland. But we are making progress. We still need to replace the fence (which is a major eye sore) and do some landscaping. I am very happy with the progress made thus far. Ryan and I love going to Bend. It has become such a special place to us.

Before:

After:

Macaroni and Four Cheese Gratin: Mac and Cheese Friday #1

2009-09-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

I chose a very classy and grown up macaroni and cheese to start out...unintentionally I might add. I had recently gotten four mini cocottes from Le Creuset and have been dying to try them out. They came with a cookbook which contained this recipe:

Macaroni and Four Cheese Gratin

courtesy of: Le Creuset's Mini-Cocotte: 25 sweet and savory recipes

18 oz winter durum wheat macaroni

1 oz (1/4 stick) sweet butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 oz Gorgonzola

2 oz fontina

2 oz marscarpone

2 oz parmigiano reggiano

2 oz chopped walnuts

salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 430 F. Lightly butter 4 mini cocottes

Plunge the macaroni a good minute in boiling salted water. They should not be cooked through. Pass the pasta under cold running water to stop them cooking. Add several drops of canola or simple vegetable oil to keep it from sticking together.

Melt the butter in a small pan over a low flame. Add the cream, the gorgonzola, the fontina, the marscarpone, and the parmigiano reggiano (reserving 4 tablespoons for the top). Stir the cheese until all are well melted. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add the chopped walnuts.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and divide into 4 mini- cocottes. Sprinkle the rest of the parmigiano reggiano over each cocotte. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and crusty looking. On taking them out of the oven, let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.

So this recipe is totally yummy! Like I said earlier it is a very grown up mac and cheese. I actually felt like I was eating more of a pasta dish...not mac and cheese. Which is a nice change. The meal is a little on the spendy side coming in at around $20.oo. I go to Trader Joes for most of my cheese (other than basics). Any suggestions for a cheap place to get cheese? But this meal is worth every penny. And might I add, how cute are the little cocottes??? They are adorable to me. I am happy I got them. I was a little worried about how practical they would be. Honestly they are not practical at all, but they will be a fun to have. Ok, back the the meal. I forgot to get walnuts at the store so I didn't add them in. It still tasted great. If you don't have anything that is like the cocottes you could put it in a baking dish and it will turn out just fine. I had alot extra so I put some in a small baking dish and it was great.

Also have you ever had marscarpone cheese before? If not go buy some now and try it!! It is amazing. I had only had it in canolles before this. I ate a spoonful right out of the container. It was heaven. All sweet and creamy. Almost like a butter cream frosting.

Make this mac and cheese. You will not be disappointed. It will be a tough act to follow in the weeks ahead.

Confessions of a wanna be domestic goddess

2009-09-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

*sigh* I'm having a love affair...her name is Flame.
Flame is a 6.75qt Le Creuset oval french oven. I love her. She was a gift from a very special man in my life who I love very much. I will say this she has been sitting on my stove waiting for her maiden voyage since I got her (a week yesterday). But it has been very warm and I have a special meal planed for her first time. It needs to cool down so I can spend a few hours in front of a stove. So keep your fingers crossed for some cooler weather!
I have learned over the past couple of years how much I love to cook. It isn't a chore for me. I like being able to be creative and try new things. I never thought that I would be this person, but I am. I now describe cheeses as "nutty" or "mild". I spend time trying to find the perfect wine to accompany my meal. I spend hours reading cookbooks trying to learn all that I can. My goddesses are Martha, Julia, Giada and many other lovely cooks. I hope that I can be even half the cook they are.

The Start of Mac and Cheese Friday

2009-09-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Do you like mac and cheese? Are you a fan of the blue box or homemade? Tomorrow I am starting mac and cheese Friday in search of the perfect mac and cheese. Each Friday I will try a new mac and cheese recipe in attempt to find the best. I will report back to you how each turns out and my personal rating. Please feel free to submit to me any recipes that you have for my quest!

And I'm Back!

2009-09-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

1254 miles later we are home from vacation. British Columbia turned out to be fun and rainy. I ask you this, why is it that it can be in the 80's the week before and after our trip...but it rains the majority of the time we are there? I learned that Canada has great food (still don't understand why we can't have dill pickle chips here), really nice people and lots of Germans on vacation. It was a sobering experience learning how much Americans are disliked by others throughout the world. But this isn't a blog about politics it a blog about pictures. Enjoy!

Peace Out

2009-08-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

Off to Canada. Ryan and I are leaving for our vacation today. I'm excited to say that I will not be a slave to my phone (mainly because we didn't want to spend the extra money for an international plan). It should be a nice and relaxing vacation. I'll be back in a couple weeks with an update.

Competitive Shopping

2009-08-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

I love to shop at places like Marshalls, Ross, Homegoods, Tuesday Morning, Goodwill and garage sales. You never know what you will find at these places, which is what makes it fun. Plus I am always after a good deal. Um..hello $0.50 Le Creuset baking dishes at a garage sale! I normally like to take my time a browse the isles for little treasures. But lately I have noticed something. There is always another woman at these stores, not the same woman...but the same type. This woman happens to have the same taste as me. Here is an example of how the problem occurs:

Recently I was at Marshalls meandering my way up the homegoods section. I was looking at the Le Creuset items they had. Then a woman and I went to grab the same ramekin set. I was kind and told her to go ahead and look at it and went on with my browsing. At the same time we both spotted the colbalt cast iron soup oven. We glanced at each other then darted to the item. I got there first. I wound up passing on the item due to the enormous chip in the lid. But she kept it. We both realized that we were looking for similar things and suddenly we were in a competition. Who could find the items first. I now had to rush down the isles to look for the things I wanted so this woman wouldn't take them. We were almost racing down the isles trying to beat the other. I'm sure it was a ridiculous sight, but so many items at these stores are only there once. You gotta be the first to find them or you are SOL.

So now you understand my dilemma. It has been happening so often lately. When did the relaxing experience of shopping become competitive? Will I always have to be looking over my shoulder to see if someone is trying to steal my great deal?

Look...she wears pearls in the kitchen

2009-08-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Last week Ryan and I went and saw "Julie and Julia" at the theater. It was a little treat for me since I was employee of the month at work and got a gift card to the movies. I found the movie absolutely delightful. After it was over Ryan and I both said that we wished that it could have been a whole movie about Julia Child. She was such an interesting person and so full of life. I read the "Julie and Julia" book as well as the blog. They were both great reads, if you haven't gotten around to it before. I picked up a copy of Julia Child's "My Life in France" to read.

I have a few of her cookbooks and have loved her approach to cooking. I have enjoyed watching her old tv shows. We owe so much to Julia she was the one who pioneered the way for foodies and Chefs across the world. Without her we would probably have to Martha, Gaida, Rachel, Bobby, and so many others. I wouldn't have the collection of cookbooks that I have now if there was no Julia.
I love this picture of Julia! The way she is waving that cleaver is so funny. I can tell you that you would never catch a celebrity chef posing for a picture like this. They all need there perfect sets and hair and makeup crews.

