So I have been meaning to get on here and do my "End of the year" post, like I did last year,...but things are too crazy to do a monthly breakdown and add pictures. I'm sorry. This will be the super-ultra-quick version.
January: New year, more wedding planning and bad weather...
February: My trip to AZ to see Paula and Frank and there was snow and a spontaneous trip to Vista House (one of my favorite places-ever).
March: Lots of birthdays and the start of spring, wedding plans and working.
April: More suprise snow, a beach trip and the start of some really crazy weekends where we were just super busy.
May: Jam making, song choosing, bridal shower, helped Shelly and Chris with the retaining wall and dress alterations.
June: More bridal showers, picked up my dress, ordered tuxes for the boys, Steven's beach birthday trip and Colin's birthday party.
July: Celebrated Independance day, rain, as per usual, one last bridal shower, Bachelorette and Bachelor parties, hasty last minute wedding and honeymoon prep.
August: Wedding!!! Finally here, a wonderful day and lots of great memories, Honeymoon- so super fabulous to get a vacation in- we needed it! My birthday and trying to pack our new wedding things into the apartment!
September: Started to think about getting a house, started looking at houses, the economy and USA starts to unravel!
October: More stock market woes, Opera night, cut my hair off and halloween!
November: Lost my job, busier than I ever thought possible!, Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas, Making Christmas cards with Mom.
December: Found a new job, still super busy, Christmas and parties and seeing old and new friends and breathing deeply!
So that's our year in a nutshell. We seem to be perpetually busy people, but we love our lives and and we love each other and our families and friends. What more could we ask for?
In more recent news- we're looking into moving for my new job. Not too far from where we are now. We think we might have found a nice place and have an appointment to look at it on Friday. Wish us luck- this could be a good deal!
I had thought I would reflect on last year's resolutions in this post, but I think I will save that for tomorrow when I have some free time. Until then- I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Eve and a wonderful New Year!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The awesome, the good and the stir crazy...
Subtitled: these are the days of our lives! :)
First, the awesome: I got and accepted a job offer last Friday afternoon! I will be starting my new job after the first of the year. I am very excited to get a chance to work again, and this is a better job in many ways. We couldn't be more pleased and we feel so blessed. They have given me what I was looking for and more. This is probably going to mean a move for Steven and I, but we were looking to get out of this apartment anyways. It will probably be the quickest move we've ever done and we'll probably be doing it right after Christmas. Nothing is worked out yet though.
The good news is that there are only 5 more days until I can start opening presents! Also, we're getting ready to prepare holiday goodies for parties and dinners. I hope the weather cooperates so that we can attend the functions we were planning on. I am really looking forward to next week. The time I've had off has simply flown by.
And the stir crazy....
Fun times with Lindsey and Crysie...
And it continued to fall all day, more snow than I had ever seen fall in my life here...and on Monday we ventured out with Keith:
Keith is throwing a snow ball at me here...can you see it? Its like "Where's Waldo?"
So Keith braved it over to our place with his all wheel drive (brag about it, why don't you? :) ), then drove us to Fred Meyer's so we could pick up some much needed stuff. We were surprised at how many people were there!
Then he brought us home and, to be honest, I haven't left the apartment since...Steven worked from home a couple of days and yesterday and today he made it into the office. I'm praying for this to melt soon and be safe to go out in...I can't take much more. But I did use the excuse to have a little spa day...I still need to paint my toes, but the wool socks I'm wearing would make it difficult for them to dry. :) and watch a bunch of girl movies and food network.
Now I'm off to make something yummy for lunch and maybe start a girly movie. Hopefully these posts will make up for my lack of recent blogging. But I will have to do one soon about the Holiday Triffle that I'm going to make for Christmas Eve dinner. Stay tunned!
First, the awesome: I got and accepted a job offer last Friday afternoon! I will be starting my new job after the first of the year. I am very excited to get a chance to work again, and this is a better job in many ways. We couldn't be more pleased and we feel so blessed. They have given me what I was looking for and more. This is probably going to mean a move for Steven and I, but we were looking to get out of this apartment anyways. It will probably be the quickest move we've ever done and we'll probably be doing it right after Christmas. Nothing is worked out yet though.
The good news is that there are only 5 more days until I can start opening presents! Also, we're getting ready to prepare holiday goodies for parties and dinners. I hope the weather cooperates so that we can attend the functions we were planning on. I am really looking forward to next week. The time I've had off has simply flown by.
And the stir crazy....
Saturday night we thought we better be head home from Cleona's party just in case the snow came in early...when we got home it was warmer than it had been all day, so we decided to head over to Lindsey's house warming party and take her her Christmas present.
Fun times with Lindsey and Crysie...Then we woke up to this on Sunday morning...
And it continued to fall all day, more snow than I had ever seen fall in my life here...and on Monday we ventured out with Keith:
Keith is throwing a snow ball at me here...can you see it? Its like "Where's Waldo?"So Keith braved it over to our place with his all wheel drive (brag about it, why don't you? :) ), then drove us to Fred Meyer's so we could pick up some much needed stuff. We were surprised at how many people were there!
Then he brought us home and, to be honest, I haven't left the apartment since...Steven worked from home a couple of days and yesterday and today he made it into the office. I'm praying for this to melt soon and be safe to go out in...I can't take much more. But I did use the excuse to have a little spa day...I still need to paint my toes, but the wool socks I'm wearing would make it difficult for them to dry. :) and watch a bunch of girl movies and food network.
Now I'm off to make something yummy for lunch and maybe start a girly movie. Hopefully these posts will make up for my lack of recent blogging. But I will have to do one soon about the Holiday Triffle that I'm going to make for Christmas Eve dinner. Stay tunned!
New Hair and Cleona's Party
Its not everyday that someone you know turns 90 years old! Cleona had a special open house and Steven and I braved the "snow storm" and went down to see everyone on that side of the family for her birthday and the holidays. It was really nice to get a chance to see just about everyone and eat yummy holiday goodies.
The birthday girl!
The birthday girl!
Her great-grand son and daughter, such cute cousins!
Me and Grandma on the sofa, probably eating chex mix.
Mom holding new baby Kennadi.
While we were down there, I seized the opportunity to have my beauty school chop job evened out...its shorter (and more sassy) but it will grow.
What makes a good tree trimming?
Several things really contribute to a good tree trimming- lots of lights, funny special ornaments, Christmas music (Steven hates me for choosing Jessica Simpson-but I stand by the fact that it was the first thing I saw and grabbed it) and good hot chocolate.
Our tree all done up and shiny!
Pretty presents all wrapped and tucked under!
Steven is excited to get it set up for ornaments!
Look at that totally awesome stance.
He's a keeper!
And if you're wondering- I totally kicked his butt! :)
Our tree all done up and shiny!
Pretty presents all wrapped and tucked under!
Steven is excited to get it set up for ornaments!But honestly, one of the best things was the light saber fight we got into after the presents were all wrapped.
Look at that totally awesome stance.
He's a keeper!Dear Melissa,
This morning I woke up to find this in my email inbox:
"Dear Julie,
I am writing in regards to you recent lack of blog posting. This makes me very sad and my heart melts a little (and not in a good way). You should know that it is very hard to make one's heart melt due to the recent cold weather. I would like to see a blog posting in the next 24 hours, or I shall strike. This may be hard for me to do because you live at the top of a rather large hill and there is currently snow and ice on the ground. Perhaps I will put on my shoe chains and walk with my sign to you house. Please don't make me do this, it is cold.
Your Friend,
Melissa"
So, I just wanted to let you know that I will be posting (a big, long one, with pictures) shortly. Currently my toes are ready to freeze off due to the mentioned "Arctic Blast"... I shall return with tea and long johns on!
Best,
Julie
PS: I love the mention of "shoe chains"...I wonder how she would slip those on to one of her many pairs of "driving moccasins"??
"Dear Julie,
I am writing in regards to you recent lack of blog posting. This makes me very sad and my heart melts a little (and not in a good way). You should know that it is very hard to make one's heart melt due to the recent cold weather. I would like to see a blog posting in the next 24 hours, or I shall strike. This may be hard for me to do because you live at the top of a rather large hill and there is currently snow and ice on the ground. Perhaps I will put on my shoe chains and walk with my sign to you house. Please don't make me do this, it is cold.
Your Friend,
Melissa"
So, I just wanted to let you know that I will be posting (a big, long one, with pictures) shortly. Currently my toes are ready to freeze off due to the mentioned "Arctic Blast"... I shall return with tea and long johns on!
Best,
Julie
PS: I love the mention of "shoe chains"...I wonder how she would slip those on to one of her many pairs of "driving moccasins"??
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Getting into the Festive Spirit...
Steven and I have had a pretty low key weekend...but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy! I got all my shopping done and then moved on to the house...
