no words for that

Regal in RoMo

2012-02-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

Hello February! Time flies when you're working like a hard-working person. After 4 weeks of doing the full-time work, full time school thing, Joe and I were ready to get out of dodge. So, yesterday, we hit up the St Louis Art Museum.

I was pretty impressed with the collection; they have over 30,000 pieces from all over the world including some the most famous, Monet, Van Gogh and my personal fave, Winslow Homer. After a few hours of strolling through the gallery we went out for a late lunch at a Tuscan Grill and then saw a movie. I have to recommend The Descendants. It has been nominated for several Oscars, so don't just take my word for it. This film had the capacity to be a total sap-fest... but, instead it turned out to be funny and intriguing in an awkward sort of way. Definitely the antithesis of sap- take your husband!

On the way home, we stopped at Trader Joe's and I got a Pomegranate and some blood oranges. I had never tried either. The pomegranate was great- if you need help figuring out how to eat one, look here: http://iowagirleats.com/2012/01/25/how-to-eat-a-pomegranate/

As for the blood oranges, I am sad to share that in the event of a blind taste test, I am quite confident I could not distinguish the difference between a blood orange and a navel orange... oh well! They are pretty.

I meant to share these next shots a while ago. Here is my dear nephew, enjoying his very first solid food! Rice cereal. What a cutie- he did great. It is funny to watch someone try food for the first time. If you look close, you can definitely see and expression of "oh my, what is this?!"

On a final note, I must expose you to this video. I swear I was born in the wrong decade... David Bowie- you're so fly...

I Resolve

2012-01-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

Are you a New Year's resolution maker? For whatever reason, this year, I have been giving my resolutions a good amount of forethought. However, at this time, it has been determined that I'm lacking gumption for dramatic or glamorous changes this year. After all, I'm in the process of getting the letters D and R in front of my name, which has the capacity to suck up most of my drama and glamour on any given day. For this reason, my resoutions are few and simple. I, Katie Jackson, do solemly swear to pack my lunch at night, Sunday through Thursday.

January 1st, I shall be eating this:

http://www.flatoutbread.com/pbj-with-sbg-flatout-wrap/
and this:

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1EOZjC330qmSLhleqlRajR7eN9kyAXcBeBCkYShWsTBY

Hotdish

2011-12-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

Minnesota girls looove hotdish. When I was little My favorite was "Katie's Hotdish". A hotdish, named in honor of my strong affinity... A concoction of elbow mac, cream of mushroom soup, hamburger, and canned corn. Yum. I have not had it in years. I had dissimilar feelings towards "Red Hotdish"- elbow mac, condenced tomatoe soup and hambuger. I would cry when my parents started making this entree.

Nowadays, my husband is not open to the idea of hotdish. I guess I can't blame the guy, I can certainly attest to the love-hate nature of hotdish. Despite my husband's disinterest, I loooove to make the following hotdish- a modification of the recipe found on the back of the Stove Top stuffing box.

1 cup chopped chicken (I use the froze chicken breast pieces from Schwann's)
1 cups frozen vegetables (I use brocolii)
1/2 a can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 box Stove Top stuffing mix
1/2 cup mild shredded chedder cheese
Directions:

1.Make stuffing according to the instructions on the box.
2.Combine remaining ingredients and place in an 8X8 baking dish.
3. Top with prepared stuffing
4. Sprinkle with Cheese
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

Christmas Clicks

2011-12-11T20:43:00.000-08:00

In college, I kept my baby Christmas tree up year round. I had two sets of ornaments- Christmas and Easter. The rest of the year, I celebrated the North woods (like many Minnesotans do)... FYI-if you're from MN, it's okay to have a fake pine tree adorning your home 12 months a year. It's a lodge theme, I guess. Anyway, nowadays, I live in MO, so I get to saver my lovely tree for about a month, but after that it gets tucked under the stairs for the majority of the year. For this reason, I feel compelled to document the beauty of my tree here, on the blog. I also want to share some fun tips for making your tree look awesome in pictures! If you have a DSLR camera, bust out your tri-pod and put that puppy on manual setting. Make sure it's plenty dark outside and turn out all the lights in your home. Crank up the camera's ISO AS FAR as it will go, set your aperture at 1.8, and select a shutter speed between 1/30 and 6 seconds (this is a broad range, but it will depend on how much ISO your camera has ). Tah-dah:

DIY Christmas Gift: Vanilla Extract

2011-12-03T21:39:00.000-08:00

Like most of you, every Christmas I'm on the hunt for a fun handmade gift to make. I scour the Internet (and my memory) for any ideas that are unique, easy, cute and fairly inexpensive. This year, I came to the conclusion that I would be making vanilla extract.

First I bought 20 4-oz Clear Boston Round Bottles from Specialty Bottles and a 1/2 lb pack of Vanilla Beans from Saffron.com. 1/2 lb is roughly 45 beans. I also got a handle of vodka.

First you'll need to cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and then crosswise and divide them among the bottles. I used 3 beans for each bottle.

Then pull out your funnel and pour roughly 1/2 cup of vodka into each container.

Next - put on the cap and wait!!! Easy-peasy, right?

The steeping effect sets in quickly. The vodka goes from clear to a pretty amber color. Ideally the vanilla should steep for at least a month, till the vanilla is a dark brown. The longer it steeps the stronger the vanilla flavor.

For labels, I did a google image search for vintage vanilla lables. I found one right away that I liked and photoshopped a list of ingredients along with a Christmas note from Joe and I over the physician's information (apperently doctor's distributed vanilla back in the day?) Regarding word choice, I was utilizing these gifts for business collegues and older family folk, so I listed the ingredients as "Good Tidings, Ethyl Alcohol, and Vanillas Beans". I also added a few bows with ribbon and raffia.

That's it!!! Merry Christmas!

Any Given Sunday

2011-08-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! The following pictures are for my sister! We have been living in our house for about 9 months and she has not been able to come and see it yet (understandably- she has had few other things going on, like giving birth). Anyway- here is the "before & after" of our living roomm and the guest bedroom. Just like this post, there is a kitty hiding in one of these pictures, look closely, & you'll find Stella!

Living Room Before:

Living Room After:

Living Room Before:

Living Room After:

Guest Bedroom Before:

Guest Bedroom After:

That white couch is a hide-a-bed. We thought about putting a full bed in there, but we figured a crib might go in that same room as some point, ergo we needed something that would allow for crib space. PS- I'm not pregnant.

I baked some of these this afternoon:

These are Joe's Grandma's recipe, passed onto me by Joe's Mom- thanks Judy!