What blows me away is that after all these years is that she is suddenly popular again. All of her books are in the top 50 bestsellers. Almost every bookstore is sold out of "The Art of French Cooking" and most of the other books. Julie Powell recreated Julia Child to a generation of people who have lost the understanding for fine cooking. We live in a world where we would rather have a 30 min meal than take the time to bone a duck or braise stew. Yet Julia didn't like Julie and her project. Although Julia is not with us anymore I think that she would be grateful for all the people who have rediscovered her and her appealing way of French cooking. If you have never read one of her books I highly recommend them. Not only are they full of delicious recipes but they have wonderful tips of cooking technique. Something that anyone in the kitchen needs.

Until next time Bon Appetit!

Photo Contest

2009-08-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

So a few months ago I entered a photo contest. I actually submitted a few pictures (you could enter 10) and guess what? I won a prize! I got 2nd place for this little picture of Brooklyn and Carter.

I really cropped this picture down from the original and was kind of unsure of how the composition was. But I went with it and it turned out well for me. So I'm super excited about winning. Yea me!!

Photograph....

2009-08-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

So on the 8th of August I got the privilege of making money the most easy was possible, doing something I love. Ryan's cousin Rachel got married and I was asked to be the photographer. I was flattered beyond words. I love taking pictures and to be able to share my love with people is such a special feeling. While I am no where near professional standards I think that I did a fairly good job. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.
Did I mention that Ryan and I each caught something special?

July Part 2

2009-08-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Our other adventure for July was going to Cannon Beach for the day with Ryan's family. It was the first time that his Grandma Hennessy got to meet Heidi and Chase's twins. Everyone else stayed for a few nights at the beach house. But as always Ry and I had to head home that night to go to work the next day.

The rest of the month was filled with trying to get settled in the new place, Ryan painting a house, the way to hot weather, class and laying by the pool.

July Part 1

2009-08-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

So after promises of being a better blogger I have gone yet again with a major lapse in my entries. Now that we are well into August I think that I will back track to July with a recap of the month.

The month started with Ryan and I taking a trip to Bend. If you read this blog you will know how much we love this place. Every time we visit we long to move there. Maybe someday if the economy ever turns we can find jobs there.... Anywho got a well deserved mini vacation and traveled around Central Oregon. Our first full day there was spent driving around the High Lakes. We started out driving to Fall River. I have special memories of going here with my parents and my Grandpa D.

It truly is a beautiful place, see all those fish!!

Next we drove to South Twin. Another place special to me. I spent alot of summers here as a kid with my Grandma and Grandpa Erickson. It was crazy going back after all these years. It was exactly as I remembered it, only smaller. It's funny how that works to me. Everything is so big when you are a child.

We made a loop around all the lakes and I have tons more pictures of it, if you really want to see them check out facebook.

The next day we went to Smith Rock. While most people visit this shear mass of rock to climb its walls, we decided to hike it.

We spent the rest of our time there exploring the town on foot and eating good food. If you ever make it there I HIGHLY recomend Flatbread in the Old Mill. It's one of Ryan's and my favorite restourants.

Missing my Grandma

2009-06-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

June 2, 2009

One year ago today my Grandma passed away. I cannot even begin to believe that it has been a year without her. I still feel her presence every day. I miss her more than I could ever begin to articulate, if I let myself I could easily cry all day when I think about how much I miss her. But honestly the pain is getting a little better. And I know that day by day my sadness will be replaced by all of my happy memories of her. There is a quote by Rita Mae Brown that I often turn to when I feel down: "I still miss those I loved who are no longer with me but I find I am grateful for having loved them. The gratitude has finally conquered the loss." That is what sometimes gets me through the day, knowing that in time my loss will be conquered.

Today was really hard. My Mom, Ryan and I went up to the cemetery to put some flowers with my Grandma. We got roses and lilacs. I know that the deer will eat the roses tonight, but we didn't care. They were my Grandma's favorite. I hope that when she watches over me that I am making her proud of the person I am. There is so much that I am accomplishing that I wish she was here to see. But I hope that she knows that she helped form me into the person I am today. Also every day I strive to be like her... to have such a huge heart, to love unconditionally, to always be able to forgive, to always be there for family and friends. But most importantly I hope to leave behind the type of legacy that she did. That people can talk and smile and laugh when they think of me.

About a month after my Grandma's funeral we had a celebration of life. It was a time for all of her family and friends to get together and celebrate my Grandma's life. To put aside our sadness and remember what an amazing life she had. My parents and I made a slide show of her life and played that for everyone. We also had a time where people could say something about my Grandma. This is what I had to say:

Back in January I sat down and wrote a speech to read today for my Grandma. I decided to write it then because I was worried that come now, I wouldn’t be able to find the words I wanted to say. It seemed like such a great idea, until I sat down to re-read it the other day. For some reason it just wasn’t right. I don’t need to stand up here and tell you all how amazing my grandma was. I think that you all already know this, other wise you wouldn’t be here sharing this special day with me. So I’m going to throw my 2 terms of speech writing out the window, and try to tell you a few stories about my grandma that were important to me. They aren’t quite as eloquent as the speech that I had first written, but they are from my heart and they make me smile. So that is what I think is important to share today.

Some of my favorite memories with my grandma are when she took my hand in hers and we took off on a journey together. My grandma held my hand a lot. I remember in cars she would always take her hand and slip it back through the space between the car seat and door. I would be sitting behind her, this way we could hold hands. Looking back now, I can’t imagine that it was comfortable for her to sit like this, but she always did.

I used to stay over at my grandparent’s house a lot when I was young. This is where I spent a good majority of my vacations from school. When I was real young and my grandpa was still driving his “womp womp” trucks. For those of you who don’t speak “Melissa” the “womp womp” trucks are what I called my grandpa’s semi trucks that he used to drive. Anyways he would leave early in the mornings for work. After he would leave, I would go into my grandparent’s room and crawl into bed with my grandma. She would take my hand and we would both fall back to sleep.

Now this memory in particular is so special to me. On the Tuesday and Wednesday before my grandma passed away, she was still sleeping in her and my grandpa’s bed. On those days, when I got the chance I would crawl into the bed with her and take her hand and lay there with her. Just like she took my hand when I was young. I tried to hold her hand as much as I could during her final days. It was a way that my grandma always showed me was there for me and loved me. I wanted to make sure that I could do the same for her.

My grandma showed me how a person should really live their life and what was truly important. I learned from her what I want to be as a person. I could say that I have some big shoes to fill to be just like my grandma, but I won’t for two reasons. The 1st is that her feet were bigger than mine. 2nd my grandma wouldn’t want me to be just like her. She would want me to take my own journey in life…to be a pioneer, a trailblazer. So now at age 25 I will take some of the most important lessons I have learned from my grandma and try to apply them in my own journey through life.