We have been so busy decorating for the Christmas Season!! Last weekend Steven put up all our lights and then he took a picture of how I have decorated our table...we got a nice new red table cloth, which I thought really complemented our Snowman dishes.
My Mom and I have been busy for the last week and half, or maybe more, making our own Christmas cards this year. It was very fun, because we haven't stamped or done crafts for a loooong time....so it was especially nice to get to do it together. I have a sample of one of the types of cards here. It is a pair of mittens (my sister's stamp, so cute!), and the other type is a French Horn in gold embossing powder. It is beautiful too. The mittens are in a blue/silver theme. The French Horn is in a gold/green/red color scheme. I'm really proud of how they came out...there were sooooo many to do! I also managed to get another craft project done, but I can't say too much about it because its a present for one of my good friends. :)
My Mom stamps up a storm!
Yesterday I spent nearly the entire day making Christmas cookies. This is something I have never done, but now I have a stand mixer and a small arsenal of cooking/baking supplies. I used nearly every specialty tool that I have available and it was a lot of washing up, but totally worth it. As if that weren't enough, then I watched the Food Network's Cookie special and Paula Deen's Cookie swap after that. It was a cookie filled day! (Which is right up my alley!)
These are my sugar cookies with powdered sugar frosting. Steven helped me frost the cookies. It was a nice tag-team effort.
Then, after finishing the sugar cookies, I was able to make a new cookie, from my Christmas Cookie book that I bought myself last year. They were some special Shortbread cookies with Rum butter cream filling. They remind me of a hot buttered rum, but I wouldn't really know, I've never had one. All I know is that they melt in your mouth and are super delicious, if not a big pain to make. One side has a hole in it, the bottoms and top are super fragile, but yummy and the butter cream center is the glue that holds it all together. Even with all the steps and effort I put into them- I might make another batch this week. They are sooooo good!
Meanwhile, Steven had a roaring fire going all day for me, and it was so beautiful he took a picture of our stockings, hanging with care, while the fire was full swing. I even managed to get all my Christmas cards done and all my presents wrapped (well, almost all, still have one last guy to do!).
We are officially ready for Santa!
We have been so busy decorating for the Christmas Season!! Last weekend Steven put up all our lights and then he took a picture of how I have decorated our table...we got a nice new red table cloth, which I thought really complemented our Snowman dishes.
My Mom and I have been busy for the last week and half, or maybe more, making our own Christmas cards this year. It was very fun, because we haven't stamped or done crafts for a loooong time....so it was especially nice to get to do it together. I have a sample of one of the types of cards here. It is a pair of mittens (my sister's stamp, so cute!), and the other type is a French Horn in gold embossing powder. It is beautiful too. The mittens are in a blue/silver theme. The French Horn is in a gold/green/red color scheme. I'm really proud of how they came out...there were sooooo many to do! I also managed to get another craft project done, but I can't say too much about it because its a present for one of my good friends. :)
My Mom stamps up a storm!
Yesterday I spent nearly the entire day making Christmas cookies. This is something I have never done, but now I have a stand mixer and a small arsenal of cooking/baking supplies. I used nearly every specialty tool that I have available and it was a lot of washing up, but totally worth it. As if that weren't enough, then I watched the Food Network's Cookie special and Paula Deen's Cookie swap after that. It was a cookie filled day! (Which is right up my alley!)These are my sugar cookies with powdered sugar frosting. Steven helped me frost the cookies. It was a nice tag-team effort.
Then, after finishing the sugar cookies, I was able to make a new cookie, from my Christmas Cookie book that I bought myself last year. They were some special Shortbread cookies with Rum butter cream filling. They remind me of a hot buttered rum, but I wouldn't really know, I've never had one. All I know is that they melt in your mouth and are super delicious, if not a big pain to make. One side has a hole in it, the bottoms and top are super fragile, but yummy and the butter cream center is the glue that holds it all together. Even with all the steps and effort I put into them- I might make another batch this week. They are sooooo good!
Meanwhile, Steven had a roaring fire going all day for me, and it was so beautiful he took a picture of our stockings, hanging with care, while the fire was full swing. I even managed to get all my Christmas cards done and all my presents wrapped (well, almost all, still have one last guy to do!).
We are officially ready for Santa!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Its beginning to look a lot like...what?
So usually the Civil War game is usually a totally cold, rainy, miserable affair. The weather in the great northwest continues to amaze me though...it ended up being 65 and totally fabulous.
Its a great thing we didn't try to put on long underwear like we had planned on, because we were sweating bullets during the tailgate as it was!
Tara's friend Ally and I are preparing for awesomeness.
Its a great thing we didn't try to put on long underwear like we had planned on, because we were sweating bullets during the tailgate as it was!
Tara's friend Ally and I are preparing for awesomeness.
At the half, Benny the Beaver is taking on Darth Vader during the Band's Star Wars tribute.
Steven and posed for a cute picture before the WORST Oregon fan- EVER sat in front of us.So its really too bad that the game didn't turn out better. Part of the problem, at least for us, was that despite having amazing seats, the man in front of us was a stoned, belligerent, obnoxious Oregon fan. Let me be the first to say that I have no problem with Oregon. I have no problem with being an Oregon fan. I used to be one myself,....but what I have a problem with is someone who, when asked politely will not extend common courtesies to others around him.
Both Steven and I wanted to sock him the face (which is saying a LOT about the situation), and we heard that he almost didn't survive the bathroom at half time. In the end we just ended up leaving...the best defense in the PAC-10 couldn't hold them back and they won. Rose Bowl dreams crushed...for the moment at least. There will be other times, I have faith!
On a happier note, Black Friday was pretty good. I now only have a few more presents to buy, but 3/4 of my shopping is completely done. I just have wrapping to do now. I am hoping my friend Mel will come make some Christmas Cookies with me this weekend and that we can get a tree sometime soon and decorate it. My loving Husband put up lights and hung the stockings with care on Sunday for me while I was recuperating from a terrible cold and reading parts of "Marley and Me"....which is an amazing book. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. I am loving each chapter more and more. It makes me really want a dog of my own. Patience, however, because dogs need space and that's something we don't happen to have a lot of in an apartment.
I hope everyone had a happy holiday. We got to see some family, Darren and Keith and even ended up sitting next to two guys I went to high school with (small world!), Christmas will be upon us before we know it. I'm trying to make the best of my no-work situation by enjoying the holiday season as much as I can. I still have not heard back on the job, but I plan on calling again tomorrow to check up. I will let everyone know as soon as I hear something. Thanks for all your continued support!
Both Steven and I wanted to sock him the face (which is saying a LOT about the situation), and we heard that he almost didn't survive the bathroom at half time. In the end we just ended up leaving...the best defense in the PAC-10 couldn't hold them back and they won. Rose Bowl dreams crushed...for the moment at least. There will be other times, I have faith!
On a happier note, Black Friday was pretty good. I now only have a few more presents to buy, but 3/4 of my shopping is completely done. I just have wrapping to do now. I am hoping my friend Mel will come make some Christmas Cookies with me this weekend and that we can get a tree sometime soon and decorate it. My loving Husband put up lights and hung the stockings with care on Sunday for me while I was recuperating from a terrible cold and reading parts of "Marley and Me"....which is an amazing book. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. I am loving each chapter more and more. It makes me really want a dog of my own. Patience, however, because dogs need space and that's something we don't happen to have a lot of in an apartment.
I hope everyone had a happy holiday. We got to see some family, Darren and Keith and even ended up sitting next to two guys I went to high school with (small world!), Christmas will be upon us before we know it. I'm trying to make the best of my no-work situation by enjoying the holiday season as much as I can. I still have not heard back on the job, but I plan on calling again tomorrow to check up. I will let everyone know as soon as I hear something. Thanks for all your continued support!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Lately...
Whew!
Let's start off with some important news: The Beavers won! Next weeks game will be legend....wait for it... D-A-R-Y!
Next, I have my interview tomorrow! Please keep your fingers crossed and think good thoughts for me tomorrow. I'd really like to get this job. It would be a good opportunity for me, not to mention, I'd like to have a job again, and I really appreciate everyone's support so much!
Wednesday I went to the Capitol building with my Mom, Dad and Donna. Then we found a beauty school and Mom and Dad got great hair cuts, while mine left something to be desired, about an inch and a half on one side and nothing else on the other. After agonizing over it I went to a little Perfect Look to have it evened out. The hair still looks pretty much the same, so that's good at least. I'm waiting until after the interview to try dying it myself though. No need for added stress there!
This last week, I got started on some Christmas cards with Mom. We spent Thursday cutting, stamping, gluing and preparing, then all of Saturday finalizing and putting together. Unfortunately we are only half way done. But I now have 24 cards that are done and waiting for writing in. I will try to work on those this weekend.
