Happy Pretend Thanksgiving!

Last night I was watching the Food Network Thanksgiving specials. This is dangerous for me. I saw so many yummy dishes that I wanted to make. Unfortunately, I am not cooking Thanksgiving dinner. We're going to visit our families, so no cooking for me. So I decided to have my own Pretend Thanksgiving. I made a turkey tenderloin (because heaven knows that I don't need a whole turkey for just the two of us, and it's kind of scary), dressing, mashed potatoes, and a new kind of cranberry sauce. Here's the recipes:

The turkey was a giant cheat. It comes pre-marinated in a package at the store. It's the Honeysuckle White brand turkey tenderloin that was in the "rotisserie" marinade. You do have to actually cook it because it's raw, not one of those "fully cooked" delights. I usually sear mine on both sides in a skillet and then pop it into the oven at around 400 degrees for the rest of the cooking. It usually takes it about half an our or so in the oven, but I don't pay attention. I just set the alarm on my meat thermometer to go off at 160 degrees (carryover cooking will get you the last 5 degrees), then I pull it out and let it rest a while before serving. The turkey was the least homemade thing we had, and oddly enough, it was our least favorite dish. Definitely decent, but not lifechanging.

The dressing was loosely based on this recipe from Tyler Florence that I saw last night on TV. I browned some sweet Italian sausage in a skillet, and then added a carrot and an onion that I had ground up in the food processor until it was almost a paste. I let that heat up and take the edge off the onion for a few minutes, then I added a teaspoon of poultry seasoning (because I couldn't find sage at the grocery store), about a tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary, a little salt and black pepper, a few teaspoons of minced garlic, and let it all mix through. C diced up some sourdough bread and tossed it into a buttered baking dish. We then tossed the contents of the skillet with the bread, and poured over it a combination of an egg, roughly 1/2 milk, and roughly 1 cup of chicken stock. I tossed the dressing around to make sure everything was equally moist. Then it went in a 375 degree oven for about half an hour. It came out toasty and crisp on top, and nice and moist in the middle! It was awesome! Might be my favorite dressing I've had so far. I think it would be great with some dried cranberries or pistachios (or both!) in it!

The mashed potatoes weren't really anything to write home about, so I'll spare you the details, but this cranberry sauce...oh man. I could have just eaten that! And it was about the easiest thing I made. You start with some cranberry juice, maybe 2 or 3 cups (I didn't measure), and bring it to a boil in a sauce pan. When it boils, toss in most of a package of dried cranberries, sugar (again, I didn't measure. Maybe 1/2 cup? It seemed like a lot.), and either a couple of cinnamon sticks or a couple teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and let it do its thing until the cranberries start to plump up. At that point, add in two diced apples, and continue to simmer until the apples are almost fork tender. Then add a couple teaspoons of cornstarch or flour, heat for a few more minutes, then let cool. It's best if you can let it cook completely, even refrigerate it, but ours was still slightly warm, and it was still awesome. I think you'd just get a little more "jellied" sauce if it cooled completely. It was amazing. Definitely something that will be a holiday staple in my kitchen!

Roast for dinner!

I made a roast for dinner tonight. Not because I love roast, because I don't. My husband loves roast beef. And so I decided to see if I liked it any more if I made it myself (it's worked for several dishes that I've previously considered mediocre).

This morning I cut up and onion into nice big wedges, and added small red potatoes and baby carrots into the crock pot. I mixed about a cup or so of red wine with a couple of teaspoons of flour to thicken the sauce, and a teaspoon or so of fresh chopped rosemary. I poured that into the crock pot and tossed the veggies around in it.

For the meat itself, I bought a smallish chuck roast at the store and trimmed the fat and silverskin from the surface of it, best I could. I then poured soy sauce over the roast to season and moisten it and rubbed it in. I then mixed up about a tablespoon each of dried thyme, dried oregano, black pepper, and fresh rosemary and patted it onto the surface of the roast. Then I placed the roast in the crock pot on top of the veggies. I turned the crock pot on high for about six hours, and C turned it down to low for the last hour or two.

