Me Time

Hey,

So I kind of got into a funk where I just couldn't think of things to write about. And when I did think of things, I was too lazy to actually post anything. I am kind of an all or nothing person.
I tend to do things in cycles. Like, I will do something for a month and then I am tired of it and won't do it again for a few months. I think this is most evident in my eating habits. I will crave a certain food and eat it a lot, and I do mean a lot, until I am sick of it. Then in a few weeks or months I will crave it again and do the same thing. Lately it has been steak. I think I have eaten steak for dinner 3 out of 5 nights for the past three weeks. Seriously. And I still want it for dinner tonight...

Mostly though I think I just get busy and tend to forget to take time for myself. I swear it is like I forget that I like doing something. Maybe I like too many things? Or I think maybe it is just the lazy thing...

I do like to read, and paint, and make crafts, and go shopping, and do other things. But lately I have kind of been a recluse. I come home from work during the week and I do not want to do anything. I just want to eat and veg out and watch TV or play on the computer. Sometimes I even forget to get on the computer at home. I know I am just hungry and tired and want to relax and that is fine. I mean I know I can go out and do things and missing some TV is not going to kill me. But I think since I made my TV work again at the beginning of this new fall lineup, I have been kind of addicted. Sure I had gotten used to the series on Netflix, but I missed the new shows. I know I could pay more for cable rather than trying to use the converter box for free stations, but I could also live in an apartment that had better reception too, or one that did not require I go through only one company for Internet and phone (who of course are more expensive than other companies and are all complicated and offer bundles but only give you discounts if you buy more than one premium package, when I think I should get a discount on multiple packages no matter that they are the most basic ones, so I refuse to pay more for cable TV, bastards, who thankfully are going out of business later this month and I can now get whoever I want to be my provider so this whole rant is probably useless since I am thinking I will order cable TV from the new company I get to choose). I could do a lot of things, but all I really want is to be able to come home and watch NCIS and Criminal Minds and The Good Wife and The Mentalist and How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory (can you tell that one of the only stations I catch clearly is CBS, but really NCIS and Criminal Minds and CSI were favorites before I had only one channel to watch, though it would be nice to be able to watch Law and Order and House again).

So, Yes, I am a slacker who wants to come home, eat a quick dinner, and watch TV. And I kind of forget to do other things while I am doing that. I am guessing when the current season is over and reruns start playing I will be going out and shopping more and doing other things again. Oh and when Football season is over I will have my weekends back, which will be wonderful. I do love me some football but rearranging your whole fall weekend schedule around games gets kind of old after a while, mostly because though I might be willing to watch the game of the team(s) I like, other people feel compelled to wake up on Saturday and turn the TV on (where yes, he has cable and multiple channels available) and watch College all day Saturday and then NFL all day Sunday and then Monday Night Football too. Some weekends that is fine, but really I just want to watch my two fave teams and hear abouts scores and highlights from all the others, and I definitely do not want to listen to games or commentary in the car on the radio (I pretty much hate, loathe, despise, want to murder talk radio). It will be nice when the Football/Holiday season is over and we can go out for dinner or make plans for Saturday nights again.

So I am pretty much just rambling here. But basically I tend to go all out on things and get really involved in one thing and forget about doing others for a while. I think that I need to keep writing though. If nothing more than just to have a place to come and get some emotions out. I need to remember that I like this community and that as much fun as I have reading other people's blogs, they might like to read about me too, rather than just getting my comments. I will come back, and I will update on my life and things that have happened, and I will answer questions that I said I would answer. And I will still keep this blog a secret from my friends and family for now (though the Penguin did ask me about blogging this past weekend and I told him I had one but hadn't posted in almost a year, though I did not tell him how to find it, so in a way we can thank him for making me think about my blog and making me want to post again).

Things are going...and I want to talk about them, well write about them, here. See you again soon!

Ahoy Mateys

I am alive..... I have not drowned..... yet.....

Here's the thing, I have been lazy, eh hem hem, I mean busy. With my new schedule at work I am no longer working on my own. This means I am watching someone else or working with them. I am sure they do not appreciate not being able to check their gossip websites while I am around just as much as I hate not being able to check my blogs. It is all for a good cause though. I have been chosen to learn about all the parts of my division at work. It is really interesting and I am enjoying it lots. And it should do good things for my career. And it is only until the middle of May. Then I go back to my old job and can work by myself and get lots of stuff done, like reading and keeping up with blogs. Sure I know I could blog from home or on weekends, but honestly I have been too lazy. I have not had things to say lately. And when I do find time to even read blogs at home, somehow I never get around to writing on my own. I am a slacker, and I know it.