Zucchini Muffins

2 cups sugar

3eggs
1 cup oil
3 cups flour
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp vanilla
Directions:
1. Grease and flour bread pan or muffin pan
2. Mix all ingredients
3. Bake bread at 350 degrees for 60 minutes (muffins bake for 30 minutes)

I started school again this week. I've finished one semester and I have 5 to go- woot. I have class on Wednesdays which means I work from 8:30AM-3:00 PM and then I spend the next seven hours traveling to Columbia, sitting in class, and then traveling back home. It makes for a bit of a long day, but I know people have done much more difficult things in the interest of furthering their educations. I'm lucky to be doing this.
I was talking to an old friend/higher-ed colleague on the phone last weekend. Her husband started working at a church this past year and she shared that she had observed how similar their jobs were. She works at the University of Minnesota, which obviously doesn't have any religious affiliation. I can't say I was too surprised by this, education and ministry have a history of being intertwined. As a result, similarities are intuitive. People that know better, do better. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I had followed my original plan of working in ministry. I guess I'll never really know. But, I'd like to think that if you're in the business of challenging people to expand their knowledge, you're probably making the world an exponentially better place. Knowledge will always be greater than ignorance.

Karma's Telling Me to Quit Watching Bacholor Pad

2011-08-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

This is my first post from my new laptop! I was watching a tv show on-line in bed last weekend and I dumped half a nalgene bottle of water on my old one-opps! I can't say anything bad about that old thing- it got me through my master's degree, my first job, my second job, the start of my third job, and my first semester of doctoral work- whew. Rest in peace old lap top. My cute husband bought some kind of cord on-line to get all my old files off the hard drive- what a guy- he is always quick to resolve my stupid problems!

Alrighty- time for a recipe! This is one I made up on my own for the most part. I did consult simplyrecipes.com for some guidance on the pesto sauce.

Pesto Pizza
1 roll of refrigerated pizza dough
Goat Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Veggies (Peppers, tomatoes, onion)
Kalameta Olives
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs pine nuts or almonds
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Special equipment needed: A food processor

Method
1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor- I use the Magic Bullet. (If you are using almonds instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
3 Unroll pizza crust onto a cookie sheet.
4 Spread sauce over the dough using a rubber spatula
5 Top with veggies, goat cheese crumbles (careful, this stuff is potent), and mozzarella cheese.

6 Cook in oven according to the pizza dough directions.

Is your husband isn't crazy about pesto and goat cheese, you might consider making a more traditional side for him... with regular pizza sauce, peperoni, and mozzarella cheese;)

Librarian's Worst Nightmare: A Book Wreath Tutorial

2011-08-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted a tutorial! Today, I'm going to share the process for creating a book wreath. Warning- no decent books were harmed in the making of this blog post. Nor were any library books destroyed. "Summer People" was a Target purchase a few years back. I can't imagine re-reading this book or bestowing such a dragging story on any friends or family. I always liked the cover though- this book finds redemption in it's physical appearance, ergo, it's perfect for the following endeavor.

Here's what you'll need:

1 Styrofoam wreath (mine is 10 in)
1 book you're willing to destroy
1 package of stick pins
1 hot glue gun and hot glue
Paint (gray, brown, or silver)
1 Paintbrush
Now, for the process:
1. Paint the edges of the book using gray, brown or silver paint. This will help the pages to look aged.

2. Carefully rip all the pages out of the book.
3. Fold each page accordion, fan style. I made 5 creases in each page, folding the short way.

Here's my little helper, making a little weasel bed in a pile of the finished pages.
4. Glue and pin one layer of fanned pages onto the back of the wreath like this:

5. Turn the wreath over. Glue and pin the next layer around the outer side of the wreath. Apply the glue on a small tab like this:

6. Attach the pages to the wreath using glue and pins with the tabs pointing up towards the ceiling. After this layer is complete, the wreath should look like this:

7. On the next layer, continue applying glue on the tabs, however, this time attach the pages with the tabs pointing down.

8. Continue making layers with the tabs pointing up. The final layer should be attached to the inside of the inner ring.

You're done! Great decor for any literary enthusiast!

While I fanned the pages for my wreath, here a a few other options:

Rolling:

Making strips and ringlets:

Or a combination of rolling and fanning:

This book wreath will be hung up in our guest room on an antique window that we found under our basement stairs. I'm really in love with antiques lately!

The Corn is Knee High by the Fourth of July

2011-07-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

Happy July everyone! I haven't posted for a while so let's back up a bit... Missouri has had some crazy weather this Spring/Summer. Thanks to everyone who sent text messages and called with concerns- luckily we are over 3 hours from Joplin. My thoughts and prayers definitely go out to all those affected. Rolla had some crazy skies the night of the storm:

My work with the Doctoral program started just as school ended so I'm getting used to life as a student again. While classes didn't start until July- homework started May 10th. The program is structured so that most of the reading is done before classes started- and read we did- over 800 pages in a month and a half. Lucky for me- I read non-fiction most of the time anyway- so it was more an adjustment of scope rather than content. Classes started last Tuesday and as soon as I finish this post, I'll be hitting the road for week two. It is great to be back in the classroom, but it also feels like things have come full circle after putting so much energy into supporting college students in my job. I am hoping to continue working on Friday's for the rest of the month. This will help me keep up with projects and conserve some vacation time.

I refinished a dresser for Joe recently. We both kind of liked this piece "before", but we're certainly pleased with how it turned out "after":

The color is Better Homes and Garden "Seafoam" and I just rolled it on with a foam roller. We also switched out the hardware and ta-dah- Joe finally has a place for his socks!

Speaking of Joe- he has been worked pretty hard on the lawn this Spring. He actually did the majority of our landscaping in one day. I was shocked to say the least when I came home to find all or our flower beds lined with boulders and some new mulched beds put in to cover up the old carport foundation. We also planted some vegetables which haven't fared so well in the ground... my late Grandpa Julias would be sad to see our corn was NOT knee high by the fourth of July- too much shade! However, our topsy turvy planters have proved to be more fruitful! Here are some of the goods I'll be eating this week in class:

My parents made a trip down to visit last weekend. We shot off fireworks and went on a float trip down the Huzzah River. Here we are- having a good time!

Last, but not least- it's my baby girl's birthday today- she's 1! To celebrate, Stella played outside in the backyard, ate a can of catfood, AND got to eat a little bit of birthday Twinkie! Here she is- having a great day:

Carl was happy to help out with the Twinkie!

Katie's Pick: American Beauty Quick Cook Pasta

2011-05-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly- it's May! And I need to update this blog! Well friends and family- today I come to you with a new series- Katie's Pick! I plan to use this series to share a few of my favorite things! If Oprah does it, why can't I? Let's be clear though- you will not be winning anything. Sorry. I'm bad at mailing things in a timely fashion. Bills and birthday cards taunt me for at least a week before they find their way to mailbox. Anyway- I digress. Here is my first favorite thing!

American Beauty's Quick Cook Pasta!

