New Years and a new notebook/calendar…my favorite time of year!!!

With a bit of OCD and a deep love for my planner/calendar… you can imagine how full it gets by the end of the year. I note everything, due dates of bills, favorite quotes, workouts, Dr appointments, interviews, medications, first kisses, lunches, trips, my cycle, work info, EVERYTHING!  This time of year excites me because I love, love, LOVE to purge all the old info. No longer carrying old anniversaries, dates and ex-boyfriends birthdays with me is cathartic for me. No more reminders of things I’ve already let go of, not to mention all the old spilled food and stains. [BTW in case you’re thinking about stealing my planner you should know… most things are written in code. I’ve developed shorthand/code … this could surprise you readers of my blog…. But I’m really a private person. Half the time my closest friends/family don’t know a big part of my life. So don’t try taking it, ‘cause you won’t be able to decode it anyway.] 

This year I did something new... I bought two planners. Normally i'd never presume to 'change' one of my friends but I'm bending this rule just once (for her benefit). The moment I saw the owl planner I knew it belonged to her! For years my friend has used a basic month wall calendar to track her whole life. Historically its worked fine... but this year she has four kids in four different schools, a brand new business, book club, a calling at her church, girl scouts, soccer mom and a husband to keep track of (sometimes she runs her fathers company too). If she had a moment to spare she'd tell you she's BUSY! My desire for her... that she will be able to have more information in more order at her fingertips to help with her new business. Just watching her do her morning routine exhausts me.

I had to post this.... you already know my affinity for packages in string. Now I get to be the sender.

Jewish Bread and Christmas...duking it out in the ring

Something funny happened last Thursday to me and I thought you might get a kick outta it.  

Jewish, I am not… but I look forward to Fridays because I love this bread, it kinda tastes like donuts. The grocery store near my home prepares the bread only on Fridays because it follows Jewish tradition.

A little history from Wiki: Challah Bread (also ḥaallaaaa) a special braided bread eaten by the Jewish.  According to Jewish tradition, the three Sabbath meals (Friday night, Saturday lunch, and Saturday late) and two holiday meals (one at night and lunch the following day) each begin with two complete loaves of bread.This "double loaf" commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. The manna did not fall on the Sabbath or holidays; instead, a double portion would fall the day before.

(Remember…Christmas is not an observed Jewish holiday cause they don’t believe that Christ has come yet.)
So again last Thursday I was shopping making last minute preparations for my Christmas Eve dinner (Christmas was on Saturday this year). I noticed the baker was offering Challah Bread. Now I’ve been off work for a long time… so I scratched my head and asked… “Is it Friday?”  He explained it was still Thursday and due to the “holiday” they made it early.  This made me lift an eyebrow. When he did not offer further explanation I pushed a bit further asking if this seemed odd to him. He was an older man… not a teen so I thought he would understand. He just stared at me. So thinking I was being witty (with my head at a slight tilt) asked if they had consulted with any Jewish people before moving their sabbath to accommodate Christmas (a holiday they don’t observe). He seemed not to understand how funny I am. The people behind me in line understood and started laughing…. I think they were Jewish.
I get it now why Jewish people get snooty when you unknowingly wish them a Merry Christmas…. Only Christians would presume they could just move other religions sabbath to accommodate a holiday only observed by them.  

‘Life’s too short, have an affair’

Today I joined a website designed to help married people find someone to cheat with.  I know your thinking I’m an awful person… I would agree if my intentions were dubious and followed the company’s logo ‘life’s to short, have an affair.’ Let me explain, on the news today they showcased the CEO of the cheating website. He seemed to think his site was ‘good and needed’ because it had over a million members. My response- the world also has over a million pedophiles and thieves are they ‘needed’ too?  This should be a real crime as well as the moral crime it is.

I’ll admit I expected to see trolls when I got online… and some were, but most weren’t.  I didn’t fill in my profile info nor did I put up my photo. What I wasn’t prepared for was all the unsolicited emails I would get from men on my blank profile. Within 2 hours I had 4 emails. This proved to me that the men were desperate and just there hoping to hook up with any woman, even an invisible non-existent woman.  Shocking to me was that a married man would invite me to look at tons of photos of him and his ‘junk’. Then tell me in his message that discretion was very important because he was married and had no intention of leaving her. All I could think about was this poor man’s wife. He looked clean cut and said he had kids.  Knowing he was out cheating on her…. I wonder if she has any idea, or if she will have to get an STD to find out. How horrible would that be… thinking she’s in a monogamous loving marriage and instead he’s out trolling and catching crap to pass onto her. 