My grandma was never a rich with money. But she was rich with love, love from family and friends. My grandma showed me that these riches were more important than anything money could ever buy. Family was so important to my grandma. She told me stories, stories about my roots. My grandma believed that in order to know where you are going you have to know where you came from. She would tell me stories about growing up in Nebraska and moving out to Oregon. Things that shaped her life and made her who she was. These are stories that I hope to one day tell my children about their great-grandma Beverlee. The legacy that my grandma created will be a compass that will guide me though out my life.

My grandma showed me how to believe in yourself and how find strength and light in dark places. I saw this best when watching my grandma battle her cancer. She took every chemo treatment with such amazing integrity. Never showing that she was scared, never complaing about being stuck once again by another needle, and never giving up. I remember sitting with my grandma in the chemo lounge while she was having her therapy and listening to the other patients. So many of them were all complaining, moaning and groaning about having to have another treatment. I sat there so proud of my grandma, because she was sitting in her chair smiling. I asked her why she didn’t complain and she told me that it was because she got to spend one more day with her family and that made it all worth it.
So this leads me back once again to family. All of you here today, my grandma’s family and friends enriched her life in so many ways. I think that all of us are the reason she was able to fight the cancer for so long. I really think that basketball Coach, Jimmy V, can sum up my Grandma’s attitude best by saying: “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.”

Grandma, I love you so much and miss you.

bad blogger

2009-06-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

So once again I have failed at updating my blog. It has been over a month and there has been so much going on. Nothing super eventful, but enough to keep me very busy. I guess that I will just try to post some blogs about what has been going on and such and maybe try to back date them or something. I will try my best!

Meet Carter and Brooklyn...

2009-05-19T23:05:00.001-07:00

Heidi and Chase welcomed their twin babies into the world on Saturday night.

Meet Carter (Left) and Brooklyn (right). They are tiny little things and so very cute! We are big for being almost a month early

The new family
Heidi and Carter (and her much smaller belly)

Carter woke up for his photo ops. Look how tiny his head is compared to the pacifier.

Brooklyn was a sleepy little girl.

So I must say that I think that the twins were the most difficult subject I have ever photographed. I took over a hundred pictures just to get a handful of keepers. With two babies I will get in lots of practice. Congratulations Heidi and Chase!!

Bend

2009-04-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I got back tonight from a trip to Bend. We were there for 5 days. The trip was amazing, but still felt to short. We really enjoyed being able to just relax and have fun. Which we really don't get to do to often these days. Between school, work, and just plain life an extended period of time with nothing to do is few and far between.

We got into Bend on Monday afternoon because Ryan got to get off work early (woo hoo!) We unpacked at the house and then walked over to the Old Mill for dinner. We ate at Flatbread, which is fastly becoming one of our favorite places to eat there. By the way if you are ever there you must go there for Monday night flights. It's a great deal for dinner and sampling great local wine.

Tuesday was probably my favorite day of the whole trip. We went to Shevlin Park for a hike. This place is so amazing. I remember going ice skating here in the winters when I was young.

After our hike we went the the Deschutes Brewery for sampling and a tour. This was surprisingly our first time there. We have never found time in the past to go. Since I'm not a big beer fan Ryan had a great time drinking all of my pours along with his. He was feeling pretty dang good by the the time the tour rolled around. I found the tour very interesting. Who knew that brewing was such a fine science.

As always, Ryan and I found ourselves walking around Bend talking about moving there. I don't know what it is, but that city is pure magic. I love how laid back it is and that from our house you can walk everywhere. That is something that you just can't do around here. Well... you can in downtown Portland, but I would never want to live there. So to make matters worse there is a house that is 2 blocks away from my family's house that Ryan and I have always lusted after. And its for sale. It's right in the heart of downtown Bend in the historical neighborhood. It's actually the first stone house built in Bend. The house is enormous for the area and has quite a big lot. This was bad because it got Ryan and I thinking even more about moving to Bend and if we could afford this house. Since the job market sucks, even for health care professionals like us, I don't think that it would be very smart to give up the jobs we have. Plus I'm still finishing up school. Ugh!! All I can say is that I hope the housing market stays this way for awhile and they drop the price on this house some more and a job opens up at St. Charles. Because who wouldn't want to see a view like this every night from your house?

Oh Bend, why do you have to be so perfect? Oddly enough I have found that almost every one who grew up there can't wait to move out to the Valley. Well, more room for me :-)

Baby shower gift

2009-03-24T13:47:00.001-07:00

Ryan's sister Heidi is pregnant with twins and is having a baby shower. I decided to try to make her something a little special to hold some of her presents in and this is what I came up with.

This last picture is my favorite part of the basket. I made little diapers to hold the socks in. The socks are so tiny! I cannot even begin to tell you how hard it was to find those diaper pins. I searched so many stores and wound up only finding them at two places: Jo Ann's and Babies R Us. The ones at BRU were much cuter and cheaper. In case you couldn't tell Heidi is having a girl and a boy. This made for a bit of a challenge when making the basket. It was difficult finding cute unisex fabric. I noticed that even if the fabric was in neutral colors it tended to be meant for more of a boy or girl. At one point I almost just made two baskets because I couldn't find any decent fabric.
I filled the basket with basic baby items in pink and blue. Ryan and I had a hard time deciding what to get and went with basics because no matter what they need it. We also have a few more things that couldn't fit in the basket.
What I should have added was the pictures of the blisters on my hands from the hot glue gun. That thing is a deadly weapon! The flaps that are hanging with the diapers on them are made out of four cardboard cutouts (two for each side) that I hot glued batting on then covered in fabric. Next I took lace trim and glued that around the edge and sandwiched two of the pieces together. Thus creating two flaps. Most of my burns came from my own stupidity. I would see the glue smoosh out of something and I would try to wipe it out with my finger. Not so smart :-/
I have to say that I'm glad that this is done. Mainly because it's been taking up alot of room. It was fun to make and I got to learn alot of new crafty things. My mom was a huge help, especially with the sewing the diapers. I still can't sew very well so she came to my rescue. She was also my extra hands that I needed to press things down. Yay for mom! So I hope that Heidi likes her present. I know you might wonder why I am posting the pictures if I haven't given it to her yet. Well, I'm pretty confident that she doesn't read my blog. So I'm safe.

My new distraction

2009-03-23T19:41:00.001-07:00

One of my new year's resolutions was to become more crafty. And guess what...I'm doing it! This is what has been keeping me distracted from my many important things in life

It is crocheting. And let me tell you I am not very good at it yet. I've been at it for about a week. I have been learning from different web pages and youtube videos. This is what I have accomplished in a little under a week.

