Category: domestication

ah, saturday

Let me just tell you how much I loved today. A LOT.

Any good day off starts with sleeping in, which I did. Then, after some lazing around, David and I decided to cash in on a Cracker Barrel gift card he got for his birthday. Although we’ve been trying to eat healthier this year, we give ourselves one meal a week where we eat what we want. This was DEFINITELY the meal. My love for breakfast food is deep and true, only surpassed by my love for dark chocolate, Blue Bell ice cream, and my Tempur Pedic mattress. And living beings, of course. Anyway, David and I basically ordered one of everything.

Not pictured: the hash brown casserole, French toast, and sausage that we also shared.

We somehow rolled ourselves out to our car when we finished and drove over to Lowe’s. My plan was just to price some blinds for our breakfast room and living room, but David convinced me to just buy them now. I had anxiety about spending the money, but since we’ve been living without privacy for a year now I figured it was worth it.

On the way home we stopped to see our nephew Lucas, where I got to experience this adorableness:

Their cat just crawled on to my back and made herself comfortable while I was playing with Lucas. That never happens to me with cats! I was so excited!

Back at home we set to work installing our new blinds, with the help of our talented and gracious fathers. Conversations with my dad can always be interesting. He is blunt and honest in an endearing sort of way, which makes me nervous at times.

Dad: One thing I’m looking forward to when I get older is being able to tell everyone exactly what I think.

Me: But Dad, you kind of already do that.

Dad: I’m not even close.

Me: (eyes widen in terror)

Amidst such riveting conversation we got the blinds installed and I cannot even believe what a difference they make. The rooms actually look finished now. I keep looking at them. Here is what the breakfast area looked like when we bought the house:

And here it is now, pretty much finished:

And here are the new blinds in the living room:

I’m in love. We had to get them specially cut, and Lowe’s did it perfectly right there while we waited. Eventually I’m thinking some different curtains would be nice for the living room, along with some sort of curtains for the breakfast room, but I am happy with this for now.

After the satisfying completion of that task, I set about making bruschetta to bring to a baby shower tomorrow. I’ve never made it before, and used this recipe. I had to double it, and the mixture turned out looking like this before chilling in the refrigerator overnight:

Can anyone tell me, does this look right? Because I’m not so sure.

I am now ensconced on the couch with my two dogs, watching Ewan McGregor attempt to do a very poor Italian accent in Angels & Demons. Saturdays like these don’t happen very often for us, so I enjoy them to the fullest when they do. It’s been a great day.

January 16, 2010
The Day After

I woke up at 9:30 a.m. today, and that is approximately eleven hours of glorious sleep. The only reason I even left the bed was because my husband got up, and I couldn’t bear the cold room without his warm body next to me. I have mentioned that I have refused to turn the heat on in the house, right? But did I also say that my husband still insists on turning the fan on full blast at night? Waking up is a beast.

So after a hot shower I promptly planted myself in our recliner by the fire, underneath a blanket, and commenced reading. Four days ago I realized that the library book I checked out for book club, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, was due in two days and I had barely even begun. It’s not up for renewal since there is a waiting list, and I want to minimize my fines. I spent the next few hours finishing the book, which was quite good, but by the end my nose and fingers were too cold for comfort.

I steeled myself and marched out to the garage, where David was busily cleaning his truck. I announced my presence and stated, “I came to tell you that I think it’s time we turn the heat on inside.” I expected cheers, hugs, and falling at my feet. He had, after all, been asking to turn the heat on for the past two weeks. Instead, I got an adamant “NO!” Not quite what I had in mind.

I argued that today was the first time I’d been home all day and just could not get warm. I promised that we’d still sleep close at night. I rationalized that we’d have to turn it on eventually. But apparently my principles have rubbed off on him these past weeks, and he told me to suck it up, put on more clothes, and move around to get warm.

Back inside, grumpy yet strangely proud, I put on another sweater and decided to take on a cooking project to raise my body temperature. Since we already had dinner plans, I figured I’d prepare a slow cooker meal that I could turn on the next morning before work and that way we’d have a hot meal when I get home tomorrow night. So I started working on this beef stew, which I had been planning to try soon anyway. Only problem was I didn’t realize how long it would take, and in the middle of it I discovered I didn’t have time to finish before we had to leave. Into the refrigerator it all went, and the meal will just have to be postponed another day.

We went to our dinner exchange meal at Scott and Vanessa’s, and this time David’s best friend, his wife, and their two children came too. I’m afraid I wasn’t much company in that I started getting sleepy around 6:30 p.m. and barely rubbed two words together the entire evening. But I did quite enjoy watching my husband interact with 7-year-old Gwen and 4-year-old Jacob. They made up a game called “Nice To Meet You” in which they shook hands and took turns saying, “Nice to meet you ________.” Any word could go in the blank, any word at all. The only rule was you couldn’t duplicate. You can imagine how long this could last, and it did. At least 30 minutes straight. I’m not sure who had more fun, the kids or David. One thing is for sure, I can’t wait to make him a dad.