So, I suppose I just wanted to say Hello and let you all know I am okay. Fortunately everything is going really well for me right now and it is not something bad causing me not to blog. I will probably not be blogging much for the next few months. I can say I will try to blog more from home but I am not making any promises.

On a good note I did visit a Mall here in Houston for the first time last weekend. I finally went to the Galleria. You know that 3 story mall with all the designer stores and an ice skating rink in it? Yeah that one. I have to say it is not somewhere I would normally shop and all I bought there was candy and a new watch. But it was pretty neat and I can see why it is a tourist attraction. I still prefer the Woodlands Mall closer to my house, but the Galleria is interesting.

Umm and I planted some bulbs on my back porch. I cannot wait for them to grow. They are lovely white Christmas caladiums, you know those white and green elephant ears. Hopefully they sprout soon. Also I will be planting some really gorgeous purple and yellow calla lillies at the house in Louisiana. Go LSU! I hope the Penguin can remember to water them often enough...

So things are good and hope you all are doing well too!

Little Update

I know I have been a slacker about posting but a lot has been happening lately.

I have been busy at home with family and friends. I went out to dinner with some of my girlfriends Saturday night and I enjoyed the heck out of it. I went all by myself and we had such a good time, I realized I need to do things like that more often.

We are going to remodel our master bathroom at home. I just wanted to do the walls but it seems to have taken on a life of its own. I will be busy with the remodel for a few weeks. I will post more about it later.

At work I was chosen to work on a special project which will be great. It will change my schedule and some travel will be involved but I am looking forward to it. It will be a busy few months coming up.

And one more awesome thing to add to the mix, one of my best friends, Ginger, is having her baby! She just called and said that they are going to induce her today. This is her first baby, and I hope everything goes smoothly.

So life is crazy right now, but I couldn't be happier!

Two Transportation Things

I just thought I might share some random things that happened to me yesterday.

1. The bus driver told me not to walk in front of the bus, it is not safe.

First please take a look at Diagram #1

I ask you, how the hell else am I supposed to get to the bus? I mean while I understand he meant the fact that I had walked so close in front of the bus but still, I had reasons for that. I mean I would not have had to walk so close in front of the bus if the Moron on her cell phone had not stopped blocking the crosswalk. See instead of walking in the crosswalk like normal I passed behind the Moron's vehicle and therefore my path to get to the bus put me closer to the front of the bus. So according to the Almighty Bus Rules I had passed within some arbitrary amount of feet in front of the bus and therefore deserved a tongue lashing. Though the lashing was polite, eerily so in fact. I tried to tell the driver that I knew I walked in front of the bus, but I had to walk around the Moron on her cell phone whose vehicle we could both clearly see was in the middle of the crosswalk. He just repeated his mantra about it not being safe to walk in front of the bus, somewhat robotically, obviously expecting me to have used my supernatural powers that allow me to walk through solid objects like cars. I pointed to the lady again and got the same exact reply. At this point I did not feel like arguing with the robot bus driver any longer and found a seat.

But my real question is how the hell am I supposed to get to the bus without walking in front of it?!?!?! I walk in front of the bus every day to get on it. No other driver has ever robotically told me to not walk in front of the bus. Also we were sitting at a freaking RED light and I knew the bus was not going to be running me over for at least another 20 seconds, the flashing crosswalk lights told me so. And also it is obvious the bus driver still saw me, I mean he had to see me to tell me to be safe. So really what was the point of telling me it is not safe to walk in front of the bus when I obviously have to walk in front of the bus to get on it, and also the fact that you saw me and would not have run over me just for the hell of it, and also that the little red flashing hand that gives me 20 more seconds to cross the street had not even started flashing and I was already across the street! What was the point other that to say it with so much sugar in your voice and repeat yourself twice just to annoy the freaking hell out of me and make the end of my day frustrating. Why bus driver did you feel the need to be such a nice asshat and ruin my ride home?

2. People who work on Hummers do not always drive Hummers.

I was driving by the Hummer dealership on my way home and saw an employee leaving for the evening and he was not driving one of these

Instead he was in fact driving something more like this.

I have no idea why this made me laugh so very hard, it just did. And yes he was an employee, or at least I am pretty sure because he was in uniform. Though it might have been a uniform for some other job, and he was just a guy in a crappy car looking to improve his manhood by purchasing a Hummer. Either way, the visual it created was freaking hilarious.

I hope you have more hilarious transportation encounters than annoying ones today!

What to Eat, Sometimes...

I love when reading other blogs gives me ideas for new posts of my own. I was reading Kaila over at Shooting-A-Bird and her post about what a boy eats just made me laugh out loud. It reminded me exactly of the Penguin's picky eating. Her son, the Great White Lizard Hunter and the Penguin are both picky eaters with the added quality of randomness thrown in. I mean it is not necessarily the food that is the problem but rather the form of the food or the combinations.

