December 21, 2010

confession

The truth is,
When I'm at the gym I repeat "let's go, baby. just keep swimming. let's go. let's go. yeah. you got it." in my head the entire time I'm working out and it actually works. Maybe there is something to the "get pumped" mentality.

I wonder what everyone else thinks about while they're sweating.

December 17, 2010

bestest, yummiest, easiest granola ever

I've made granola three times over the past week and a half and I'm finally happy with my recipe.



4 cups rolled oats
 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey (or agave nectar, or maple syrup)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp vanilla
6 T + 2tsp vegetable oil
pecans
walnuts
almonds
sesame seeds
dried cranberries
flaxseed

1. Mix the oats with the salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

2. In a seperate small bowl, mix the oil, brown sugar, vanilla and honey.

3. Dump mixture number 2 over mixture number one. Stir until all the oats are covered. This might require using your hands.

4. Place granola onto a non-stick pan at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

5. Flip granola over.

6. Add sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts and pecans and bake for another 10 minutes.

7. After you pull the granola out, add the flaxseeds and cranberries.

December 16, 2010

12.16

It's the busiest time of the year and I've been working non-stop. Due to the weather I was offered a room at the Inn Sunday night. Not a bad deal: $500 room, king size bed for one.

It officially feels like the Christmas season. The snow has put magic in the air and I feel warm and happy. I attended a wacky Christmas party on Saturday in a skin tight 90's cherry red dress complimented by a pine-tree green jacket with shoulder pads and drank hot apple cider mixed with red wine.

crappy quality, funny photo

My latest inspiration is pinterest which allows you to catalog things you like online by topic. I already do this on my desktop and I can't wait to start using it!

December 4, 2010

laughing.

When I was 13 my parents bought me a wonderful Columbia coat for skiing. I tried it on last year, as did Jethro and it safely fits both of us at the same time. Jethro did some reflecting on what kind of small talk might have been happening between my mom and dad at the time of purchase:

“Your parents were like, if she keeps growing for the next 15 years and gets pregnant with triplets, she might need this in her 3rd trimester.”

November 25, 2010

list of thanks

 I am thankful for so many things this year, but here's the important stuff.

one.  graduation!

two. feeling settled (finally!) in a new place, in a new town

Side note: Last week I realized I have moved four out of the last five Augusts'. NOT RECOMMENDED.

three. wonderful visitors

four. a healthy, loving, kick ass greyhound.

five. a healthy, loving, kick ass boyfriend.

six. a healthy, loving, kick ass family.

seven. & healthy, loving, kick ass friends.

eight. airmailed meat from Omaha Steaks (compliments of aforementioned kick ass family!)

nine. JOBS! I was warned up, down and all around and I feel lucky to be employed.

ten. Chocolate-chip cookies

November 24, 2010

Tday eve

I have five hundred things to accomplish before the weekend and I all I can think is, how the hell do all of you working adults with children get food on the table and keep a house clean?

I keep falling over. Before the waterfall incident I fell while hiking with Jethro's friends. When our friends from Indy were here, I fell hiking AGAIN. And today at work I slipped and did the splits down the stair with a mop in my hand.  FUNNY SIGHT = SIX FOOT PERSON + MOP + FALLING.

All I need is some When Harry Met Sally and a glass of wine. Netflix needs a partner company: Boozefix.

November 21, 2010

THANKSGIVING MENU

Saturday I will cook more food in one day than ever before! After much deliberation and three trips to the grocery, I have my Thanksgiving menu set in stone.

There will be Turkey.

& potato, squash and goat cheese gratin

Photo: the kitchn


& bread stuffing with seasonal fruits and herbs

Photo: simple bites

& sweet potato casserole
Photo: my recipes

& green beans with vinaigrette

& "healthy" chocolate chip cookies

& pumpkin ginger pie

Photo: my blessed life

& wine and micro-brews and hugs and I CAN'T WAIT.

November 18, 2010

11.18

Is it okay to say that I have been neglecting the blogosphere because my masthead is ugly and I'm too darn stubborn (lazy) to come up with something new?

Well I am.

There are many signs that we had visitors this weekend. The pile of dishes has extended way farther than normal, clothes are strewn all over my room, and I surely am behind on laundry for the week. But everything is perfect. I really love having friends around. It's the perfect excuse to stray from routine and delve into random adventures.

Aren't these nifty?

Monday was hard. As an excellent weekend came to a close, I missed my friends in Indiana and the comfort of familiarity. I drove to work in the early morn near tears, feeling weak and confused. I have a superfluous amount of choices and I'm restless. How is a person who struggles to choose a brand of peanut butter at the grocery supposed to identify one career?

I try not to count the work days because I have six. I'm often exhausted, but some exciting things are in the works for the future. Hopefully I'll have GREAT news in the next month.