Sadly, I have to work again this weekend. I would much rather be braving the chilly air at home with my husband, even if it meant frozen fingers and noses.

November 27, 2009
Burning Questions

Y’all have been there for me in the past, so answer me these questions!

1. I need some new music. Suggestions?

I like acoustic guitar and piano-based stuff, but not exclusively. Over the Rhine has become my all-time favorite band, but some of my other favorites are Nickel Creek and Sandra McCracken. Recently I’m really enjoying Katie Herzig. I need some new Christmas songs too, just not the cheesy ones that they play on the radio.

2. What are your favorite kitchen tools and gadgets?

I’m still working on my Christmas list (even though it is super long already) and I want to know what I can’t live without.

3. What are your favorite iPhone apps?

I’m especially looking for the best Twitter app, the best camera app, and some good games, but anything useful is appreciated!

And go!

November 14, 2009
Friday Mash-Up

Some randomness for your reading pleasure:

***

One of my very best friends, Megan, is somewhat new to blogging. Well, the truth is that she blogged sporadically for awhile, and then stopped updating. So I took her off my list of links, which apparently offended motivated her. After some hearty encouragement on my part, she took it up again. She has assured me that she will be updating frequently, and she is a woman of her word. Basically what I’m trying to say is that YOU SHOULD BE READING IT. I don’t encourage just anyone to blog. Megan is a better writer than I’ll ever be; at once witty, inspiring, thought-provoking, and hilarious. She and her husband are currently living in Scotland for the year, and they are recounting their adventures here. Megan also has a travel blog, where she is retroactively writing about her journeys across the world.

***

You may or may not know that my youngest brother works stage crew for the Alley Theatre, which is one of Houston’s premier theatres. This is awesome because it means that we get to see most of the plays for free, and the others at a discounted price. I feel very cultured. Anyway, this week we saw the world premiere of Gruesome Playground Injuries with Brad Fleischer and Selma Blair (you may recognize her from Legally Blonde, the Hellboy movies, or Cruel Intentions). Both David and I liked it a lot, which is actually rare. I even heard David laughing several times. Afterwards we got to meet the cast, which was fun because the most famous person I have ever met up until now was Derek Webb (and I was too nervous to even say anything to him).

***

One of my coworkers introduced me to the website mygrocerydeals.com. It basically has all of your local grocery store sale flyers in one place, and it will e-mail you when a new one is available. You can browse by store or by category, create a shopping list, and print it or e-mail it to yourself. I love it and it has already revolutionized the way I shop.

***

I got the H1N1 vaccine today. I did it because I am a direct caregiver to many people who are at high risk for contracting the virus; people who, if they got it, would get very very sick and perhaps not make it through. So the vaccine is more to protect them than to protect myself, because I know that my body could handle any kind of flu. I have to say though, I was nervous. For some reason my old fear of needles came back to me, and I was not feeling up to getting stuck. I think it’s because I’ve given two intramuscular injections this week, and both times I’ve seen the muscle quiver. It kind of gave me the shivers. Anyway, I looked away and barely felt the needlestick, although my arm is quite sore now.

***

I wrote most of this post early in the day, then forgot to finish it until now. I almost went to bed without posting it, and now I’m barely squeezing it in. I’m super tired. Good night!

November 13, 2009
Breakfast Casserole

I’ve been craving a breakfast casserole all week long, because I’m high class like that. I decided to make one for our dinner exchange tonight, with a fruit salad side. I didn’t have a recipe, so I searched and searched. I ended up combining a few of the ones I found, and it turned out pretty well. Next time I’ll probably use less hash browns and sausage and more eggs.

Ingredients:

1 (2-pound) bag frozen hash browns, thawed
1 pound pork sausage
2 slices cooked ham, diced
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish. Place the hash brown potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish.

This already takes up half of the dish. Like I said, next time I’ll use less potatoes.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook and stir the sausage until the it is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink; drain. (If your husband likes onion this would be the time to cook a small diced onion along with the meat. Also, I decided to include some diced ham, because we had some on hand.)

Mmm, meat. A lot of it. Too much, actually, but oh well.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and pour over the potatoes. Layer with half the Cheddar cheese, the sausage mixture, and the remaining Cheddar cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

That is a lot of cheese, my friends. Just how I like it.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove cover; return casserole to the oven and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Forgot to take a picture of the finished product until after we had already eaten. We just couldn’t wait!

This was definitely good, but I’m not ready to declare my undying love for it. There was so much meat and potatoes that I could hardly taste the egg. I’d like to try it with some modifications, but if you’ve got a tried and true recipe for a breakfast casserole, I’d love for you to share.

November 7, 2009