I present to you some fine examples of just how random the Penguin's eating habits are.

Nacho Cheese: Yes
Jalapenos on Nachos: No
A bowl of Queso: Yes
Queso with Jalapenos in it: Sure, probably won't even notice them
A Cheeseburger: No Way!
Cheese on a Taco: Not even!
Cheese on a Sandwich or Wrap: Nope!
Cheese Steak sandwich from Waffle House: 1 Slice of Cheese
Cheesy Potato Skins: Yes
Cheese on a Baked Potato: Not really
Sour Cream on my Scalloped Potatoes: Has to have it!
Sour Cream on a Baked Potato: Not so much
Sour Cream on Potato Skins: Definitely
Sour Cream on a Taco: No Way
Stuffed Potato's with lots of Sour Cream and Cheese: Awesome!
Mac & Cheese: Not really
Pasta Alfredo: Loves It!
Raw Broccoli: Yes, Please!
Raw Cauliflower: With Ranch!
Cooked Broccoli or Cauliflower: No Way
Raw and Cooked Onions: Yes
Raw and Cooked Bell Peppers: Raw Please

Okay I am tired of thinking of these, but I am sure you get the point by now. My Penguin is a picky eater to say the least. I remember when I first met him how confused I was by the randomness that applied to consuming cheese. But eventually I figured it out, sort of. I have to say he is at least open to trying new things. Even if that means he will not order it for himself, but rather take a bite of mine. During our first few months together I kept trying to get him to go out and eat pasta with me but was never successful. Then one day at Chili's I tried the Pasta Alfredo. He took a bite and liked it so much he ended up eating more of my meal than I did. When I met him he also did not eat sour cream, but obviously that has grown on him too.

I think that I am now starting to understand why he is so picky about things. It is not necessarily the food, but the texture. He likes raw vegetables but not cooked ones because then they are mushy. He likes cheese and sour cream but not on a sandwich or anything like that. And honestly I get the texture thing. I don't mind eating chips and a sandwich together but do not even try to put lettuce on my sandwich that still has the crunchy part in it. I do not care what people say, the white/core part of lettuce is bitter and too crunchy for me. Texture is definitely something I understand. So I suppose we all have our preferences when it comes to food. Though some people are a little weirder than others...

Anyway, that was my randomness for the day. It may be a little difficult to find foods for picky eaters, but it is possible. If someone served you your favorite foods rather than something you refuse to eat, won't you be happy? I know I get frustrated when someone close to me, who I know I have told numerous times about my dislike for something, offers and/or serves it to me anyways. And conversely when someone remembers my dislike for a certain food or drink I am quite flattered. So while learning and remembering someone's food preferences can be difficult, it's worth it to make them feel comfortable. I think that we all try to remember the likes and dislikes of our loved ones.

So happy Love Thursday everyone, I hope someone out there loves you enough to remember the things you hate.

16 Things

I have noticed lately that a few bloggers like hokgardner have been posting 16 random things about themselves. Since I am not cool enough to be tagged and hokgardner invited everyone to tag themselves I think I will.

So here are 16 completely random things about me


1. I fret over minor decisions but make big ones without thinking. Such as the time I changed my undergrad major one day, or the time I accepted a job in another state...


2. I was the youngest graduate in my Master's Degree Program at the age of 23. I graduated from undergrad and grad school in December both times.


3. I live alone for the first time in my life, and I left my family and boyfriend behind in another state to be here. Needless to say, I drive home often.


4. I like cooked onions, but not raw ones.


5. I got a new cell phone a year or so ago but still use my 5 year old one instead because it has a better battery life and I can charge it in the car easily.


6. The boyfriend and I like to go camping. We went 4 times last year. We tend to get sunburned whenever we go, and you think we would have learned to bring sunscreen by now.


7. My favorite candies are those with caramel and chocolate. I have recently rediscovered Milky Ways and I am in trouble...


8. I tend to eat food in cycles. I get cravings for something and will eat it every day for a week or so and then not again for months. Also my cravings are for crunchy, salty, cheesy, and other adjectives rather than a specific food.


9. My boyfriend once ran over my foot with the car. Amazingly it did not break and all I had was a really funky bruise. It is fine now, except sometimes shoes fit one foot fine and hurt the other, which makes finding shoes all the more difficult.


10. My favorite colors are Black and Blue. I do not however like being Black and Blue.


11. Caffeine gives me headaches rather than making them go away. I dearly would like to drink coffee and coke more often...


