Jul 31, 2009

Simon and Power Bars

Can I tell you how much I love Simon's Cat videos. There's only a few videos but I watch them over and over again. I wish the artist would create more.

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Can I tell you what else makes me happy? Sue. Sue is an asian woman that comes in to the labs almost every day. She comes in to work on her 'tests' as she calls them. She is studying something to do with religion. Her accent is very heavy so sometimes it's hard to understand her. But I love this lady!

She is one of the nicest and most generous ladies I have ever met. Every time she comes in she brings the lab aide a treat. I have recieved tomatoes, strawberries, corn on the cob, fries with fry sauce, thin mints, sushi and today a protein power bar.

I look forward to seeing what she has brought each time I work. She is so nice to come over and talk to me and tell me about her day. The other reason I love her is because she tells the noisy people to "quiet down! I'm taking test!" And since I get annoyed by loud talkers, this comes in very handy for me.

But overall, she is just a very sweet lady and it's nice to see her everytime I work.

Chores...

Today as I was mowing the lawn, I realized how much I love to do chores around the house. In fact, I constantly find myself looking around for something to reorganize, dust, or wash.

I do this funny little thing after I clean a room. I shut the door and leave for a few seconds. Then I come back, open the door, and just look in the room, admiring how fresh and clean it looks. Sometimes I'll do this several times after cleaning a room because it really makes me smile! I think it's that feeling of accomplishment that gets me every time.

Of course, there is one chore that I will avoid like the plague- cleaning the bathtub. I hate cleaning the bathtub for some reason. I will scrub 100 toilets if it means I don't have to wash the bathtub.

There are several chores that I absolutely love including mowing the lawn, laundry, making the bed and vacuming. I really like doing those things.

But you know, I wasn't always happy to do chores. I'm sure my mom could tell you just how difficult it was to get me to clean my room at times.

Do you know that one of my favorite jobs was when I worked for Comfort Inn as a housekeeper? I actually thought it was fun to clean up after people.

But even though I don't mind doing chores around the house, it is nice to get some help sometimes. Andy is really good at helping me with anything I ask him to. He cooked dinner for me this week and it was so good (meatballs) !!

Even Corey helps me. The last few times I've made dinner, he's told me how 'delicious' it was. Now, for someone who doesn't think much of her own culinary skills, that compliment goes a long way!! Last night after dinner, Corey even helped me clean the dinner up, wash the dishes, and wash all the counters off! Totally made my day!

I've got some laundry and other chores on my mental To Do List for this weekend and it makes me laugh to myself when I think that I'm actually looking forward to checking off each item on that list.

Jul 30, 2009

Window Shopping

Today I was bored at work so I decided to do a little online window shopping at some of my favorite stores.

First up was Pink Icing. Look what I found!!

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They're by Catherine Malandrino. The ballerina skirt sells for $121 and the pom pon cardigan sells for $177. I normally don't like pink but these are so subtle and pretty!

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This chiffon top is by Rebecca Taylor and retails for $63. I love the color!

I then moved on over to one of my favorite stores, Charlotte Russe.

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At only $6.50, these earrings are a steal. Lately, I've been totally into teal and other bright colors like yellow and red. So 'Summer-y', don't ya think?

At Wet Seal I found this amazing skirt. Sorry the picture is fuzzy.

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I love pencil skirts! They make your legs and your butt look great. I've been wanting to try the high waisted skirts I've been seeing. Not sure I could rock it though. This skirt sells for $25.50. Not bad.

Also, as I was doing my window shopping I came across a ton of these 'Harem Pants' in everyone's fall collection.

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This has to be a joke. Who in their right mind would think these are cute? They look ridiculous!

Zucchini Herb Casserole Recipe

Here you go ladies! The recipe for Zucchini Herb Casserole:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, cubed (It's really just preference how much zucchini you add)
  • 1 cup sliced green onions (I didn't have green onions so I just cut up a white onion I had)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes (I cut up some tomatoes from the garden but also added a can of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes. I really recommend this because it added a lot to the flavor)
  • 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 Cup cooked white rice (just follow the cooking directions on the box)
  1. You should have cooked your rice ahead of time and set it aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
  3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the zucchini, green onions, and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender.
  4. Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano.
  5. Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup cheese (if you add these things too early, your casserole will be runny and mushy.)
  6. Continue to cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
  7. Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
This was super easy and so good! It's meant to be a side dish but I served it as the main dish and served it with garlic bread. It turned out great and nobody complained, so I guess they liked it!

