today i learned two things:
1. i can burn my finger on the griddle while cooking pancakes for dinner, swear a lot, turn on the cold water in the kitchen sink to run my blistering finger under it, and still finish cooking dinner with one hand (this includes pancakes, sausage, AND scrambled eggs).
2. watching a raging thunder and hail storm through my backdoors from the safety of my couch is awesome. this is what i love about summer.
okay, i learned 3 things. typing one handed because i'm icing my burn blows.
bring on the rain.
5.27.2010
5.25.2010
a list of words
so, i'm a blog slacker. a whole week- yikes. here are my excuses:
1. the weather has been mostly gorgeous
2. i got trained for my summer job this weekend
3. i watched the series finales of both lost and 24
4. sam has been on the laptop a lot lately
5. the house is a disaster so cleaning is in order
6. my vitamin d deficiency has required me to take several naps
7. i'm lazy
anyway. today i learned a lot of things. i'm going to keep with the list theme here and write them below:
1. mint basically grows on a vine-like root underground, which is why its so freaking hard to get rid of (i learned this through experience today)
2. caterpillars shed their skin like snakes do as they grow
3. i NEED to wear sunglasses when i'm outside on a sunny day or else i can't really function
4. my classroom has only black and brown construction paper left (blech)
5. when given the choice between free, half-day school with a structured, effective program, or free, full-day day care for their child with bussing but no real educational benefits for their child, parents will almost always choose the latter, which is sad
6. not all hoses are created equal, and the inexpensive ones really are just cheap
7. my hair is still red when i stand in the sun, 5 months after dying it with a 8 week wash-out dye
8. our basement gets really cold when the a/c is turned on
9. one of the children in my class has gone through horrors that i can't believe i never knew about, and that no person should ever have to experience. i am grateful to have some context to explain why he behaves the way he does, and hopefully i'll be able to reach him more effectively now. my heart breaks for him.
happy tuesday <3
1. the weather has been mostly gorgeous
2. i got trained for my summer job this weekend
3. i watched the series finales of both lost and 24
4. sam has been on the laptop a lot lately
5. the house is a disaster so cleaning is in order
6. my vitamin d deficiency has required me to take several naps
7. i'm lazy
anyway. today i learned a lot of things. i'm going to keep with the list theme here and write them below:
1. mint basically grows on a vine-like root underground, which is why its so freaking hard to get rid of (i learned this through experience today)
2. caterpillars shed their skin like snakes do as they grow
3. i NEED to wear sunglasses when i'm outside on a sunny day or else i can't really function
4. my classroom has only black and brown construction paper left (blech)
5. when given the choice between free, half-day school with a structured, effective program, or free, full-day day care for their child with bussing but no real educational benefits for their child, parents will almost always choose the latter, which is sad
6. not all hoses are created equal, and the inexpensive ones really are just cheap
7. my hair is still red when i stand in the sun, 5 months after dying it with a 8 week wash-out dye
8. our basement gets really cold when the a/c is turned on
9. one of the children in my class has gone through horrors that i can't believe i never knew about, and that no person should ever have to experience. i am grateful to have some context to explain why he behaves the way he does, and hopefully i'll be able to reach him more effectively now. my heart breaks for him.
happy tuesday <3
5.18.2010
VOTE
today i learned that philadelphia has some very interesting polling locations for voting days.
for example, there are several bars and private residencies that are voting stations. there are also roller skating rinks, bowling alleys, funeral homes, a water testing lab, a prison training center, "italian social clubs" (which, i'm sorry, screams the mob to me), and a lot of auto repair shops.
and here i was thinking that polling stations were exclusively located in schools.
but now i know. if i ever move to philly, i may end up voting in someone's back yard.
(i'm glad i live in the 'burbs).
for example, there are several bars and private residencies that are voting stations. there are also roller skating rinks, bowling alleys, funeral homes, a water testing lab, a prison training center, "italian social clubs" (which, i'm sorry, screams the mob to me), and a lot of auto repair shops.
and here i was thinking that polling stations were exclusively located in schools.
but now i know. if i ever move to philly, i may end up voting in someone's back yard.
(i'm glad i live in the 'burbs).
5.17.2010
d for deficiency.
today i learned that a vitamin d deficiency can make your hands and feet tingly, and totally wear you out.
i'm just glad it's not diabetes or something crazy. all i have to do is take a giant pill every morning and i should be good to go. it's also a great excuse to lay out on the deck every afternoon after work.
"oh, i'm sorry sam, i couldn't do the dishes, i need to get some vitamin d..."
yup :-)
also, i think its prudent to share that yesterday i learned how all those chefs on tv can cut up an onion in 10 seconds flat.
they have a SHARP set of knives.
how do i know? i actually got a sharp set of knives yesterday. i actually spent the afternoon trying to find stuff i could cut up just so i could enjoy using them. it's amazing the difference it makes chopping onions and garlic with a high quality, sharp knife that was designed for cutting onions and garlic and things like that.
in case anyone was keeping score, i now have an actual blender, a kitchenaid mixer (whoooooooo!) and a real set of knives.
i am in kitchen heaven.
it makes up well for the vitamin d deficiency.
i'm just glad it's not diabetes or something crazy. all i have to do is take a giant pill every morning and i should be good to go. it's also a great excuse to lay out on the deck every afternoon after work.
"oh, i'm sorry sam, i couldn't do the dishes, i need to get some vitamin d..."
yup :-)
also, i think its prudent to share that yesterday i learned how all those chefs on tv can cut up an onion in 10 seconds flat.
they have a SHARP set of knives.
how do i know? i actually got a sharp set of knives yesterday. i actually spent the afternoon trying to find stuff i could cut up just so i could enjoy using them. it's amazing the difference it makes chopping onions and garlic with a high quality, sharp knife that was designed for cutting onions and garlic and things like that.
in case anyone was keeping score, i now have an actual blender, a kitchenaid mixer (whoooooooo!) and a real set of knives.
i am in kitchen heaven.
it makes up well for the vitamin d deficiency.