12. I have 2 tattoos. The first one I still love, the second I settled for and I will have it removed or added to later on.


13. My hair is turning grey already, I am only 25. My mom greyed really early too. I told my boyfriend about my grey hair a year ago and he told me he didn't care, he has been balding since high school, and he could care less about our hair. He makes me comfortable and I know it will be good to grow old together, even if we do age prematurely.


14. I am a really good shot with a gun. During summer camp I achieved some of the highest rankings there were, I even shot a smiley face once. One time I out-shot an old boyfriend and he got pretty mad, I am glad the current boyfriend thinks its cool that I can shoot.

15. I am not fussy when it comes to my appearance. I can usually be out the door in 5 minutes or less and it kind of annoys me when other people take so long.

16. I really like bowls. I have at least 5 large mixing bowls at my apartment and probably 8 at the house in Baton Rouge. I am not sure what is is about a good size bowl, but I keep wanting to buy more and I clearly do not need any.

So there you have it, 16 completely random things about me. I hope it is at least somewhat interesting to you or makes you laugh at least once. Feel free to tag yourself and let me know 16 things about you.

25 and Feeling Fine

Today I am one quarter of a century old. Yes, today I turn 25. So it really is a New Year for me, a whole new year of life.

I have to say I am in a pretty good place right now. I am happy with the way my life is going. 2008 was a pretty good year but I have a feeling 2009 will be better. I don't feel like doing any reflecting really or over-analyzing of anything, I just want to be happy where I am. So far I have been successfully happy. That is really my only goal/resolution for the year; I want to be happy. I want to start making the best of everyday situations and having a more relaxed attitude. I want to say no to things I would rather not do and focus only on what is necessary and beneficial to me and my family. I am going to focus on the positive and try to block out the negative. I really just need to make myself take the time for myself. I am going to make it a point to just sit down more and let other people take care of things. I am going to make the most of peaceful, content moments.

Even though I know this won't last the whole year, it probably won't even last for the next few weeks, I am going to be happy right now in this moment knowing that I want a good outlook on the year to come.

Here's hoping you and yours are off to a good start as well.

Bang, Pop, Crackle, Fizz

Happy New Years Eve!

All I Want for Christmas...

All I want for Christmas is the two things I said I wanted and didn't get.


That makes sense right?


Did this happen to anyone else? Does anyone else feel kind of gypped right about now? Did anyone else go through months of trying to find the right presents for their family because they knew it would make people happy? Did anyone else not even get what they asked for but rather got something useful and boring, or nothing at all? Did anyone else watch people open presents from you and scream with joy and then open your own present and go wtf?


Yeah that was my Christmas. I feel kind of bad for complaining about what I did get. I feel downright grinchish. I mean I know that there are plenty of people who could not afford presents for Christmas this year. I wish everyone had the chance to have a wonderful Christmas. I am sure plenty of people would absolutely adore the things I got. And actually I do like the things I got, I like them bunches. I just... well... I wanted what I asked for or something else fun and present-like. Some things are great and while you want them, you do not want them to be your Christmas present. Birthday maybe, but not Christmas. I mean granted I do like to cook and so the cooking items I have gotten for the past few years have been quite useful. But there is just something about opening a really big present on Christmas morning only to find a pot inside, woo hoo. I mean now I am all ready to go and slave over the stove and fix a huge meal in my wonderful new pot, thanks let me get right on that for you.


Am I wrong to think Christmas presents should be fun? I mean I know I said I needed a pot like that, but I hadn't actually asked for one. (And yes hypocrite that I am I bought someone a pot for Christmas too, but to be fair he had mentioned wanting one and I got him other gifts as well to offset the boringness of the pot as a present.) I went through a lot of trouble trying to find gifts for my family that were practical as well as fun. I even helped family members figure out what to get each other and bought those things too! Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, I love giving, I love finding the right presents for people, I have a good time doing it. I just wanted at least one cool, sparkly, fun, laugh-out-loud kind of present. And yes I know I may not be the easiest person to buy for, but gift cards are awesome! And this year I actually did have a list of things I wanted, and I showed them to people in person so they would know exactly what I was taking about and where they could get a good deal on it. I even showed them to more than one person to up the odds on actually getting what I wanted, and yet nada.


I am not totally bummed, and this post is not meant to sound like me complaining at all. Actually the Penguin and I had decided that we were going to go shopping for each other after Christmas and try to get some good deals. We just didn't find any good deals on the stuff we wanted. He is actually in the process of trying to get me the camera I wanted at a really good price and I am excited about that! And I need to take him shopping and get whatever it is that he wants this weekend coming up.