All the baking and prep and whatnot is coming to a head. I'm ready and armed with my recipe. I'll be making a devil's food layered chocolate cake with peppermint icing. It just looks so good and I can't resist making it. I hope it is as yummy as it looks in the magazine (it should be, what with the 3 pints of heavy whipping cream and all!). Also, will be making bread for the feast!
Then this weekend is going to be a whirlwind! First, black Friday. I'm expecting some really good deals this year, so its going to be pretty much amazing. The longstanding family tradition lives on! Then, Saturday is the biggest football game of the year. The longest running rivalry will determine if the Beavs get to play in the Grand-daddy of all Bowl games! Keep your fingers crossed for that too, Please!
Hope everyone is having a happy wonderful pre-Thanksgiving weekend! We're constantly reminded of how much we have to be thankful for and I thank my lucky stars every day to have such a loving, supportive family and great friends too!
Let's start off with some important news: The Beavers won! Next weeks game will be legend....wait for it... D-A-R-Y!
Next, I have my interview tomorrow! Please keep your fingers crossed and think good thoughts for me tomorrow. I'd really like to get this job. It would be a good opportunity for me, not to mention, I'd like to have a job again, and I really appreciate everyone's support so much!
Wednesday I went to the Capitol building with my Mom, Dad and Donna. Then we found a beauty school and Mom and Dad got great hair cuts, while mine left something to be desired, about an inch and a half on one side and nothing else on the other. After agonizing over it I went to a little Perfect Look to have it evened out. The hair still looks pretty much the same, so that's good at least. I'm waiting until after the interview to try dying it myself though. No need for added stress there!
This last week, I got started on some Christmas cards with Mom. We spent Thursday cutting, stamping, gluing and preparing, then all of Saturday finalizing and putting together. Unfortunately we are only half way done. But I now have 24 cards that are done and waiting for writing in. I will try to work on those this weekend.
All the baking and prep and whatnot is coming to a head. I'm ready and armed with my recipe. I'll be making a devil's food layered chocolate cake with peppermint icing. It just looks so good and I can't resist making it. I hope it is as yummy as it looks in the magazine (it should be, what with the 3 pints of heavy whipping cream and all!). Also, will be making bread for the feast!
Then this weekend is going to be a whirlwind! First, black Friday. I'm expecting some really good deals this year, so its going to be pretty much amazing. The longstanding family tradition lives on! Then, Saturday is the biggest football game of the year. The longest running rivalry will determine if the Beavs get to play in the Grand-daddy of all Bowl games! Keep your fingers crossed for that too, Please!
Hope everyone is having a happy wonderful pre-Thanksgiving weekend! We're constantly reminded of how much we have to be thankful for and I thank my lucky stars every day to have such a loving, supportive family and great friends too!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Changes...
I'm sorry for lack of posts...but there has been a gigantic elephant in my living room and I feel that I'm finally ready to address it. The company I was working for fell victim to the economy and had to let me go. So I've been trying to put my life together and mount a tremendous job search effort in the last week and half or so...
At first it was hard to think that I didn't have any where to be the next day and all the other thoughts and feelings that go along with that. But my Husband is loving and wonderful and we are doing fine. Speaking of loving and wonderful is my family, which has been gracious and supportive, I am truly thankful. I couldn't have gotten through this without the help of my Steven, my Mom and my Dad...and of course Colin, whom I've gotten to spend some more time with.
But over the last week or so things have picked up and I've been sending out resumes and the like, and I had a phone interview this morning and I have another interview next week. This is a blessing in disguise, as my career wasn't moving forward at my old company, and I don't think I was adding to their bottom line either. So in all, this is a good move forward, even if precipitated by bad circumstances. Its hard to be bitter or complain about it, because even though I really liked my coworkers and the company, it really was time for us both to move on.
I also think that my guardian angels were watching over us, protecting us from getting a house at a bad time and helping us to keep our options open. Its always nice to know that there is someone watching out for you.
As for now, please keep your fingers crossed that I can get back to work soon! I don't like sitting around much, I have always needed to be doing something. And for those of you who have already prayed and helped so much- Thank you and keep up the good work. I love you so much for it!
At first it was hard to think that I didn't have any where to be the next day and all the other thoughts and feelings that go along with that. But my Husband is loving and wonderful and we are doing fine. Speaking of loving and wonderful is my family, which has been gracious and supportive, I am truly thankful. I couldn't have gotten through this without the help of my Steven, my Mom and my Dad...and of course Colin, whom I've gotten to spend some more time with.
But over the last week or so things have picked up and I've been sending out resumes and the like, and I had a phone interview this morning and I have another interview next week. This is a blessing in disguise, as my career wasn't moving forward at my old company, and I don't think I was adding to their bottom line either. So in all, this is a good move forward, even if precipitated by bad circumstances. Its hard to be bitter or complain about it, because even though I really liked my coworkers and the company, it really was time for us both to move on.
I also think that my guardian angels were watching over us, protecting us from getting a house at a bad time and helping us to keep our options open. Its always nice to know that there is someone watching out for you.
As for now, please keep your fingers crossed that I can get back to work soon! I don't like sitting around much, I have always needed to be doing something. And for those of you who have already prayed and helped so much- Thank you and keep up the good work. I love you so much for it!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Soup for the sickies...
It has been an eventful weekend!
First Darren was in town on Thursday for another interview and he stopped by to watch shows with us (Survivor and the Office!) before heading out.
Friday was Halloween. We had about 7-8 trick-or-treat-ers...We watched some TV shows that we needed to get caught up on and "The Wedding Singer", which is very funny and always seems to be on TV. Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler- comic gold! Then we headed off to bed in preparation for Saturday's game, for which we got to use our first tickets of the season, yay!
Saturday we got up and headed down to Corvallis. Spent some time with Tara at her place, met up with Larry, Marlene, Jim and Jill, ate lots of yummy American Dream pizza and then headed out to find a parking spot. We got a great (slightly super secret) spot and then walked off some of that pizza. I forgot how much I absolutely love walking on campus. It is so easy to forget how beautiful it is...and how much walking you can do in one afternoon. Don't get me wrong- I love walking. I could walk to the ends of the Earth and back...except that I foolishly chose Saturday afternoon to break in my new Nike walking shoes.
I'm not sure that everyone knows- but I have weirdly shaped heels. The back of my heel bone actually juts out a little bit, which makes shoe buying very tricky. Anyways I'm very prone to blisters- and I got two really huge ones...they really tore up the backs of my heels. I'm doing extra TLC today to help them get better.
At any rate, the game was good. We tried to give it away (thought it would be a repeat of Utah for a minute), then the refs tried to give it away, but in the end we pulled out the victory and it was sweet. It was even sweeter with our 45-yard line tickets. But sadly we spent so much time yelling and booing and cheering that my throat was pretty sore by the time we got home at 1 AM!
So Sunday I spent most of the day laying around and watching movies...and I made soup! Well Steven did the grunt work (shopping and chopping) while I stirred and added seasonings. It was pure team work. Anyways, last time I made it I had problems with the soup reheating. The seasonings were off. But today I ate some at lunch and it was amazing. So I'm going to the share the recipe here, it takes practically NOTHING to make this soup! It is delicious and filling and probably isn't too terrible for you. At least that is what I tell myself :)
Julie and Julia's Potato Soup:
2-3 large-ish Russet Potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly
1 medium sized onion (yellow), diced
8 cups of liquid (I prefer to use 3 or so cups, usually one container, of low sodium chicken stock and the rest water- but all water is the Julia Child way.)
3 Tablespoons of salt (possibly less if you use chicken stock)
2 Tablespoons of softened butter
That is the base from Julia Child's recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking...the rest is all me:
2 strips of Bacon cut up into small bits (I find kitchen shears work really well)
1-2 teaspoons dried or fresh Chives and Parsley, or to taste
Pepper, to taste
2-3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
Put the bacon pieces in a large stock pot or dutch oven, on medium heat. Cook for a few minutes to render out the fat of the bacon. Then turn the heat up to cook the bacon until crispy, but not burned. (The bacon will become soft during cooking in the soup, so getting it crispy now is good). At this point you can either remove the bits and add in at the last minute, or you can leave them in, personal choice. I leave them in, the more the merrier!).
Now, add the liquid (stock/water) to the pot. Be careful with the fat in the bottom of the pan- you will get steam! Add in the potatoes and onions and bring the liquid up to a boil. At this point I added all of my seasonings- to taste. Once the liquid is at a boil, reduce heat to simmer and simmer soup for 45-50 minutes, partially covered, stirring occasionally. Right before the soup is done, add the butter for added depth of flavor and richness.
I like to serve it with crostini or a big hunk of bread with butter or for dipping. Yummy!!