5.15.2010
mom was right
today i learned that practice really does make perfect.
which is unfortunate, because i was hoping that this one was the one thing i could prove my mother wrong on.
that aside, what i liked most about learning this today was that it wasn't just something that suddenly happened, like when someone looks at you and says "did you know that...". this was a nugget of life knowledge that has been a long time coming. but i did realize it in one of those everyday moments that usually passes by with redundant monotony, but instead God decided to use it in a way that highlighted a part of my life that i otherwise would have missed out on.
i was cutting tomatoes.
i didn't want my last two to go bad, so on a whim i decided to make a mock caprese salad using shredded mozzarella and no basil. it was as good a topping as any for my hamburger, and it saved me from wasting two perfectly good tomatoes, whose skin was slowly getting wrinkly and i knew wouldn't make it much longer. on any other night, i probably would have skipped it since i lacked the right ingredients, and let the tomatoes go, but i was in the right frame of mind to be receptive to the firming of months of experience that being an adult has brought, and i don't think God was ready to let it slide. and so i found myself hungry enough for those two tomatoes that i took the time to prepare them. i was standing at the counter chopping away when something struck me. the first time i cut up roma tomatoes for bruschetta, i read the recipe line by line over and over to make sure i was doing it right- slice in half, remove the seeds, dice. it took me at least half an hour to get 2 tomatoes de-seeded and diced that night, and it was pain-staking. i went through several tools to figure out the best way to get the seeds off, and sliced them several different ways to figure out how i like them diced the best.
tonight, it took me about 5 minutes from start to finish to get the entire "caprese salad" made, and it had turned into a nearly thoughtless process. my hands just knew what to do with the tomatoes. and as i stood there stirring the balsamic vinegar into the little cubes of juicy red yumminess, i hit me how many tasks in my life have gone from tedious, awkward, and new to simple, learned, and comfortable.
for example: i can make an awesome pot of coffee without agonizing over how many scoops or cups to use. i can butterfly a chicken breast in 10 seconds. i can cut up a head of iceburg and romaine lettuce while the butterflied chicken breasts finish grilling. i can weed my garden without having to put on gardening clothes. i can vacuum the whole house before sam gets home from work and still have time for a snack. i can grocery shop for the two of us, getting enough food to last two weeks, keeping it all gluten free and under $150 without having to worry about if i'm getting it done fast enough to get home and let the dog out. i can blow dry my hair and put on my make up in under 10 minutes and still look thoroughly put together. i can make dinner for two and my lunch for the next day simultaneously. i can carry armfuls of ridiculous things and not drop any of them. i can actually make phone calls to places like the doctor or the insurance company without breaking out in a cold sweat. i can get breakfast set up for 19 kids in about 5 minutes. i can pull out of my garage without having to check to make sure i'm not going to run into the door frame (although i do anyway). i can send a text message without looking at my phone once. i can get from my bed to the bathroom and back again at night without any shin bruises. i can swing the gate on our deck with just the right amount of force to get it to shut without pushing it all the way. i can pray to God for strength or patience or calm without even realizing it.
in short, i have started to get good at living. practice has started to bring me as close to perfect as i will ever be able to get. no one can do all of it right. i still run into things. i still spill stuff everywhere. i still double and triple check new recipes as i try them out for the first time. i still pre-read new books before i read them out loud to my students (usually). i still forget just about everything, even if i write it down. some things, no amount of practice will ever be able to fix. but most things that have become a daily part of who i am, i have found that i can learn, and not only do, but do well.
but only with practice.
which is unfortunate, because i was hoping that this one was the one thing i could prove my mother wrong on.
that aside, what i liked most about learning this today was that it wasn't just something that suddenly happened, like when someone looks at you and says "did you know that...". this was a nugget of life knowledge that has been a long time coming. but i did realize it in one of those everyday moments that usually passes by with redundant monotony, but instead God decided to use it in a way that highlighted a part of my life that i otherwise would have missed out on.
i was cutting tomatoes.
i didn't want my last two to go bad, so on a whim i decided to make a mock caprese salad using shredded mozzarella and no basil. it was as good a topping as any for my hamburger, and it saved me from wasting two perfectly good tomatoes, whose skin was slowly getting wrinkly and i knew wouldn't make it much longer. on any other night, i probably would have skipped it since i lacked the right ingredients, and let the tomatoes go, but i was in the right frame of mind to be receptive to the firming of months of experience that being an adult has brought, and i don't think God was ready to let it slide. and so i found myself hungry enough for those two tomatoes that i took the time to prepare them. i was standing at the counter chopping away when something struck me. the first time i cut up roma tomatoes for bruschetta, i read the recipe line by line over and over to make sure i was doing it right- slice in half, remove the seeds, dice. it took me at least half an hour to get 2 tomatoes de-seeded and diced that night, and it was pain-staking. i went through several tools to figure out the best way to get the seeds off, and sliced them several different ways to figure out how i like them diced the best.
tonight, it took me about 5 minutes from start to finish to get the entire "caprese salad" made, and it had turned into a nearly thoughtless process. my hands just knew what to do with the tomatoes. and as i stood there stirring the balsamic vinegar into the little cubes of juicy red yumminess, i hit me how many tasks in my life have gone from tedious, awkward, and new to simple, learned, and comfortable.
for example: i can make an awesome pot of coffee without agonizing over how many scoops or cups to use. i can butterfly a chicken breast in 10 seconds. i can cut up a head of iceburg and romaine lettuce while the butterflied chicken breasts finish grilling. i can weed my garden without having to put on gardening clothes. i can vacuum the whole house before sam gets home from work and still have time for a snack. i can grocery shop for the two of us, getting enough food to last two weeks, keeping it all gluten free and under $150 without having to worry about if i'm getting it done fast enough to get home and let the dog out. i can blow dry my hair and put on my make up in under 10 minutes and still look thoroughly put together. i can make dinner for two and my lunch for the next day simultaneously. i can carry armfuls of ridiculous things and not drop any of them. i can actually make phone calls to places like the doctor or the insurance company without breaking out in a cold sweat. i can get breakfast set up for 19 kids in about 5 minutes. i can pull out of my garage without having to check to make sure i'm not going to run into the door frame (although i do anyway). i can send a text message without looking at my phone once. i can get from my bed to the bathroom and back again at night without any shin bruises. i can swing the gate on our deck with just the right amount of force to get it to shut without pushing it all the way. i can pray to God for strength or patience or calm without even realizing it.
in short, i have started to get good at living. practice has started to bring me as close to perfect as i will ever be able to get. no one can do all of it right. i still run into things. i still spill stuff everywhere. i still double and triple check new recipes as i try them out for the first time. i still pre-read new books before i read them out loud to my students (usually). i still forget just about everything, even if i write it down. some things, no amount of practice will ever be able to fix. but most things that have become a daily part of who i am, i have found that i can learn, and not only do, but do well.
but only with practice.
5.14.2010
my dad's pipe smoking year
today i learned that my dad smoked a pipe for a year back before he met my mother.
this was just one of those things that came up while we were sitting around after eating a ridiculously yummy dinner provided by my momma for my birthday. as my dad and hubs smoked cigars, my mom and i reminisced on how the scent wafting gently towards us on the evening spring breeze reminded us of the pipe tobacco our respective grandfathers smoked when we were little. my mom said, more for conversation's sake than anything, that my dad should smoke a pipe.
which was when he told us that he had, once, and he just didn't like it.
to which my mom responded "WHEN WAS THIS?"
and he told her how it was before he met her, and only for a year or so, and that he just couldn't find the appeal in it.
i found this so interesting, i told him i would blog about it tonight.
so here it is daddy. the blog about your pipe smoking year. i'm glad it didn't stick. i think nowadays it would look a little snobby and affected. but the image of it will always fit my grandfather, who was dignified and refined with his pipe. you, as my daddy, just make much more sense with a cigar than a pipe.
and i will always inhale deeply when walking past tobacco stores.