November 9, 2010

random life

I'd like to first admit that I have FAILED at spending only my tips. I'm not feeling too terrible because having such an outlandish goal has at least drawn my attention to where my money is going.

This website is inspiring my Thanksgiving menu: simplebites.net/.  I hope my parents are prepared to eat a minimum of 20 dishes because I can't make choices!

LINK: Butternut Squash Whole Wheet Macaronni
SERIOUSLY? HEAVEN.

Tonight I made DELICIOUS vegan brownies only to discover that the tofu I used was spoiled. I thought tofu just smelled a little funny anyway? LIFE LESSON 428: If it smells rotten, it's rotten. 

November 6, 2010

four things

one. After having one day off in the past two weeks, I finally get the next two days to relax, clean, do laundry and just catch up. Oh, and did I mention sleep in? Screw you, 5:30. We're not talking till Tuesday.

two. We are having visitors tomorrow, visitors from Indiana next weekend and then my parents are coming for Thanksgiving! I am ecstatic!

three. The snow came and the snow went.

four. A collection of Kurt Vonnegut's "unpublished" works is on my kitchen table ready for me read!

November 4, 2010

cash money

Because I'm nuts (and little broke), I'm going to see if I can live solely off my tip money for the month of November. And because I might even be crazy, I'm going to see if Jethro and I can BOTH do it.

I bring home about $30 cash every week. You do the math. Groceries. Gas. Beer. Rune. Entertainment.

This encourages a couple lifestyle changes. First, it forces us to eliminate all extraneous purchases. Second, it will make me more mindful of our food choices. I'll need to plan meals and make grocery lists. Third, it will force us to communicate about where our money is going. Fourth, we will have mo' money in the bank at the end.

October 27, 2010

Pisgah National Forest

So about them hikin' bewts?

This past weekend I went "for serious" camping - no electricity, water, the whole nine - for the first time and I never want to do anything else ever. I can't believe we are headed into Winter and that I am about to start job number two because I HAVE ROCKS TO SLEEP ON AND FIRES TO MAKE.

We hiked to our camping location in the dark Saturday night which provided a beautiful surprise when we woke Sunday. I opened my morning eyes to see tall yellow trees shedding their leaves across the sky. True to personality, Jethro had already been up for two hours, jumping rocks down the creek and taking hundreds of photographs.



We roasted little smokies over the fire for breakfast and had a quiet, chill morning until logic bit me in the ass.


It turns out running shoes and hiking boots do not have equivalent traction when it comes to wet rocks. Science. I trusted myself to hoist my body but my right foot slipped and then my left and then I was on my stomach sliding backwards down this little waterfall.



Yeah. Nice one. And when Jethro ran over to my rescue, spewing serious questions and trying not to laugh, all I could say was, "I'm just COLD." and maybe some cursing.

I'm really lucky I did not end up in the pond. (There's always next time.)

So yeah, about them hikin' bewts?

October 21, 2010

we'll all float on

Income, you ask?

The details of my job are quite simple. I make coffee, smoothies and yummy food. The more I learn the more this job seems to fit. What do you know, a college degree and I'm making smoothies.

Also, despite being horrendously late and flipping spilling coffee on my sweater, I've officially been hired at job number 2! I mean, I probably set myself up for this failure. If you're drinking coffee on the way to an interview, it will end up on your sweater. It's like logic. Psh. Or perhaps the universe saying, "Off with your head!"

Long term, I'm plan-less. We're going camping this weekend with our neighbors and their friends. Alas, this town is wearing off on me. I want to trade a third of my clothes for hiking boots, a three season sleeping bag, long johns and a new pack. I'm thankful I have these jobs to fill my bank account through the winter. I'm still unsure how/if I want to put my hard earned degree to work. I don't want to let that piece of paper define me, but it was no easy venture and there is certainly something to say for the individual with a "title."

evencleveland writes so perfectly on her blog, "I look at online job listings with a vague sense of panic and dread, unconvinced of my ability to be the person they are looking for, and yet unwilling to give up the idea that somehow I can fit into this marvelous machine of regulated human effort and toil, that I can find a job - a definition - that provides a pat answer at parties and a steady stream of income."

To beat a dead bird with a stick, I guess that's life. Finding where you belong and then diving naked into a pool of certainty. If I'm supposed to be grown, I don't feel so. Yes, a "typical" American youth--unprepared for the real world with a basket of dreams and pocket full of expectations. But I'm at the beginning of the road again - free and thrilled - similar to how I felt when I moved into my first apartment. When I don't want to be here I'll find somewhere else, but this is a great place to float.

October 19, 2010

HOT DRINKS

Hot Chocolate (Photo: J, obv.)