What this entire post is leading up to is the fact that I went out and bought myself a present that I absolutely adore. Since I did not get it for Christmas and pretty much knew it wouldn't be happening for my birthday either (my birthday is in a week) I went ahead and bought a little something for myself. I went shopping the day after Christmas and my mom was going to meet up with me later in the day. I had plans to show her what I wanted again and ask her if she would buy it as a late Christmas/Early Birthday present. I knew she would get it for me but I just couldn't wait. I walked in the store just to check and make sure they still had one, and then like magic it was on clearance. I mean seriously on clearance, at like 1/3 of the normal price. And it was the last one they had, and it might not be there later if I came back for it. So I bought it! And when I told my mom she said Yay! Merry Christmas! tell me how much it was and I will pay for it. So bonus! It was not only 1/3 of the price, it is actually going to be free for me, and I feel good about saving mom the money. I am so happy about my purchase! And trust me if you got such a great deal on the ring you have been wanting for months you would be happy too.


See? See how gorgeous it is! I love it! It is getting sized as I write this and I can pick it up in a couple of days. I am very happy with it. I might even wear it on my left hand just to mess with people! But probably not.

So I hope you got all you wanted for Christmas, even if you have to go out and buy it for yourself!

P.S. If you like the ring too, I got it for $62 at the store in the mall. I am not promising it will still be on sale for that price but that is much cheaper than the website price right now!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you and yours are having a wonderful holiday. I know that I am having a good time. I know I have been so wrapped up in the holiday preparedness and excitment that I have not been around lately, but that is not such a bad thing. In fact I have been quite happy. The food, family, friends and fun have been pretty darn good. I hope you are happy wherever you are, with or without the internet. Enjoy what you love.

Merry Christmas!

Snow!!!

It snowed here in Houston last night!

I can't believe it, we never get snow this far south. I am also quite jealous of my friends and family back home in Louisiana. The penguin reported 4 to 5 inches of snow in our yard and I was not there to see it, or play in it, or make a giant snowman, or anything. I so would have done all those things if I had a yard full of snow! Boohoo for me.

See this is a picture of the state capitol building in Baton Rouge.

I am still loving the inch or so I got here in Houston but I wish I could have been home for what was happening in Louisiana. And for you people up north, do not rain on my parade. I have lived in southern Louisiana my entire life and only seen snow once when I was like 5 years old and even then you had to roll up the entire front and back yard to even think about making a snowman. This is exciting for me! So I went outside once the snow started collecting on the ground and made a snowman for the first time in my life. Isn't he cute!

Yes, seriously, that is the first time I have ever made a snowman or played in the snow. I had no idea what the snow would feel like or how soft it would be. I mean I even tried drawing in the snow without realizing it wouldn't make straight lines. How was I supposed to know that?

I do like the effect the jagged lines made though.

So while it is not Christmas yet, it sure does feel like it. I had a wonderful time playing in the snow. I would never want to live where it snows a lot, but I enjoyed my one white night.

Green and Fuzzy

This year I decided to be all earthy and try to grow my own tomatoes and cucumbers. I think those are my two favorite veggies and it is so much cheaper to grow your own. Plus my dad eats more tomatoes than I do so I knew when they started ripening like 20 at a time they would not go to waste. That is how I came to have cucumber and tomato plants on my porch. I suppose if I had been smart about it I might have put them at the house where they would get more sun and rain, but I knew I would be at my apartment to water and care for them. So I chose plants that said they were good container plants. I planted them and was creative with the stakes and climbing devices I used. I gave them good soil and miracle grow snacks with plenty of water. And they started growing, and Growing, and GROWING. The plants got huge! There was a caterpillar who decided the young tomato plants were yummy but I caught and disposed of him before he did too much damage. The tomato plants continued to grow, well over the height of my current cage contraption and I had to lean them up against the wall. The cucumber plants were making so many darn yellow flowers I thought I was going to have a bazillion of them. And the tomato plant made a modest 6 flowers or so, but that was okay it was still early.

Then there never were any actual little cucumbers that grew from all those freaking flowers. Not a One! And of course no tomatoes either. So of course the next thing that happened was all the cucumber plants started dying, one by one. I had like 12 of them in there so I wasn't too worried until only 1 was left alive. But then it started to make flowers again, lots of flowers and I thought well this time I should get some cucumbers. Nope. Nada. Niet. So I let that one straggler die off too. By this time it was getting really late in the season for anything to happen and the veggies would have no chance to ripen before the first freeze. But the tomato plants were still so pretty, and so fragrant. So I kept watering them. And lo, they did make a few more flowers, but never any little green tomatoes. So when I realized it was definitely too late for them to get a chance to ripen if any tomatoes actually grew, I stopped watering them and just left them to die. See?