:-)
this was just one of those things that came up while we were sitting around after eating a ridiculously yummy dinner provided by my momma for my birthday. as my dad and hubs smoked cigars, my mom and i reminisced on how the scent wafting gently towards us on the evening spring breeze reminded us of the pipe tobacco our respective grandfathers smoked when we were little. my mom said, more for conversation's sake than anything, that my dad should smoke a pipe.
which was when he told us that he had, once, and he just didn't like it.
to which my mom responded "WHEN WAS THIS?"
and he told her how it was before he met her, and only for a year or so, and that he just couldn't find the appeal in it.
i found this so interesting, i told him i would blog about it tonight.
so here it is daddy. the blog about your pipe smoking year. i'm glad it didn't stick. i think nowadays it would look a little snobby and affected. but the image of it will always fit my grandfather, who was dignified and refined with his pipe. you, as my daddy, just make much more sense with a cigar than a pipe.
and i will always inhale deeply when walking past tobacco stores.
:-)
5.13.2010
mouse trap is more fun as a board game
today i learned that my husband and i have very different views when it comes to mice in your house.
let me explain.
a week or so ago, i sat down for breakfast at our kitchen table, and noticed a few tiny 'presents' that i recognized immediately as mouse droppings, having grown up in a 60 year old rancher that had its fair share of little visitors. when i pointed them out to sam, he told me there was no way that we had mice, especially not upstairs in our kitchen, and anyway, how would they have gotten on the kitchen table? so i dropped the subject, and later removed the table cloth to be washed and didn't bother to replace it.
that night, we opened the dishwasher and saw some more gifts from our four legged friends. sam, still reluctant to admit that we could have any such house guests, pointed out that it would be impossible for a mouse to enter our dishwasher in order to leave the suspect droppings behind. again, i dropped it, although i remained wary.
three nights ago (about a week after the initial sighting) i made barbecue chicken on the grill, and i used my little baster brush to get them extra barbecue-y. while doing the dishes, sam stuck the brush in the dishwasher utensil basket, with the bristles facing the top of the dishwasher. the next morning, half the bristles were littering the bottom of the dishwasher. scattered amongst the fallen baster were little mouseterds.
this convinced sam. he was not happy.
the next afternoon, i bought mouse traps. we set all four of them last night.
this morning, we woke up to find that two of the traps had been licked clean of the copious amounts of peanut butter i had slathered them with, one was just as we had left it, and the fourth one was... gone.
yup.
not there anymore.
and all i could think about was that somewhere in our house, most likely behind our fridge or stove, no more than 3 feet where i cook my meals, is a mouse, awkwardly caught in a trap, that is horribly injured and slowly dying. and soon, it will be dead, and it will start to get stinky. and nasty. and dead mouse-like. this turns my stomach.
sam, however, is triumphant at the idea of having caught one of the little 'suckers' (i changed a letter for politeness' sake). he doesn't care that it's off in some remote corner of our house slowly approaching its last breath. he's just glad its dirty little paws can't crawl around in our dishwasher anymore licking our plates and chewing our baster brushes to pieces. he can't stand the idea of mouse poopies showing up at random places around the house.
i can talk to him about mice roaming our walls and floors without even batting an eye, while his stomach turns and his baser instincts of defense and protection of his home roar into action. i, on the other hand, can't stand the idea of a mouse dying slowly in our midst, while sam proclaims it to the heavens as a fantastical victory over some unseen evil.
maybe this is why we work so well together.
in the end, we will both make sure we are rodent free.
let me explain.
a week or so ago, i sat down for breakfast at our kitchen table, and noticed a few tiny 'presents' that i recognized immediately as mouse droppings, having grown up in a 60 year old rancher that had its fair share of little visitors. when i pointed them out to sam, he told me there was no way that we had mice, especially not upstairs in our kitchen, and anyway, how would they have gotten on the kitchen table? so i dropped the subject, and later removed the table cloth to be washed and didn't bother to replace it.
that night, we opened the dishwasher and saw some more gifts from our four legged friends. sam, still reluctant to admit that we could have any such house guests, pointed out that it would be impossible for a mouse to enter our dishwasher in order to leave the suspect droppings behind. again, i dropped it, although i remained wary.
three nights ago (about a week after the initial sighting) i made barbecue chicken on the grill, and i used my little baster brush to get them extra barbecue-y. while doing the dishes, sam stuck the brush in the dishwasher utensil basket, with the bristles facing the top of the dishwasher. the next morning, half the bristles were littering the bottom of the dishwasher. scattered amongst the fallen baster were little mouseterds.
this convinced sam. he was not happy.
the next afternoon, i bought mouse traps. we set all four of them last night.
this morning, we woke up to find that two of the traps had been licked clean of the copious amounts of peanut butter i had slathered them with, one was just as we had left it, and the fourth one was... gone.
yup.
not there anymore.
and all i could think about was that somewhere in our house, most likely behind our fridge or stove, no more than 3 feet where i cook my meals, is a mouse, awkwardly caught in a trap, that is horribly injured and slowly dying. and soon, it will be dead, and it will start to get stinky. and nasty. and dead mouse-like. this turns my stomach.
sam, however, is triumphant at the idea of having caught one of the little 'suckers' (i changed a letter for politeness' sake). he doesn't care that it's off in some remote corner of our house slowly approaching its last breath. he's just glad its dirty little paws can't crawl around in our dishwasher anymore licking our plates and chewing our baster brushes to pieces. he can't stand the idea of mouse poopies showing up at random places around the house.
i can talk to him about mice roaming our walls and floors without even batting an eye, while his stomach turns and his baser instincts of defense and protection of his home roar into action. i, on the other hand, can't stand the idea of a mouse dying slowly in our midst, while sam proclaims it to the heavens as a fantastical victory over some unseen evil.
maybe this is why we work so well together.
in the end, we will both make sure we are rodent free.