It turned out fantastic! So moist, with a nice herb crust on the outside. The veggies were perfect, and there was a great red wine au jus in the pot that I plan to use for French dip sandwiches tomorrow! I think by only adding a little liquid to the pot, it created a nice steamy moist cooking environment instead of drawing out all the liquid from the meat. I liked it, and C said it was the best roast he's ever had, and I earned by first 10.0 rating for a meal from him. I've had lots of 8's and 9's, but this was my first 10.

Pasta and More!

So I made a really good dinner tonight. Not to brag, but hey, this is my blog. I'm going to brag a little. I made stuffed chicken breasts with pasta, and poached pears for dessert. I actually made the pasta--like with flour and eggs and kneading. That was so fun! We got the pasta maker attachment for the KitchenAid mixer as a wedding gift, and I had never used it. So tonight we did! Pasta is so easy to make! You make a dough out of flour and eggs (I used whole wheat flour), run it through the roller until it's your desired thickness (or thinness), and then use the cutting attachment to cut it into strips (or whatever you're making). I made a fettuccine shape because it seemed the easiest. I think next time I'll roll it a little thinner, but other than that, it turned out great! And it cooks so much faster! Just a few minutes in the boiling water, and it's done!

The chicken breasts were pretty simple too. I mixed together spinach, diced apples, chopped up prosciutto, parmesan, garlic, and some herbs and seasonings with a little olive oil, cut a slit in the side of chicken breasts, stuffed it in there, and away we went! I started them in a skillet on the stove to brown them on both sides, then transferred them to the over to finish cooking though. Partially because it saved time, partially because I needed that burner! I used chicken stock to deglaze the skillet and start making a sauce. I added a little bit of garlic, a bay leaf, salt and pepper, dijon mustard, and a little butter to the pan and let it reduce down while everything else was cooking. It was a little thin, so I'm going to have to play around with that, but the flavor was good.

I think dessert might have been C's favorite part. I heated a bottle of red wine, some sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, vanilla extract, and some black peppercorns over the stove until the sugar dissolved. Then I added in pears that had been peeled, halved, and cored. They simmered for roughly 20-30 minutes, long enough to get nice and tender and soak up some great flavor. If only I had some vanilla ice cream to go with them! That would have been perfect. I think if I make this for company, I'd serve the pears with vanilla ice cream and reduce the poaching liquid to make a thick, pourable sauce over the top! Yum!

Laborless Day

What a great weekend. I really think that society in general would benefit from regular 3-day weekends. I think that people would call in sick less, take less time off, and be more productive at work because there would be an extra day to get personal things done. And I don't mean working 4 ten-hour days either. I mean shortening the work week by a day. But that's just my opinion.

Saturday I watched my beloved Cowboys snag their first win of the season. I just love college football. I wish I could have been there in person, but watching the game with a dozen orange-clad Cowboy faithful was pretty fun. I think that's one of the things I miss about my new hometown. Not a lot of OSU fans around here.

Sunday we celebrated my grandfather's 75th birthday. That was a little bit of a shocker for me. I mean, obviously I know that we all get older, but for some reason my grandparents are exempt from aging in my head. It was really a little unsettling to think about them getting older.

Monday we took our annual motorcycle trip to eat BBQ. My dad, grandfather, husband, father-in-law, and assorted friends all ride bikes, and us girls ride along for the food! We ride to a place about 30 or 45 minutes away, enjoy some great lunch, and head home. Not a huge trip, but it's a very comfortable distance, and doesn't take up the whole day.

I don't know about you, but I am ready for fall! Not that I'm in any hurry for winter to get here, but I'm ready to get rid of the oppressive heat and humidity. I'm ready for beautiful colored leaves, for jackets, for desserts full of cinnamon and nutmeg, for stews and football and Thanksgiving! Bring it on! And in the meantime, there is a messy house and neglected laundry that are calling my name!

Hot Dang! Hot Yoga!

My co-worker convinced me to try a hot yoga class with her this morning. That means that we took a 75 minute yoga class in a 95 degree room. And on top of that, it was power yoga, which means it was more aerobic and strengthening, and less reflection and meditation. It wasn't too bad! I kept up pretty well, considering I've only taken a few yoga classes in my life, and that was over a year ago. Lucky for me, the class was mostly poses I knew.