Jul 29, 2009

Intro

Okay, so I decided that I needed a place for my own little musings. Not sure what direction this will go but I'm going to start by showing you something that I've been drooling over all day.

Green Room

Oh gosh! I can't get over how much I love this room. What do you think caught my eye first?

The green duvet of course! Isn't it perfect? I wish I was snuggled under it right now.

And white shutters!! I love, love, love shutters. Shutters are the perfect decor and can be used virtually anywhere- even in the garden!

And check out that painting of the poppies above the bed. That is the same painting that I simply die over every time I go in to Tai Pan. The frame totally adds to it's charm. Unfortunately it costs a fortune at Tai Pan so I won't be hanging it on my wall any time soon.

There are a couple things I don't love about the room though. Like the headboard for example. Definitely not my style. And the white bedspread. White is a disaster waiting to happen. And the lamp- yuck!

But those three things that I love have kept me staring at this picture most of the day.

I'm Going Crazy....

It's 8:32 am and I'm counting the minutes until I have to be to work at noon. Lately I have been really dreading my days. I have so much free time, that I just don't know what to do with myself. It's driving me insane.

I've never been the type of person to not have a busy schedule. Growing up, it was morning dance rehearsal, school all day, then piano/sewing/dance/gymnastics lessons after school, then homework, then dinner, then bedtime. Not to say that I never had time to play, but it was very rare that I would just be sitting around watching TV or something.

The busy schedule continued as I got older, opened my dance studio, started coaching, and was going to school. But now? Oh man!! I'm dying to be busy again. I know I don't want to be as busy as I have been in the past, but I really can't stand having so many free hours in the day. It makes me feel so lazy! Like I'm not doing anything to contribute to society or to contribute to my future. I'm not accomplishing anything and that really bugs me.

I mean, right now, I have absolutely no responsibilities other than to go to my one class and go to my few hours of work each week. I can usually busy myself with laundry or fixing dinner or something like that, but those things only take so long. I think being busy all these years has cursed me, because I have this insane ability to get things done really really fast and multi-task like there's no tomorrow. But now I'm trying to drag chores out so they take up more of my day and it's not working!

I seriously can't wait for fall semester to start. I know it sounds ridiculous to be excited for three jobs and a full class schedule but I can't wait. I am totally looking forward to figuring out how I'm going to fit it all in and make it work. It's like a challenge for me and lately I haven't felt challenged at all. Yes, I'm a crazy person for wanting to be busy and not wanting to have lazy days anymore.

The real trick and the most important thing, will be finding a balance between my busy school/work schedule, homework time, and time spent with Andy. Right now, I'm so bored all day that I end up following Andy around like a little puppy dog when he gets home from work. That doesn't give him much time to himself, so I honestly think that if I can find a good balance then it will be good for us to have more time to do our own things. Then we'll appreciate the time we do get to spend together much more.

In the meantime, I have to get through the next three to four weeks before I get busy again. Ugh! I don't know if I can stand this much longer.

Jul 23, 2009

Books to Movies

One thing that Andy and I enjoy doing together is reading. We've read two books together already and are now on our third. We read Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen (my pick) and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (Andy's pick.) We saw Angels and Demons, the movie, about a month ago.

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We are currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger together. We are loving it. You should check it out. The movie comes out August 14 staring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. I'm really looking forward to it!

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Official Trailer:

Jul 22, 2009

I need a wig and a really short skirt to make it today...

I guess you have to look like Barbie and ask stupid questions (that an 8 year old would know the answer to, I might add) to get any service from the Geek Squad at Best Buy today. Oh and I guess you have to batt your eyelashes and giggle obnoxiously too.

Last time I checked I was neither blonde nor stupid, I have no idea how to batt my eyelashes and yes, I can laugh, but only when something is actually funny.

I guess I'll just try going back tomorrow. Maybe it will be 'Smart-Brunette-Librarian Day' and I'll be able to find out what's going on with my laptop.

Until then, I guess I should get in some "Look at me! Look at me! I'm lame and ditzy cause I'm trying to look cute!" Practice Time, so this won't happen again.


But kudo's to Subway who's employee not only treated me like a human being but was pleasant and friendly. Now if only Subway would realize the extreme importance of sprouts and avocados.

Jul 20, 2009

Still Love It...