5.10.2010
a peck of pickled peppers?
today i learned that pepper seeds need 2 weeks to "incubate" before they sprout.
which explains why i thought mine were duds; as my peas and green beans reached ridiculous sizes in very short periods of time, my pot with the pepper seeds remained simply a pot of dirt sprinkled with pepper seeds. boring and unproductive.
but, as i stood at the grill tonight flipping my shrimp and rolling the asparagus around to prevent charring that ultimately happened anyway, my neighbor hailed me from his little section of yard with a giant handful of plastic bags in his hand.
let me explain. there's a frost warning tonight, and after weeks of carefully planting and tending to his many veggie plants in his back garden (that we're technically not allowed to plant), my neighbor was doing his very best to save his mini produce section to get it through to the safer, warmer period of spring time. and of course, this led us (or maybe i should say, him) to a discussion on the different vegetables being grown in our respective backyards and deck pots. as i vainly tried to make sure our dinner of chicken, shrimp, asparagus, and potatoes didn't turn into a dinner of charred, burned, inedible, and rock-hard, while still being a polite neighbor, he explained how he had planted lettuce and was concerned the bunnies would get to them, and how he couldn't wait for his peppers to sprout, as it had almost been two weeks.
at which point, my ears perked up, i abandoned the grill, and i leaned interestedly over the rail of our deck. he went on and on about how it takes peppers so much longer to grown and how the wait is driving him crazy, and as i popped over to examine my pepper pot (it has been about 2 and a half weeks since they were planted) i noticed a few little green guys peeking out of the soil. which means my peppers are on the way, trying to catch up with the much more industrious peas and beans and tomatoes.
finally.
which explains why i thought mine were duds; as my peas and green beans reached ridiculous sizes in very short periods of time, my pot with the pepper seeds remained simply a pot of dirt sprinkled with pepper seeds. boring and unproductive.
but, as i stood at the grill tonight flipping my shrimp and rolling the asparagus around to prevent charring that ultimately happened anyway, my neighbor hailed me from his little section of yard with a giant handful of plastic bags in his hand.
let me explain. there's a frost warning tonight, and after weeks of carefully planting and tending to his many veggie plants in his back garden (that we're technically not allowed to plant), my neighbor was doing his very best to save his mini produce section to get it through to the safer, warmer period of spring time. and of course, this led us (or maybe i should say, him) to a discussion on the different vegetables being grown in our respective backyards and deck pots. as i vainly tried to make sure our dinner of chicken, shrimp, asparagus, and potatoes didn't turn into a dinner of charred, burned, inedible, and rock-hard, while still being a polite neighbor, he explained how he had planted lettuce and was concerned the bunnies would get to them, and how he couldn't wait for his peppers to sprout, as it had almost been two weeks.
at which point, my ears perked up, i abandoned the grill, and i leaned interestedly over the rail of our deck. he went on and on about how it takes peppers so much longer to grown and how the wait is driving him crazy, and as i popped over to examine my pepper pot (it has been about 2 and a half weeks since they were planted) i noticed a few little green guys peeking out of the soil. which means my peppers are on the way, trying to catch up with the much more industrious peas and beans and tomatoes.
finally.
5.09.2010
sandwiches! what else?
today i learned that the most delicious sandwich in the world is made up of the following:
- grilled pesto chicken
- homemade g-free bread
- baby spinach
- fresh mozzarella slices
- balsamic mayo
put it all together and "grill" in a skillet with olive oil. hoooooooooooly sandwich, it was good.
even better when enjoyed with your momma.
also, i'm beginning to see a trend in this blog. a lot of the things i learn are food related.
i love it.
- grilled pesto chicken
- homemade g-free bread
- baby spinach
- fresh mozzarella slices
- balsamic mayo
put it all together and "grill" in a skillet with olive oil. hoooooooooooly sandwich, it was good.
even better when enjoyed with your momma.
also, i'm beginning to see a trend in this blog. a lot of the things i learn are food related.
i love it.
5.08.2010
the motivating power of mint
today i learned that pulling 800,000 mint plants out of my back garden makes our backyard smell fab.u.lous. and also, tom petty makes awesome gardening music.
after tilling the flower bed behind our deck a month or so ago, sam and i neglected to do absolutely anything with it at all. anything. at all. so it's been sitting there getting almost uglier than it was before, as the mint spread like wild fire (see post from a few weeks ago) and a million bajillion random plants i don't know the names of sprung up from nowhere. so today, after a late night of being out on the town and enjoying myself a little bit too much, i decided a little fresh air and sunshine was just what i needed.
at first, i thought i would just sit on the deck and read a book or catch up on some work that i've put off for a really long time (end of the year reports are so tedious). but after about 30 seconds outside, i knew that just sitting wouldn't do. besides it was just a little bit too breezy to be able to get anything done without my papers blowing around all over the place. and since i could see a few of the heartier mint plants peeking over the edge of the deck as they grew to gargantuan proportions, i knew it was time to bite the bullet and just go to town.
so, i ran down to the garage and grabbed my $5 shovel and dollar store gardening gloves, tied my sneaks up tight and threw on some old clothes and hit the yard. hard. i was out there for about an hour and a half digging and pulling and tossing and digging some more. with every mint plant i pulled, the fragrance got more and more heavenly, especially as it mixed with the honeysuckle growing wild at the border between our neighborhood and the next one over. the bed grew emptier and the pile behind me grew higher and my sense of satisfaction went through the roof as the scent of mint went to my head and the sweat poured down my temples.
unfortunately, when the song american girl came on (thanks tom) and i was rocking out in a mint fueled nirvana of gardening and sunshine, i started to dig up a few of the plants with what has to be the largest root base i have EVER seen. and as i'm digging (and digging and digging and digging) and pulling and tugging and wiggling and really getting into it because i now have a personal vendetta against these freaking plants, i notice that the soil looks funny. like, wiggly. shifty. crawly. full of ants. they must have had a hill buried in my overgrown, obscenely hideous garden and were freaking out as i wreaked havoc on the awfulness that was their home. fortunately, i noticed before they ended up all over me, and managed to shake them off my gloves and shoes pretty quickly. but, i did have to give up on the ridiculously hard to remove plants until my wonderful husband came out and dug while i pulled and we finally eradicated our garden of all things awful.
after all that work, i got a trash bag and filled it with my day's spoils, and headed inside with the minty aroma of success and accomplishment floating in behind me.
it was a good day.
after tilling the flower bed behind our deck a month or so ago, sam and i neglected to do absolutely anything with it at all. anything. at all. so it's been sitting there getting almost uglier than it was before, as the mint spread like wild fire (see post from a few weeks ago) and a million bajillion random plants i don't know the names of sprung up from nowhere. so today, after a late night of being out on the town and enjoying myself a little bit too much, i decided a little fresh air and sunshine was just what i needed.
at first, i thought i would just sit on the deck and read a book or catch up on some work that i've put off for a really long time (end of the year reports are so tedious). but after about 30 seconds outside, i knew that just sitting wouldn't do. besides it was just a little bit too breezy to be able to get anything done without my papers blowing around all over the place. and since i could see a few of the heartier mint plants peeking over the edge of the deck as they grew to gargantuan proportions, i knew it was time to bite the bullet and just go to town.