Not so impressive. But I'm trying and I'm gonna keep at it!

Twilight the Movie!

2009-03-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have learned to love and get excited about the small things in life. New socks, cup cakes, sunny days and Twilight! The Twilight movie came out on DVD this last Saturday. I was so excited that when I got off work I drove out to Target and bought the 3 disk special edition.

I saw it in the theater twice, once when it first came out back in November. Then last Tuesday at the Kennedy School. The first time I saw it I was really disappointed in it. The second time I really enjoyed it. I think it was because I no longer had expectations for it. I could just relax and enjoy it. I need to remember this for when New Moon comes out. Also, thank you to Ryan for going with me both times.

I still haven't watched the movie on DVD. I have been to engrossed in all the extras. I'm not sure when I will watch it. But it will be soon.

Sadly, I know what I dork I am for loving this so much. But you know what I chose to embrace my inner dork. I'm adorkable!

For Julie

2009-03-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

I was checking my email after my yummy steak dinner (note: BBQ in the rain, not so fun. But yummy steak, so worth it) and got a email from my friend Julie. She told me that she would like me to write a blog. Man, I guess I'm slacking since I'm the person always asking people to post a new blog. So Julie I will leave you with not just one, not two but THREE blogs! Enjoy.

I wish that I could say that I have been up to super exciting things, but as always I'm oh so boring. I have been studying for finals. Which has made me grumpy. But a girls got to do what a girls got to do. When I haven't been studying I have been being a total blog stalker. It's really becoming a problem. I can spend hours jumping from blog to blog reading. The sad thing is that I don't even know half the people who write these blogs. But I have found them from links, websites, other blogs, etc and have become addicted. Which leads me to my next thought...can they see that I am reading there blogs? If so do I totally freak them out? If they do know that I am stalking there blog I hope they know it is because it is so truly wonderful! Most of the blogs I have been reading have been crafty things. Ideas, patterns and such getting me motivated for my own craft adventures.

My weekend was pretty uneventful. But that tends to happen when you work from 7am-7:30pm. Work was eventful, as it seems to mostly be. I have to say that is one good thing about nursing, no two days will ever be the same. That is what I love about it.

I have been lusting after Julie's new Le Creuset french oven. It's is so pretty and I want one! But I will have to wait. And just enjoy my Le Creuset stock pot that Ryan and I bought last week. When were were at Sur la Table paying for it they told us if we spent $10 more we could sign up for their cooking classes buy one get one free. Ryan and I have been wanting to take one for along time so we jumped on it. We signed up for the Mexican cooking. It will be something new for our culinary skills.

Julie also asked me which SATC character I was most like and that really got me thinking. First that I need to watch that show again, it's been awhile since I've watched my DVDs. Second, that I really have no clue who I am most like. I know that I'm NOT a Samantha. I think that I'm a Carrie/Charlotte mix. With a dash of Marinda's cynicism, but nearly as intense. I really wish that I was more like Charlotte. She is so pulled together all the time. I really wish that I could be like that.

I also have a new pet peeve. Co-workers, classmates, and instructors who insist on calling the male and female genitalia by ridiculous names. Names like hoo hoo, vajay jay, pee pee, winker, etc. People we are health care PROFESSIONALS!!! Come one we can call them by what they really are a penis and vagina. It drive me nuts. I cringe every time I hear someone say that. Ugh!!

Upon further investigation

2009-03-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

Today after work I went to Michael's. What better way to embrace trying to be crafty than by going to a craft store. I wanted to look at some cross stitching stuff. Upon further investigation I have decided that the classic cross stitching is not quite what I had in mind to do. While I do have great respect for the amount of time that it takes to do those patterns, it's just not quite my style. I want to do something more whimsy and I don't know...free spirited. I guess what I want to do is more embroidery. I think that the book that I ordered from Amazon will be just what I want to do. I have a few ideas that once I get the hang of stitching that I will try to trace on or freehand. But I got to get kinda good fast in order to do pull my ideas off. I did wind up leaving Michael's with some stuff for the baby shower gift I am making for Heidi (I will post pictures when it's all done) and some embroidery floss and needles.

It makes me sad that I don't have enough time to do everything that I want to do with all of my new craft ideas. So what I am doing is making a folder of craft ideas. I have like over 200 ideas saved in my favorites on my laptop. It is really making me sad that they discontinued Google notebook, which a friend recently told me to try out because it would be perfect to store all of my ideas. Anyone know of anything that is like Google notebook? I can't wait for school to be done so I can have a life again!

Ok, I am off to study, cook dinner and do laundry. Perhaps not in that order. Probably more like all at the same time. Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

ps- once again another post with out being the new flashing type I was hoping to start doing :-(

Blog Envy

2009-03-11T10:02:00.001-07:00

So I'm a secret blog stalker. I will look at blogs my friends follow, random blogs I find online, and celebrity blogs. I waste a TON of time reading blogs. But I will say this, lately I have had total blog envy reading some of these blogs. They are so creative, written well, have beautiful pictures with like every post, and are updated at least weekly (some several times a week).

I feel so inadequate. I need to work on the quality of blogs. Note: this blog will not be the start of the amazing new and improved blog. But maybe when I get some more time I can make beautiful blogs. I will make an attempt to work on the quality of my blog entries.

I have also decided that I really want to become more crafty. This was one of my new years resolutions. I have been looking at lots of craft blogs lately for ideas. I want to learn to cross stitch and knit. I need to embrace my enter geriatric...that along with my going to bed at 9pm every night makes me golden. Gosh, I'm sad. But I have found some lovely ideas for gifts as well as for things I'd like to have in my own home. I have found a few books that I think I might buy that teaches you with some basic beginner ideas. These books were recommended to me by a friend who recently became OBSESSED with cross stitching. She has made some fantastic things! I'm also envious of her talent. I think I might see if I can find these books at the library to save some money. But if not I will try to find them used at Amazon or Powell's.

I'm also super excited about a new t-shirt I found online. It has one of my favorite sayings on it, that has become so much more relevant to me lately. When I get it I will post a picture of me wearing it.

Dear Karla,

2009-03-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

Well, since I know that you are like one of the 3 people that read my blog I have decided to take this time to get your attention. You have not posted a blog since January 18. This is a very long time. I am slightly upset that you do not find in necessary to take the time to update your friends on your oh so exciting life. I mean you are having a new baby, Marina is Sasha Fierce, and COME ON!!!! I don't ask for much. Just a few measly blog posts a month.

Thank you for your time.

Your Friend,
Melissa

PS- Try the Philosophy. I highly recommend it as of my week of usage
PPS- Did you finish the Twilight books yet?

Chasing Harry Winston Review

2009-03-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished reading Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger. I really enjoyed reading this book. The book is obviously chick lit and nothing very deep. But to tell you the truth I enjoy reading fluff books right now. There is to much stress going on in the world and life in general. It is nice to be able to unwind it a lighthearted book.