I'm a girl that loves having dinner parties! At these parties two things normally happen:
1. I make something I had never tried to make before.
2. Our hyperactive smoke alarm goes off, albeit smoke. It once went off when I was just boiling water.

Between the stress of not screwing up my new recipes and our bleeping smoke alarm, a girl can only manage so much. For this reason, I really and truly love American Beauty Quick Cook Pasta. Why? Because it cooks in 3 minutes. Not 7. Isn't that amazing? Add some pesto or sundried tomato sauce and wow- what a fabulous side dish.

If you want to try it- here is a link to a coupon: http://americanbeauty.newworldpasta.com/quickcook/
Random sidenote- have you seen Extreme Couponing on TLC? If I had a coupon stockpile, it would totally include the quick cook pasta. And cat treats. And razors. And Powerade Zero. I am not sure I can commit to stockpiling anything else at this time.

More Cheap Tricks: Homemaker's Edition

2011-03-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

We bought a house a few months ago and it has been SO much fun doing projects and making it our own! One of the first things I knew I wanted to do was install a tin ceiling in the guest bedroom. My favorite coffee shop back home in Minnesota had a purple tin ceiling that really made the joint. Our house kind of reminds me of that place- antique/ artsy/ shabby chic. So a tin ceiling was a must. They are so pricey though... who can spend over a grand on a ceiling when there are cats to feed. I decided on a faux technique I found on the internet. Initially, when I ran this by Joe, he looked at me like this...

and said- that's a project. You have fun with that. Lucky for me, I've been known to seize fabulous opportunities when they slap me in the face. Early in the ayem one fine snow day- the fine fella got on board with my plan:) Never underestimate the power of a captive audience- emphasis on captive- hehe:) Here's what we did:

1. Selected a ceiling to tin. Removed light fixture:

2..Purchased Allen and Roth Paintable Wallpaper, Pattern: Ceiling Tile.
3. Covered the floor in with plastic drop cloths and soaked the prepasted wallpaper using this thingy:

3.For the next four or so hours we stood on these contraptions with our arms above our heads sticking and smoothing the wallpaper sheets:

We started out using really big sheets. But- these proved to be more trouble than they were worth. We begin cutting smaller squares and putting them up faster. Here we are in progress:

5. Finally- we finished!

6. Over the next few days- half of the paper fell down- oh dear! We bought a bottle of boarder paste, which is technically used for hanging wallpaper boarders as well as a few tubes of seam repair. This stuff did the trick. Nobody ever said wallpapering a ceiling would be easy- not even me.
7. Next, I ordered some paint off of Ebay. I used Roman's Paintable Wallpaper Coating in Silver. They used to sell this stuff at Lowe's, but I believe the product itself has been discontinued. Hence the reason I ordered it off of Ebay. USPS- pay no attention to this blog post... is it legal to mail paint? My guess would be not-so-much, but I'm not totally sure. I applied the paint using a medium texture roller. I ran out of paint and had to order a second can off of Ebay. Nobody ever said this project would be a quick one either!
So- here we are- the final product:

Overall- this was a heckuva project! I might do one more glaze over the top to bring out the detail... we'll see! For now- I'm happy enough to leave it alone!

Cheap Tricks: Runner's Edition

2011-01-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready to run my 3rd half marathon this Spring. If you're a distance runner- I would love to hear about your crazy tricks! Here are a few of mine...

1. Nasal Decongestant: When I lived in MN, I ran in cold weather quite often. The cold often caused my nasal passage to get blocked. On a few scary occasions, when I was miles from a water source, I ate some snow out of the ditch to clear my throat. This works. What works even better is two nasal decongestant tablets prior to a long run. I recommend this for any long distance you plan to run in chilly weather.
2. Peanuts, Popcorn: These aren't just for baseball spectators. Salty snacks the night before a long run will keep you hydrated the next day. I picked this tip up from a lady I used to work with. She, her husband, and her son have done dozens of marathons.  Anyone that has ever run a long distance knows the amount of sodium your body loses during a long run. I can see it and brush it off my arms and my face. If you think is loopy talk, you can read more about this here: http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/nutrition/salt.asp
3.  Forgo the "out and back" route by using public transportation: I have to admit, a lot of my running routes have been out and back type of patterns. The trouble with these is the temptation to give up before you really get "out". To avoid this "give up" option, make a plan to run somewhere and then take the bus home. I find it easier to follow through when you're not constantly tempted to alter the route. I have to caution you against using this trick without checking the weather though: I got really cold and wet on one occasion.
4.Vasaline: To avoid "skin burns" or discomfort due to friction: Vasaline does the trick. I put this on the inside of my arms above my elbows.
5. Tunes: Music will keep you moving and make your run more fun. It's funny when I think back to running with a personal CD player not too many years ago. I had to replace the batteries every time I went to the gym. God bless Steve Jobs and the IPod- it changed my life. I get new music all the time and I'll listen to whatever I just bought on repeat until I start to hate it a little. If you're looking for some good music, I recommend downloading Girl Talk "Feed the Animals" and "All Day" albums. These are free albums that are made up of all kinds of songs that are mixed together. Think The Jackson 5., playing on top of a Black Eyed Peas song, with a guitar riff transition from the Grateful Dead. It's a brilliant hodge podge and the best running music I have ever had.
6. Training Plans: Hal Higdon is where it's at. Everyone I know that runs uses his training plans. You can find Hal here: http://www.halhigdon.com/
7. Caffeine: I hate running in the morning. But, road races mostly take place during this time. When I drag myself out of bed for these, I drink something with caffeine + cereal. I always end up going back to bed after races- which is annoying to me, but anyway...
8.   Running buddy: I used to think I wasn't a chatty runner: but it turns out, I am, as long as the other person is too. I can't maintain a constant stream of talking.. but taking turns telling stories makes a run go by pretty quick.
9. Roadblocks: For non-Runners or Beginners: I used to think I hated running... turns out I hate sprinting. Some people confuse the two. If you feel like you want to die while you're running, you need to take it down a notch and work your way up to something quicker. For Beginners/Intermediate: Never run less than 2 miles. The first two miles is always the hardest. You need to tough it out to mile 3. At this point, enough time has passed that you body has both warmed up and muscles have naturally numbed themselves. Enjoy the buzz.
10. Mind- Body Connection: Your mind comes up with amazing thoughts and novel ideas while you're running.   When you're running, you have nothing better to do but to figure out your life. Realizing this will make running your addition, but also your therapy.

Anyone else have a crazy running trick?