Everybody's got one. That song that you will always love. The one that you never get tired of, no matter how old it is. I have quite a few of these songs. One in particular, that I still frequently listen to on my Ipod, is this one:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifev6GR6KKs&feature=player_embedded

I've been listening to it more and more often the past few weeks as Andy constantly does those little things that remind me why I love him so much.

~I am such an 80s girl. This still makes me want to get up and dance.~

Jul 14, 2009

What we've been up to...

Meant to put all our happenings into separate posts as they happened but sometimes life gets ahead of you. So here's a few pictures from the last month.

Here's the dog run that Andy put together for Ash. She hasn't used it yet though because we still need to find her a dog house.

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We've also been remodelling the kitchen. So far Andy, his brothers and his dad have taken out the drop ceiling, rewired the room, installed can lights, and cut a hole in the wall to join the living room with the kitchen. Next up is more mudding, then cabinets, paint, and flooring. I'll be so glad when this is done.

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And of course...gardening!! My favorite thing ever right now! Look at all the new stuff that has shown up in the last week.

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And good golly miss molly, look at this broccolli taking over the world!!

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And our beautimous flowers! Look at that pink lily. We got that purdy little thing just this morning. Totally made my day!

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A couple of weeks back we decided to start training the cats.use the cat door. We thought it would be so nice if they could let themselves in and out of the house. Henry started to figure it out and Mauney figured out how to let herself back in when she didn't want to be out. We thought all was going well until Ash mysteriously began to appear in the living room without anyone knowing who let her in. Turns out she also figured out how to let herself in. Surprised the hell out of us that she could actually fit through the door! Not sure what we're going to do about that just yet.

Sorry the picture is not that great. It's hard to spy on her and take pictures at the same time.

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Lastly, some pictures of mine and Andy's camping trip and time in Jackson Hole, Wy.

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Sorry about the sideways pic. I'm just too lazy to fix it right now. Have a great day!

Jul 2, 2009

The List...

Found this list I created awhile back. I think I'm well on my way.

Things I want to accomplish in my life... It was really interesting to do and fun. It made me think.

Educational -->

1. I want to get my bachelor's degree and my master's degree
2. I want to get straight A's at least one semester (*almost did that this spring but I ended up with 5 A's and 1 B- dang Prof. Ibarguen)
3. I want to actually use the degree I get
4. I want to work in a library, museum, or archive
5. I want to go to the school of my choice for my master's degree

Occupational -->

1. I want to love what I do so much that I would do it for free
2. I want to only work with people who share my vision and passion
3. I want to earn enough to take care of my family
4. I want to earn enough to have a substantial savings account in case of emergency
5. I want to use my career to help someone or something

Dreams -->

1. I want to travel to as many places around the world as I can
2. I want to raise kids who believe in themselves and never settle
3. I want to marry the man of my dreams who believes in me
4. I want to help design my own home and see it built
5. I want to believe in myself and have confidence in my abilities

Dating -->

1. I want to be myself and not feel insecure
2. I want to have fun and laugh
3. I want to be able to relate intellectually and emotionally
4. I want to have amazing chemistry
5. I want to enjoy the journey

In a Man -->

1. I want someone who believes in me and tells me so
2. I want someone who loves me through good and bad times and that I can talk to openly and equally
3. I want someone who is smart and works to better themselves and their life
4. I want someone who will be a great father and husband
5. I want someone who is kind to others, honest, hardworking, and faithful

In a Home Environment-->

1. I want to feel at home, comfortable and at peace
2. I want to feel welcome and loved when I come in the door
3. I want to build or buy a home WITH my spouse
4. I want to turn my home into a reflection of my family, where everyone feels like it's their sanctuary
5. I want to have a beautiful yard and a clean home where others feel welcome and comfortable

Me -->

1. I want to be happy and always appreciate life's blessings
2. I want to love my life and myself
3. I want to always work to be better inside and out
4. I want to have true friends I can count on and share life with
5. I want to be the best me I can be and never settle for less

I want to say -->

1. “I love you more today than I did when I first fell in love with you."
2. “It was hard but it was worth it."
3. “I love everything about my life."
4. “I do!"
5. “I've never been happier"

New life in the front yard...

My cute little hostas have flowered!

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And my daylillies have buds on them. Yay!

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This makes me happy because my Peony flowers have bit the dust, so I was missing the added color and now these new flowers can take their place!

Wow- this gardening stuff is fun!

Jul 1, 2009

Couldn't have said it better myself...