The book is told from 3 characters point of view, which I was unsure about at first. I have found in past books that I often find books that have multiple points of view can be confusing and leave you wanting more. That they don't give you enough out of each character. This book didn't do it. Weisberger seamlessly transitioned from each character and incorporated them all together. Leigh, Emmy and Adriana all feel like people that you could have already as a friend. They are believable characters and more importantly you want to be part of the world. Which keeps you coming back each day to read more.

Each character holds their own. They are each individual and unique. Emmy works at a restaurant and travels the world seeking new ideas for it. Leigh is an editor for a major publishing company. And Adriana, well she is a lovable socialite type. All 3 girls are approaching 30 and are seeking an engagement ring. This book is the story of their adventures and quests for love.

The Clarisonic

2009-03-04T09:32:00.001-08:00

After 10 years of using the same facial products I have made a change. First and foremost I got a Clarisonic facial system. I have been coveting on of these for a couple years, but they have been to expensive. Well, Ryan surprised me and bought me one last week. I was so excited! I know that it will take a few months to truly see the results, but so far I have to say that I am very impressed. The only thing that I don't like is that it has made my skin more oily. But this is an expected side effect for the first couple of months because the system is purging the oil and impurities from your skin. It has to come out at some time. But really it isn't to bad. I can't even begin to tell you how soft my skin feels. I notice it the most when I have makeup on, because the the makeup lies so much better on my skin.

I have also changed the cleanser that I use. Since I was 16 I have been using the Clinique 3 step face care. It's a tried and true product. And to tell you the truth I still think that it is a good product. But the thing that I didn't like is that recently they have changed the medium of the facial cleanser. It went from a solid cleaner (bar form) to a liquid medium. Since the change I just don't feel that I get the same "clean" feeling from the cleanser. I have noticed when I use the toner that it takes about 4 cotton balls to get them to wipe away clean with no makeup. This was frustrating to me. So I began my research to find a new cleanser.

My search led me to Philosophy Purity. The first time I used it was magic! My face felt so clean without feeling dried out. Plus it didn't have a makeup residue on it. It is a little more expensive than the Clinique but I'm hoping it will be worth it. I will have to use the new products for a couple of months before I can know for sure. But so far I am pleased.

What I'm Currently Reading

2009-02-24T20:21:00.000-08:00

The new book that I am reading is.....

I will give a review when I have finished it.

Twilight!

2009-02-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

So I recently finished reading the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer. I have to say I was blown away by how fantastic this series of books was. Let me start by saying I avoiding reading the books for a very long time. The first book, Twilight, was published in 2005. I read so many reviews calling this book the next Harry Potter. I thought to myself, please no series of books could ever compare to Harry Potter. I refused to read the books because they are about vampires. I had no desire to read books about vampires, it was a type of books that has never interested me. Furthermore I didn't want to read books that were for young adults. This last fall when the Twilight movie was getting ready to come out I am ashamed to say that I began to get sucked into the hype. Everywhere I turned I saw someone reading one of the books. I kept hearing people talk about Edward and Bella. I gave in and bought the first book. I justified it to myself that I never thought that I would like a book about wizards, and I loved Harry Potter (which was also a young adult book series).

Twilight was more than I could ever begin to describe. Beyond being a great book it was an epic love story. As you grow older you begin to forget how powerful falling in love for the first time was. Not to belittle what many of us have now, but that first time was so overpowering and confusing. Actually now that I think about it, love is always that way. But...your first time is your first giving it the power of the unknown. Stephanie Meyer's is a Mormon, so I did find many strong religious values that were in this book. And considering the sexed up world we live in, I found it slightly refreshing. More importantly you have to remember the characters in this series of books are only in high school. Beyond all of the hype I just truly got sucked into a magical world that consisted of vampires, warewolfs and humans.

The Twilight Saga consists of 4 books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. Each book built upon the last creating a world that you wish would never end. I am so sad that the series of books is over. I was not ready to say goodbye to the wonderful characters that Meyer's created. I have to say that I often wish that I was an author. That I could figure out how to master the craft of placing words to paper. When I read a book like this series, it makes me jealous that I don't have that talent. I hope that one day that Stephanie Meyer's decides to revisit the characters and give us another book (or many more!)

If you have happened to have read the series and are longing for more of Edward and Bella I will recommend that you read Midnight Sun. Midnight Sun is the story of Twilight from Edward's point of view. The rest of the books as I'm sure you know were all written from Bella's point of view. Meyer's began writing this book with the intent to publish it and had a draft of the book leaked to the Internet. She decided to put what was written on her web page for her fans to read. But sadly she has said that she has no current plans to finish the book. It is 12 chapters in its current state. I thought that this draft was super. It was so interesting to read the same story from a different person's point of view. I would love to see the entire series of books written this way. Here is a link to the web page to read the draft http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html

Now that I have read all the books, twice, I am forced to wait until this fall to get my next dose of Twilight. This is when New Moon comes out in theaters. While I didn't love the Twilight movie, I still found it very good. But I knew that nothing could ever compare to the book and how I pictured things in my head. I think that I will have to watch it again, without any expectations to truly appreciate it.

What's in Your Handbag?

2009-02-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

I was reading Jane Green, one of my favorite authors, blog the other day and loved her most recent blogs. They were inspired by an article in inStyle magazine where they had celebrities list the contents of their handbag. Jane did this and was shocked by what she had. This struck my curiosity and I decided to do the same. So here it is.

My current purse is a black and grey over sized Coach doctor's bag. Inside is a black hole containing:

my wallet. Brown signature Coach. Inside my wallet is the normal wallet things, drivers licence. Debit card. Credit card. I think you get the picture
Wristlet. Brown signature Coach (matches the wallet). I use this to hold my more personal items including: 3 tampons, contact solution, epi pen, sudafed, hair ties, bobby pins and asthma inhaler
Day planner. Kate Spade, black and kelly green. I know that a day planner is slightly old school, but this is one thing that I can't yet bring myself to use an electron item for. I get crap all the time, but my old fashion system has yet to run out of batteries or lose data on me.
3 pens
2 pencils
1 black sharpie
Coin purse. kelly green Coach. Full of coins
Small bottle of Advil
Combo lock for the gym. Purple and sliver
iPod. Black video, or classic as they call it now
3 packs of trident spearmint gum
2 tubes of Burt's Bee's lip balm
Philosophy Big Mouth lip gloss (side note, this is the best gloss ever!)
Sunglasses in case. Ray Ban shield style
Work ID badge
Various receipts (I stopped counting at 30)
Small Smashbox cream blush (for emergencies)
highlighter, yellow
Small spiral note pad
Keihl's hand lotion
Purell hand sanitizer
Grocery list
10 blank 3x5 index cards (I have no clue why I have them in there)

Yikes, I have alot of crap. I wish that I was cooler and took the time to lay all of the junk out on the table and take a picture like Jane did. But I was to lazy. Sorry. Now that I emptied my purse not all of this is in it. I was slightly embarrassed by all the the stuff I was toting around. So what's in your handbag?