I hope you like it. Its very hard for me to find soups that don't call for tomatoes (which I can't have anymore!) so I like this. Its easy, its cheap and it tastes so good!
First Darren was in town on Thursday for another interview and he stopped by to watch shows with us (Survivor and the Office!) before heading out.
Friday was Halloween. We had about 7-8 trick-or-treat-ers...We watched some TV shows that we needed to get caught up on and "The Wedding Singer", which is very funny and always seems to be on TV. Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler- comic gold! Then we headed off to bed in preparation for Saturday's game, for which we got to use our first tickets of the season, yay!
Saturday we got up and headed down to Corvallis. Spent some time with Tara at her place, met up with Larry, Marlene, Jim and Jill, ate lots of yummy American Dream pizza and then headed out to find a parking spot. We got a great (slightly super secret) spot and then walked off some of that pizza. I forgot how much I absolutely love walking on campus. It is so easy to forget how beautiful it is...and how much walking you can do in one afternoon. Don't get me wrong- I love walking. I could walk to the ends of the Earth and back...except that I foolishly chose Saturday afternoon to break in my new Nike walking shoes.
I'm not sure that everyone knows- but I have weirdly shaped heels. The back of my heel bone actually juts out a little bit, which makes shoe buying very tricky. Anyways I'm very prone to blisters- and I got two really huge ones...they really tore up the backs of my heels. I'm doing extra TLC today to help them get better.
At any rate, the game was good. We tried to give it away (thought it would be a repeat of Utah for a minute), then the refs tried to give it away, but in the end we pulled out the victory and it was sweet. It was even sweeter with our 45-yard line tickets. But sadly we spent so much time yelling and booing and cheering that my throat was pretty sore by the time we got home at 1 AM!
So Sunday I spent most of the day laying around and watching movies...and I made soup! Well Steven did the grunt work (shopping and chopping) while I stirred and added seasonings. It was pure team work. Anyways, last time I made it I had problems with the soup reheating. The seasonings were off. But today I ate some at lunch and it was amazing. So I'm going to the share the recipe here, it takes practically NOTHING to make this soup! It is delicious and filling and probably isn't too terrible for you. At least that is what I tell myself :)
Julie and Julia's Potato Soup:
2-3 large-ish Russet Potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly
1 medium sized onion (yellow), diced
8 cups of liquid (I prefer to use 3 or so cups, usually one container, of low sodium chicken stock and the rest water- but all water is the Julia Child way.)
3 Tablespoons of salt (possibly less if you use chicken stock)
2 Tablespoons of softened butter
That is the base from Julia Child's recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking...the rest is all me:
2 strips of Bacon cut up into small bits (I find kitchen shears work really well)
1-2 teaspoons dried or fresh Chives and Parsley, or to taste
Pepper, to taste
2-3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
Put the bacon pieces in a large stock pot or dutch oven, on medium heat. Cook for a few minutes to render out the fat of the bacon. Then turn the heat up to cook the bacon until crispy, but not burned. (The bacon will become soft during cooking in the soup, so getting it crispy now is good). At this point you can either remove the bits and add in at the last minute, or you can leave them in, personal choice. I leave them in, the more the merrier!).
Now, add the liquid (stock/water) to the pot. Be careful with the fat in the bottom of the pan- you will get steam! Add in the potatoes and onions and bring the liquid up to a boil. At this point I added all of my seasonings- to taste. Once the liquid is at a boil, reduce heat to simmer and simmer soup for 45-50 minutes, partially covered, stirring occasionally. Right before the soup is done, add the butter for added depth of flavor and richness.
I like to serve it with crostini or a big hunk of bread with butter or for dipping. Yummy!!
I hope you like it. Its very hard for me to find soups that don't call for tomatoes (which I can't have anymore!) so I like this. Its easy, its cheap and it tastes so good!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Donna's Birthday!
This last Saturday we did Donna's Birthday Dinner! Steven and I tag teamed the event...Steven cooked some steaks, potatoes and appetizers while I made home made rolls and chocolate cake!
It was a great evening with Mom, Dad, Donna, Steven and I. We had a lot of fun just talking and enjoying wine and relaxing.
I hope you had a great birthday, Aunt Donna! We sure loved having you!!!
It was a great evening with Mom, Dad, Donna, Steven and I. We had a lot of fun just talking and enjoying wine and relaxing. I hope you had a great birthday, Aunt Donna! We sure loved having you!!!
Pumpkin Patch Fun!
Two Saturday's ago we went out to Mom and Dad's "Family Pumpkin Patch" for some fun! Steven and I each picked out a couple pumpkins, and Shelly, Chris and Colin took the rest home with them.
We watched some football, I rode the four wheeler with and without Colin and we had a great family dinner! It was a great fall day, perfect sunny weather, with just a little wind.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
"We have cookies!!!!"
Yesterday I stopped by my sister's house to drop off some things for my Mom and I was greeted by my nephew, shouting, "We have cookies!!!"... I think this is one of the best ways to be greeted at the door, honestly.
On the flip side of things, after running some more errands, I arrived home, to find a notice that the apartment people will be shutting off our electricity today sometime between 9 AM and 5 PM for an hour. I'm beginning to despise the "management"...today they are also checking every one's balcony for contraband after the fire incident (See the last IKEA post for more info) that forced 19 people out of their homes. We had to bring our pumpkins in this morning too.
But really, the star of this post is my Dad...check this out:
I bet that this made getting up at the crack of dawn (or earlier) totally worth it.
Am I right?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
New "Post Label"...
The setting: Our bedroom/bathroom this morning
Its 5:50 am and the alarm goes off...
Steven diligently gets up and heads off to the shower. Julie rolls over and swats at the clock, silencing the alarm and relishing in 10 more minutes of peace...
All of a sudden, Julie hears a crashing sound!
Steven: ARGHRHRHHGHGHGHG!
Julie: Sitting up a little more in bed "What happened!?!"
No response from Steven...
Julie: Still trying to wake up, now pushing the covers away to get up "Are you ok!?!"
As I walk into the bathroom I see my husband bent over the tub with the ATTACHED shower curtain rail balanced on his shoulders (ala Atlas the world bearer of statue-d fame).
Julie: "What the heck!!?!?"
Steven: "Yeah, it just fell on me"
We have absolutely no explanation for why the attached (yes, I feel the need to emphasize that it is actually attached to the wall, and yet still collapsed on my Husband this morning) shower curtain rod fell down, much less on him, this morning.
But we are re-affirmed in our need to move. Hence, the need to create a new "label" for posts: "We really need to move".
Now, if only the Supreme Overlord of All That is Good in Housing would smile on us long enough to actually:
1) Find something we liked AND
2) Let the current owners accept our offer.
Until that happens, stay tuned for more quality posts about our current housing mishaps.
Its 5:50 am and the alarm goes off...
Steven diligently gets up and heads off to the shower. Julie rolls over and swats at the clock, silencing the alarm and relishing in 10 more minutes of peace...
All of a sudden, Julie hears a crashing sound!
Steven: ARGHRHRHHGHGHGHG!
Julie: Sitting up a little more in bed "What happened!?!"
No response from Steven...
Julie: Still trying to wake up, now pushing the covers away to get up "Are you ok!?!"
As I walk into the bathroom I see my husband bent over the tub with the ATTACHED shower curtain rail balanced on his shoulders (ala Atlas the world bearer of statue-d fame).
Julie: "What the heck!!?!?"
Steven: "Yeah, it just fell on me"
We have absolutely no explanation for why the attached (yes, I feel the need to emphasize that it is actually attached to the wall, and yet still collapsed on my Husband this morning) shower curtain rod fell down, much less on him, this morning.
But we are re-affirmed in our need to move. Hence, the need to create a new "label" for posts: "We really need to move".
Now, if only the Supreme Overlord of All That is Good in Housing would smile on us long enough to actually:
1) Find something we liked AND
2) Let the current owners accept our offer.
Until that happens, stay tuned for more quality posts about our current housing mishaps.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
My little blogosphere...
At times I do actually wonder who reads my babble on here, and I found out this week that it turns out I have more than just my one assumed reader (my mom)...
Darren came by for a visit (from Indiana) on Monday night and immediately commented on my hair. I was shocked! It turns out he had read the blog and knew of the entire journey. I think I was actually more surprised to find out that people read my blog. Yay!
We ended up having dinner with Darren, Michelle and Keith and then we dropped Darren off at his "Party #2" and met Keith and Michelle back at our place to watch wedding video and see photos. It was a great time had by all.
While we will miss Darren, it was great to see him, if only for a few hours. He said the best thing about randomly hopping a plane home was that it turned his "4 month extended business trip" into "2- 2 month extended business trips". He's finishing up his last bit of graduate school at Purdue and we try not to hold that against him, well at least not too much.