The dead cucumber plants are in the background and you can see how droopy the tomato plants are. And what do you think happened? Well they made more flowers of course! So I mumbled and cursed under my breath but I knew they wouldn't make any tomatoes.

Then this past weekend I walked outside to wash some clothes and noticed this

Do you see that! Do you know what time of the year it is? Don't they know its way too freaking late to even start thinking about growing! I wanted to scream. Instead I told the plant to just *&#% off. I mean come on! I couldn't get normal tomato plants like Barb from So The Thing Is, no I had to get some degenerate plants who are confused about what season it is. I mean notice that the date on this first tomato post of Barb's is July 29th and they are ripe already! Mine don't start growing till the beginning of December, never mind when they would ripen since we will never know. My plants decide to start growing during a time when the temperatures are somewhere near freezing. And I planted them early I swear! Green and fuzzy just does not work at a time when things need to be all warm and cozy because it is freezing outside. And they are fuzzy, which is quite amusing.

The Penguin just happened to be at my place when I told the tomato plant to *&#% off. I told him that next year I was putting the plants at his house so that they don't get all confused with their seasonal orientation. He told me I could do that if I wanted as long as I didn't blame him if he killed them. I guess I will have to wait until I have my own yard before I can have a decent veggie crop. Such is my life!

I guess you have to try and kill something before it fights back. But it is just too little, too late in the year...

P.S. Yes, I know I spell it tomato in singular form and tomatoes in plural form. I like the way it looks with the 'e' in it just not at the end of it. This is normal right?

Making a List...

Christmas is almost here! It feels like it is the day after tomorrow, though I know I still have 2 weeks to get ready. I have shifted into full gear Holiday Mode and can think of nothing but the prep work for the holiday and making sure we have all the presents and food and schedules ready. I am quite enjoying myself though. I tend to be one to make gifts that are useful rather than just buying random knickknacks, you know those ones no one wants and opens the gift already thinking about how long they will have to wait before they can re-gift it. So I am in the process of painting a picture for my future in-laws new home. I will post photos of it when I am done. I think it will be quite nice and I think they will appreciate it. I also usually make candles for presents. But this year I just don't feel as enthused about it as I normally do. I suppose that is because I have been doing it for a few years now and it seems like I should give something different this year. Plus I just feel like I won't have the time I want to be able and make them all. I might make a few, but not enough for everyone. I have decided instead to go with another home-made gift like mixes in a jar. I remembered something my mom used to make called Fireside Coffee. It is a hot chocolate and coffee blend which is absolutely yummy. I think I am going to get jars and make a few batches of the Fireside Coffee to give out this year. I tend to also have a few generic gifts waiting like some home-made cookies or ChexMix or something simple I can give out just in case we forget anyone.

So I have made my list and checked it more than twice. I am getting together all my supplies and starting to make all the gifts. It is times like this when I know I chose gift-friendly hobbies. Not to say that things like knitting are not good gift giving hobbies, on the contrary knitting is great for gift-giving, but you can tell by reading hokgardner, barb and madmad that you have to start way earlier than I have to be able to finish everyone's present in time for Christmas. My mother is an avid knitter and fiber enthusiast and every year I think maybe I should make a few scarves for Christmas presents this year, and then I don't. I love reading the knitting posts and quite admire the women who find the time and energy to make so many wonderful and individual presents. Maybe one day I will succumb to the forces that have so obviously claimed my mother, but for now I am happy with having her reteach me every time I want to make something.

I hope you are not too frazzled right now and your gift giving agenda is pretty simple.
I am off to make more presents!

Getting All Dolled Up

Last night I went out and bought earrings and lipstick and stockings. I also bought some of those nifty new Dr. Scholls inserts for heels. I am getting ready for the Great Big Christmas Party at work, can't you tell? I already have a dress, and the sweater to go over it, and the pearls that make the dress look fancy enough to wear to this, and two pair of shoes to choose from. I also have all the necessary hair products to make me look sophisticated rather than like I stuck my finger in a light socket. Oh and I bought a new perfume which I absolutely adore. I think I am pretty much set unless I decide I need a slip or one of those shaper things to go under the dress.

I also have all of the Penguin's stuff with me. All except the belt. I just need to drop his pants off at the cleaners tonight. I was not allowing him to forget to bring anything like his shoes or dress socks or even the whole jacket. I also wanted a say in what matched and what was appropriate. I want this weekend to go smoothly. I want us to have fun and not worry about anything.