Sweet December

2011-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I must say it's been a while! Life has been pretty crazy for the past month or so! I had a birthday- 27th ride around the sun! The same week we packed up our apartment and then I headed to a conference at the Lake of the Ozarks Wed-Fri. I got back to town on Friday afternoon just in time to close on our new house! The next day we moved (in the rain). Thank you to Marty, Candice, Mike, and Tiffany- you guys were such a big help! We dove right into unpacking and doing house projects. I painted our bedroom that first night. I was so excited- I was painting until 1 in the morning! The next work week was crazy because the semester was wrapping up. But we got more work done on the house each night. We ordered pretty much all of our furniture on-line- so we came home almost every day to huge packages on the front porch. Between couches and Christmas cards- I feel as if the mail fairies have truly blessed us recently. Next we headed down to South Carolina to spend Christmas with Joe's family. We had a great time and we even got an unexpected white Christmas. Now were back in Rolla and things are slowing down just a bit. My family was planning to come down this past weekend, but they didn't make it due to the blizzards up North. I'm sure something else will pan out for us soon though! Now for a list of everything we've accomplished so far and some pictures!

1.Painted the bedroom- Valspar "Bear Claw" (Terracotta Orange)
2.Put shelf paper in the antique bedroom furniture I refinished this past fall
3.Painted the basement Valspar "Porcelain Shale" (Charcoal Gray)
4.Insulated the attic
5.Created electric outlets in the basement (so we could hang the tv on the wall without all the cords showing)
6.Installed a porch light- there wasn't one before- just naked light bulbs, hanging out
7.Installed a new kitchen faucet- our old one was was installed backwards and it drove us crazy. We figured if we were going to reinstall something, it might as well be something we liked.
8.Made, painted, installed custom shelving in the basement for all the stereo/video game stuff
9.Refinished a coffee table for the basement (we brought this back inside a LITTLE too soon- it has little kitty footprints on it now- opps. I think it adds character. But- maybe we'll fix it in the Spring)
10.Painted the living room Valspar Gourd. The shade was a lot darker than I thought it would be. I was not happy. So- my smart husband asked the Google gods "how to lighten paint" and I ended up following their advice:) More about that later.
11Textured the ceiling in the basement and painted it white.
12.Cleaned. A lot. The last owners had 3 dogs, one of which shed a lot of black hair. All over the place.

I think that's it. A home is a lot of work! But- we love working- ergo, so far, so wonderful!

Alrighty- what to do when you paint your walls and you're not happy... Here's my before shot. I wanted gold... it seems I made a stop over at orange juice...

My remedy involved a trip to Lowe's. I am starting to feel like some sort of regular in that store- they're getting to know me there! Anyway... I purchased a can of interior faux finish... same stuff I used for the bedroom set redo:

This time I had it tinted "Gypsy Gold". This color is about 10 shades lighter that my base coat "Gourd". I also got a special paint brush that is used for Tuscan faux finishing. You can find these by all the faux finish pamphlets at Lowes. Next, I taped off all the trim just as if I was going to repaint the room. Then, the fun part, painting random X's all over the walls, working side to side, overlapping as I went. When each wall was complete, I went back and blended the X's with a wet flour sack dish towel. The results...

Much better! It was a good mistake to make because I'm really happy with how it all turned out.

Alrighty- pictures of one other thing I don't think anyone has seen in our house...

There's a little workshop. Which is great for this handy man...

I think he looks pretty happy:)

Got a blog? Get free cards!

2010-11-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

Shutterfly is offering bloggers 50 free 5X7 greeting cards this Christmas. Check out the offer here. We used Shutterfly for our cards last year and I was really happy with how they turned out! In fact, they looked like this !

Here are a few new Christmas Card designs that I think are pretty cute:
Most Wonderful Time of the Year
It's a Wonderful Life
Oh Holy Night

Shutterfly also offers other cute personalized goods such as

Head on over to Shutterfly to check it all out!

Joe and I chose Shutterfly last year because I wanted a photo card and Joe wanted a card that would fold like the traditional style card. They offered us a happy compromise. I don't think we'll start doing a Christmas letter...yet! I look forward to writing one of those someday though! With all the ages of our children and what they have been up to- that will be so fun.

It's funny to think how much has changed since we sent our our last card! We both have new jobs, we found Stella, we've moved once, and now we're moving again into our first house!

Better After!

2010-11-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

Since we just bought a house we are working on collecting some furniture. Joe and I have spent the last 8-9 years living in furnished apartments and dorm rooms so all we have we really have is a plethora of book shelves, a mattress, and a box spring. We have a ways to go. This is why, I decided to peruse, Rollanet! It turns out our fellow Rollaonians have boycotted Craig's List... in favor of Rolla Net:. I wish I would have realized this about a year ago... I have spent a fair amount of time searching Craig's List in vain for anything on sale within a hundred miles of Rolla. Go figure- I was recently clued in on Rolla's preferred on-line classifieds server, so on we go... I purchased the following bedroom set... there are 5 pieces total. Apparently I didn't get a before picture of all the pieces...

Nice and sturdy- but just a little too 1985 for my taste! Using the process described here: Here's what I did to amend this...

Step One: Remove the hardware:

Step 2: Apply 2 coats of primer. I used Kilz Odorless Spray Primer. This dries in about one hour.

Step 3: Apply 3 coats of paint. I used Valspar Interior Exterior Gloss in Antique White. This dries in about 20 minutes.

Step 3: Using a paint brush, apply a thin coat of Valspar Interior Faux Finish. This finish needs to be tinted when you buy it. I had it tinted "New Black" at Lowe's. The finish is painted on with a paint brush and then wiped off with a damp cloth. This finish makes all the etching in this set pop out.

Step 4: I spray painted the hardware an oil rubbed bronze. Here's how it all panned out... I don't have an after picture of mirror that goes on top of the long dresser. It's done... it's just currently crammed away in the townhouse!

Whew! I'm pretty happy with it! However, I don't think I will ever feel the need to spray paint anything ever again... If you're interested in trying this method I recommend a trip to this blog for more instructions and inspiration: All Things Thrifty by Brooke.

New Digs

2010-11-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

We bought a house last week! After looking at on-line real estate postings for the past year, we started actually looking at places about 3 months ago. We weren't overly serious about house hunting, mostly just attending random open houses. Then last week, we fell in love with one particular listing and so we contacted the realtor and set up a private showing. Joe knew right away that we would buy it... I played the role of the patient one, insisting that we look at one more comparable property, just to be sure. Lucky for Joe, my "comparable property" was really creepy inside! Creepy attic, creepy basement, creepy used to be kitchen, now just a weird room with old cupboards- lol. So, we confidently went ahead and put in an offer on first house the next day during our lunch hour. It was accepted a few hours later. I love it because it had wood floors, a white kitchen, and cute red doors- which are good luck! Oh yes- fun cultural fact- people in Asia paint their doors red right before Asian New Year in hopes of good luck and good tidings in the coming year Joe liked the basement and the big backyard. I think we both like the fact it's charming and unique feel, the size, and the price. Here are some pictures... PS- this is not our stuff!