So in the wake of seeing him and listening to him give Keith more and more crap (which is always funny), here are the things I am looking forward to the holidays for (besides the 2nd Return of Dars):
Darren came by for a visit (from Indiana) on Monday night and immediately commented on my hair. I was shocked! It turns out he had read the blog and knew of the entire journey. I think I was actually more surprised to find out that people read my blog. Yay!
We ended up having dinner with Darren, Michelle and Keith and then we dropped Darren off at his "Party #2" and met Keith and Michelle back at our place to watch wedding video and see photos. It was a great time had by all.
While we will miss Darren, it was great to see him, if only for a few hours. He said the best thing about randomly hopping a plane home was that it turned his "4 month extended business trip" into "2- 2 month extended business trips". He's finishing up his last bit of graduate school at Purdue and we try not to hold that against him, well at least not too much.
So in the wake of seeing him and listening to him give Keith more and more crap (which is always funny), here are the things I am looking forward to the holidays for (besides the 2nd Return of Dars):
- Starbucks red holiday cups (and I just saw they have salted carmel hot chocolate, must try!).
- Day after Thanksgiving shopping (seriously, there have been entire posts dedicated to this).
- More big cozy sweaters and big cozy socks and more excuses to sit around and watch movies all day because the weather is icky.
- Getting out my snowman holiday dishes.
- Possible snow for making snowmen.
- Putting Flannel sheets on the bed.
- Holiday parties!
- Using our Beaver tickets. Every single game we have tickets to is in November!
- Two dinner parties I have coming up!
- Hopefully getting and moving into a house.
But first things are first... I should not even be thinking about holiday season when the pumpkin has not even had his day yet!!! This weekend we're going out to my Mom and Dad's for pumpkin patch fun in their backyard garden. I hope to get some great pictures of Colin and the rest of the family enjoying themselves with a fall feast and hot chocolate and apple cider. Yum. I can't wait!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Recharging the Batteries...
Steven and I have been going, going, going for so long since the wedding that things have just been and will continue to be crazy busy. I looked up the calendar last night and we'll have things to do every weekend from now until the first of December!
Lucky for me, I was able to take this weekend and have some much needed downtime. Steven went to the OSU Beaver game on Saturday with his Dad, Uncle and Aunt. They met Tara and had a great little tailgate party before heading into the blow out game. The only bad part was that the wine store had flooded and wasn't open!
While they were enjoying the game, I was busy cleaning up the house and taking photos into Freddies to be printed. Yep, I finally printed wedding photos and honeymoon photos...and I put them in albums too! I've been meaning to do that for so long now! Now if only I could get to my scrapbook and wedding book too. I guess I'll need things to keep me busy this winter. :)
Then I headed over to Daniella's first birthday party and spent some time with the Aunts and Grandma. It was a lot of fun. I love how she does "Besos" (kisses), so cute! Afterwards, I headed home to make my first recipe from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"... I decided to do Potato and Leek soup. I added chicken stock and bacon for more flavor. I also made some crostinis to go along with it and I got a french red wine for the occasion as well. My friend Melissa met me at the house to help with preparation. We've started a little cooking club of sorts. We'll be making Christmas cookies here in no time.
So we got the soup all finished up and we settled in to watch a bit of the game on tv. The soup was delicious and the game was a total blow out. We'd been discussing DSW and Costco and decided to make a little Costco run (my Husband always goes while I'm sleeping on Saturday mornings!)...but when we got there, it was closing. We decided randomly to head to DSW and try out our luck with shoes instead.
We hit a jackpot! We found some amazing Emilio Pucci ballet slipper shoes, which I love, and we were able to find them in my size. For 80% off! It was such an amazing find because I never find those types of things. Ever. I've always known you could find good deals there, but it never happens to me! Anyways, I was very excited and we decided to try our luck on Sunday at the Nordstrom Rack.
Sunday we struck out at Nordstroms, but we had a great time...despite shoe pains from breaking the new ones in. She dropped me off and I went inside to put on big cozy socks and relax. I watched a couple of movies with Steven and he tried his hand at making his own Pad Thai, which came out very good. It was a perfect Sunday.
This weekend our good friend (and Groomsman) Darren, randomly came home from Purdue on a four day weekend. We'll get to see him tonight, and hopefully Michelle too (who just returned from a year in Europe!) and Keith (who we always enjoy!)...so it should be very fun.
Tomorrow we'll try looking at some more houses in the hopes of finding something soon.
Lucky for me, I was able to take this weekend and have some much needed downtime. Steven went to the OSU Beaver game on Saturday with his Dad, Uncle and Aunt. They met Tara and had a great little tailgate party before heading into the blow out game. The only bad part was that the wine store had flooded and wasn't open!
While they were enjoying the game, I was busy cleaning up the house and taking photos into Freddies to be printed. Yep, I finally printed wedding photos and honeymoon photos...and I put them in albums too! I've been meaning to do that for so long now! Now if only I could get to my scrapbook and wedding book too. I guess I'll need things to keep me busy this winter. :)
Then I headed over to Daniella's first birthday party and spent some time with the Aunts and Grandma. It was a lot of fun. I love how she does "Besos" (kisses), so cute! Afterwards, I headed home to make my first recipe from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"... I decided to do Potato and Leek soup. I added chicken stock and bacon for more flavor. I also made some crostinis to go along with it and I got a french red wine for the occasion as well. My friend Melissa met me at the house to help with preparation. We've started a little cooking club of sorts. We'll be making Christmas cookies here in no time.
So we got the soup all finished up and we settled in to watch a bit of the game on tv. The soup was delicious and the game was a total blow out. We'd been discussing DSW and Costco and decided to make a little Costco run (my Husband always goes while I'm sleeping on Saturday mornings!)...but when we got there, it was closing. We decided randomly to head to DSW and try out our luck with shoes instead.
We hit a jackpot! We found some amazing Emilio Pucci ballet slipper shoes, which I love, and we were able to find them in my size. For 80% off! It was such an amazing find because I never find those types of things. Ever. I've always known you could find good deals there, but it never happens to me! Anyways, I was very excited and we decided to try our luck on Sunday at the Nordstrom Rack.
Sunday we struck out at Nordstroms, but we had a great time...despite shoe pains from breaking the new ones in. She dropped me off and I went inside to put on big cozy socks and relax. I watched a couple of movies with Steven and he tried his hand at making his own Pad Thai, which came out very good. It was a perfect Sunday.
This weekend our good friend (and Groomsman) Darren, randomly came home from Purdue on a four day weekend. We'll get to see him tonight, and hopefully Michelle too (who just returned from a year in Europe!) and Keith (who we always enjoy!)...so it should be very fun.
Tomorrow we'll try looking at some more houses in the hopes of finding something soon.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Hair today...gone tomorrow!
I had a big weekend!
First I went to the Opera with some extra special ladies!
For the occasion, I spent some extra time making my hair look presentable in an updo.
Then Sunday morning I said good bye to the hair!
Last words: "Lets cut it off!!!"
And we did!
Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need.
First I went to the Opera with some extra special ladies!
For the occasion, I spent some extra time making my hair look presentable in an updo.
Then Sunday morning I said good bye to the hair!
Last words: "Lets cut it off!!!" And we did!This is slightly unstyled. I'll post a more "styled" picture later today!
Even though I cut it about an inch or two shorter than I wanted, I did it because I was able to donate about half of the hair or so to Locks of Love!
From the Locks of Love website:
Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics.
Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need.
Donating my hair has been something I've wanted to do since 2004 when I decided to grow my hair out to begin with! I'm so happy that I was able to finally do it. It felt really good knowing that my hair was going to a good cause.
The second best part is that I now feel so free. I think a lot of people have heard me complaining about my hair for the last few months, so it was time to do it. Its liberating to get out of the shower, blow dry for about 5 minutes, shape the curls ever so slightly and be d-o-n-e. I love it!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Having Confidence...
So last night I went over to J.Crew to try on a pair of pants and necklace...I had a little birthday money left to spend and I wanted to get a nice pair of slacks for work...
I'm in the dressing room with a lovely pair of beige wool slacks that I've been lusting after for a month or so...and I'm ready to put them on. I even toy with trying on the "skinny day size" ( you all know what I mean) and decided to go for it!
I pull the pants apart, poised and excited, and suddenly something catches my attention.
"What the heck is that on the inside waistband of these pants?"
I'm so caught off guard I actually said out loud "These pants have writing on the inside of them!" The inside said something to the tune of this:
con·fi·dence [kon-fi-duhns]: 1. belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance.
I'm all like "What the heck?"...and I put them on anyways.
What followed was sheer horror:
(and not just the horror of another one of my badly drawn stick figures...this is why I don't do CAD)
Yes the pants look just like this on my body.