so, i ran down to the garage and grabbed my $5 shovel and dollar store gardening gloves, tied my sneaks up tight and threw on some old clothes and hit the yard. hard. i was out there for about an hour and a half digging and pulling and tossing and digging some more. with every mint plant i pulled, the fragrance got more and more heavenly, especially as it mixed with the honeysuckle growing wild at the border between our neighborhood and the next one over. the bed grew emptier and the pile behind me grew higher and my sense of satisfaction went through the roof as the scent of mint went to my head and the sweat poured down my temples.
unfortunately, when the song american girl came on (thanks tom) and i was rocking out in a mint fueled nirvana of gardening and sunshine, i started to dig up a few of the plants with what has to be the largest root base i have EVER seen. and as i'm digging (and digging and digging and digging) and pulling and tugging and wiggling and really getting into it because i now have a personal vendetta against these freaking plants, i notice that the soil looks funny. like, wiggly. shifty. crawly. full of ants. they must have had a hill buried in my overgrown, obscenely hideous garden and were freaking out as i wreaked havoc on the awfulness that was their home. fortunately, i noticed before they ended up all over me, and managed to shake them off my gloves and shoes pretty quickly. but, i did have to give up on the ridiculously hard to remove plants until my wonderful husband came out and dug while i pulled and we finally eradicated our garden of all things awful.
after all that work, i got a trash bag and filled it with my day's spoils, and headed inside with the minty aroma of success and accomplishment floating in behind me.
it was a good day.
5.05.2010
how old are you now?
today i learned that 23 (almost 24) is quite old when it comes to working at american eagle.
if i didn't want the extra money so badly, and something to occupy my time this summer, i may have just stood up and walked out, apologizing for wandering into the wrong store, but the lure of a supplemental income to help ease the purse strings, get a discount on killer clothes, and possibly even make friends with girls my own age who live close enough to meet up with for a drink in the evenings made me stay.
it was a weird feeling being the oldest amongst a group of interviewees. one was a freshmen in college, another a junior in high school, and i was like the wise old sage, having been through all of these things, and then some. the worst part was, i think the high schooler was more well spoken than me. i have a horrible tendency to trip over my words, and even though i didn't feel the tiniest trickle of anxiety, i still managed to end a lot of my answers with so... yeah.... very wise, old sage. impressive to the umpteenth degree.
still, i felt confident when i left, and i'm pretty sure i'm going to get offered some kind of position, especially since i made it clear i'm willing to work part time beyond the summer. i have a feeling that, aside from a few of the managers, i'm going to be like the grandma of the store, but there could be worse things.
its just something new for me to get used to.
cross your fingers i get a call. go summer work!
if i didn't want the extra money so badly, and something to occupy my time this summer, i may have just stood up and walked out, apologizing for wandering into the wrong store, but the lure of a supplemental income to help ease the purse strings, get a discount on killer clothes, and possibly even make friends with girls my own age who live close enough to meet up with for a drink in the evenings made me stay.
it was a weird feeling being the oldest amongst a group of interviewees. one was a freshmen in college, another a junior in high school, and i was like the wise old sage, having been through all of these things, and then some. the worst part was, i think the high schooler was more well spoken than me. i have a horrible tendency to trip over my words, and even though i didn't feel the tiniest trickle of anxiety, i still managed to end a lot of my answers with so... yeah.... very wise, old sage. impressive to the umpteenth degree.
still, i felt confident when i left, and i'm pretty sure i'm going to get offered some kind of position, especially since i made it clear i'm willing to work part time beyond the summer. i have a feeling that, aside from a few of the managers, i'm going to be like the grandma of the store, but there could be worse things.
its just something new for me to get used to.
cross your fingers i get a call. go summer work!
5.03.2010
potato salad, yummy yummy.
today i learned how to make a bangin' potato salad.
and it went a little something like this:
-look up recipe in favorite cook book.
-realize i don't have yogurt.
-decide to modify based on what i do have.
-decide i want it to taste similar to deviled egg filling.
-pull out stuff i have and start drooling.
-cook potatoes.
-dice potatoes while still very, very hot (will not repeat this step again).
-throw in random amounts of stuff that seems to be yummy together (mayo, yellow mustard, sweet relish, onions, green peppers, pickle juice, salt, pepper, garlic).
-toss.
-taste.
-go weak at the knees.
-eat. and eat. and eat.
i love to cook.
(side note: can't believe i went 2 days without posting. sad.)
and it went a little something like this:
-look up recipe in favorite cook book.
-realize i don't have yogurt.
-decide to modify based on what i do have.
-decide i want it to taste similar to deviled egg filling.
-pull out stuff i have and start drooling.
-cook potatoes.
-dice potatoes while still very, very hot (will not repeat this step again).
-throw in random amounts of stuff that seems to be yummy together (mayo, yellow mustard, sweet relish, onions, green peppers, pickle juice, salt, pepper, garlic).
-toss.
-taste.
-go weak at the knees.
-eat. and eat. and eat.
i love to cook.
(side note: can't believe i went 2 days without posting. sad.)
4.30.2010
car tested, windy approved
today i learned that my short haircut is perfect for driving on the highway with music blasting and all four windows down.
i also learned that when i have random papers on the floor of the back of my car, they will fly out all four of my down windows while i rock out to my music and enjoy not having to worry about having a hair tie stashed in the car.
oops.
seriously though, i haven't been able to do the windows-down hair test since i got it cut back in october. it was either too cold or too rainy or too full of mischa or too some other extenuating circumstance, so today was the first time i had all of my windows all the way down since the big chop.
it passed the test with flying colors, by the way. my hair would go in my face today, but there were no longer such crazy amounts of it that it rendered me unable to see the cars in front of me or in my peripherals. i can actually drive safely with my hair down, instead of realizing shortly after hitting the cruise control button at 65 mph that my massive amounts of hair are going to continue to whip me in the eyes and mouth, causing me to start the blind-one-hand search for the elusive hair tie that got to be too annoying to stay on my wrist. nope, instead i got to enjoy worry free summer time cruising.
just as i was getting used to my awesome new freedom from crazy wind-whipped hair, however, i noticed something white dancing around in my rearview. it flipped and turned and crinkled, and then it was gone. i watched it shrink as it sped away from me in the side view mirror. and before i had a chance to react, another one decided to follow suit. after the third piece of paper took off with reckless abandon from the floor behind my seat, i decided i had to put an end to my wonderfully breezy ride and roll up the back windows to avoid a large littering fine.
i cranked the music louder to compensate.
it was a good drive home.
i also learned that when i have random papers on the floor of the back of my car, they will fly out all four of my down windows while i rock out to my music and enjoy not having to worry about having a hair tie stashed in the car.
oops.