Pumpkin spice latte. It's not Starbucks, but it's not $4 either. I use soy milk and drip coffee because, you know, an espresso machine is not in my budget in the moment.

And in case you were wondering, I've only had about 27 of these in the past month.

October 15, 2010

contraction city

Considering I awoke to my alarm going off before the sun had wiped its eyes from a sleepy slumber AND considering when I half-consciously reached for the snooze I knocked a glass of water onto the electric strip filled with all our chargers AND considering I was forced to get out of bed a good NINE minutes early to fix said problem and discovered it had dropped into the 40's over night...

today has been a nice day.

I worked all morning, went to take a drug test for part time job number two (which I should hopefully be starting next week!!), came home to a happy dog and boyfriend, took the papasan outside for an afternoon snooze in the sun, and THEN our Pentax gear sold THEN our Pentax gear "sold" to a scammer on eBay and we went to get the Canon.

And we got the Canon. I remembered that when you change your address, USPS offers a Best Buy coupon that is sent to your e-mail immediately. For whatever reason, Jethro had yet to change his, qualifying us for this deal.

And dinner. Mmm. We had bang, bang shrimp, bread with pesto olive oil and swordfish with feta and sage with pumpkin stuffed ravioli and roasted vegetables with Parmesan. I wish I could say I cooked this, but Bonefish Grill definitely made it happen this evening.

It's 8:30 and I'm exhausted. We've got some friends visiting tomorrow so I'd expect nine million photos from J.

October 14, 2010

she's 8x10 and she's mine

I went on an etsy binge this evening. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it.)

After hours of searching I fell head over heals for this lovely lady.


Beautiful. Immaculate. Yum. Yum. Yum.
Check out this bag of gems.

October 11, 2010

the visitor

Jessica visited over the weekend which gave us the perfect excuse to take a few days off work and school. We ventured around Asheville eating scrumptious food, drinking yummy local beers, browsing the shops and embracing the perhaps last hot weekend of the year.

We also climbed Mt. Mitchell, the highest point East of the Mississippi. Ya hear?

And perhaps the most fun event of the weekend, Jess and I participated in the Asheville Zombie Walk.  We threw our costumes together rather last minute and we looked amazing.






October 4, 2010

with love.

I'm not sure about the rest of the country but it just went from about 85 degrees to 65 in a matter of days. I did not sign up for a midday temperature of 52 in October. I require a slow transition between the seasons. Baby steps, Asheville.

I was messing around with the camera this afternoon and found these bits of happiness.

ONE. A man in earth tones. (AND folded laundry.)


TWO. Rune, the ultimate whiner when it comes to comfort, often sleeps with his head on the hard floor while the rest of his body lays comfortably atop his three layer bed.


THREE. A new collage above the sink.


FOUR. New-to-me vintage suitcases stuffed with summer clothes and other unneeded items. $2 each.

October 2, 2010

pretty failure.

I had my first upset this evening. Too much curry powder? Too much pepper? Or maybe it was the mango chutney. I don't know. But the aftertaste was... intense, with a hint of bleck. (Perhaps learning to cook will blossom my ability to describe food.)

It's worth sharing though, because the dish was so pretty.

Crappy Curry Chicken Salad


[And just for the record, I intend to always list where I get my recipes from but no use calling anyone out. However, her name is an example of alliteration and one of my favorite people says "MOOO" when she comes on the television.]

heaven.

Let's talk about it, Martha.

Except,  I really refuse to bake anything that calls for a STICK of butter. You can bet I'll be on the look out for a healthier version of these babies.

October 1, 2010

FRIDAY:

one. this magnificent 180 sq. foot cabin in the woods is a dream.
two. I've recently decided that if I tell myself I like doing the dishes, it works. I'm even thinking of making a "dishes mix" in iTunes.

three. Apple Pecan Streusel Muffins.

four.  I got a JOB.

September 29, 2010

News Flash:

There are Goodwill stores in this country where you can pay for stuff by the pound.

I recently placed all apartment decorating on hold until I remembered this little secret. Today I purchased

2 large vintage suitcases (one is a tweed Samsonite)
3 picture frames
1 5 X 7 matte
1 muffin pan
1 cake pan
1 12 hook rack (for the entryway)
2 forks
2 large plates
7 hanging files

... for less than $15.

I'll have to head there for my new fall wardrobe if I keep up all this good cookin'.

Today we had some serious rain. As I scurried the few steps home in the evening rain with our sheets, the sound of the laundry door smacking the back reminded me of the bathroom doors at my favorite summer camp. Something about being in this part of the country has made me very nostalgic. I'm a kid again, and this is good.

On not having a job:

"Heeeelll yeah. This is a great place to be unemployed."

Um, YEAH.