I'm thinking "What the heck is up with my hips and why can you see VPL and what the heck is wrong with these confident pants?!?!"
In a fit of disbelief, I put on the larger size...I think "I came prepared for a reason!"...
But it is no use. The larger pants look just as shameful.
Apparently the pants were trying to tell me that I'd need to have a lot of confidence to leave the house in them. I put them safely into the arms of the sales associate and left hastily.
I can help but think that the entire situation is pretty laugh worthy. It reminds me of Elaine's "mirror" issues with a dress she puts on in Barney's on Seinfeld.
I'm in the dressing room with a lovely pair of beige wool slacks that I've been lusting after for a month or so...and I'm ready to put them on. I even toy with trying on the "skinny day size" ( you all know what I mean) and decided to go for it!
I pull the pants apart, poised and excited, and suddenly something catches my attention.
"What the heck is that on the inside waistband of these pants?"
I'm so caught off guard I actually said out loud "These pants have writing on the inside of them!" The inside said something to the tune of this:
con·fi·dence [kon-fi-duhns]: 1. belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance.
I'm all like "What the heck?"...and I put them on anyways.
What followed was sheer horror:
(and not just the horror of another one of my badly drawn stick figures...this is why I don't do CAD)
Yes the pants look just like this on my body. I'm thinking "What the heck is up with my hips and why can you see VPL and what the heck is wrong with these confident pants?!?!"
In a fit of disbelief, I put on the larger size...I think "I came prepared for a reason!"...
But it is no use. The larger pants look just as shameful.
Apparently the pants were trying to tell me that I'd need to have a lot of confidence to leave the house in them. I put them safely into the arms of the sales associate and left hastily.
I can help but think that the entire situation is pretty laugh worthy. It reminds me of Elaine's "mirror" issues with a dress she puts on in Barney's on Seinfeld.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Never been a better time to be a Beaver!
Its time for a little Beaver Pride!
I spent most of the day yesterday with head hung in shame. My entire office expected the inevitable...No. 1 ranked USC was going to cream my OSU Beavers. And the evidence of the previous games the Beavs had played this year wasn't stacking up for a good argument otherwise.
Let that teach me to be a hater! They D-O-M-I-N-A-T-E-D last night. I watched it and I loved every minute of it. We went over to Keith's house for beers and pizza and to watch the game and The Office. We were not disappointed either. Even the pizza delivery guy stuck his head inside "What's the score, man?"
The last time we knocked off a No. 1 rated team was USC (and O.J. Simpson) in 1967. I also didn't know until I read Fox Sports (yes, I do that on special occasions) that USC has lost three of its last four games in Corvallis.
I also admit that the "Orange Out" was pretty impressive on National Television and I'm going to have to think twice about my "no orange" rule.
And its not like football is the only thing OSU has going for it. The University is at the forefront of all the most impressive technology from Forestry to Chemicals to Computers.
It sure is a great time to be a Beaver. Sorry Dad- I know you're a Duck Fan, but there is no denying this.
Side note: When combined with a "Jim/Pam" proposal on The Office, it proved to be probably one of the best Thursday night ever- second only to the Rehearsal Dinner (with wine pong).
I spent most of the day yesterday with head hung in shame. My entire office expected the inevitable...No. 1 ranked USC was going to cream my OSU Beavers. And the evidence of the previous games the Beavs had played this year wasn't stacking up for a good argument otherwise.
Let that teach me to be a hater! They D-O-M-I-N-A-T-E-D last night. I watched it and I loved every minute of it. We went over to Keith's house for beers and pizza and to watch the game and The Office. We were not disappointed either. Even the pizza delivery guy stuck his head inside "What's the score, man?"
The last time we knocked off a No. 1 rated team was USC (and O.J. Simpson) in 1967. I also didn't know until I read Fox Sports (yes, I do that on special occasions) that USC has lost three of its last four games in Corvallis.
I also admit that the "Orange Out" was pretty impressive on National Television and I'm going to have to think twice about my "no orange" rule.
And its not like football is the only thing OSU has going for it. The University is at the forefront of all the most impressive technology from Forestry to Chemicals to Computers.
It sure is a great time to be a Beaver. Sorry Dad- I know you're a Duck Fan, but there is no denying this.
Side note: When combined with a "Jim/Pam" proposal on The Office, it proved to be probably one of the best Thursday night ever- second only to the Rehearsal Dinner (with wine pong).
Monday, September 22, 2008
Paris Hilton Skirts, Uggs and J.Lo Velour Tracksuits...
All pop culture gems from 2004...
The setting: Melissa's Car on the way back to my apartment
Mel: So I was fishing through some photos the other day and I found a couple of us!
Julie: Oh really?
M: Yeah, remember that time that we did a fashion show?
J: Vaguely...which one?
M: Well I have a great one of us and then one of you in my Paris Hilton Mini Skirt!
J: No way.
M: Yeah, I totally do.
J: There is NO WAY you have a photo of me in a Paris Hilton Mini Skirt.
M: Seriously. I do. I will go home, find them, and email them to you to prove it.
J: I'm pretty sure I'd die before putting one of those on.
M: I'm pretty sure you did.
J: Riiiight, sure. (Scoffs in disbelief)
The Setting: My apartment, at the compter, a few hours later
Julie: OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Steven: What? (Picking himself up, out of bed and into the spare room to see what I'm yelling about)
J: She doesn't just have ONE!!!!!!!!! SHE HAS TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh the horror. I couldn't bring myself to post the Paris Hilton Skirt photos. They are truly shameful.
Instead I leave you with this:
The setting: Melissa's Car on the way back to my apartment
Mel: So I was fishing through some photos the other day and I found a couple of us!
Julie: Oh really?
M: Yeah, remember that time that we did a fashion show?
J: Vaguely...which one?
M: Well I have a great one of us and then one of you in my Paris Hilton Mini Skirt!
J: No way.
M: Yeah, I totally do.
J: There is NO WAY you have a photo of me in a Paris Hilton Mini Skirt.
M: Seriously. I do. I will go home, find them, and email them to you to prove it.
J: I'm pretty sure I'd die before putting one of those on.
M: I'm pretty sure you did.
J: Riiiight, sure. (Scoffs in disbelief)
The Setting: My apartment, at the compter, a few hours later
Julie: OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Steven: What? (Picking himself up, out of bed and into the spare room to see what I'm yelling about)
J: She doesn't just have ONE!!!!!!!!! SHE HAS TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh the horror. I couldn't bring myself to post the Paris Hilton Skirt photos. They are truly shameful.
Instead I leave you with this:
If the question is "Are we totally rocking this Velour Sweatsuit Pose?"
Then the answer is: "Yes, yes we are!"
Sunday, September 21, 2008
New things...
Well, Steven and I have a little news from our small corner of the world: We put an offer in on a house!!!!!! We'll know by Wednesday if we were accepted or not. We are overjoyed and nervous all at the same time. I'll report back as soon as we know more. We're truly grownups now!
Other than that, we've had a pretty low key weekend. My friend Mel came over Saturday after cleaning out her Grandparents house (they both just passed away recently) and I was happy to offer her a distraction via baking. We made Chocolate Chip Cupcakes and Grandma Rose's Sugar Cookies. I was able to send her home with some sweet treats before we hit up Old Navy and Ulta (we cannot resist an opportunity to shop) before she had to meet up with her parents for dinner.
I went home and Steven and I made baked risotto and grilled chicken. I tried a new plan of attack on the risotto so much, I thought I'd post it here along with the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Muffins. Enjoy!
Julie's Baked Risotto:
1 Cup Arborio (Risotto) rice
1-2 TBSP Olive Oil
3 Cups Chicken Stock
Herbs
Garlic (1-2 cloves)
Asiago Cheese- 1/4 cup or so, grated
Parmesan Cheese- 1/4 cup or so, grated (NOT the stuff in the Kraft can)
Using a Medium sized sauce pan, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom with a thin layer. When the oil is hot (ala Rachel Ray), put in the rice, and saute it for about 2 minutes. You'll see it slightly brown. This is the traditional way to start risotto.
Once the rice is browned, add 1 cup of the stock. Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Stir occasionally. The more you stir the rice, the more the rice will break down and introduce starch into the liquid, giving a creamier final product. Keep this in mind while stirring. Once the stock has been added you can add garlic (I used precrushed garlic, 1 teaspoon, add to your garlic liking) and herbs.
I used rosemary, chives, basil and fennel seed (which I crushed just a bit between my palms). I understand fennel seed can be hard to find, but it is what gives the final product that "restaurant taste", in my opinion. And my spice rack happened to come with these things. You can use any combo you'd like...but I prefer to keep things in the same family-here Italian.