seriously though, i haven't been able to do the windows-down hair test since i got it cut back in october. it was either too cold or too rainy or too full of mischa or too some other extenuating circumstance, so today was the first time i had all of my windows all the way down since the big chop.
it passed the test with flying colors, by the way. my hair would go in my face today, but there were no longer such crazy amounts of it that it rendered me unable to see the cars in front of me or in my peripherals. i can actually drive safely with my hair down, instead of realizing shortly after hitting the cruise control button at 65 mph that my massive amounts of hair are going to continue to whip me in the eyes and mouth, causing me to start the blind-one-hand search for the elusive hair tie that got to be too annoying to stay on my wrist. nope, instead i got to enjoy worry free summer time cruising.
just as i was getting used to my awesome new freedom from crazy wind-whipped hair, however, i noticed something white dancing around in my rearview. it flipped and turned and crinkled, and then it was gone. i watched it shrink as it sped away from me in the side view mirror. and before i had a chance to react, another one decided to follow suit. after the third piece of paper took off with reckless abandon from the floor behind my seat, i decided i had to put an end to my wonderfully breezy ride and roll up the back windows to avoid a large littering fine.
i cranked the music louder to compensate.
it was a good drive home.
4.29.2010
the power of corn
today i learned that memories you didn't even remember having can surface at lightning speed after a trigger you would never expect.
actually, i probably half-knew this already, but i relearned it tonight, at the very least.
it was the simplest thing. i was getting dinner ready, cutting up my tomatoes and rocking out to kris allen with the windows open and feeling good and content with life. and then, i pulled the ears of corn out of the fridge to shuck them and get them ready for the grill.
it was like getting hit with a memory mack truck. i'm not sure if it was the sight of the corn, with their soft white silks hanging out the tops, or the way the leaves felt, cool and rough in my hands, but i'm guessing it was the way they smelled. you know that fresh corn-on-the-cob smell you get when you first pick an ear up and you catch a whiff? it's a sweet, juicy smell with a little soil and fresh air mixed in. heaven. and all of a sudden, all i could think of was summer evenings spent barefoot on the back porch with my mom, shucking ear after ear of corn for dinner and throwing the husks into brown paper bags (back when it wasn't a sin to ask for paper at the grocery store). and of course, murphy's law sped up the iPod and put on kris allen's slow and sweet song, and my evening of happy contentment turned into one of mellow reflection.
i've had several moments since the wedding where i realize all over again that i'm married and i really am a grown up now and the whole childhood thing is over. but as time went on, they became few and far between, and up until tonight, i was quite glad to be a grown up, living in a house that i bought with a husband i adore and a dog who makes our house feel full, and thoughts and hopes of things to come. not that i'm not still glad to have all of those things.
but that corn.
for the 10 minutes it took me to get it shucked and ready to go, i was transported back to the back porch with my mom, learning how to be a cook and a mother, a wife and a woman. and a few tears pushed their way out as i listened to kris allen singing his goodbyes to a lost love as i realized that that is a time in my life that's not coming back. it was almost like saying my final goodbyes to a part of myself that i can't bring back. i can remember, i can try to recreate, but i can never truly bring back the back porch moments. it's a beautiful, bittersweet thing to know that it's a part of my past, because i've been blessed with an amazing present, and hope for the future, but it still makes me ache a little bit. and i have a feeling this won't be the last time i remember without expecting, the last time i cry, or the last time i realize all over again that i'm done being a kid, and my job now is to make new back porch memories with the family i've created.
it's good to remember.
bring on the corn.
actually, i probably half-knew this already, but i relearned it tonight, at the very least.
it was the simplest thing. i was getting dinner ready, cutting up my tomatoes and rocking out to kris allen with the windows open and feeling good and content with life. and then, i pulled the ears of corn out of the fridge to shuck them and get them ready for the grill.
it was like getting hit with a memory mack truck. i'm not sure if it was the sight of the corn, with their soft white silks hanging out the tops, or the way the leaves felt, cool and rough in my hands, but i'm guessing it was the way they smelled. you know that fresh corn-on-the-cob smell you get when you first pick an ear up and you catch a whiff? it's a sweet, juicy smell with a little soil and fresh air mixed in. heaven. and all of a sudden, all i could think of was summer evenings spent barefoot on the back porch with my mom, shucking ear after ear of corn for dinner and throwing the husks into brown paper bags (back when it wasn't a sin to ask for paper at the grocery store). and of course, murphy's law sped up the iPod and put on kris allen's slow and sweet song, and my evening of happy contentment turned into one of mellow reflection.
i've had several moments since the wedding where i realize all over again that i'm married and i really am a grown up now and the whole childhood thing is over. but as time went on, they became few and far between, and up until tonight, i was quite glad to be a grown up, living in a house that i bought with a husband i adore and a dog who makes our house feel full, and thoughts and hopes of things to come. not that i'm not still glad to have all of those things.
but that corn.
for the 10 minutes it took me to get it shucked and ready to go, i was transported back to the back porch with my mom, learning how to be a cook and a mother, a wife and a woman. and a few tears pushed their way out as i listened to kris allen singing his goodbyes to a lost love as i realized that that is a time in my life that's not coming back. it was almost like saying my final goodbyes to a part of myself that i can't bring back. i can remember, i can try to recreate, but i can never truly bring back the back porch moments. it's a beautiful, bittersweet thing to know that it's a part of my past, because i've been blessed with an amazing present, and hope for the future, but it still makes me ache a little bit. and i have a feeling this won't be the last time i remember without expecting, the last time i cry, or the last time i realize all over again that i'm done being a kid, and my job now is to make new back porch memories with the family i've created.
it's good to remember.
bring on the corn.
4.28.2010
home plate
today i learned that a boring baseball game is boring no matter where you watch it from, even if it's from behind home plate.
long story short: sam's dad bought 3 reading phillies tickets for himself, sam, and sam's brother-in-law for monday night's game. but, if you were in reading on monday night, you know that it was pouring down rain ALL DAY, so the game was cancelled. the ticket holders were entitled to go to tonight's game, but with the change of date, sam's brother-in-law could no longer make it, so i was invited along. i haven't seen any baseball yet this season, and i needed some time out of the house in fresh air, so i of course accepted.
i knew it was going to be a chilly night, so i layered it up, and when we arrived, i followed my dad-in-law to our seats. i was quite excited when we plopped ourselves down just a few rows back from (and a few seats to the left of) home plate. it's not saying much at a reading phillies game, but that's the closest i've ever sat to the field at any game.
unfortunately, by the middle of the first inning, we were down 3 to nothing. and then 5 to nothing. and all those good seats did for me was help me to get a better view of all of the terrible pitches as they zoomed towards us. by the sixth inning, the score was 5-1 (whooooooo) and the only exciting thing that occurred was 2 of the outfielders running into each other because they couldn't listen to one another as they frantically yelled "got it" and waved their arms while their heads were cocked back at 90 degree angles to track the ball instead of each other. and the crazy hot dog vendor, of course. but it was nice to have some time out and about with the hubby and dad-in-law, so i'm not disappointed in the evening.