It's probably unladylike of me to say it, but I honestly don't remember ever sweating that much in my life. Summer band rehearsals, long ballet rehearsals, football games in a wool uniform...they were all nothing compared to this. I seriously didn't know that I could sweat that much. I was literally dripping. The website for the yoga studio suggested that students bring a towel to class. I thought that was a little silly, since I wasn't a serious yogi. I'm sure glad I did! It got to the point where I couldn't do the poses correctly because my hands were sweaty and kept sliding around on the floor or my body or what I was supposed to be holding on to.

About halfway through the class, the heat and the exertion and the lack of eating breakfast all come together and bit me. I really thought I was going to pass out there for a minute. So I went back to the recovery pose that the instructor showed us for a few minutes, and felt better. It was a tough class, and focused a lot on upper body strength, which I do not have. After the class, however, my body felt great. Tired, but loose and warm and like my skin was breathing finally. I think I like hot yoga, I'd be willing to try it again. Next time I'll bring another shirt to change into.

What a Weekend!

Wow! I have had a blast this weekend! We had some family over for an end-of-summer/housewarming /just-because-we-wanted-to party. My parents and my sister, my grandparents, and C's parents came down to visit us. I made tacos and fajitas and chips with salsa and guacamole for lunch, with a fruit salad and peanut butter brownies for dessert. It was great to see everyone, and to show off our new home to everyone. Our guests were so sweet--we even got a few housewarming gifts!

This afternoon might have changed my life. C's parents wanted to stop by the IKEA store that's about 45 minutes or so away from our house (there isn't one near them). Neither of us had ever been in an IKEA, so we decided to join them. WOW. I mean, seriously. I could have spent two days in there. Furniture, organizing stuff, kitchen cabinetry, bedding, dishes, kitchen gadgets, lamps, decorations, nursery stuff, custom closets....I could go on for hours. Not all of it was consistent with my personal style, but I was fascinated by it, and surprised by some of the prices. Some were, in my opinion, a little high for something made of particle board that you have to assemble yourself, but some of it was super inexpensive! I will definitely be returning to IKEA! Just not on Sunday afternoon. Too many people that don't know how to drive a shopping cart. Was starting to give me high blood pressure.

After that, we ventured just a little further from home to quite possibly the cutest shopping center I've ever seen. My mom had told me about it after her shopping trip earlier this summer. It's set up like a little village, with street signs and store fronts...it's precious. And so many good stores! I visited the Vera Bradley store, in particular, and came home with this little find(thanks, Grandma!):

I have the weekender bag and a tote that matches, and I think I'm going to try to build a travel collection. I love the pattern, Puccini, because it's not as syrupy sweet colored as a lot of her patterns, and it matches a lot of my clothes.

Now I believe I'm going to begin working on my long-neglected scrapbooking. I have literally YEARS worth of photos to work with, so I need to get moving!

Hallelujah!

I PASSED MY TEST!!! That means I get to keep my salary and have my life back! I can cook real food again, I can keep my house clean (if I only would), I can hang out with my husband, I can read blogs...it's awesome! I found out the day after my exam that I passed, and the next day I found out that I have been granted my permanent license. Whew! What a load off!

Today was a day of what I like to call "personal maintenance." I redyed my hair to get rid of awful roots, I gave my feet a little TLC, I tidied up my eyebrows...and I slept in. It felt great!

Tomorrow we are visiting another church. That's been really frustrating, trying to find a new church. I keep trying to find something exactly like my home church, and we haven't been able to. I grew up in that church, it's the only one I've ever been a member of. I love the mix of traditional and contemporary music. I love the modern application and historical background of the preaching. I love that it's active and has a place for every age and every stage of life. We've found VERY conservative, traditional churches. We've found giant contemporary churches with more members than my high school had students. But nothing that felt like home, and nothing that seemed to have many members our age. I need to make friends in my new town, and I figure church is a good place to do that.

On an exciting note, this weekend we are having our families over for an end-of-summer/housewarming/just-because-we-wanted-to party. My mom and grandma have seen the place, but the rest of my family and none of C's family have. We're going to have some lunch here at the apartment, and then hang out and visit for a while. I'll have so see if I can come up with any interesting things to do for the afternoon and evening. I'm not sure how long anyone is planning to stay, but I'll be glad to have them as long as they're here!

It's over!