Once the rice has incorporated the first cup, add another, bring back up to a boil, then reduce and allow to incorporate. Continue until all three cups are incorporated.
Once the rice is ready- move into a small baking dish (I used my new black and white polka dot baker, but I think an 8 x 8 dish would work fine) and sprinkle the asiago and Parmesan cheese on top.
From here I put the baking dish into the oven on "warm" (probably about 225 or so) to let the cheese melt. Also, our chicken wasn't ready yet, so it was great to leave it and not worry about it until we were ready for it. I had it in there for about 20 minutes or so! Once you are about ready to serve, switch over to broil and broil until the cheese is browned on top.
Serve and enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Via Perfect Muffins and Bakes Cookbook):
NOTE: I made a few substitutes,....they turned out just fine.
7 TBSP Butter
1/2 Cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 Cup Self Rising Flour
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips (this is extra...they want 1/2 cups)
Combine all ingredients until JUST mixed. I used an ice cream scoop to scoop 8 cupcakes into liners. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. These don't need anything else. If you get good dark chocolate chips, the extra chips will be slightly melty when you bite into it. Yum!
So now Steven and I are just chilling. I have my tea and we're waiting for the Emmy's to start. Its a great Sunday night.
Jewels
Other than that, we've had a pretty low key weekend. My friend Mel came over Saturday after cleaning out her Grandparents house (they both just passed away recently) and I was happy to offer her a distraction via baking. We made Chocolate Chip Cupcakes and Grandma Rose's Sugar Cookies. I was able to send her home with some sweet treats before we hit up Old Navy and Ulta (we cannot resist an opportunity to shop) before she had to meet up with her parents for dinner.
I went home and Steven and I made baked risotto and grilled chicken. I tried a new plan of attack on the risotto so much, I thought I'd post it here along with the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Muffins. Enjoy!
Julie's Baked Risotto:
1 Cup Arborio (Risotto) rice
1-2 TBSP Olive Oil
3 Cups Chicken Stock
Herbs
Garlic (1-2 cloves)
Asiago Cheese- 1/4 cup or so, grated
Parmesan Cheese- 1/4 cup or so, grated (NOT the stuff in the Kraft can)
Using a Medium sized sauce pan, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom with a thin layer. When the oil is hot (ala Rachel Ray), put in the rice, and saute it for about 2 minutes. You'll see it slightly brown. This is the traditional way to start risotto.
Once the rice is browned, add 1 cup of the stock. Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Stir occasionally. The more you stir the rice, the more the rice will break down and introduce starch into the liquid, giving a creamier final product. Keep this in mind while stirring. Once the stock has been added you can add garlic (I used precrushed garlic, 1 teaspoon, add to your garlic liking) and herbs.
I used rosemary, chives, basil and fennel seed (which I crushed just a bit between my palms). I understand fennel seed can be hard to find, but it is what gives the final product that "restaurant taste", in my opinion. And my spice rack happened to come with these things. You can use any combo you'd like...but I prefer to keep things in the same family-here Italian.
Once the rice has incorporated the first cup, add another, bring back up to a boil, then reduce and allow to incorporate. Continue until all three cups are incorporated.
Once the rice is ready- move into a small baking dish (I used my new black and white polka dot baker, but I think an 8 x 8 dish would work fine) and sprinkle the asiago and Parmesan cheese on top.
From here I put the baking dish into the oven on "warm" (probably about 225 or so) to let the cheese melt. Also, our chicken wasn't ready yet, so it was great to leave it and not worry about it until we were ready for it. I had it in there for about 20 minutes or so! Once you are about ready to serve, switch over to broil and broil until the cheese is browned on top.
Serve and enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Via Perfect Muffins and Bakes Cookbook):
NOTE: I made a few substitutes,....they turned out just fine.
7 TBSP Butter
1/2 Cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 Cup Self Rising Flour
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips (this is extra...they want 1/2 cups)
Combine all ingredients until JUST mixed. I used an ice cream scoop to scoop 8 cupcakes into liners. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. These don't need anything else. If you get good dark chocolate chips, the extra chips will be slightly melty when you bite into it. Yum!
So now Steven and I are just chilling. I have my tea and we're waiting for the Emmy's to start. Its a great Sunday night.
Jewels
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
IKEA! (Yes, I love you, again)
We got a new coffee table at IKEA last night. A few things will stand out as significant whenever we look at it now:- The big dog in the back of a Subaru on I-5 that just kept doing circle after circle in the hatchback. Hilarious.
- Steven turning to me and saying 'I think we can do it' in a Bob-the-Builder reference to getting the flat packed box into the Altima. We did do it. Because we rock.
- The five to eight fire trucks in our apartment complex when we got home...on site due to an apartment fire close (but not too close) to our unit. Apparently 19 people are displaced from their homes and its 300,000 dollars worth of damage. Ouch. (Further solidifying our need to move-soon.)
- The least labor intensive IKEA purchase we've made yet. 15 minutes...while laughing at references to Shrodingers Cat on a rerun of The Big Bang Theory.
Steven is happy with the coffee table because it is roughly the exact dimensions as the old one (just wider) and therefore continues to be great for putting your feet up on...
I'm happy with the coffee table because I will no longer get splinters and my big red bowl has a new home.
Its a win-win situation. And it looks fabulous in our living room. :)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Taking a Moment...
I wanted to just take a moment today to count our blessings. We are so thankful to have our family and friends in our lives. God Bless those that came before us and paved the way for our freedom and God Bless those that protect it for us.
Most of all, God Bless America!
Most of all, God Bless America!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Things are peachy!
I just realized that I haven't blogged in a while. I'm setting out to remedy this right now:
Things I LOVE at the moment:
- New TV. I'm getting super into shows that I wasn't totally excited about last year...like Grey's, Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money. I've been in love with Pushing Daisies, so I'm happy to see that after such a long wait, HIMYM, Big Bang Theory and The Office back in business. Can't wait for fall premiers to start...oh and that little show I get obsessed with- Survivor!
- Clearly in love with my Dyson. Steven, against his better judgement, allowed me to purchase it shortly after returning from our Hawaiian honeymoon. Wow. I used to vacuum maybe like twice a month...because our old vacuum was disgusting...annnnnnd now I vacuum two to three times a week. And wow. Its just awesome. I find myself digging it out to show people when they come over. Annnnd now I realize I am crazy and just like Fletch from "Bitter is the new Black" By Jen Lancaster. Which is hilariously funny. I would very much recommend it for a beach read.
- Our fluffy towels. I generally praise all things fluffy, but these are super special, awesome towels. They are like magic.
- Cookbooks. I've decided I have enough now to call them a "collection" and I do have some really really good ones. My Mommy recently gifted me with the original Mastering the Art of French Cooking...which I read about (or you may remember from my Julie and Julia, and Julie post) in Julie and Julia, which is a great read. (Although terrifying, because the "Julie" in the book.... is just like this Julie!) I cannot wait to sink my teeth into some real french recipes!
- September. Bring on the apples and crisp evenings with the sliding doors open and mounds of blankets on the couch. Oh, and football.
- Miss Petigrew lives for a day...Movie of the Month for March, I think...and totally worth renting. I want the soundtrack sooooo bad. Just amazing jazzy music and a wonderful, uplifting story. Perfect girl movie for a lazy Sunday. In fact, that's how I spent part of the day yesterday!
- Our wedding pictures....yes, we did finally get our wedding pictures from our photographer (they were TOTALLY worth waiting for) and I have some albums posted on facebook. Please email me if you'd like the public link- so you can view them, without having to be a member of facebook.
Of course I love my Steven too...he's doing great and we'll be spending our first "month-a-verssary" together tomorrow with a fabulous dinner on our new china!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Falling for Fall...
We're having some strange weather for the end of August, but I really like it. I am pretty done with summer now...I feel like I lost a lot of it to wedding stuff, and to be honest I really did. I have no idea where May, June, July and August went to...but its all over and done with now and I feel like its time to move on....move on to fall!
I love fall. I love all my fall memories. I love making apple crisp, and when I used to walk home from school in a light drizzle and get chilly I would come home and take a super hot shower to warm up. I love bringing out extra blankies (I love my blankies) and getting cozy on the couch for a good girl movie while its rainy out. I remember when it was a privledge to stay up to watch the ABC movie on Sunday night. All the girls on the couch in our jammies with the promise we'd hop right into bed when it was over. I also adore all the fall clothes. They always seem to come out with the best stuff and it marks the return of the sweater. You know I love me some sweaters. Big soft fuzzy ones!
I've been listening to my "fall" music...John Mayer, because I would play it over and over when I first moved into my dorm room, Death Cab for Cutie...from when I first met Iva, and the Pina Colada Song that I would sing endlessly with Jill. It was on most of our "mixes" that we made and named after inside jokes. Good times.
