New Favorite Snack

I have very little time to refuel during my school day. I start on one side of the campus, run to the opposite, and then run back to where I started. Luckily my Spanish teacher doesn't yell at me for shoving a few snacks in my mouth during class. One of my new favorite snacks to take in my bag is grape tomatoes and Kashi Original Seven Grain crackers. I just toss a handful of tomatoes and handful of crackers into a container and then pop them in my mouth when my teacher is asking someone else to habla espanol. :)

Sarah Lawrence Siren Song

When I was in high school my dream was to go to college at Sarah Lawrence in New York. I had an old, wrinkled pamphlet that I'd found amongst a crate full of college brochures and catalogs in a summer school classroom. Eventually, I realized that this dream wasn't going to come true. Depression continually derailed me from my educational track, and the public school system did what it could to help it. I became apathetic, at best, and resentful, at worst towards the idea of any type of formal education. Clearly since I didn't start my college adventure until the age of 29, that mindset lasted for quite a while. I don't even know what happened to that old brochure.

Last semester I was able to join our campus's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, which is a two-year college honor society. Now I occasionally get e-mails and mailings from colleges looking to recruit PTK members. Imagine my surprise when this weekend I got a packet in the mail from Sarah Lawrence College. After getting the mail I climbed back into bed, and started thumbing my way through it. At first I was thrilled to receive it, even though it was just a bulk mailing. By the time I'd turned the last page, I was a bit depressed. A little sad to think about what I might have missed out on all those year ago.

Yesterday I got an e-mail inviting me to Sarah Lawrence's Transfer Days coming up in February. I'm starting to feel like my old dreams are just flat out haunting me now. The cost of attending this school is astronomical in comparison to my plans at UNT. And they don't have the same degree plan that I've been planning on. And I'd have to move to New York. And when I bemoan feeling stalked by things I can't have, Josh suggest that I can have whatever I want. But that ship has sailed, in all logical and realistic ways.

It's only $60 to apply.

Weekend Bits

This weekend I took things fairly easy. Who am I kidding, I take most weekends easy. Sleeping in is always featured heavily, as is plenty of couch time. But I did manage to get 30 minutes of driving practice in on Saturday, and without crying- bonus. I also reorganized the kitchen pantry, and as a result the spice cupboard got a little tidying up as well. Falling under the "Use What I Have" resolution category I made good use of spare containers I had in the kitchen for my pantry reorganization. I had two large plastic containers that I had bought ages ago for freezing leftovers, but had decided I didn't like very much and since then had only occasionally used. I transferred my powdered and granulated sugar into each of them which makes for much better storage than the bags I had them in, and is much easier to stack and keep track of on the shelf. I also got rid of some old cake flour that I never seemed to finish using, and I'll use that jar to hold my corn meal now. I dumped out some old flavoring extracts, slowly peeled the labels from them and had Josh wash the little bottles up. I'm looking forward to trying my hand at making my own vanilla, or maybe a small amount of flavored oil. Whatever I make, I'm sure I can find a cute use for them. And of course, now that everything is much more organized I can actually SEE what I have, making it much easier to USE it.

That was the most productive part of my weekend. Sunday I caught a $5 matinee of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with my pal Holly. It was an excellent mystery; they gave nothing away until the very end. I'm hoping I can go see it again with Josh, or maybe my mom. After an afternoon of grocery shopping my cousin Angie came over and I made a quick version of Shepherd's Pie and some Pumpkin Bread Pudding for our little Downton Abbey premiere viewing party. We had such a good time she's going to come back next Sunday to watch the next episode again. I can't wait!

Twenty Twelve

I didn't put much too much thought into resolutions for the new year. Really I just jotted down a few things that I'd like to work on. Things that were already on my mind, and I had already been starting on. So, here are the things I'd like to accomplish in 2012:

.Drink 40 ounces of water a day: The number sounds a little random, but I have a 40 ounce plastic bottle that I take water to school in. I've been having headaches and breakouts lately, and I think dehydration might be a key part of the problem. One bottle a day is the goal.
.Drive: With the changes in jobs and school I need to work harder on getting my license. I signed up for an online Driver Ed course which I'm almost halfway through; passing the test for it will exempt me from the written test at the DMV. And today I spent about 30 minutes practicing my driving with Josh. Sure, I am so tense during it that my whole body aches now, and I might have had a small cry when I got home, but I guess stuff like that is normal when you're trying to conquer one of your worst fears.
.Be more involved on campus: With the changes in work I'm hoping I'll have some more time available to be more active on my campus. I have enjoyed working for DSS so far, and hope to be able to go to more Historical Society and Phi Theta Kappa events this semester. The vice-president of our campus told my TX Government professor that he thought I was one of the strongest students on the campus, and I'd like to do what I can to earn the high opinion he's bestowed upon me.
.Use what I have: I have so many things that I don't use when I could, and yet I'm always looking for something new. So, one of my goals this year is to use what I have. I mean that in reference to many things- from getting creative with the wardrobe I already have, to cooking through my freezer and pantry instead of constantly stocking it. Last night Josh and I pulled out the Beatles Rock Band instruments to enjoy something we already have. Today I finally cooked a chuck roast I've had in the freezer for quite some time. We had delicious shredded beef tacos and there's another dinner's worth in the freezer for the busy school nights ahead. I want to make use of the resources I have at hand, not constantly look for new resources.
.Read 20 books: This goes hand in hand with the last resolution actually. I have easily 20 books around the house that I've bought or received, but haven't read yet. I honestly don't know how attainable this goal will be on top of school, but there's no reason I can't try.



