It's finally over! Well, at least until I find out that I passed. I took my test today, which went about like I expected it to. I got sick of sitting at my cubicle staring at that screen in an uncomfortable chair. I knew some answers quickly, and others I just plain guessed. I really don't know how I feel about that outcome, I'll just have to wait and see like the rest of you! But at least there's one thing less for me to complain about, right? :)

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and prayers. It really does mean a lot to know that there are so many warriors on my side. My sweet husband even brought home flowers to me! I think he's more excited than I am that it's all overwith. No more cranky wife! On that note, I am going to enjoy the rest of my evening before I have to go back to work tomorrow!

Help!

Lord,

Allow me to get a good night's sleep tonight and wake up refreshed tomorrow. Help me to find the testing site with no problems. Protect my mind and body from any outside distractions. Bring to mind all that I have learned and studied. Make the meaning of the questions plain to me, and help me to use good rational thinking to find the answer. Help my back not to hurt while sitting for so long, and protect the computer from any glitches. Thank you for the support and prayers of so many friends, family, patients, and other I don't even know. Thank you for the patience and understanding of my husband, and thank you for knowing what I am going through and caring.

Amen!

Give me liberty, or give me death!

That's about how I feel about studying for my Board exam. All I do is work, study, and sleep. Not a ton of sleep, either. My house has suffered, my husband has suffered, I'm sure my health has suffered.... Forty eight hours from now it will (hopefully) all be over. Tuesday at noon, the big dance begins. Send up a few prayers for me, if you think about it. It's a 5 hour exam with one 15 minute break. Seriously?! Give a girl a few potty breaks! And what about a snack? I'm going to need some brain food for a 5 hour test.
I can't wait to have my life back. I'm going to clean my house, actually sit down and order my wedding photos (nope, haven't had time to do that), scrapbook, watch TV, look at my husband....it's going to be great! A day and a half away...

Domestic Life Makes Me Tired

Hello, poor neglected readers (both of you)! Things are hectic as usual, and this time I won't apologize for not posting. It's my blog, after all. I'll post when I want to.

My clinic is changing its hours, and that leaves me even less precious time with my new husband and new home, not to mention studying for my Board exam a week away! (That makes me queasy just thinking about it...) I now work from 7:00 am to 6:30 pm three days a week, from 2:00 pm to 6:30 pm one day, and from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm one day. Add a roughly 30 minute commute on to either end of that, and you'll see that I don't get home until about 7:15 four nights a week. Then by the time we cook, eat, and clean up after dinner, it's about 9:00. That leaves me about an hour to look at my husband, study, clean, or do anything else before going to bed early so I get get up at 5:00 am. I hate it. A lot. Hopefully after I get my permanent license we can change our hours again so we aren't working such terrible late evenings all week.

I can't even remember what we had for dinner in the past week or two. Probably nothing terribly creative or delicious. Sorry.

My apartment is finally finished. Decorated, organized, and finished. And now we're probably going to move. Why? Because we unknowingly picked a terribly apartment complex. Not because of the location. Not because of the neighbors. Because of the management. We have some serious issues with out apartment that we have been asking for THREE MONTHS now to be fixed, and nothing has been done about any of it. Our lease is up on October 31, and we have to give 60 days notice before moving out, so we have to decide by the end of this month if we stay or go. We're leaning towards going, despite the incredible hassle it will be to move. If the management can't do something as simple as having pest control come out, they don't need our hard-earned money. So now we're on a halfhearted search for new residence. Headaches.

I have also decided that I am going to launch a campaign against my weight. I should be in the prime of my life. I should have never looked better than on my wedding day. I should be active and out doing everything I want to do. And I am not. I cannot dress the way I want to because manufacturers don't make clothing that fits me that I believe to be fashionable. I don't think of myself like I should. I don't like photos of myself. Enough is enough. And although it sounds stereotypical, I am going to start next week. I want to do this right. I want to give this the effort it deserves, and I cannot do that until after my test. So I will wait another week. And then you poor dear souls will get to hear about another angle of my life. Adventure, here we come!

But first, we study.

Week in summary

Hey y'all, thought I'd catch you up on my week. This was my second week of my job, and so far so good. I'm getting the hang of the computerized documentation (still super slow at it though), I've done a few evaluations and treated some patients. Haven't killed anyone yet, but I have made a couple of people beg for mercy from my hands. :) I love manual therapy.