There is just so much going on in fall...I'm so happy and excited that I could burst.
And how could I forget about football? We decided to do something a little special this year and got some tickets. We even have seats for civil war! Go Beavs!!!
On the homefront-we're just trying to put our new home together and it is taking time to get it just right, but we're loving every minute of it. We're trying out all the cookbooks we recieved and kitchen gadgets and tools and towels and well, everything really. We are so blessed.
Happy Fall!
I love fall. I love all my fall memories. I love making apple crisp, and when I used to walk home from school in a light drizzle and get chilly I would come home and take a super hot shower to warm up. I love bringing out extra blankies (I love my blankies) and getting cozy on the couch for a good girl movie while its rainy out. I remember when it was a privledge to stay up to watch the ABC movie on Sunday night. All the girls on the couch in our jammies with the promise we'd hop right into bed when it was over. I also adore all the fall clothes. They always seem to come out with the best stuff and it marks the return of the sweater. You know I love me some sweaters. Big soft fuzzy ones!
I've been listening to my "fall" music...John Mayer, because I would play it over and over when I first moved into my dorm room, Death Cab for Cutie...from when I first met Iva, and the Pina Colada Song that I would sing endlessly with Jill. It was on most of our "mixes" that we made and named after inside jokes. Good times.
There is just so much going on in fall...I'm so happy and excited that I could burst.
And how could I forget about football? We decided to do something a little special this year and got some tickets. We even have seats for civil war! Go Beavs!!!
On the homefront-we're just trying to put our new home together and it is taking time to get it just right, but we're loving every minute of it. We're trying out all the cookbooks we recieved and kitchen gadgets and tools and towels and well, everything really. We are so blessed.
Happy Fall!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Julie's Birthday
Steven reporting here for the first time and just have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful wife Julie.
Julie's birthday has been pretty laid back but fun. I let her open her birthday present from me on the weekend. It was a very nice Kenneth Cole laptop bag that she had wanted. On Tuesday My parents took us out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and gave her their present as well as one from Tara. It was clothes and a gift card to J. Crew, probably Julie's favorite store.
Today the actual day Julie took key lime cupcakes to work and went to lunch with her project manager Shelly(sp?) at a new restaurant in downtown Portland started by the company that owns Portland City Grill.
After work she came home to me making potato skin snacks with our new mandillion(sp?) chopper, thanks June and Rich. Keith came over and gave her a funny card along with the movie Definitily Maybe, he had a little assist with the present selection but it was just what she wanted.
Of course she got cards from Gandmas and everyone has been remembering to write Julie Stanley on the envelopes which I think makes her happy.
Well that is all from me. Happy Birthday Julie and Good Night.
Julie's birthday has been pretty laid back but fun. I let her open her birthday present from me on the weekend. It was a very nice Kenneth Cole laptop bag that she had wanted. On Tuesday My parents took us out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and gave her their present as well as one from Tara. It was clothes and a gift card to J. Crew, probably Julie's favorite store.
Today the actual day Julie took key lime cupcakes to work and went to lunch with her project manager Shelly(sp?) at a new restaurant in downtown Portland started by the company that owns Portland City Grill.
After work she came home to me making potato skin snacks with our new mandillion(sp?) chopper, thanks June and Rich. Keith came over and gave her a funny card along with the movie Definitily Maybe, he had a little assist with the present selection but it was just what she wanted.
Of course she got cards from Gandmas and everyone has been remembering to write Julie Stanley on the envelopes which I think makes her happy.
Well that is all from me. Happy Birthday Julie and Good Night.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Honeymoon Pics!
We just got back from our wonderful Honeymoon vacation to Maui on Sunday. It was a great trip and I hope you enjoy this smattering of photos. More are available, email me for the links!
We decided that it would be totally awesome to go on a helicopter ride and it was the first activity that we did (Monday). Here is a shot I took of Steven videotaping it so we could relive it later :)
Our second activity was an AWESOME dinner at Mama's Fishhouse over in central Maui. They knew it was our Honeymoon and they brought me this fabulous lei. I saw this resturant featured on Food Channel (Giada's Weekend Getaways) and I had to have the dessert that she did. Little did I know that Steven had already made reservations! I'm so lucky!
Here I am hugging the tiki god on the beach that is right outside the resturant!
Later on in the week we went to a show in Lahaina and ate at Bubba Gumps. We were really disappointed when the waiter shorted us on our trivia. I still stand by the fact that my husband knows more about that movie than anyone else.
Our last adventure was The Old Lahaina Luau on our last night (Friday). It was truly amazing. I don't think I could go another luau now without comparing. We also had the best seats because Steven booked back in March!
Our table was completely honeymooners with the same anniversary and after the show was over they called all us up (there were more at other tables too) and we got to share a beautiful moon-lit dance under the stars on the beach. It was really memorable! This is the beach we were dancing on as viewed from our table. Spectacular!!
So, it was totally wonderful and we loved every moment of it. Getting home was a little tougher...we had a red-eye that was almost canceled and we managed to get a last minute seating change so we could actually sit together. It was a long day, but we came home and spent the day unpacking and resting.
We decided that it would be totally awesome to go on a helicopter ride and it was the first activity that we did (Monday). Here is a shot I took of Steven videotaping it so we could relive it later :)
Our second activity was an AWESOME dinner at Mama's Fishhouse over in central Maui. They knew it was our Honeymoon and they brought me this fabulous lei. I saw this resturant featured on Food Channel (Giada's Weekend Getaways) and I had to have the dessert that she did. Little did I know that Steven had already made reservations! I'm so lucky!
Here I am hugging the tiki god on the beach that is right outside the resturant!
Later on in the week we went to a show in Lahaina and ate at Bubba Gumps. We were really disappointed when the waiter shorted us on our trivia. I still stand by the fact that my husband knows more about that movie than anyone else.
Our last adventure was The Old Lahaina Luau on our last night (Friday). It was truly amazing. I don't think I could go another luau now without comparing. We also had the best seats because Steven booked back in March!
Our table was completely honeymooners with the same anniversary and after the show was over they called all us up (there were more at other tables too) and we got to share a beautiful moon-lit dance under the stars on the beach. It was really memorable! This is the beach we were dancing on as viewed from our table. Spectacular!!
So, it was totally wonderful and we loved every moment of it. Getting home was a little tougher...we had a red-eye that was almost canceled and we managed to get a last minute seating change so we could actually sit together. It was a long day, but we came home and spent the day unpacking and resting. We're already thinking of where we want to go next!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Wedding!
So, the wedding was fabulous and I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for coming and making our day so special. Here are the first few pics from people's cameras and our photographer. We don't have them all yet, but when we do, I'll have to get picassaweb or shutterfly or something to share them with everyone. Facebook just isn't cutting it. If you want my links to full rehearsal photos and honeymoon photos, email me for the facebook link.
Till then, here's a few of the ones we have:
Getting dressed upstairs in the 'brides' room:
What a good looking couple!
Steven getting all "men in black" with the bridesmaids! They are showing off their bling pearls, and yes yes, it all works.
This is me pulling up in the horse drawn carriage:
The girls waiting for me at the end of the aisle:
Till then, here's a few of the ones we have:
Getting dressed upstairs in the 'brides' room:
What a good looking couple!
Steven getting all "men in black" with the bridesmaids! They are showing off their bling pearls, and yes yes, it all works.
This is me pulling up in the horse drawn carriage:
The girls waiting for me at the end of the aisle:First Kiss!
This is the tablescape...good looking centerpieces :) Also, notice the homemade jams and jellies that me, Mom and Auntie D spent a day in May making...people were stealin' them off the tables! (I know I would too...its good stuff!)
And the most fabulous cake ever. This doesn't even show the cheesecake we had too. Each layer was a different flavor. It has white chocolate ganache over top, with dark pink rose petals and chocolate covered strawberries. Yum!
Yeah, I'm owning that conga line!
The wedding was a tremendous success. Steven and I boogied our bottoms off, had great food and wine and the most excellent company ever!!!!
This is the tablescape...good looking centerpieces :) Also, notice the homemade jams and jellies that me, Mom and Auntie D spent a day in May making...people were stealin' them off the tables! (I know I would too...its good stuff!)
And the most fabulous cake ever. This doesn't even show the cheesecake we had too. Each layer was a different flavor. It has white chocolate ganache over top, with dark pink rose petals and chocolate covered strawberries. Yum!
Yeah, I'm owning that conga line!
The wedding was a tremendous success. Steven and I boogied our bottoms off, had great food and wine and the most excellent company ever!!!!Thank you to everyone who could share it with us. We love you so much!
PS Photo credits to Peter Chee Photography and Tirzah Thorson...yeah, I stole them, but only beacuse you're so awesome. Forgive me?
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