Looking Beyond Today

Yesterday was.

I have a hard time sometimes.

There was some a-MAAAAZ-ing TV. Bones.

Em was.

And delectable homemade egg rolls, cream cheese wontons, egg drop soup, and rice.

Clean underwear. (VERY important. Didn’t your mother tell you?)

Some good soul scrubbing crying happened. (Hubband would disagree with me.)

Now I need a hobby, a goal to achieve, drive, ambition… for something.

To challenge myself and grow

Tomorrow we’ll BE!

Today too.

Worth Living For

I've had a rough time with dresses in my lifetime. As a very curvy woman, dresses just don't fit me the way they should. I've found that I need lots of room and plenty of structure. Things that don't always go together in a dress. And so I wear cute tops and skirts. I haven't found a dress that I truly love ... ever.
Em brought me a dress the other day, that I love the styling of. It has a really pretty print, and a beautiful FULL skirt. I adore full skirts. I probably should have been a mom in the 50's. Unfortunately there's a zipper problem. It doesn't go all the way up. Malfunction of the zipper. NOT me :)

And then in perusing the many blogs that I do, over at http://memyselfandmommy.com/ 's feature of the day reviewing Shabby Apple really caught my eye. So I headed over to their site. And this list of dresses  made my heart jump! I can actually see myself wearing these. Comfortably!!! Next paycheck I am SO treating myself to a new dress.

In other news, in order to fit into that dress I should probably limit how often I make this divine creation Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I'm fairly sure I gained 10 pounds overnight eating those straight out of the pot last night. yum. 

What helps your world go round?

Blogwell

I've recently discovered that people will only look at things if they're interesting!!! Which means that I need to decide if I'm blogging for my own benefit or for my reader's benefit. Which, looking at my statistics, and being a new blogger, are very few readers. What a cycle! Really it's just a bit ridiculous. I think about the websites that I visit regularly, and honestly ... I prefer them to have something new to look at every few minutes!  As a blogger, I would have to spend all day every day online in order to keep it updated with that kind of regularity. Which I understand that some people do in fact do just that. I don't think I could. Besides, with all that blogging, when exactly would you have time to actually do anything with your life? I mean, you do need something to blog about right? So, I am going to try blogging every few days (at least once a week) about something interesting that Em and I or possibly hubband and I have done. Which means I need to do interesting things! Any suggestions? Anyone? Buehler.... Buehler?

Moving forward with Joy

Things change so quickly. Time is the ultimate ninja. Sneaking in and spiriting away all the things you thought you had nailed down. Darn that ninja and his silent hammer!

It’s at times like these that I’m grateful for routine and tradition. These are the things and habits that keep me grounded. Things like going to work every morning at the same time, coming home by 5:30, making dinner or going out to eat with my wonderful hubband, playing with friends, and even those pesky chores. All of these keep me sane and moving forward in a life that sometimes feels like it has come to a standstill. And I am grateful. So thankful for the life I am blessed to be living.

“The healthiest response to life is joy.” ~Deepak Chopra

IKEA

There’s something that I’ve been wanting for awhile now. A BED! That’s right. A real grownup bed, but having made do most of my life I figured it could wait. P and I have been doing just fine without a grownup bed, but we went to IKEA the other day… IKEA is a death knell for our budget. Always. We can’t seem to leave without holding one or two items that would be “So PERFECT!” I really have to learn to control my need/want urges. The big problem is that IKEA is something that P loves too. So… instead of just browsing, we bought a mattress. A king size one that we have a “need” for. It was SUCH a good deal. (We saved $150!) It cost $200. We brought it home in our tiny old Toyota. (A miracle I’m pretty sure.) We saved another $60.

And now that we have it at home we need a bed frame. 

From IKEA.

The Bounty of the Earth

It has come time to let you know just what vegetables I like, and the few that I love. Some of you may argue with a couple of my choices, but I have included them here, because in my head that’s what they are.

One: Onions. I adore onions. Except for the extremely sharp ones you know… the ones that NO ONE can eat. But other than those, I love onions chopped, sliced, and raw or sautéed. Delicious!

Two: Potatoes. I can eat a potato in almost any form. Mashed are the best, hands down. Of course really good steak fries run them a close second. Not to mention yummy, creamy potato salads, breakfast potatoes, funeral potatoes, pretty much anyway you slice‘em and dice’em I’ll eat’em.

Three: Garlic. I can eat garlic on anything. The prepackaged ground kind, the fresh chopped garlic, or the absolutely divine whole sautéed clove. Mmmmmm. Perhaps one of the best things that I’ve eaten in the last three months… Goat Cheese Risotto with Garlic Cloves. (A whole head of garlic!)

Four: Corn. I like creamed corn, sweet corn, corn on the cob, corn mixed in casseroles...yup. SO good and yellow!

Five: Broccoli and Carrots. I know there are two vegetables listed here, but I like them the same way for the main part. Fresh with a side of Ranch for dipping. Broccoli can also be made into soup (creamy and delicious!) or sautéed and steamed (thanks Rach!) and be SO good. Carrots I also love cooked with a delicious crock pot roast.

Six: Yellow Squash and Zucchini. Another Duo! I hardly ever eat one without the other unless I’m making Zucchini Brownies, which I hardly ever go to the effort to do. My favorite way to prepare this beautiful yellow and green duo is to slice them into little circles, sauté them with some onions until they caramelize and serve it over some slightly sticky rice. Summer goodness! Just ask Em. She’ll tell you just how good it is!

Seven: Cabbage. I’ve eaten this in many foods due to my parent’s excellent imaginative cooking, but my favorite is my dad’s Corned Beef and Cabbage. Not exactly healthy, but an excellent use of cabbage!

Eight: Cucumber. There is only ONE way I will eat this item. And that is on an open face Cucumber sandwich. That’s right, a thin slice of cucumber on a slice of French baguette with a dollop of ranch. Light and refreshing! (Again just ask Em!!)

Nine: Artichokes. Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip. Do I really need to say more?  

Ten: Spinach. A fresh spinach salad. Also see above. And spinach dips. It’s so versatile! It’s also SUCH a pretty color!

And the only thing better than shopping at the local farmer's market with friends might be the satisfaction of growing a vegetable yourself. If only I liked weeding.

There are other veggies that I eat out there…and also fruits! Perhaps I’ll dedicate a post to those later.

Seeing things in a new light

Okay, so…. Due to the fact that I now have medical insurance (including vision and dental) I was able to replace my glasses. Glasses that I snapped in half on the day of my interview for my present employment and that I’ve had for four years. After numerous queries to my oh-so helpful Em about insurance, and where to buy glasses… I bought some fairly expensive ones that look 75% just like my old glasses. How do you know they’re expensive??? Well they’re Armani Exchange. What exactly does that mean? That means that these glasses have a little A/X logo on the stem/earpiece. And yes. They look almost exactly like my walmart glasses. I like them well enough. I’m just glad I don’t have to wear contacts everyday anymore. In other news, the job is going very well. I’ve assimilated fairly seamlessly into the work environment, and I enjoy the small tasks that I’m assigned to do every day. It is a mostly autonomous position in a central location in the office. I can see out through our office door and watch people as the enter and exit the building. I work with 9 other people, with a very generous mix of types. As Annie would say, “I think I’m gonna like it here!”