The pictures don't show everything. There are 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a big laundry room, and a bunch of sheds outside.

The current owner is an artist that runs a business out of the basement- http://hattierex.com/ It looks like she has done pretty well- her stuff has been featured in a few different magazines. She did some cute artsy stuff in the house too- there is a distressed door in the master bedroom and if you look closely at the kitchen curtains- they are hanging from bent forks and spoons. There is a secret thing in the house too! What is it? I'm not telling- you'll have to come visit us after we close if you want to find out- hehehe:) December 10th- we'll be good to go!

Stay tuned for... a before and after of our new bedroom set I refinished last weekend!

Oh my, Apple Pie!

2010-10-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well- it's been a long day! I wasn't feeling too good today... this past Friday evening I went into Urgent Care and walked out with 10 days of anitbiotics. What do I have? I don't know- not ear infection like I thought. The nurse practioner said she "did not trust my throat" followed by a long monologue on how she is dissatisfied with our nation's outdated higher education requirements. Meanwhile- she struggled with the lab computer- eventrally she explained that she had been confusing the backspace with the enter key. And out I walkd with amoxycillin sans throat swab or true diagnosis. Weird. Also weird- not being able to hear much of anything because my my ears are all whaked out. Humph:(

But anyway- I'll survive! Here's what's cooking ~~this~~ last week:

Betty Crocker Scrumptious Apple Pie

Crust
2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Filling
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (8 medium)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one pastry round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/4 cup flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir in apples until well mixed. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over filling. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate.

Roll other round of pastry into 10-inch round. Fold into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape. Unfold top pastry over filling; trim overhanging edge 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute as desired. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Serve warm if desired.

Did I make my own pie crust? Heck no, the world gives us these things in the grocery store. However, I did use these to cut cute little leaf shapes into my pie:

They were a gift from Joe for... our anniversary maybe? I think that was it- they have these shapes and more fun designs at Williams Sonoma.

What else is new? Well... I am headed back to school for my Doctorate in Higher Ed Leadership. Right now I am studying for the GRE (again- did you know your scores expire?) and pulling together all of my application materials. The first two years will mean traveling for class on Wednesdays nights and taking the whole month of June off for class. But- by age 30, I'll be done- woot! I'm excited- I love to learn, so why not get back on the proverbial horse and get back to school? But, I'm anxious as well- 2 years is a long time to devote all your vacation to educational pursuits. But, I think it will be a good invenstment and a valuable experience. So, here goes nothing- a deep breath and a leap.

Harvest Baking and Good Read

2010-09-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

It's officially autumn! I can't say it really feels like it yet in Missouri, but that doesn't stop me from getting into the spirit of things with a little pumpkin baking! Here are are a few recipes I tried this afternoon...

Pumpkin Nutella Bread
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract
8 tablespoons Nutella (2 tablespoons per mini loaf)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 4 mini loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, water, pumpkin, eggs, and extracts. Whisk until smooth and combined.

4. Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Mix until ingredients are combined.

5. Pour the batter into the mini loaf pans, making sure batter is evenly divided. Drop 2 heaping tablespoons of Nutella onto each loaf pan. Swirl the Nutella into the pumpkin batter with a knife. Place the loaf pans onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Place the loaf pans on a wire rack. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove the loaves. Cool completely before slicing.

*Note-You can make regular size loaves. This recipe should make 2 8×4 loaves. Adjust baking time to about 60 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oi
l 2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.

2.Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.

3.Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

And if you're wondering- yes I staged that picture with the nutella and the apple candle- lol. What else is new around here... I am reading this-

Those of you who know me realize that I am currently not a Republican and probably never will be. So why read a book by a Republican politician's daughter? I saw her interviewed on a late night talk show and was intrigued by her perspective. This book gives me a little hope for the future of the GOP and my fellow twenty-somethings. Maybe the Millennial wave of the conservative right will put the elitist and exclusive characteristics of the Republican party to bed for good. And maybe women in their 20's will progressively refrain from yielding to the cultural insinuation that it's best to be seen or heard. Cheers to a lady with a lot good things to say.

About 4 Things...

2010-09-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

Nothing reminds me more of fall than the smell of apple cinnamon roasting... er- dehydrating! Joe and I picked up on my Dad' tradition for the first time this year- on a much smaller scale. Smaller because Missouri apples are pretty small and we don't really have a desire to run a 3 dehydrator 24/7 apple shop. If you want to try this- it's pretty easy! You chop the apples, shake on some cinnamon, and wait for a while for the dehydrator to do it's thing and you're done!

We made some fruit roll-ups too! I have to be honest here- Joe did all the work while I documented the experience- hehe. What a guy:) Here's what I think he did... chopped apples go in the blender along with a package of raspberries and some white grape peach juice. This mixture gets poured on a fruit roll up tray (you normally have to purchase this separately- you can find them on-line) and put on the dehydrator overnight.

Hmmm- what else have we been doing... here are the 3 pictures I submitted to the photo contest...

We'll see how that goes! Oh- and here's What I Wore Wednesday- only got one day recorded and it was a Monday, but I give myself an A for that effort... Linking up with Pleated Poppy again...

Where I wore it: Work- crazy amounts of meetings that day...

Dress: Target Clearance- bought like 2 or 3 years ago and just took the tags off this week.

Cardi: Banana Republic

Tank: Target

Belt: From a bridesmaid dress- shout out to Cat Standfuss!

Necklace- from that same bridesmaid ensemble

Tights- TJ Maxx

Boots: Target on-line

One last thing- Happy Birthday Mom- 29 and fabulous!

Keeping it Real

2010-09-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well everybody- if you read my last post, you konw I'm entering a photography contest. Turns out that if you want to win said contest, you need to start by taking pictures of the right landmark. LOL- here are some new images- let me know what you think! I can submit 3. I didn't get to spend nearly as much time on these- such is life:)

Need your vote!

2010-09-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

I just got a new camera! I've wanted an SLR for quite a while now and I decided it was finally time to just bite the bullet and buy one. After doing a lot of research I decided on a Nikon D3000 D-SLR. I am loving it so far... I'm not so much in love with the amount of money I spent on it though! So- what better time is there to enter a photography contest. If I win...maybe the camera will pay for itself. I can enter 3 images... which ones do you think look the best?

What is that thing? It's our campus stonehenge... not quite as attractive as the real thing- but kind of fun to have around.

Here are some other shots I captured today and the haircut pictures my mother requested- hehe:)

Leaves in the nuclear reactor barracade cement planter

My office windows- notice the top of the soil testing trailor right at the bottom of the shot- opps!

Pretty flower!

Stella

Mr Carl- very grumpy about the new camera- all his shots look just like this!

Ta-dah- the back is real short. I still need to mail off my ponytail to Wigs for Kids.

What I Wore Wednesday!