Dinner has been going decently. Had a few better than others. This week was fairly successful though.
Tuesday: Chicken salad sandwiches. It was just too hot to turn on the oven. Chicken salad consists of canned white meat chicken, carrots, onion, zucchini, miracle whip, plain yogurt, and dry ranch seasoning. Nothing fancy, but it was cool and tasty. We ate leftovers for lunch for the next few days.
Wednesday: "Island chicken tacos" Corn tortillas filled with key lime ginger marinated grilled chicken (what a mouthfull!), spinach, grilled onions, pineapple peach salsa, and cilantro, with a drizzle of that marinade on top. We ate those with sweet potato fries. It was awesome!
Thursday: Mostly-homemade pizza. I did buy a crust because I am still looking for a recipe I like, but we drizzled it with olive oil, grated some fresh mozzarella, and topped it with prosciutto, figs, and baby spinach. It was awesome with a light dusting of grated parmesan!

I think we're going to eat out tonight. Celebrate the end of the week, and run a few errands while we're at it. (I hope.) So excited about this weekend! We're headed out of town to D's wedding! I can't wait to see how literally years of planning (and some advice from yours truly) come together! I'll try to take a few photos so you all can celebrate with me. We're going to C's former roommate's wedding this weekend too. Whew!

Okay, so I might be the worst blogger ever. Apologies. Lots of them.

In my defense, I have been a tad busy. I graduated from PT school in May, got married in June, moved to a new state, started a new job, and am currently studying for my board exam, which is scheduled for August 18. Even so, I will try to post more regularly.

I am having a little trouble deciding what I want this blog to be. No one truly wants to hear about my day-to-day life. I could talk about my attempts to be domestic. I could talk about the tasty little retail tidbits that are currently making me drool. I could throw in a rant now and then about fashion faux pas, etiquette ignorance, and general crimes against civility. The problem, you see, is that besides being boring, I am also terribly boring. :) I'll probably do a little of all of it. Here we go!

Tonight's dinner: Bruschetta pasta, a recipe concocted with D in my tiny apartment kitchen while in PT school. Consists of pasta (I like small pasta like rotini), chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic (all raw), torn basil, olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, salt, pepper, grated parmesan, and red pepper flake to taste. Sliced grilled chicken is a nice addition. Since I hadn't made it to the grocery store yet, ours was a slight variation. Dried Italian herbs instead of basil, extra veggies instead of chicken. I had planned to make a giant batch so we could take the leftovers for lunch, but we pretty much demolished it, so we'll have to scavage for lunch. It was tasty though, and I got to use up some veggies that were headed for their last leg.

And since I get up at 5:00 every morning, this old lady is going to bed. Bona sera, amici!

Bad Blogger

I am a bad blogger. It's been over three weeks since I posted. In my defense, a lot has happened in those three weeks. I moved out of the old apartment, to the new one for my clinical rotation. I have been working long hours at the clinic (for free, mind you. No money.). I have hemmed and hawed and still don't have internet access in my apartment. Made a few trips home on weekends...it's been a fast a furious few weeks.

The new apartment isn't bad. It's very small and very old. Like heavy paneled doors and glass doorknobs old. It's got a gas heater, which I don't love. It's slow and cycles on and off, leaving the apt just a little chillier than I like it, regardless of what I set the thermostat. Gas stove too, which has been a new experience. Never used that before. But I'm learning.

The clinic is alright. It's a much bigger clinic than I've ever been in before. I've seen some interesting patients and interesting treatments too. I'm not sure I believe in all of them yet, but I'm going to learn what I can while I'm here. If it happens to help someone someday, it will have been worth it. My instructor is an interesting guy. He's older than most, I'd say pushing sixty. And kind of a hippie. He's into eating crazy foods to treat what ails you, and is way more in tune with his colon than I think is healthy. Also he doesn't let me do a whole lot. I don't think it's because he doesn't trust me, I think he's just old school. He's into playing by the rules, which means that line of sight supervision means that quite literally he has eyes on me at all times. And since a lot of things need to happen in a treatment room, he's in the (very small) room, and just can't manage to keep his mouth shut and let me treat the patient. Nice guy though.