via pinterest

A Change is in the Air

Well, it's been over two months since I last blogged. Life got the better of me and I just didn't have the energy to update. But, I wanted to make sure to post something before the year was out. Hopefully I'll get back to blogging a bit more soon. Since October we've gone on that little cabin getaway I mentioned, and it was lovely. Hoping we'll get to go again sometime in the new year, maybe around Spring Break.

I managed to host my first family holiday in our home when we had my mom, brother, aunts, uncles, and cousins over for Thanksgiving. I couldn't have asked for things to go more smoothly. My only regret is that now the "grown ups" are getting older, so things don't run as late as the family holidays of my youth. But the dinner was great, everyone loved the food, our house, my simple decorations, and thanks to Steph I was able to seat everyone in our dining room around her 6 foot folding tables! My cousin Traci's kids both said at different times in the evening that they wished they could stay the night at our house. When the kids don't want to leave I think you can feel like you've done a good job, right?

The Monday after Thanksgiving my boss unfortunately passed away. He had been sick for quite sometime, and we all knew that it was coming, but it still manages to feel very sudden when it actually happens. I'm still working at the office for now, because there is a lot to do before we can close up shop. It's strange after working for him for 10 years to not have him humming around the office, or ringing up to have us connect him to a client from his cell phone. We're helping his wife keep things in order, find attorneys to cover his current cases, get client files together to return to old clients, etc.

My boss's passing was definitely a distraction in the last few weeks of school, but I managed to do well on my finals and got the A's I wanted for the semester. I also joined the Phi Theta Kappa honor society on my campus, and volunteered with the Lone Star Film Festival this semester. I've got most of my classes scheduled for next semester, and hopefully I'll be able to pick up a lot of students in my note taking gig, to make up some of my pending lost income.

On a brighter note, I got a second part time job too. In fact, I was officially told that I'm hired earlier this morning. Starting sometime shortly after the new year I'll be blogging for the local furniture and upholstery company Simple Things. I'll be coming at it from a blogger angle, whereas the employee who has been running the blog thus far was already with the company, so I'm looking forward to learning about their business and suppliers and integrating my knowledge of blogging and familiarity with popular design blogs and social media into their virtual presence. Once they start getting their new store established I'll also begin photographing store vignettes for the blog as well, which is very exciting for me!

We're less than a week away from Christmas and I can hardly believe it. With all the above-mentioned stuff going on we've hardly had time to decorate. My brother and his wife are hosting our Christmas morning this time, which takes a lot of the pressure off. We got a small fake tree this year, which normally I'd be completely opposed to, but we just didn't have the time and energy for a real one this year. I can always leave this faux five footer packed away and get real trees, but it's nice to have something in the attic for hectic years such as this one. And, it was a mere $30 pre-lit. Can't argue with that. I need to start wrapping presents tonight. I mean, I seriously have to start wrapping presents, there's like 30 of them.

So, there you have it, a brief recap of the past few months, and what I'm currently most excited about in the new year. Also, I'm so happy to have spent another year with Josh. He's been so supportive of me while I'm working hard at school, with the loss of my boss, and he is almost as excited as I am about this new job opportunity, even though it likely means less money in our pockets. At least for a while, anyway. I couldn't ask for a better partner.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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5

Today is our fifth anniversary! It's hard to believe that we've been married a whole five years already. The time has flown by, and I'm so lucky that it's been spent with such a great guy. Today I decided I'd look up what the traditional anniversary gift is, and it turns out it's wood. Ironically, this week I booked us a weekend at a cabin near Beavers Bend Park in Oklahoma. We don't get to go until November, but a quiet weekend at a cabin with a hot tub is worth the wait. Especially when it'll be spent with my favorite husband. You can tell I'm excited because I made a Pinterest board dedicated just to our trip. We plan on spending plenty of time in that hot tub I mentioned, but there will also be marshmallow roasting, star gazing, domino playing, french toast eating, and champagne drinking. Not to mention cold beer, hot stew, and lots of hand holding. I can't wait. I love you, Josh!

Source: google.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I Declare October to be "Good Music Month"

I am so looking forward to October. For the cooler weather, the pumpkins everywhere, and most definitely for all the good music that awaits me. Calhoun, one of Josh's bands, will be playing at the Fort Worth Music Festival on October 1st. Later that evening, none other than Dawes will be taking the other stage, with lots of other local bands preceding them as well. Should be a great day of friends and fun!