This is the first Great Big Christmas Party I have ever attended. Sure I have gone to Christmas parties before but they were always small and at someone's home. This is my first year working with a big enough company to actually be able to attend a Great Big Christmas Party. I am looking forward to it. Even if it is not something the penguin or I would normally do. We are simple people you see. We do not dress up often, if ever. I had to buy a dress for the party and he had to buy a jacket. We do not wear these things, we do not go to events which might require us to wear such things. We are creatures of habit, we like to be comfortable. It probably takes us less than 10 minutes to get ready and walk out the door any other time. I so rarely wear makeup that I just remembered it is not at my house and I hope the Penguin remembers to pack it or I will have to go buy more. I am okay with the dress, I need one for such times where dressing up is important. And the Penguin is okay with the jacket. We opted for a jacket instead of a tie since I knew he would be more comfortable, it had nothing to do with the fact that last time we tried to tie a tie on him we were horribly unsuccessful, but after remembering that fact I am so very glad we decided on a jacket and no tie. And the jacket is a non-traditional suede which suits his personality so well, we love it.

I have no idea how well we will match as a couple, but honestly I do not care that much. I would rather us both be comfortable and like what we are wearing rather than worry about matching. My dress is black and the sweater red, I have red and black strappy shoes to choose from. His jacket is a tan suede which he is wearing with a black shirt and shoes and a pair of green/khaki pants. I cannot say this actually coordinates but I can't say it will look hideous either. I think it will be fine. I know we will be fine at least, other people may disagree but I do not so much care for their opinions. I do however care for yours. Do you think the combo screams ewww mismatched, or will it be fine?

I do so hope we have a good time. I hope we are not so uncomfortable playing dress up that we do not enjoy ourselves. I also hope the food is good. I know it will be good, but really I just hope we are willing to eat it. We are not so much picky eaters as we just have simple tastes. I hope the fancy seasonings and garnishes do not bother us. I am thinking we will be fine as long as we are open minded and I know we can do that. Well I can at least.

Wish us luck!

P.S. The Great Big Christmas Party is Saturday night and I promise to tell you all about it.

Holiday Toilets

So the Thanksgiving Holiday week is over. I am back home and somewhat ready to go back to work tomorrow. I did lots of shopping and got lots of great things. I made and ate lots of good food. I had a great time with lots of friends and family. And what do I have to show for it? What wonderful things did I take pictures of this past week? Nothing, nothing but toilets. See...
Yeah pictures like that one are all I have to show you about my fabulous week. I am amazing aren't I? I suppose I have sort of a good reason. I totally forgot that I even had my camera with me until last night. I found it in a bag and was so happy because that meant I could take a picture of our toilet. I had good reasons for taking a picture of the toilet. The Penguin's dad is a plumber and we have asked for 2 new toilets for Christmas. Our current ones are yellow and avocado green. They need to be replaced badly. As do the tubs and counter tops and floors and wallpaper and fixtures, but we figure one step at a time. So on Thanksgiving I mentioned to the Penguin's dad that 2 new toilets would still be a great Christmas present. He told me no problem but asked me to look at the toilets and tell him what kind of nut was on them. (I am avoiding all the dirty jokes I could make with that statement, but trust me there were quite a few witty comebacks.) Apparently the shape of the nut tells you what kind of fittings go under the toilet to help seal it to the floor.
I don't know if you can really see that or not but the nut on our toilet is cone shaped. If I got any closer to the nut the pictures came out all blurry like this.
Out of the twenty some odd pictures I took of this nut on the toilet, I only got that one semi-good picture of the nut that I posted before this one. I knew I needed a new camera but this experience really made me sure of that fact. I have already asked Santa for a new one, I even pointed out which one while we were at the mall this weekend. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

The entire point was that our nut is not flat like a normal nut. This means something to the plumber and he wanted to order all the stuff together which I think is awesome. That way we can actually install the toilets when we get them, which would be a good thing.

So yes, those thrilling pictures of my lovely dandelion colored toilet is all I have to show for such a great week. I totally rock!

Unreliable Wireless

Internet connection is being spotty. Every time I write a post it gets deleted as I try to put it up. I am getting tired of writing it all over again. I suppose this is my cue to get off the computer and just go shopping. Have a good day!

Black Friday

So I spent the day with the Penguin's mother and sister. We had a quite a good day. We did not wake up early by any means. Matter of fact we were quite lazy, but it worked for us. We did go shopping and it was not absolutely crazy like we were expecting. Then again were were in no hurry at all.

We were successful in finding the cutest strappy red shoes to wear for Christmas parties, with no lines at the checkout, woohoo. We found a few Christmas presents for family. We managed to avoid long lines everywhere we went. I actually had a really good time.

So if you went out shopping today I hope you had a successful trip. I know I enjoyed it more than I dreaded it.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a happy Turkey Day.

I hope you had a good time with your families.