My Perfect iPod Workout Mix

2009-02-18T16:48:00.001-08:00

So I created the perfect iPod workout mix for my run. It it exactly 60min long. Now I agree with Barney that the key to a good mix is that it needs to be all rise and no fall. This mix has it. I read an article in Self magazine with Jenna Fisher, and she talked about how much a good mix helps with a workout. She gave me the idea to make a good mix. I always listen to my ipod when I workout, but really didn't put much though into my workout mix. I just put fast paced music on it. Now I took the time to pick songs that motivated me to keep running. The first song is perfect to start out with because it's 9 minutes long and starts out slow then pics up around 5 minutes. This is great for me because I warm up with a 5 minute walk. So here is the mix:

Stairway to Heaven- Led Zeppelin
Stronger- Kanye West
4 Minutes- Madonna and Justin Timberlake
Highway To Hell- ACDC
Shake- The Ying Yang Twins
Beat It- Fallout Boy and John Mayer
Black Dog- Led Zeppelin
Lose Control- Missy Elliot
In the Ayer- Flo Rida
You Shook Me All Night Long- ACDC
Hollaback Girl- Gwen Stefani
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)- Beyonce
Rock and Roll- Led Zeppelin
Jesus Walks- Kanye West
The Way I Are- Timberland
Till I Collapse- Eminem

Why I hated Confessions of a Shopaholic, the movie

2009-02-16T09:43:00.000-08:00

They ruined this movie! I don't understand how they could manage to do this, but they did. They had the perfect script written in the book and they changed it all! I don't mind the obvious fact that the movie takes place in New York instead of London, which was what I heard so many people complaining about during the filming. That I could get past, but the rest of the pivotal plot points that they changed made me want to cry.

Now before I go any further, let me say this. I probably would have loved the movie had I not read the series of books. It was cute and I adore Isla Fisher. But I just has such high expectations. I know that the movie is never as good as the book, but they didn't have to do what they did.

Ok, reasons why it was bad:

They clumped together parts of all the books into the one movie. I felt so robbed of these story lines
Becky's job storyline was messed up. Really, why did they change this. The whole book was based on the irony that a shopaholic was working for a savings magazine and got a TV spot giving advice. They did get around to this in the movie, but I didn't like the way they did this.
Alicia Bitch Long Legs. She did look just like I imagined her. But once again they made her a much smaller role in the movie. She really deserved a bigger storyline
Luke. He wasn't nearly as cute as I had hoped. Plus they made him a struggling suit. In the books Luke is the man. He owns his own company and takes names and kicks ass. Not so much in this movie.

These were my main gripes. I could go all day, but now I'm just getting depressed. However I want to re-read the series of books just to remind myself why I loved them so much.

Why Ryan is the best boyfriend ever!

2009-02-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

So not that this is new news to me, but Ryan proved once again why he is the best boyfriend ever. We celebrate Valentines Day and our anniversary grouped together (3 years!). Since our first real date was at Gustav's we always go there to celebrate. We went last night and then Ryan took me to go see Confessions of a Shopaholic. He knew how excited I was to see the movie since I LOVED all the books and surprised me by taking me. I was shocked because Ryan isn't really into that type of movie, so I had planned on asking Julie to go see it with me. But we sucked it up and took me! It was so sweet. I love him!

Long over due

2009-02-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

I went the whole month of January without a blog. I really need to be more diligent about writing. I would like to say that I haven't written because of how busy I have been. Which is partially true. But mainly it's just because nothing exciting has been happening in life lately. Since I took today off of work to finish recovering from my cold I decided to oblige Julie with some long over due blogs.

January came and went in a blur of cold, work, school. The highlights were the trip to Hawaii and my Birthday. As I have gotten older I have learned to take delight in the smaller things in life. The things that truly matter. Family, friends, and love. Things at 26 have fallen into place for me and it's wonderful. I'm still working hard, but that's what life is all about. I have to say that I am truly grateful to have reconnected with an old friend Julie. I have enjoyed our chats and time together so much. I really needed someone like her in my life again. I'm glad that we overcame the drama that once kept us apart and became friends again. Besides she is one of the only people who really understand my shopping disease :-) I look forward to many fun times ahead.

Up until I got sick I had been doing so well on my workout regime. Ryan even bought me new running shoes. But this dang cold knocked me on my butt. So it will be hard to get the motivation and strength to start working out again.

Oh and before I forget, Happy Valentines Day! I am watching Love Actually cuddled up in my warm blanket. I can't wait for Ryan to come home from work to have him to cuddle with.

Hawaii

2009-02-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well, over a month after our return I'm finally writing about our trip to Hawaii. Gosh, I am such a slacker!

Hawaii was beautiful and our visit was way to short. It was so strange to be wearing a swimsuit and summer clothing in January. As you know our visit to Hawaii was to share and be part of Heidi and Chase's wedding. It was so special to be a part of their special day. I love weddings and am such a sap when it comes to them. It never fails I always cry. It doesn't matter if it is someone I know or some random person on tv I will cry. But there is something magical about watching two people promise to love each other and be there for one another forever. *sigh* Here are a few pictures from the wedding.

Ryan and I got to squeeze in some time to relax on the beach, snorkel, swim with the sea turtles, see dolphins and whales, shop and just have some fun! It was so lovely just being able to lay out in the sun with a good book and my Ryan and just relax. We both really needed a vacation to get away from the stress of every day life.

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

So my friends it is that time of year again. As another years comes to a end it it time to reflect. I am choosing this blog to write about things I would like to accomplish in the new year. One could call them resolutions. I call them a list of things that I would like to do or work on. It's a little less intimidating that way.