Calhoun:


That's my husband on drums, isn't he a cutie? On October 13th, the girls and I are going to see Dawes again at Club Dada. Can you believe our luck? Two Dawes shows in two weeks! It's a Halloween miracle!

Dawes:


That alone would make October a pretty rockin' month, right? But October 24th we'll be headed right back to Club Dada to see Deer Tick. We saw both Deer Tick and Dawes on the same bill on St. Patrick's Day of this year, and I'm really excited to get a chance to see Deer Tick again so soon.

Deer Tick:


And then, there's this show which I must admit at the moment I am most excited about. Calhoun is opening at KXT's 2nd Anniversary show on October 26th, and headlining is Fitz and the Tantrums. I really loved them when they were on Conan earlier this year, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them live.

Fitz and the Tantrums:

Goodies

While Josh is in the UK until the 19th, I've got a lot of free time on my hands. Surprisingly school work has been slow to pick up. Holly came over yesterday and we went to lunch and then to check out the new J. Crew store over by my office. Luckily there weren't any sale items out yet to catch my fancy. Somehow that didn't stop me from spending too much though, as we also went to Anthropologie and Old Navy. I got two of the striped sweaters, the other one in black and cream. Everything but the last top is from Old Navy. The roll-necked tee is from Anthro. I also picked up a 40's style teal sweater there, but can't find a pic of it.

A Few Checkmarks

I got a few more things checked off my to-do list over the last week or so, and thought I'd share my completed project. I mentioned before that I'd finally gotten my Pottery Barn wall organizers up. The space I wanted to put them up in was too small to use their rail system that they insist you buy to hang them. So, I removed the rail pieces from them and attached picture hangers in their place. In addition to that I used 3M Command Strips for extra support, so now they hang great and look like they're just floating there. Above them I put an Ikea Ribba picture ledge to display several of my favorite cookbooks and I also framed one of my grandmother's recipes, for brownies, to put up next to it. I'm so pleased with how it came out!

For some reason I went wandering around etsy looking for trophies (honestly, I can't remember what gave me the idea, ha) and stumbled across these blue spray painted trophies and loved the idea. I have been trying to think of things to liven up our entertainment center and this was just perfect. My family was big into bowling, so I stopped by my mom's house to see what was laying around. I found an old bowling trophy of my Grandpa's from 1971, and she gave me the go ahead to remove the top portion for my project. All this idea cost me was a $3 can of spray paint. I love how it turned out and it's the perfect pop of blue on our shelves. Plus it has genuine family value to me!

And then this week I finally checked a huge to-do off my list- my family photo wall. I've been working on this for over a year and I was finally motivated to get off my duff after coming back from seeing all the family in Iowa. Again, instead of using nails to make a bunch of holes in my hall, I turned to those 3M Command Strips. For reals guys, I love these things. Josh helped me to try and make sure my arrangement looked good and everything was symmetrical and level. I'm going to change out two of the photos, but what is in there for now looks great. The frames I got from Pottery Barn. Not as cheap as the Ikea ones I usually opt for, but our hall is quite narrow and the PB frames were thinner. I really love how this turned out, and my only regret is it took me so long to get it done!

Hey Dude

What a crazy summer it's been! I managed to survive my summer classes, even making a 100 in Statistics (miracle), and an A in Film Appreciation. Fall semester starts Monday, and I have no clue how I'm going to get up for my 7:20 AM class. Last Wednesday, two of my uncles, my cousin, my mom, and I made the trek to Iowa for my cousin Jon Tumilson's funeral. Jon was one of the Navy SEALs killed in the August 6th helicopter crash in Afghanistan. It was very sad circumstances that took us there, but I am very glad that I went and got to see so much of my northern family that I hadn't seen in so long.

In the little time that hasn't been occupied by school I've been trying to take care of projects around the house. I purged my old Christmas boxes and wrap, which were still laying all over the guest bedroom floor. I got some new plants, finally made some progress on my spice storage, and put up my Pottery Barn daily system organizers (which involved some MacGyvering on my part). I'm working on a couple other projects that I hope to finish this weekend before it's back to the classrooms for me. I'll try to take some pics to share soon.

I'm also seriously considering hosting Thanksgiving for my family this year. By "seriously considering" I mean I've already been obsessively planning it, but I don't want to 100% commit just yet. :) That is in part what is spurring me to wrap up some of the household stuff. One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle that needs to be in place before I can commit to turkey day is a new oven. Our oven started smoking from between the unit and the wall when I started preheating it one day back in July. Our extinguisher was out, so I had to call the fire department. Luckily the oven shorted out before anything too bad happened. Josh's uncle came by a couple weeks later to inspect the damage and we realized it was the wiring to the oven that had caught, not the oven itself. We were very lucky the whole house didn't go up, especially when Uncle Gary discovered the firemen had turned off the wrong breaker and there was still a current available to the wiring. So, for now my old oven sits in the garage in pieces, and I fantasize about when I'll be able to have Gary install the new stainless steel double oven of my dreams.