I hope everyone is going to bed tonight happy and full,
no matter what you ate for dinner.

I Made Cookies Today

Spaghetti & Cheese

I promised that if I was able to find a decent substitute for Velveeta that I would post my recipe for Spaghetti & Cheese. Well luckily I found just such a thing. I was very happy with the way my casserole turned out using this new cheese. I found this wonderful creation:

It is Kraft Deluxe American Cheese. I found it right next to the Velveeta. My only qualm about it is that it only comes in a 1lb loaf when Velveeta comes in 2lbs. I do not really mind the price difference so much since I like the way it tastes. The 1lb loaf means adjusting and having to buy some sliced cheese for the top of the casserole but I can handle that. So as promised here is the recipe.

I used these ingredients

I hope you can see all of that. But here is a list of ingredients you will need. This recipe will make a 9x13 pan and can easily be halved.

1lb Spaghetti

1/2 Onion, diced

1/2 Bell Pepper, diced

1 can Evaporated Milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons butter
1lb Kraft Deluxe Cheese

1 package Kraft Sliced Cheese

As you can see I don't have a Bell Pepper in my picture of ingredients. I used what I had on hand which happened to be 2 green onions and they worked just fine.

So here is how you put it all together.

Put a pot of water on the stove to boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, dice 1/2 Onion and Bell Pepper. Once the water comes to a boil throw in the Spaghetti, Onions, and Bell Pepper. I like to break the noodles in half before I add them to the pot, but that is just me. You can add in a spoon of minced garlic as well, I always do. (But I always add garlic to everything, except dessert.) Boiling the noodles with the vegetables gives the noodles a really good flavor and I promise you will like it.

While the noodles are boiling you will need to dice the pound of Kraft cheese. Toss a few cubes in your mouth because you just can't wait. Pour the can of Evaporated Milk into a medium bowl and whisk in the egg. Toss in the cubed cheese and stir together to get the cubes to not stick together so much. Set this aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Take your 9x13 baking dish and add the 2 tablespoons of Butter. It helps if you dice up the butter some. Once the noodles are done drain them and then add to your pan. You will more than likely have too many noodles but that is normal. You want to make sure to leave enough room for the cubed cheese mixture so you do not have to fill the pan to the top. Now toss the spaghetti around in the pan until the butter is melted. Once the spaghetti is coated level it out and pour in the cheese mixture. Use the pasta fork to kind of wiggle the noodles so that some of the cheese gets pushed down and isn't all just laying on top of the noodles. You want the level of the liquid to be right at the top of the noodles. If you think the level of liquid is too low you can add some more evaporated milk, or be like me and just add a splash of half and half or milk since you already have some in the fridge. You don't want the noodles to be swimming but you want an adequate amount of sauce, so adjust to your taste. Now take the sliced cheese and cover the top of the pan.

Place the dish uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes. Check on it after about 15 minutes to make sure the cheese on top is not getting too brown. You can always cover it if you don't want browned cheese. After 30 minutes take it out of the oven and be sure to let it cool for about 20 minutes or so. Allowing it to cool lets you cut and serve it easier.

Enjoy the cheesy goodness!

This is what mine looked like when it was done.

I kind of browned it a little too much but it was still yummy. You definitely do not need to brown it this much, I made it in two small pans and it cooked faster than I was expecting. If you do brown it this much don't fret I promise it still tastes great.

And this is what my serving looked like

I was very happy with my results.

So lets recap:

Boil the spaghetti with onion, bell pepper, and garlic.

Put the noodles in a pan with some butter to coat them.

Add in the diced cheese, evaporated milk, and egg mixture.

Cover with sliced cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

It is really pretty simple and you can adjust proportions for your needs. Please use this recipe as more of a guideline and add in whatever else you want. I sometimes add in frozen broccoli with my noodles. You could definitely add other ingredients and make it your own like diced chicken or maybe even spinach. What makes it unique is the use of spaghetti and the fact that it is a casserole. It is really easy and really versatile. Make it special!

P.S. If you do not think Velveeta tastes funny and/or you want to use it because it is cheaper and you only have to buy one cheese, go right ahead. Dice about 1/3 of the loaf for what goes inside the casserole. Use a cheese slicer and the rest of the loaf for the cheese which covers the top. One 2lb loaf of the Velveeta will be more than enough for one recipe.

P.P.S. The type of noodle you use will affect how dry or wet the casserole turns out. We normally use spaghetti and I remembered the first time we used angel hair it was soupier. If you use more of a fettuccine I can say it will be more solid.

P.P.P.S. You can make this ahead of time and keep in the fridge until you need it. Just make sure to have a little less milk in it if you want to do this so that it is not too runny.