All I wanted to do is find this guys wife and tell her. He’s lucky that he was able to restrict me from seeing and grabbing his photos…. I was going to post them on my Facebook and pass them to my friends who live in SLC and see if we could catch him.

This is me on my soap box… don’t treat people like crap! If you’re not happy make a choice. Talk to your spouse or leave the situation. ‘Cause I don’t believe most are really unhappy. I think they like to claim that so they can pretend they’re actions are justified. If you’re truly unhappy you wouldn’t have stayed, your gaining in some way. You just want to have your cake and eat someone else’s too.  So selfish!

To clarify this site also has women on it with the same unchased purposes and in no way am I only pointing the finger at men.  

Brown paper packages tied up with strings....

These are a few of my favorite things!

E-bay freak.... ya, that sums me up. There are few things I enjoy more that receiving a package in the mail. The experience is heightened when the item comes from another country. I love how they really tie the packages up with strings. The world would be a better place if we all mailed things like this. Seriously, who can keep from smiling?

This should also act as a second instalment of "How to Spend Superfluously."  The bright beautiful bowls was act one. But since i'm a VW fan I had to get my hands on this butter dish!

BTW - update on the bowls... I already chipped one. I dropped a star ramekin on the whole pile of bowls and chipped the second largest. Sadface!

Zucchini Casserole - five stars!

 

Wish you had smell-i-vision! This filled the house with the most inviting aroma.

60 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

2.5 cups sliced zucchini (I also added 2 small yellow squash)
1 lb ground turkey – 99% fat free
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
2 cups Prego Traditional flavor
1 small can sliced mushrooms
2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

Directions

Slice zucchini in 1/4 in. slices. Sauté in Pam until tender.

In separate skillet, cook ground turkey, onion, and green pepper. Drain. Stir in tomato sauce, mushrooms and seasonings.

Layer half of zucchini in 13 x 9 inch pan. Spoon half of ground turkey mixture over vegetables. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat layers of veggies and ground turkey. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes.Number of Servings: 6

Santa Days

Simple rules... 1) address each other only as Santa 2) dress like Santa 3) have fun

And have fun... I had!

Dinner - D-lish!

I know I shouldn’t have… but how could I not.

Back in September I was visiting a friend back in my hometown Portland Oregon. My friend, Lisa owns a cake business specializing in the most beautiful and whimsical wedding or birthday cakes! While there we were shopping and ran across the most amazing bowl.  It was bright, HUGE and totally stunning, like something out of “giant land” in a cartoon world.  At the time, I was out of state and couldn’t travel the enormous ceramic bowl home safely and my sweet friend’s husband was out of work. With sad hearts we both passed on the opportunity.

Today while out shopping (near my home) the heavens opened… miraculously I saw to bowl again at Ross (a discount department store).  My heart skipped a beat and I resisted the urge to elbow the lady next to me and break into a sprint to get the bowl before anyone else did.  My jaw dropped when I got to it and looked inside. The bowl contained 5 other matching mix-matched bowls!!!  I knew the large bowl would cost $10 and figured each of the smaller would be about the same. Fearing  it would be out of my justifiable price range I flipped the smallest bowl.  I was shocked when the tag said $1.99 then the next for only 2.99, then $4.99, $6.99 and $7.99. When I added them up it was a steal, $35.00 for all 6 bowls! Unemployed as I am… I still had to weigh it out. But in the end the fear of missing out again finally won… and into my cart they went.  

So… I know I shouldn’t have… but how could I not?

The photo doesn't show the vibrancy of the colors. They're true french blue, bright lime green, crisp white, sea foam and teal.

On a side note... In the morning I'm planning on going back to the Limo company I used to seasonally work for, to see if they would like me to help out during the holidays and Sundance Film Festival. The only person (I know) who's still working there is my ex-brother in-law (sisters ex-husband). Keep your fingers crossed that he'll give me a good reference. It would only be seasonal work but it would help with my medical bills. The limo season in Utah is short, Thanksgiving to first of April, mainly consisting of skiers/snowboarders who don't want to rent a car and drive in the snow. Because I would be bottom of the totem (if i got the job) its most likely that i'd only work for 2 months. However, I would  get to work Sundance again. I love Sundance because its crazy hours and money... all sorts of parties and S.W.A.G. being given away. Last time I went to the People Magazine party and met Ludicrous. Later I was able to E-bay all the stuff in my SWAG bag and make a couple hundred bucks.