it's just good to know.
long story short: sam's dad bought 3 reading phillies tickets for himself, sam, and sam's brother-in-law for monday night's game. but, if you were in reading on monday night, you know that it was pouring down rain ALL DAY, so the game was cancelled. the ticket holders were entitled to go to tonight's game, but with the change of date, sam's brother-in-law could no longer make it, so i was invited along. i haven't seen any baseball yet this season, and i needed some time out of the house in fresh air, so i of course accepted.
i knew it was going to be a chilly night, so i layered it up, and when we arrived, i followed my dad-in-law to our seats. i was quite excited when we plopped ourselves down just a few rows back from (and a few seats to the left of) home plate. it's not saying much at a reading phillies game, but that's the closest i've ever sat to the field at any game.
unfortunately, by the middle of the first inning, we were down 3 to nothing. and then 5 to nothing. and all those good seats did for me was help me to get a better view of all of the terrible pitches as they zoomed towards us. by the sixth inning, the score was 5-1 (whooooooo) and the only exciting thing that occurred was 2 of the outfielders running into each other because they couldn't listen to one another as they frantically yelled "got it" and waved their arms while their heads were cocked back at 90 degree angles to track the ball instead of each other. and the crazy hot dog vendor, of course. but it was nice to have some time out and about with the hubby and dad-in-law, so i'm not disappointed in the evening.
it's just good to know.
4.26.2010
fashion is all about youth
today i learned that i fit into a youth xl sweatshirt.
the sleeves aren't quite as long as i'd like, but it'll do in a pinch.
i got into work this morning, and after a cold, rainy weekend, my classroom was damp and freeeeeeeeeeezing. and they shut our heat off back in march. and i left my sweater draped over one of the dining room chairs. and my fleece jacket just wasn't warm enough on its own. so i'm looking all over hoping that i left a sweater in the closet (which i hadn't) when i saw one of our spare sweatshirts we got for the kids in the event of an accident hanging out in the corner. it still had the sticker on it even. XL XL XL XL all down the front on this sticker. i'm pretty sure i got that little frowny "i'm thinking" face as my eyes landed on it. at first i thought there was no way it would fit me, but i was so cold i probably would have tried to squeeze into a newborn's onesie. so i pick it up and i do that shopping move you see all the time when women feel too lazy to take something to the dressing room and just hold it up to ourselves and wrap it around us to try and surreptitiously figure out if it's going to fit us. surprisingly, it seemed like it may just fit, so taking a quick look around to make sure i really was the only one there, i pulled it on over my head.
right when the waist band reached my belly button, i expected to run out of slack, but it kept on going. it hit right at my hips so that my collared t-shirt poked out the bottom the way all the cool girls do, and the collar popped right out and laid neatly on top. but the best part was that it was all soft and new and warm inside. exactly what i needed.
i wore it the rest of the day. in fact, i'm wearing it right now.
and i'm still warm.
the sleeves aren't quite as long as i'd like, but it'll do in a pinch.
i got into work this morning, and after a cold, rainy weekend, my classroom was damp and freeeeeeeeeeezing. and they shut our heat off back in march. and i left my sweater draped over one of the dining room chairs. and my fleece jacket just wasn't warm enough on its own. so i'm looking all over hoping that i left a sweater in the closet (which i hadn't) when i saw one of our spare sweatshirts we got for the kids in the event of an accident hanging out in the corner. it still had the sticker on it even. XL XL XL XL all down the front on this sticker. i'm pretty sure i got that little frowny "i'm thinking" face as my eyes landed on it. at first i thought there was no way it would fit me, but i was so cold i probably would have tried to squeeze into a newborn's onesie. so i pick it up and i do that shopping move you see all the time when women feel too lazy to take something to the dressing room and just hold it up to ourselves and wrap it around us to try and surreptitiously figure out if it's going to fit us. surprisingly, it seemed like it may just fit, so taking a quick look around to make sure i really was the only one there, i pulled it on over my head.
right when the waist band reached my belly button, i expected to run out of slack, but it kept on going. it hit right at my hips so that my collared t-shirt poked out the bottom the way all the cool girls do, and the collar popped right out and laid neatly on top. but the best part was that it was all soft and new and warm inside. exactly what i needed.
i wore it the rest of the day. in fact, i'm wearing it right now.
and i'm still warm.
4.25.2010
iron water
today i learned that if there is water in my iron from the last time i used it, it will spew water everywhere when i plug it in and turn it on.
literally spew water. all over the stuff i'm trying to iron. so that i have to move the iron back and forth over the same spot a hundred million times to get it to dry.
fortunately for me, i wasn't really ironing anything all that important, and there was no time crunch involved, so it's not like it was a huge deal. just a bit of a nuisance. when i decided that i couldn't stand the wrinkly duvet cover and curtains in the guest room a second longer and hauled them downstairs to make my grandmothers proud, i didn't count on having to wrestle with my iron just to prevent it from soaking my already sad looking bedding and window treatments.
it was a nice way to spend an hour though, standing at the ironing board watching friends with the late morning sun pouring in the back door as i watched the wrinkles disappear into smooth, beautiful linens. very therapeutic. and the guest room looks really fantastic now. the process was just a little more involved than i expected it to be. and i just realized that when i put the iron away, i forgot to drain the water.
oops.
literally spew water. all over the stuff i'm trying to iron. so that i have to move the iron back and forth over the same spot a hundred million times to get it to dry.
fortunately for me, i wasn't really ironing anything all that important, and there was no time crunch involved, so it's not like it was a huge deal. just a bit of a nuisance. when i decided that i couldn't stand the wrinkly duvet cover and curtains in the guest room a second longer and hauled them downstairs to make my grandmothers proud, i didn't count on having to wrestle with my iron just to prevent it from soaking my already sad looking bedding and window treatments.
it was a nice way to spend an hour though, standing at the ironing board watching friends with the late morning sun pouring in the back door as i watched the wrinkles disappear into smooth, beautiful linens. very therapeutic. and the guest room looks really fantastic now. the process was just a little more involved than i expected it to be. and i just realized that when i put the iron away, i forgot to drain the water.
oops.