2010-08-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

So- I'm linking up with the The Pleated Poppy blog this week for What I Wore Wednesday! Lots of women link up to this blog to show what they wore that week. I'm kind of a busy girl and let's face it, I am not really on top of things all the time, so I recorded 2 of my last 7 days- woot! Here we go!

Sunday: Church, out to eat, Wal-Mart run

Dress: Target

Necklace: JC Penny

Merril Sandals: TJ Maxx

Wednesday: Work and out to lunch with a friend

Shirt: Old Navy

Pants: The Limited (actually- they are The Limited pants, but I got them at Marshalls)

Shoes: Weddings on First (yup- I wear my wedding shoes about once a week!)

Bracelet: Thrift Store

Ring: Art Gallery in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Yay! Head on over to The Pleated Poppy to see what are people are wearing this Wednesday!

So, lately my dear cats are creeping into just about every conversation I have... what can I say- I'm one of THOSE people! Here is some evidence that they are getting along famously!

Doesn't Carl looked thilled? He loves to give Stella baths- what a guy. Here's what they do when they are not lounging angelically...

Carl has a leg up on this activity- obviously! But, Stella holds her own.

STELLA!

2010-08-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Joe brought home a surprise the other night....

I almost started to cry- I was so happy to get a girl in the house:) Her name is Stella and she weighs about 1 pound at 5 weeks of age. She was a campus stray that got separated from her Mom and brothers.

Her and Carl are getting along pretty well so far. Initially there was some cranky hissing, but now he has taken on the role of Daddy- watching Stella play and sometimes carrying her in his mouth by the scruff of her neck just like a Momma cat! Nice to see Carl can be domestic! He looks like such an old kitty compared to Stella!

In other exciting news- here's our new fence! Up just in time for the proverbial wild neighbor people to

re-inhabit their house for the school year. Good deal I guess!

Cribs

2010-07-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

This post is for my sister! As promised... pictures of the new place. Be sure to look for Carl... he was in a Where's Waldo kind of mood during the townhouse photoshoot...

Let Them Eat Cake

2010-07-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

The following recipe has been flying around my family's e-mail accounts this week...

It's a chocolate cake you make in a coffee cup! It only takes about 5 minutes in the microwave...

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

A small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 4 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! This is definitely enough cake for two!

Now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Grill Frills

2010-07-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Joe got a charcoal grill a few weeks ago and I think it's safe to say this is where the majority of our food is coming from! Here is what I ate tonight (that's your broccoli Dad!)

After spending about an hour reading the grilling issue of Every Day with Rachel Ray I decided to throw together my own vegetable marinade. Here's the recipe- if you can call it that- Jackson hodge-podge might be a little more accurate...

Broccoli

Cherry Tomatoes

Fresh Mushrooms

Onion

Green Pepper

Red Pepper

Kalameta Olives

Now for the marinade:

Splash of Kalameta Olive juice

A few splashes of Worcestershire Sauce

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of ground mustard

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

2 teaspoons of sesame seeds

I mixed everything together in a gallon freezer bag and threw it in the fridge for about 45 minutes. Joe cooked it in a grill wok for about 15 minutes. The result kind of reminded me of the something you would have at a HuHot or Mongos. Super flavorful and tasty!

If you're not into a completely vegetarian meal... here is something else you can try. Joe made these a few nights ago with all the vegetables I mentioned above + pineapple...

He added small pieces of round steak marinaded overnight with this...

My favorite part was the pineapple chunks- super juicy and fresh!

It's so nice cooking supper together every night in the summer! It makes me realize just how many late nights I worked this past academic year. This coming year should have definite improvements in that arena. Only two more weeks until I start my new job in Student Affairs- woot!

Project Corner with Katie

2010-07-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

Super fun, super easy DIY project I put together for our new kitchen! Here's what you do...

1.Find a picture frame or a mirror... doesn't have to be anything too pricey. I found mine at Goodwill for about $7.

2.Buy some chalkboard paint. I found mine at Wal-Mart although the lady in the paint department told me they are going to stop carrying it. They should have it at Lowe's or Home Depot although our Lowe's was sold out the day I went to buy some.

3. Remove the glass portion of the frame and apply 2 coats of chalkboard paint.

4. Let dry 24 hours. Season your new chalkboard using the wide side of some white school chalk.

5. Chalk away! These are great for posting dinner party menus or welcome messages!

It's the Freakin' Weekend Baby...

2010-07-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

This three day weekend was exactly what I needed! It's been a busy year to say the least. Between Joe and I having to travel for work as soon as the academic year ended and then moving into our new place, I feel like we haven't really stopped moving for the last month or so. We're finally unpacked and settled and we had a chance to entertain ourselves this weekend rather than just trying to get things done before work started up again. I planted some flowers on our new patio and we got a grill and some new furniture. I think Joe grilled something every day this weekend. Tonight- he grilled french fries wrapped up in aluminum foil- they were actually really good! Who knew you can grill a french fry. We went to see Grown Ups- we weren't too impressed... I don't know how they ever roped Adam Sandler into that script. I was a little sad for him walking out of the theatre! We had a BBQ with some friends and shot off fire works in the street. This was a new thing for me since fireworks are mostly illegal in MN. I kept on screaming- and I am sure I made a skittish name for Minnesotans in general- sorry all! I finally finished the novel Joe gave me for Valentine's Day and I watched about 10 episodes of The Hills on Netflix on demand (ridiculous- I know). I did some long workouts at the gym, which I guess isn't too entertaining, but it was nice not to rush for once! I tried to talk the cat into venturing outside on the harness, but he was not having it. Can't really blame him- he's got it pretty good right where he is. I gave our new kitchen a work out too with these fun recipes you should try if you want a sweet or savory treat...

Peanut Butter and Banana Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 Oreos
2 medium bananas, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350˚F. Make the peanut butter cheesecake by beating together cream cheese and sugar with a mixer until fluffy. Mix in egg, peanut butter, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
2. Line 12 cups of a muffin pan with paper cups and place an Oreo in the bottom of each cup. Add three slices of banana on top of each Oreo. Pour peanut butter cheesecake batter on evenly on top of the banana layer.
3. Crush remaining 4 Oreos in a bag with a rolling pin or pulse in a food processor until crumbled. Sprinkle Oreo crumbs evenly on top of peanut butter cheesecake layer. Bake at 350˚F for 25 to 28 minutes or until set. Remove from pans and let cool to room temp, about an hour, and then place in fridge until chilled, about 1 more hour. Remove mini cheesecakes from paper muffin cups. Makes 12 servings.

Applebee's Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1 cup shredded Parmesan-Romano cheese mix
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
10 ounces prepared Alfredo sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounces softened cream cheese
pepper (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and spread mixture into a small baking dish (I used an 8" X 8" dish).
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheeses are bubbling and melted.
4. Serve with chips or bread and enjoy.