I would like to be more crafty. I want to try to make more thing, like scrub tops for example. I really don't think that I can see myself scrap booking yet, but maybe some small things. I would like to learn how to sew well enough to make some things. I would love to make some aprons. I have seen the cutest fabric lately. I would also like to attempt to make more gifts for people. I think that homemade things are so thoughtful.
I want to become more fit. I don't really want to lose weight. I have come to learn that numbers are a bad thing to focus on. I want to become stronger, develop more stamina (that's what she said), and become a healthier person. Between school, work and personal life things I have really learned the importance of taking care of your body. I know I can't change somethings about me, but I want to learn to love me. And taking care of myself is that best way to do that.
Spend more time with friends
Laugh more. 2008 was a sad year for me, so I want to make 2009 a fresh start with lots of laughter. As Jimmy Buffet said, "if we couldn't laugh we all would go insane"
Don't worry so much. I am constantly working on this. I am such a horrible worry wart. Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but doesn't get you anywhere. I also want to focus on the things that I can control in my life and stress less over the things I can't. I know that I can't change this over night, it will probably take years to change these habits. But you got to start somewhere. I also want to stop worrying about where I will be in 5 years or 10 years. I have done this to much in the past and I lost out on so much that was happening in that moment. I want to work on living each day to it's fullest. That is something that my Grandma really showed me how to do.
Reduce my carbon footprint
Budget and save. This is hard because I get budget envy really bad sometimes (thanks Julie for that term). But I got to focus on the end point and that makes it worth it. Also when you budget it makes buying things a little more special. You really got to think about what you are buying. I read somewhere that you should write down every single purchase you make for a week and see where your money goes. Maybe I will try this little experiment.
Finish my Grandma's cookbook
Refuse to let the dysfunctional people in my life make my life dysfunctional
Read more

I'm sure that I have many more things to add, but that is all that I can think of. What is your list for the new year? I hope that the new year is very blessed for you all and brings you lots of happiness and joy.
Cheers!
ps- sorry for all the spelling errors. It's late and for some reason the spell check wont work. I will add become a better speller to my list :-)

Christmas and Snow

2008-12-28T22:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone. And I have to say that I am happy that it's over. This year was even more crazy than most because of the weird weather that we had, but I will talk more about that later. It was insanely hard getting through Christmas with out my grandparents being there. I noticed it the most when I would be doing things that somehow involved them in the past. Like baking cookies was always something that my mom and I did with my grandma. Or putting up the angel on the tree that I made when I was in pre-school that my grandparents kept all these years and made my mom promise that she would put it on the tree still once my grandparents were gone. Not having them to call on Christmas morning or have dinner with that night. But I the thing that I tried most to focus on was the memories that I had and what I could do to carry their memory on. Because that is what keeps them with me. Ok, on a happier note I got some pretty cool gifts. My favorites were:

my GPS. She needs a name. I was calling her Lola, but that is what I named my mom's GPS. Maybe mine needs a new name. She currently has a British accent.
my leather riding boots
the recipe binder that my mom got me for the cookbook I'm making of my grandma's recipes
The last 2 Twilight books

Now onto the snow. What the heck happened! It is NOT supposed to snow that much in Portland. I dislike the snow now that I have a job that I have to go to no matter how bad the weather is. That's the crappy part about working in health care, people don't ever stop being sick or injured...no matter what the weather is like. I was fine with the snow, I've got chains and four wheel drive on the explorer. It's just that once the ice hits you can't do anything to make you a better driver. You are just stuck with whatever happens. I have to say that I don't think that I have ever seen so much snow in Portland in my entire life. It was insane. I was so sick of it. Snow becomes work. I had to shovel so much. That is one thing that is nice about the rain, you don't have to shovel it. I also became bored out of my mind on my day's off. I was supposed to fly to Bend to see my parents there, but my flight got cancelled. So I had a couple extra days to sit around. Relaxing becomes boring fast. Thank goodness that I never lost power. Here are a couple of pictures to show you the snow accumulation.
This was the first day of snow. It was pretty and made me a little happy.

This was one week later. Sorry if it's a little blurry, it was so cold out that the shutter on my camera was having trouble closing.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

2008-12-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems that winter is finally here. The snow came down like crazy today. I had to work, and let me tell you that is one thing that I don't like about my job. Just because the weather is bad, doesn't mean that people will stop being sick or injured. I had to be at work at 7am this morning. When I left for work the weather was clear and fine, but I took the explorer just to be safe. And boy am I glad that I did! I watched out the window as the snow fell down wondering if I would be able to make it home, or if I would have to take the hospital up on the offer of a room for the night. I left at 3:30pm and thanks to my mad skills at putting on chains and some 4 wheel drive I made it home safe and sound. I found out that I don't have to go to school tomorrow so I get a day off. I so excited. I will actually get to do some holiday baking now. I was really upset that I missed out of baking cookies with Julie last weekend. Maybe next year we can start baking Christmas cookies together.

Ok, I'm going to go attempt to catch up on some TV shows if my internet will allow me. I will leave you with some pictures I took tonight of my yard. Stay warm!

holidays are here

2008-12-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

Life has officially become even more crazy than usual now that the holiday season is officially among us. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Thanksgiving was fairly good. It was hard since it was my first major holiday without my grandparents. Christmas will be even harder. I think that it's when you are used to having a tradition that includes them, it's weird to do it without them there. My biggest void was making holiday biscuits with out my Grandma. But I know that she would be happy that I am carrying on her traditions without her. This year was a quite meal since my uncle's family really doesn't get along with me and my parent's....understatement of the year! But the dinner was amazing!

I did participate in a little activity known as Black Friday. I did some shopping with my mom. I got my annual supply of socks. Along with alot of Christmas presents. I have to say that i was very disappointed with the lack of DVD's on sale. I waited all year to stock up and they let me down! Especially my TV on DVD.

It's official I'm going to Hawaii! Ryan and I are leaving on the 7th of January. I think that Heidi and Chase are getting married on the 9th. It should be a good time by all. I'm excited to stretch my new photography skills thanks to my class. But really, how can you take a bad picture in Hawaii?

I've been working out hard. I'm at the gym 6 days a week for about 2 hours a day. I have to admit that I'm sore almost every day. But it feels good. I am starting to notice that I'm sleeping better at night and have more energy. But also it's a set time that I can take for myself. And I don't get to much of that any more with school and work.

School is going well. It keeps me to busy. I will be happy when it's over. It's been weird because I'm on a different schedule than what I have been used to. So that means that my term isn't over until January. Which sucks because I come home from Hawaii on a Sunday at 11pm and have to be at school for a final at 7:50 the next day. Yikes! At least it's a long flight, hopefully I will study.

I'm proud of myself. This year I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done already. It's a good feeling. Hopefully it will take some of the stress away. I have been spending a fair amount of time shopping for myself. I'm trying to find a new swimsuit and it's nearly impossible to find a swimsuit (let alone a cute one) this time of year. I think that this is insane! Lot's of people travel to tropical places in the winter. Why don't stores carry swimsuits year round. It's so hard to buy a swimsuit online because you really need to try them on. *sigh*

Starting the Change

2008-11-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, the time has come for me to freak out about something other than school, work, and things that I can't really control. This one is 100% my fault. I got a loud wake up call on Saturday that needs immediate resolve.

On Saturday night Ryan told me that we might be taking a trip in January to Hawaii for Heidi's wedding. I freaked out! I am so not swim suit ready. Yes, this is a very shallow and coincided blog but bear with me folks. I was a work out freak until about April of this year. Then life starting getting really hectic with my Grandma being sick. I started spending most of my free time over with her and my Grandpa. And then after that my Grandpa started having problems then he passed away too. I know that this is all excuses, but I had a lot of stress and got lazy. So now it is time to change! I am going to start working out again and get my body back (well, at least so I wont be embarrassed to wear a swim suit). I am going to get more energy again and feel better.