Wish me luck!

Somthing to say about nothing at all.

Sun salutations (30 min of Yoga) was fun...and has yet to kill me. Lets hope it doesn't sneak up on me tomorrow.

I was ineffective at being productive today...So I'll post only a photo of my dinner.

BTW tomorrow I try yoga again... wish me luck!

Worldwide Candle Lighting

Today was The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting. It unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor and remember children who have died at any age from any cause. As candles are lit at 7 p.m. local time, creating a virtual wave of light, hundreds of thousands of persons commemorate an...d honor the memory of children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries.
To remember my friends who have passed I made my candles.  

http://www.compassionatefriends.org/news_events/Worldwide_Candle_Lighting.aspx

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili

I had some friends ask for the Sweet Potato Chili recipe (that was in the crock-pot photo).... so here it is.

Hands-on time: 20 Minuets

Total Time: 4 hours 20 min to 8 hours 20 min

Serves 4 adults

·         1 medium red onion, chopped

·         1 green bell pepper, chopped

·         4 garlic cloves, chopped

·         1 tablespoon chili powder

·         1 tablespoon ground cumin

·         2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

·         ¼  teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1 teaspoon Kosher salt (I used sea salt)

·         ¼ teaspoon black pepper

·         1 – 28 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (with liquid)

·         1 – 15.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed

·         1 – 15.5 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed

·         1 medium sweet potato (about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

·         1 cup water

Sour cream, sliced scallions, slices radishes, and tortilla chips, for serving

(I used cream cheese instead of sour cream… and no scallions. The radishes do add balance to the chili.)

It needs a cream of some type to round out the flavor, don’t leave it out!

1.      In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, combine all the ingredients with bullets.

2.      Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.

3.      Serve the chili with cream, scallions, radishes and tortilla chips.

Unfortunate things to know about me:

I’m not a... writer, blogger, designer, decorator, artist, fashionista, mechanic, photographer or chef.  Yet I still like to dabble in them all. Without spell check you probably wouldn’t be able to guess what I was saying. Though I’ve decorated many of my friend’s homes in a lovely manor, mine is in chaos because I just can’t settle on any one direction. I could not draw a doodle to save my life… fortunately my sister graduated with a degree in art and helps me out. Tee shirts and jeans are an everyday occurrence in my wardrobe. In front of my house (on jack stands) is a 1970 VW beetle that an ex-boyfriend convinced me I could fix if I bought it, so far I can’t.  And as for cooking, I have a weeks worth of meals, none contain more than 6 ingredients, I can make and fool anyone into thinking I know my way around a kitchen. Truth be told… i’ve never made a fancy meal in my life. In fact yesterday was the first time I tried making anything out a magazine and the first time I used my slow cooker.

Dont let the cover fool you... its on jack stands.



First Chili- Sweet Potato Vegan



I go at full speed toward anything I love… all things vintage/antique, scooters, skulls, VW’s, anything beach  or Portland related and favorite colors. This wouldn’t be an issue except when I try to decorate my space. Orange is my favorite color, I just love how vibrant and bold it is, but I also love skulls and crossbones from my time living on the river as a whitewater guide. When you put that together with my black furniture you start to see the issue. My living room feels like a hint of Halloween, all the time.  So I added my other love of all things antique with wheels. A lamp made out of a scooter headset and another lamp out of an antique phone. Couple this will all the photos of my favorite city Portland Oregon and it starts to look like a blender attacked my space.

In the next 6 months I’m planning on correcting these things. My desire is to use this blog as a guide to measure how I’m doing…. And keep myself honest about my progress.
Feel free to offer suggestion or guidance.

Goals by May 2011

·         Have full time employment where I’m challenged to grow and expand (and that covers the bills).

·         Have my 1970 VW Bug running (without leaks) with new floor pans. Interior and paint to come later.

·         Finish decorating my new kitchen- Laid Back Beach theme meets Mamma Mia Greek theme

·         Be actively dating someone special. This will be a bit harder ‘cause I’m gonna have to be much less of a hermit.

·         Payoff my week stay at the hospital (from November 2010). Only 47k … no big deal right?

·         Expand to 2 weeks of recipes I can whip up, incorporating at least 2 fancy meals.