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

Katie's Picks

2010-06-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

If you were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would you bring? No, I will not say mascara, far too unoriginal for me... I can't live without Johnson's and Johnson's No More Tangles! I remember my Mom spraying this stuff on my long blonde hair when I was little. I took a brief hiatus from it in junior high... but by high school I had returned to the one thing that works better than any other detangler known to man, women, or babies...

There are a few other things I like and have been buying one after another for years...

Covergirl stick concealer... as a person had a lot of skin problems until recent years... this stuff has served well. It covers redness, dark circles, and blemishes.

So my skin may be a little clearer these days, but I dont' think it will ever look be any less Norwegian! So a little color never hurt a fair skinned Lena... I sort of like this stuff although it can be a little bit messy. One container has lasted me over a year though so it's a pretty good deal.

Here is one of my big splurges... this pinkish lavender "Iced Lotus" blush is by Clinique. It's the sweetest shade I have ever found. If you want to look feminine, give this stuff a whirl.

Here is another hair favorite. I can't say I have ever had to purchase this stuff though. One of my aunt's is a hair dresser and she sometimes hooks me up with this amazing stuff at Christmas time! If you have fragile hair that breaks easily, this stuff will toughen it up real quick.

That's about all for Katie's picks! Nothing too glamorous... but I guess I am okay maintaining a medium glamour level- hehe.

Survey Says...

2010-04-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

1. Name given at birth: Katie Jo Rindahl

2. Nicknames: Jo, Katie J

3. Favorite words: Menomenie, Sheboygan, and Oconomowoc... all towns is Wisconsin

4. Hometown: Sunburg, MN

5. Current Residence: Rolla, MO

6. Croutons or Bacon bits? Croutons

7. Favorite salad dressing: Hidden Valley Ranch... I was so sad the day I realized there is 14 grams of fat in 2 table spoons

8. Shampoo or conditioner? No More Tangles- the baby stuff.

9. Have you ever gone skinny dipping? Oddly- no.

10. Do you make fun of people? To their faces mostly...

11. Favorite color: Pink or green

12. Have you ever been convicted of a crime: Nope

13. One pillow or two, cotton or feathers? Two- feathers!

14. Pets? Carl!

15. Favorite Music: Oldies

16. Hobbies?? Running

17. Toothpaste: Whatever my husband finds on sale at Big Lots

18. Favorite foods: Popcorn with Parkay Spray and garlic powder!

19. Do you get along with your parents? For sure.

20. Favorite town to chill in: New Orleans

21. Favorite ice cream flavor: Mud Pie Mojo

22. Favorite drink (non-alcoholic): Diet Moutain Dew

23. Adidas, Nike, or Reebok? I Reebok The Pump 2.0. I've bought 3 pairs on EBay... but they are getting harder to find. So I have to resort to Nike.

24. Favorite perfume/cologne: Juicey Coutoure

25. Favorite Website(s): A blog called Bambina Babe.

26. Favorite subject in school: Psychology

27. Least favorite subject in school: Biology

28. Favorite alcoholic drink: Strawberry Long Island

29. Favorite sport to watch: Gymnasitcs or Volleyball

30. Most Humiliating moment: When I was at a lockin at a friends church in 8th grade, I unknowingly stripped in front of her entire youth group while I was getting ready for bed in the choir loft/balcony.