Two weeks until my first wedding shower! I am so excited I can hardly stand it! I've been thinking about my registries and planning hypothetically, but I can't wait to actually touch our stuff!! I think it's more about things finally becoming reality than getting presents, though you will never hear me complain about presents. I thought I would feel more "adult" when it came time for me to have a bridal shower. I mean, only grown-ups get married, right? I don't really feel very adult. Then again, in my head, I'm seventeen. Is that ever going to change?

Whew!

Oh my goodness. What a crazy couple of weeks. My apologies for neglecting the blog. I'm wrapping up the last week of course work before heading to my clinical rotation, which means everything is due ALL AT ONCE. I have a test on Wednesday, a test on Thursday, and class on Friday, and then it's off to clinicals, which comes with its own set of stresses.

I ended up having to find housing for my out-of-town clinical rotation after the "provided" housing fell through. So after a mad dash weekend trip, I secured a teeny little apartment there. Unfortunately that means that I'm going to have to move out of my current apartment much sooner than planned. Like, Saturday. Eeek. My grandma very graciously spend a few days of hard labor with me packing up everything we could, and she and mom are headed back this Friday to help me finish the job. At the moment, I have nothing in my kitchen. No pots or pans, no dishes, no silverware...and very little food.

We gave a baby shower for some good friends last weekend. They're expecting their first--a girl! How exciting! We had a great time, and somehow convinced the boys to come and make it a co-ed shower. After the foufou stuff was over, we appeased them by grilling burgers and hanging out. They got a bunch of great stuff too! Yay!

Posts will probably be sparse for the rest of the week, but starting Monday, I'll be basically alone in the new place, so I'll probably post a lot!

Fat girls don't dress up.

Before I explain the title of today's post, let me just say that I am so excited. Tomorrow is D's bridal shower at my apartment. I can't wait! Things are starting to come together, and it's so pretty! I hope she's as excited about it as I am. I bought our group gift today, and did a little extra shopping while I was at the mall. Or at least, I tried to.

I wanted to find something pretty and feminine, preferably a dress, to wear to the shower, and possibly for Easter or my own showers down the road. But apparently fat girls don't dress up. Apparently if you are a size 14 or bigger, you have no occasion in your life that requires clothing other than track suits, shapeless knitwear, and elastic waisted double knit pants. You don't need pretty blouses, you don't need a dress, and you certainly don't need lingerie that is anything but functional. I know that I am overweight. I don't need Macy's to remind me of that. But until the problem is rectified, I'd like to wear something pretty, and that is clearly out of the question.

Swoon!

I was browsing Wal-Mart.com today, and I found something that made me incredibly happy and incredibly sad at the same time. They have THE CUTEST blue porcelain kitchen things. Why were you not there when we registered?!!? My only consolation is that they're only available online, not in stores. And I keep telling myself that they're the wrong color of blue to match our future kitchen stuff. Have a look for yourself:
Aren't they just adorable? I can see myself in a little apron, mixing up a cake in those bowls, or pulling some wonderfully tasty creative casserole out of the oven in that precious little dish. Okay, that's a lie. I aspire to do those things, but that's wishful thinking. But dang, are they cute or what??

Busy Weekend!

Whew! I had quite a busy weekend! Mostly productive, though. I was able to get several little errands done for the wedding that I wasn't anticipating. I found some lingerie I was looking for to go under my wedding dress. That was complicated. I couldn't find just the right thing, and ended up buying one that wasn't what I had in mind, but should work alright. I also bought the fabric I needed to make aprons for the servers at the reception. They'll do double duty as thank-you gifts, protecting dress clothes from cake and punch, and coordinating everyone with the colors! (A little obsessive on that last point, I know.)

Finally, I got us registered at the tuxedo store. I hadn't planned to do that, but when mom and I walked by the store in the mall, they were having a GREAT special if you signed up before the end of the month. So we did, and the next day C and his parents and I went back to finalize things. I wanted C to pick which vest and shoes (we'd already picked the tux itself), and he and his dad got measure. Two down, nine to go. Our colors are navy and white, and I can't stand navy and black together, so we're going with a grey tux. C tried one on and modeled for us, and he looked so sharp! He's going to wear a white vest and long tie, and the other guys will have navy vests and long ties. So handsome! Here's a picture of the tux:

No pictures today...

Hi there, few and faithful readers. Nothing terribly exciting to say today.