So, since I have to be ready by January I am doing a fast forwarded plan here it is:

300 minutes of cardio a week
3 strenghting sessions a week
at least 3 hours of Pilate's a week

This should jump start my body and get me ready for Hawaii. And if that falls through at least I have started a routine again.

You Know You're A Nurse When...

2008-11-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

The front of your scrubs reads "Nurses... here to save your ass, not kiss it!"
You occasionally park in the space with the 'physicians only' sign... and knock it over.
You can identify whether the patient has an impaction, tube feeding or infection based on the smell of their poop.
The ER is a mixture of can do, can’t do, and why the hell not!
You recognize that you can't cure stupid.
You own at least three pens with the names of prescription medications on them.
You believe there's a special place for the inventor of the call light.
You believe that saying 'it can't get any worse' causes it to get worse just to show you it can.
You wash your hands BEFORE you go to the bathroom.
You consider a tongue depressor an eating utensil.
Eating microwave popcorn out of a clean bedpan is perfectly natural.
You've been exposed to so many x-rays that you consider it a form of birth control.
You've ever heard a patient with a nose ring, a brow ring, and twelve earrings say "I'm afraid of shots."
You've ever placed a bet on someones blood alcohol level.
You have steel wool in your bathroom or other form of high grade scrubber to shower with after work.
Your bladder can expand to the size of a Winnebago's water tank.
You have seen more penises than any prostitute could dream of.
You believe that not all patients are annoying... some are unconscious.
Your family and friends refuse to watch medical sitcoms with you because you spend the whole time correcting everyone and pointing out upside down x-rays.
You don't get excited about blood, unless it's your own.
You've sworn to have "do not resuscitate" tattooed on your chest. Soon.
Discussing dismemberment over a gourmet meal is perfectly normal to you.
Your idea of fine dining is anywhere you can sit down to eat.
Your idea of a good time is a cardiac arrest at shift change.
You believe that "shallow gene pool" should be a recognized diagnosis.
You see reasons for attitude and mood in people based on their blood glucose
You believe that unspeakable evils will befall anyone who utters the phrase "Wow, it's really quiet, isn't it?"
You have ever wanted to write a book entitled "Suicide: getting it right the first time."
You have ever had a patient look you straight in the eye and say "I have no idea how that got stuck in there."
You've had to leave a patients room before you begin to laugh uncontrollably.
The phrase measure twice cut once refers to medication administration and the O.R.
The disoriented patient always comes from a nursing home whose beautiful paperwork has no phone number on it.
Your nose will itch the very moment your gloved hands get contaminated with bodily fluids.
You always remember "just one more thing" you need after you've gowned, gloved, and masked and gone into that isolation room.
When you cancel extra staff because it's so quiet, you are guaranteed a rash of admissions.
You'll jump out of planes, play with fire, dance around like a kid... because you know life is short
Everyone wants to hear your stories after you get off of work..even if it involves blood sucking leeches and the number of maggots you counted removing them from some homeless mans ears
You write your own prescriptions because the doctors trust you and know you spend more time looking and smelling the patients UTI's then they do.
You know 40 words for gauze.
You look at the veins of people in grocery store lines in front of you.
People that know your a nurse ask you to look at the sputum they just coughed up..their kid just coughed up.. their neighbor... while getting the mail.
You know 101 ways to say "hole" in Latin.
You have pads of alcohol prep floating around the house from leftovers brought home in your pockets.
Your sense of humor seems to get more "warped" each year
You believe every patient needs TLC: Thorazine, Lorazepam and Compazine
You can only tell time with a 24 hour clock
Almost everything can seem humorous ... eventually
You want to put your foot through the TV screen every time you see a nurse on a soap opera doing nothing but talking on the phone and flirting with doctors.
Your favorite dream is the one where you leave a mess at a patients bedside and tell a doctor to clean it up.
You have ever had a patient say, "but I'm not pregnant, i can't be pregnant, how can i be having a baby?"
You refer to motorcyclists as "organ donors."
You're uncomfortable in clothes that don't have elastic or drawstring waistbands, because you spend most of your waking hours in scrubs.
You are the only one at the dinner table NOT allowed to talk about your day at work.

Pumpkins and such...

2008-11-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

So Halloween has come and gone. I was so busy all last week that I didn't have any time to post pictures from the pumpkin patch and the carved pumpkins.

Ryan and I went out to a pumpkin patch in Sherwood. It's very cute and fun. This is our second year going there. I think we will keep going there as long as it stays open. We really lucked out with weather. It was cold but sunny. Also, you can note that I am wearing the new hat that Ryan got me. He did a good job picking it out all by himself. I love hats. I could write a hole blog about how much I love them, but I will save it for another day ;-)

These are 2 of the 4 pumpkins that we carved. Ryan's is the skeleton and mine is the "Happy Halloween". The other 2 I did not get pictures taken because I wanted to wait till it was dark to take them. I left the house and came back and they were kicked in by some brats. *NOTE: I will find who you are and eat your soul!* So the other 2 pumpkins are now in pumpkin heaven. The really frustrating part is that one of the dead pumpkins was insanely hard to get open and carved out. It was like a vortex. I broke spoons and knives trying to get it open.
I'm not really into the whole dressing up thing for Halloween, so I spent the holiday in Bend working on the house. It's really coming along. I'm so proud of it. I will try to get some pictures posted of the remodel soon.
I am now going to go watch The Office that I missed.

As you breathe out and I breathe in

2008-10-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

What a day! Ryan and I went to a tiling class with my mom. We're going to help her tile the bathroom for the remodel. Hopefully it's as "easy" as the people at home depot made it look. The tile is beautiful. I would love to have it in my own home. Some day...

After the class we helped my mom get supplies and then ran some errands. I got the new Martha Stewart cook book. I'm excited to try it out some new recipes in it. Later on we went to Julie and Steven's to pick up 2 pumpkins that Julie got us from her parent's house. Yea for pumpkin carving! And thank you Julie!! It was nice to visit with them.

Right now I should be sleeping and resting for tomorrow's big trip to the correctional institute. I'm freaked out about going. I have no desire to be a prison nurse, but they are making me go. Lame. But it's for 3 hours so hopefully it will go ok.

I'm laying in bed listening to Matt Nathanson while writing this. If you haven't listened to him before, I highly recommend him. I first heard about him from John Mayer. He had posted one of Matt's songs on his website. "Come on get higher" is my favorite song by Matt. But some of you might recognize him from his song "Laid" from the "American Wedding" movie. It is a funny song, but very different from a lot of his other stuff. Ohhh, Damien Rice just came on. He's awesome too. I love good music.

Ok, I guess I should try to get to sleep.