4.24.2010
sam = bob vila. kinda.
today i learned that a great way to motivate my husband to paint our basement without recruiting my help is to get a couch delivered that actually fits into the house.
seriously, he's down there painting right this second. otherwise i'd have pictures to show you of couch #3.
when we moved into our house, our first order of business was to repaint our lavender basement. in an attempt to be trendy and current, we decided to do a green-grey color for the stairwell, laundry room, and back wall of the sitting area, and then a tan color for the other three walls of the sitting area. we loved the grey-green. we did not love the tan. it looked like poop. we hoped it would grow on us over time. it did not. we figured we would repaint it the grey-green color at some point, but never got around to it.
when we found this sofa last week (try #3 sofa), we thought maybe its color would help the tan wall color look better since we were slackers and still hadn't painted.
we were wrong.
don't tell sam, but i thought the color of the sofas with the walls just made our basement look like the inside of a diaper. hence why i was so, so excited when he went to see if we had enough of the paint left to redo those three horribly colored walls today. and luckily, we did. so he sent me out for more pads for the edger, and by the time i got back, he had the first coat on two of the walls already (with the exception of the edges, of course). already, it looked SO. MUCH. BETTER.
i'll post pictures once he's done. which, at this rate, will probably be in the next five minutes.
i <3 my hubby.
(and my basement)
seriously, he's down there painting right this second. otherwise i'd have pictures to show you of couch #3.
when we moved into our house, our first order of business was to repaint our lavender basement. in an attempt to be trendy and current, we decided to do a green-grey color for the stairwell, laundry room, and back wall of the sitting area, and then a tan color for the other three walls of the sitting area. we loved the grey-green. we did not love the tan. it looked like poop. we hoped it would grow on us over time. it did not. we figured we would repaint it the grey-green color at some point, but never got around to it.
when we found this sofa last week (try #3 sofa), we thought maybe its color would help the tan wall color look better since we were slackers and still hadn't painted.
we were wrong.
don't tell sam, but i thought the color of the sofas with the walls just made our basement look like the inside of a diaper. hence why i was so, so excited when he went to see if we had enough of the paint left to redo those three horribly colored walls today. and luckily, we did. so he sent me out for more pads for the edger, and by the time i got back, he had the first coat on two of the walls already (with the exception of the edges, of course). already, it looked SO. MUCH. BETTER.
i'll post pictures once he's done. which, at this rate, will probably be in the next five minutes.
i <3 my hubby.
(and my basement)
4.23.2010
brinner coma
today i learned that if, on a friday night of a very long week, i cook a huge dinner consisting strictly of breakfast foods, and then after eating i cuddle up with sam under my new t-shirt quilt while watching friends, i will fall asleep at 7:30 in the evening.
i think this one is pretty self-explanatory.
every friday night that we've been at home since we've been married, sam and i eat brinner together (breakfast for dinner). this week felt like it lasted eight years for both of us, so we were both pretty tired and ready for a night of nothing. we ate a lot of carb heavy foods (g-free blueberry pancakes with syrup much?) and then, instead of doing the dishes right away, we curled up under the biggest blanket we could find (hello t-shirt quilt!) and had a throwback to college by watching friends.
an hour later, i wake up with contacts that feel like they've been glued to my eye balls.
i dragged myself off the couch, threw the leftover pancakes in the freezer, hauled myself and the laptop upstairs, and got ready for bed. now, it's 9 o'clock on a friday night and my glasses are on, my teeth have been brushed AND flossed (cause the dentist told me on tuesday that if i don't floss, my teeth will fall out of my head), my face has been washed, my medicines have been taken, and i'm comfortably propped up in bed.
and friends is still on :-D
i think this one is pretty self-explanatory.
every friday night that we've been at home since we've been married, sam and i eat brinner together (breakfast for dinner). this week felt like it lasted eight years for both of us, so we were both pretty tired and ready for a night of nothing. we ate a lot of carb heavy foods (g-free blueberry pancakes with syrup much?) and then, instead of doing the dishes right away, we curled up under the biggest blanket we could find (hello t-shirt quilt!) and had a throwback to college by watching friends.
an hour later, i wake up with contacts that feel like they've been glued to my eye balls.
i dragged myself off the couch, threw the leftover pancakes in the freezer, hauled myself and the laptop upstairs, and got ready for bed. now, it's 9 o'clock on a friday night and my glasses are on, my teeth have been brushed AND flossed (cause the dentist told me on tuesday that if i don't floss, my teeth will fall out of my head), my face has been washed, my medicines have been taken, and i'm comfortably propped up in bed.
and friends is still on :-D
4.22.2010
yum yum yummy yum yum
I MISSED ANOTHER DAY. i hate that. just cause i'm busy doesn't mean i can't sit down and type meaningless drivel to a faceless audience that is most likely just killing time or avoiding work.
now that that's off of my chest.
today i learned that the "techniques" lady at wegman's makes a mean g-free pasta dish.
my wonderful mother heard about a "celiac awareness night" at the new wegman's in collegeville thanks to a well-placed flyer at her allergist's office. so, we decided to check it out. we were under the impression that we would get some recipes and such, which wasn't exactly true, but we did get to hear some interesting information that even my mom, after her many research frenzies, had not found. and at the end, they gave us a tour around the wegman's store, showing us where their gluten free stuff is (which i already knew about) and letting us taste some yummy yummy yummy food.
some lady named peg or pam or patti or something is stationed at an overtly obvious stand near the door under a sign reading "techniques" where she cooks food for people to try. i was so busy looking at the big skillet of gf pasta and veggies she was cooking that i didn't notice much else. i know she used "schar" pasta (which is probably what i will exclusively buy from now on), and she cut up tomatoes and onions in it, and then some asparagus too. she also GRILLED the asparagus (which is awesome, i'll be doing that too) and tossed it in using the "wegman's basting oil", which i would buy if i could afford it. and then they gave it to us in a tiny little cup and i practically ate it in one bite because it was so good, and i think i will be dreaming about it tonight.
mmm.
now that that's off of my chest.
today i learned that the "techniques" lady at wegman's makes a mean g-free pasta dish.
my wonderful mother heard about a "celiac awareness night" at the new wegman's in collegeville thanks to a well-placed flyer at her allergist's office. so, we decided to check it out. we were under the impression that we would get some recipes and such, which wasn't exactly true, but we did get to hear some interesting information that even my mom, after her many research frenzies, had not found. and at the end, they gave us a tour around the wegman's store, showing us where their gluten free stuff is (which i already knew about) and letting us taste some yummy yummy yummy food.
some lady named peg or pam or patti or something is stationed at an overtly obvious stand near the door under a sign reading "techniques" where she cooks food for people to try. i was so busy looking at the big skillet of gf pasta and veggies she was cooking that i didn't notice much else. i know she used "schar" pasta (which is probably what i will exclusively buy from now on), and she cut up tomatoes and onions in it, and then some asparagus too. she also GRILLED the asparagus (which is awesome, i'll be doing that too) and tossed it in using the "wegman's basting oil", which i would buy if i could afford it. and then they gave it to us in a tiny little cup and i practically ate it in one bite because it was so good, and i think i will be dreaming about it tonight.
mmm.
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