I want to save up my money for some new things for my honeymoon. I want to get a new swimsuit (or two...) and some super cute summery outfits. I found a turquoise swimsuit and a hot pink one, both of which I really like. They're similar but not exactly the same. Unfortunately they're neither one cheap, so I might be saving up until summer!

Speaking of swimsuits, this butt needs to get on the treadmill and not get off until June. Eek!

Exciting Update!

Remember this little lovely from yesterday's post? Well, with some inside connections, I can say that this little jewel is going to be coming home to mama soon! And at a discount! (Inside connection, you are awesome!!!)

After a nice long snow holiday, I had to break down and get back to schoolwork. I went to the school today to do some research, and was surprised how clear the streets were. The main roads were completely clear and dry in most places, thanks to a beautiful sunny day. My parking lot, however, was a different story. I nearly died trying to get to my car.

Tomorrow, I give a presentation to a small group. Should be no big deal. I don't think anyone in the group, including our "faculty facilitator" cares about them. In fact, he cut down our required time from 45 minutes to 20. After that, I'm headed to my hometown, where I will be spending the weekend with a houseful of sixth grade girls for a big youth thing at church. Pray for me! I'm looking forward to it, but I'm guessing this old gal will need a nap come Sunday!

I am done with winter. I mean, seriously done. I'm tired of bulky clothes, shut-up musty apartment smell, pale dry skin, and no daylight. Actually, the paleness doesn't go away. But that's beside the point. As I surf the web, stores are tempting me, taunting me with spring products. Bright colors, light fabrics....I couldn't help but share some of my favorites to brighten up your winter day.





Aren't these totes adorable?! The pink one is by Scout, the khaki one can be found at the Gap!



These lovely Lilly Pulitzer sundresses have inspired me to make my own. They are too cute, but I can't justify spending $200 on a sundress. I can find bright happy cotton and a pattern and do it myself!




And this dress is at Ann Taylor. I'm thinking it might look nice on my honeymoon. Maybe even the rehearsal dinner with a certain pair of peep toes that I saw at David's Bridal...hmmm...

Well, there you have it. Just a few pictures to get you dreaming of spring, if the bug hasn't already bitten. What's on your warm-weather wish list?

Still. Coming. Down.

It's still raining little pellets of ice, whatever that is called. Sleet? Freezing rain? Annoying? I ventured out earlier to walk around and look, and it stung when it hit me in the face. It's not too slick, since it's little ice granules. Sort of like walking on sand. I took a few pictures of the greyness.



Poor sad cars. I imagine that will take a little scraping when I finally have to go back to school



This tree is right outside my bedroom. That branch was questionable without ice, and now...

On an even duller note, I have a lot of school stuff coming up. I need to put together three twenty-minute presentations, take a practice test for the board exams, and do quite a bit of reading...at the minimum. Six more weeks....

Slippery sloshy mess

Ick. The weather is absolutely gross. Rain, freezing rain, sleet...temps aren't supposed to reach 30 for a few days, so things will stay glassy for quite a while. Classes were cancelled this afternoon, and I suppose it doesn't matter if they are for tomorrow or not since I don't have classes on Tuesdays.

On a lighter note, I've been designing monograms for my friend D's wedding. I made a first draft of six different designs, and we'll see what she thinks of them. I did some formal, some less so, some with names, some with initials...I was pretty proud of them.

C and I are currently in a debate over the so-called "nanny laws." Things like requiring a helmet be worn when riding a bicycle, or banning smoking in public places. He is staunchly against them on the grounds of preserving liberty and freedom of choice and minority rights. I am for them, particularly in the case of smoking bans, on the grounds of preserving public health and general well-being. The rest of it I could take or leave. Of course I wish people wouldn't overtake store windows with stickers and ads, and of course I think you should wear a helmet, but I couldn't care less if there's laws for or against it. Survival of the fittest, I say. I believe that C and I have agreed to disagree on this point, as both of us are unendingly stubborn. That will make for an interesting married life, eh?

What are some of your political pet peeves? Care to share?

Into the Great Unknown!

In the past year or so, I have discovered the world of blogging, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading fashion, wedding, cooking, decorating, and many other kinds of blogs! There are so many wonderfully talented people on the internet! After reading and lurking about other people's blogs, I have decided it was time for me to take the plunge and make one myself. So here we go! Welcome to the maiden voyage of Lipstick 'n' Leopard Print!