31. Craziest or silliest idea: I moved to Southern Mississippi without ever having been there before.

32. What do you look for in a romantic interest? Honesty and Kindness.

~~~~~~~LasT Time You~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

32)Spoke- Said goodnight to my husband

33)Showered- This morning

34)Ate- Cottage Cheese right out of the carton for supper

35)Kissed- This morning when I woke up

36)Laughed-Tonight during my staff meeting

37)Wrote- Clearly this wasn't a well thought out question...

38)Typed- See above

39)Studied- I study something pretty much every day... although the last time I took a test was almost 4 years ago in graduate school.

40)Drank- Drinking white wine right now.

41)Fought- Fought with the kitty cat this morning- I'm a lover, he's a fighter

42)Ran- 4 miles yesterday with my friend Tiffany

43)Walked- Home from my staff meeting

44)Hiked- What qualifies as a hike?

45)Coughed- Choked on some weird apple water stuff today...

46)Rode a bike- Two summers ago... funny it's been that long.

47)Rollerskated/bladed- I took one of my colleague's kids to a skating rink a few months ago

48)Iceskated- Joe and I went in St. Cloud last winter

49)Bought something- Today- at the outlet mall in Lake of the Ozarks

50)Were sick- Thanksgiving- bad cold!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

2010-03-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

My dear husband turns 27 in less than 2 hours... in honor of his birth- here are 27 things I love about him!

1. He is so genuine- he dosn't put on a front for anybody. What you see is what you get.
2. He observes the humor in everything. Spend a day listening to how he sees things- I promise you'll be entertained.
3. He loves his cat- and he'll do anything for him. Sometimes he makes up little raps for the cat or talks to him is silly voices. It's great.
4. He is kind to people. He treats them well and tries to do what is best for them.
5. He helps me relax. He reminds me to take a break and enjoy life.
6. He knows something about everything. He claims he read a lot of books out the non fiction section when he was little... now he watches a lot of documentaries. He knows a lot of facinating stuff and can explain how things work.
7. He fixes things. It's amazing- computers, cars, small appliances- wow. What a blessing.
8. He dosn't complain about the little things. He accepts them for what they are.
9. He gives great gifts- he really cares about getting the right thing for people.
10. He can hold a conversation with anyone. He just knows something about what any given person wants to talk about.
11. He looks for the good in others. He dosn't get hung up on other people's imperfections or try to fix them.
12. He is patient. He accepts that some things take time and you can't rush through them without wreaking stuff.
13. He likes to drive... for hours at a time. So I can sleep or read when we travel.
14. He has a great family. They really care about the most important thinngs in life- quality time and making fun memories.
15. He is a kid at heart. He loves to play- swings, toys, skating, games. He's not too old for any of it.
16. He has pretty eyes and a cute smile.
17. He is sure of his style.
18. He  has great insight when helping other people with their problems.
19. He does his best work with everything.
20. He is good at managing money.
21. He's informed, progressive, and liberal.
22. He does the dishes and cooks for me sometimes.
23. He grills a mean burger.
24. He will make a wonderful father for any little boy or girl!
25. He educated, but he isn't snobby about education. He's the oppisite of snobby.
26. He can do math in his head really fast.
27. He loves me and he accepts me for all that I am good and bad. He cares about making me happy.

Joe's first birthday as a husband, with a wife! May it be the first of many wonderful days celebrated together. I love you babe, you are really something and I am so lucky to have you in my life.

Sweater Recycling!

2010-03-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

Looking for something to do with your old sweaters? Maybe they shrank, maybe they were an impulse buy. In my case, it was on clearance for 75% off at Target, so I thought, "you can't go wrong with that". But, oh indeed, you can- so now my sweater with the wierd double v-neck collar is a couch pillow!

Think it's a little weird? Pottery Barn doesn't::

So- now you can recylce your old sweaters and save yourself $37. Yay. Oh, but what to do with the sleeves? Candle covers! You can get these jar candles at Wal-mart for 3.50. The sleeves will stretch right over for a cute and cozy cover.

Again, if you have any weirdness concerns, console yourself with this from Anthropologie:

This would have set you back $13.

Other things you can do with sweaters from the Country Living website:

I'm dying to try the lampshade! Thanks for cheking out project corner with Katie:)

Here's what I know...

2010-02-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret,

for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true. ~Robert Brault
Why has our culture forsaken the simplicity of kindness?

What is with all the "you suck" rhetoric? It really doesn't make you look smart, creative, interesting, or funny. It's just plain mean.

I really think I'm on a different train than the

rest of these people.

Lord, don't let me take on unkind habits.

Help me be true to the person you made me to be.

Taste the Rainbow... Cake.

2010-01-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

How fun is this!!! Call me an aesthetic junkie, but I could not resist the urge to jazz up a classic white cake mix.

Start by preparing your cake mix according to the instructions on the box. Then, divide the batter into 6 bowls. (I know there are really 7 colors in the rainbow... but what is indigo, really?) The food coloring box didn't mention how to make this color and I only had so many clean cereal bowls to work with. Humph! Divide the cake mix evenly into separate bowls. Add about 15 drops of food coloring in each cereal bowl.

Then mix it up and spoon into a cake pan. Be careful not to mix the colors together- you are plopping/glopping, not spreading!

Joe and I both had a piece of this tasty treat this afternoon. My RA staff polished off the rest at our staff meeting. I can't wait to try this again with two round cake pans.

Five Minutes in the Mind of a Runner

2009-12-27T17:24:00.000-08:00

My mind works all day long...I bet I have at least 8 separate thoughts every minute. When I am running, I get to hear them all.

And here we go... Guitar strumming patterns, down up up down up up down up up up, camp fires, stars, the snow, sitting in my parents hot tub a few days ago in the snow, talking to my dad last night on my husbands cell phone, realizing I didn't know my husband's cell phone number, my husband changed the oil this morning, and bought me a frame for my new picture, my wedding, taking wedding pictures, the misunderstanding I had with my parents during wedding pictures, registering for the a marathon, races getting canceled due to whether, the last race I ran with my friends April and Stef, who wants to run a whole marathon?, would my sister ever run a race with me?, I don't think she wants to start running..., what's that smell, Windex, who sprayed so much Windex?, breathing in cleaning chemicals can't be good for a runner, open airways, old man with glasses is watching me, why is he here?, maybe he has a family member working out, I spot an old lady with a trainer, I decide she's the wife of old man with glasses, opps, 'scuse me, track etiquette, gym etiquette, manners, folding cloth napkins like an accordion, watching YouTube videos on napkin folding, why would someone wear a stocking hat on the track, wrestlers cutting weight, watching Michael Roggeman spit in a garbage can during 8th grade English the night of a big wrestling meet...

Random, yes. But my mind is the most comfortable place I can possibly be.

Book Review...

2009-12-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

I'm reading this...

On a day like today, this book reminded me that you can't center your life on the wrong thing. For some people, their center rests on their friends. For others it's their marriage, their career, their church, or even their enemies. For me, the center of my life needs to be finely determined values: love, support, hard work, patience, justice, and purpose. I can't focus my being on other people, with all their crazy moods, emotions, or ideas. I need to live my life based on what's important as oppsoed to what is currently happening. Especially when everything that's happening is crazy.

ABC's of Tomorrow- My Birthday!

2009-12-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

A- A year ago today, I remember exactly what I was doing at this very moment- driving home from Mankato after spending a day with my dear friends Kristin and Tamara.
B- By the time I finish this blog and go to bed, I'll be 26 years old.
C- Can't really tell you how I feel about this upcoming birthday... it will be my first birthday as a wife. It will also be Monday... and Mondays are usually pretty busy in my world.
D- Don't you know- I still have some things to look forward to tomorrow:) My husband got me something... I have no idea what. We went to Tiffany's a month ago to get my birthday/Christmas present. But- he decieded to save that just for Christmas now:) Not sure what he has up his sleeve- he is great at keeping surprises!
E- Everybody I work with is going out for lunch too- Imo's Pizza. It's a small chain out of St. Louis. Love the fried Green Beans!
F- For the evening's agenda, I am hoping to get to the gym before my staff meeting. Joe mentioned going out to Applebee's as well.
G- Gee, after all that good food- let's hope I make it to the gym:)
H- Holy Moses- I don't think I'm going to make it through the whole alphabet! Thanks for hanging in there to the letter G:)

Wedding Pictures are Here!

2009-07-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

We just got our DVD of professional wedding pics from in the mail. Oddly enough... she gave us the copyrights to the photos... something I don't really remember being part of our deal! But- I'm not complaining:)

If you want to make one of these fun collages click here: http://www.shapecollage.com/ It's easy and fun!

Katie's Fondue Cheerios

2009-04-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

Thinking about cooking pushes me into the arena of borderline comatose. Food prep strikes me as a frivolous use of time. So, I am usually ravenous by the time I decide it's necessary to have a meal. At that point, I tell myself that I am getting married in a few months and I need to eat something decent to stay nice and healthy. I just discovered the most scrumtous grub for a lazy cook like me... here is what you do.

Take out the chocolate chips and put ten in a cereal bowl. No- not eleven, ten. This ingredient carries the bulk of the empty calories. Now- take the Parkay spray and mist the chocolate 3-5 times. Pop the bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds. Remove bowl from microwave and fill with Multi-Grain Cheerios. Stir stir stir until cereal is coated. Now munch munch much and wash it down with a glass of skim milk. Nutritious perfection. I promise.

First blog: Things to do before I'm 40

2009-04-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Lately I have had fun reading a few different blogs. It's fun to get an inside glimpse of someone else's thoughts. Here is my chance to share a few of my own ponderings with others. So, for my first blog, here are a few things I have been thinking about doing, before I turn 30.

1.Get married
2.Get my doctorate
3.Run a marathon
4.Have a baby/ procure a baby from someone that isn't ready to have their own:)
5.Get certified to teach yoga
6.Go to another country
7.Get involved in the Big Brothers, Big Sister's program
8.Spend more time cooking for friends and family

Sometimes I am completely overwhelmed with all the different ways I could spend my time. As an achiever, I like to set goals and spend time trying new activities. We'll see how I fair with these!