September 28, 2010

Simplicity


I knew learning to make food would come with a lot of triumphs but I didn't know they'd come in such easy packages. Hashbrowns. Avacado. Egg. (& hot sauce, for the adventurous).

Of course, there are still about a million logistical things that I don't know how to do. For instance, I'm typing this hunt and peck style because I caught a piece of my finger while ferociously grating the potatoes. It's always those little cuts that bleed like hell.

Tip #1: Potatoes grate faster than cheese so move your fingers OUT OF THE WAY.
Tip #2: Don't grate potatoes to let off steam.


September 21, 2010

market finds

hearts.

I'm still astounded when I turn the corner and get an eye full of mountains. The 65 degree mornings and evenings sandwich an 85 degree afternoon. Bliss.

In an attempt to embrace the seasons upon us I've purchased a crock pot. I'm also pretty sure that this recipe is perfect for fending off the summer-is-ending blues. Perhaps this year I'll happily embrace fall. All of my actions suggest this possibility. I've made banana bread and shrimp and corn chowder, and Jethro made a whole five quarts of chili. I'm craving hot apple cider and PANTS and even sweaters. (Notice I didn't mention COATS or snow BOOTS or the death of my lovely friend, Sunshine.)

When the leaves change I might lose my mind. I just found an Asheville website that provides a "Fall Color Report," complete with a list of suggested scenic drives to observe.

And last but not least, here's a blog that I love.


This post is choppy but it gave me an idea. I'm going to start a series of posts called 4 Things. Randomly when I get the urge, I'm going to post four things that have made me happy, intrigued me, inspired me or just made me feel goooooood. Feel free to join!

September 14, 2010

home sweet home


 

  


I love the way the dining area turned out. The table is from IKEA, and folds flat if desired. We got the chairs surprisingly at Big Lots - $90 for the pair, a mark down from $250. And we all know how much this lady likes a good deal.

I'm also super happy with the picture arrangement in photo #1. I bought the photos from a vendor on Granville Island. They are supposed to be greeting cards but I bought them with the intention to frame them. IKEA helped and sold me all four of those black frames for $8. Hooray.


September 12, 2010

"Between the ages of twenty and forty we are engaged in the process of discovering who we are, which involves learning the difference between accidental limitations which it is our duty to outgrow and the necessary limitations of our nature beyond which we cannot trespass with impunity." -W. H. Auden

September 11, 2010

Vancouver - Victoria - Seattle


     

Downtown Vancouver. Well, some of it.

Grouse Mountain - You can see downtown Vancouver.

Thrill. Beauty.

Mom!


Granville Island

Victoria, B.C.


Butchart Gardens, Victoria, B.C.
  

 



The original!
 

With the exception of the one that she is in, my mom took all of these photos with her point and shoot. We ate a Canadian favorite, poutine (french fries, gravy, curdled cheese), with joy... and our eyes closed, went ziplining, explored, slept in hostels, walked, shopped, wined and dined.

I love my momma.
             

September 10, 2010

HOME.

I told myself 50 times that I was going to document the decorating of our apartment and you know what, HA!, I didn't! I literally got the camera out once, took one single picture and then stuck my head so far into the cleaning/unpacking process that I didn't come out for days. No, really.

Well, we have the internet again. Whew. My "internet to do list" (which consisted of things I needed to look up or take care of online) was getting a bit hefty.

So despite the fact that you aren't going to be able to see a total before and after, I figured I'd take pictures just so you could see the progress. We don't have much on the walls and there is still plenty to do, but here she is!

I will say, this space is so magnificent. WARNING: Although I reaaaaaaly wanted to, I tried not to "tidy up". I figured that perhaps this way the end result will look even better. Experts call this the Botox effect; if you make the "before" picture as terrible and under-exposed as possible, the "after" picture will show drastic signs of improvement. I'm kidding about that first part.


September 8, 2010

letter from my grandmother



The beginning of the letter talks of simplicity -- card games with out-of-town friends, polka festivals, canning pickles. Today I meditate on the happiness found in simple activities.

Life is slow. I'm jobless, not enrolled in school and vastly happy with what I will be able to accomplish during this transition. 

For me, there are two kinds of books. There is the "bathroom" variety, which can be leisurely picked up every few weeks. And then there are dive books, where despite all attempts to slowly engage, all life must halt until the back cover meets the front. I love both of them.

Although I consider myself a reader, it has been months since I've picked up a book for pleasure. As for many, the security I find in books is not paralleled elsewhere and reading has released a dormant calm within.

Reading represents my desire to slow down and do what I like to do. That doesn't mean I'll forget responsibility. It just means that I should not let guilt and expectations sway my choices. And you know, when I'm too old to do things, go places, climb, swim and fall over laughing, I won't feel sorry for myself.