80's night recap tomorrow. Pictures included.
But now it's the Oregon and Tennessee game. Go Ducks!
For now, just think of John Cusack:
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Recovery day.
I am exhausted.
80's night recap tomorrow. Pictures included.
But now it's the Oregon and Tennessee game. Go Ducks!
For now, just think of John Cusack:
80's night recap tomorrow. Pictures included.
But now it's the Oregon and Tennessee game. Go Ducks!
For now, just think of John Cusack:
Friday, September 10, 2010
Foiled. Again!
I had but one thing I really wanted to accomplish during my time alone. That was to take back the annex, to restore order to the mister's "office", to establish a place we could both use, if we so wanted. I didn't want to take away the man-caveyness, I just wanted to make it look a little nicer.
Alright twist my arm, I wanted a place where I could easily put up my sewing machine.
Well, that's not happening. My plan for today was to hit the thrift stores and find a rug and some storage and seating options for the room. And to find a collapsible table for my sewing machine.
I was so excited to get this done since the most I see of the annex is when I pop in to tell the mister that dinner is done, he has a phone call, or to drop off laundry.
So last night when I finally opened the door to see exactly what I was dealing with I was surprised to find this:
So plans, they changed, now we have a Sunday project!
Notice the "we."
Today instead of thrift stores I went to Target to buy some curtains, and a few other things I ABSOLUTELY needed.
Today was all about retail therapy.
And tonight, well it's 80's movie night!
'Nuff said.
Alright twist my arm, I wanted a place where I could easily put up my sewing machine.
Well, that's not happening. My plan for today was to hit the thrift stores and find a rug and some storage and seating options for the room. And to find a collapsible table for my sewing machine.
I was so excited to get this done since the most I see of the annex is when I pop in to tell the mister that dinner is done, he has a phone call, or to drop off laundry.
So last night when I finally opened the door to see exactly what I was dealing with I was surprised to find this:
A total HOT MESS!
And let's not talk about the smell that hit me square in the nose. After making sure nothing was going to reach out and bite me I carefully entered the room. I thought maybe it wasn't as bad as it looks...
I was wrong. It was as bad as it looks.
That's for you mister, "I'll clean the room before I leave"
So plans, they changed, now we have a Sunday project!
Notice the "we."
Today instead of thrift stores I went to Target to buy some curtains, and a few other things I ABSOLUTELY needed.
Today was all about retail therapy.
And tonight, well it's 80's movie night!
'Nuff said.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Now I know how Macauly Culkin felt in Home Alone...
except Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern haven't stopped by for a visit yet.
Here's what I've done today:
It's probably a good thing I only have one more day of this.
Here's what I've done today:
- Slept in for as long as the dog-child would let me.
- Enjoyed some coffee and Kahlua with my raspberry danish
- Watched the first half of the second season of Veronica Mars
- Did a load of laundry. So I wasn't completely useless.
- Stopped at the grocery store for spaghetti ingredients
- Had some gym therapy with C
- Planned 80's movie night with J
- Realized I took the meat out of the freezer too late
- Made a mimosa
- Put on Veronica Mars
- Thought that the loaf of Parmesan bread I bought at the store looks great for dinner, if only I had some cheese.
It's probably a good thing I only have one more day of this.
My summer vacation.
The dog-child and I just returned from our first road trip/vacay together. We went to see my dad, a mere 5 hours away. Funny that it seemed soooo much longer than the eight hour drive I used to have to do when I lived in Coeur d' Alene.
The mister is visiting his parents in South Dakota and will be back on Saturday. You know what that means for me? I get to:
I miss my mister, don't get me wrong, but everyone needs their own time.
Or is that just an only child thing?
So now it's time for me to say goodnight. I have three episodes of Days of Our Lives and a pint of Ben & Jerry's calling my name.
Don't judge.
Here's a few pictures from the drive up. It's the only time I took pictures. Yeah sometimes that happens.
The mister is visiting his parents in South Dakota and will be back on Saturday. You know what that means for me? I get to:
- Watch as much trashy reality tv that I want without fear of ridicule.
- Make spaghetti!
- If I don't want to clean up the house before 3:30, I don't have to.
- Sleeping in because I'll get the car no matter what.
- 80's movie night with the girls!!!!
I miss my mister, don't get me wrong, but everyone needs their own time.
Or is that just an only child thing?
So now it's time for me to say goodnight. I have three episodes of Days of Our Lives and a pint of Ben & Jerry's calling my name.
Don't judge.
Here's a few pictures from the drive up. It's the only time I took pictures. Yeah sometimes that happens.
Leaving town.
Co-pilot
My exit.
Road coma. Somewhere in Washington.
Water! That means we went the right way.
Happy Gypsy. But she hates rest stops.
Monday, August 16, 2010
I'm not dead....I swear!
Hello interweb peeps! I know most of you have probably deserted me because this is my first post in almost TWO MONTHS! Two months! That's just crazy! I apologize for the lack of posts, my brain has been preoccupied with things like Pre-Calculus and summer school. Pre-Calculus, bah! It was the worst class I have ever taken, and I am so happy that I have finished my math requirements for my undergraduate degree. Weeeeee!!!!!
So now I have some time off before school starts back up again at the end of September. And boy do I have a list of things to do!
My Summer Vacay To-Do List:
*Find a job that will work with my school schedule
*Finish going through the unsorted boxes in the garage
*Make enough room in the garage for the car to be parked in
*Refinish secretary desk
*Organize laundry area
*Organize all the loose paperwork in the house
*Recover orange step stool
*Find a chair or couch for office
I know it may not seem like a lot, but I'm also sure that I've forgotten some of the stuff that I want to do. It'll come back to me.
But first, I have to clean my house. That's the goal for today.
So now I have some time off before school starts back up again at the end of September. And boy do I have a list of things to do!
My Summer Vacay To-Do List:
*Find a job that will work with my school schedule
*Finish going through the unsorted boxes in the garage
*Make enough room in the garage for the car to be parked in
*Refinish secretary desk
*Organize laundry area
*Organize all the loose paperwork in the house
*Recover orange step stool
*Find a chair or couch for office
I know it may not seem like a lot, but I'm also sure that I've forgotten some of the stuff that I want to do. It'll come back to me.
But first, I have to clean my house. That's the goal for today.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Birthday Cupcakes: Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting and Strawberries
Ahhhh....I have finally scratched the baking itch, and it feels soooo good. Have you ever just wanted to bake but knew you didn't have the time to commit to an afternoon in the kitchen? Well I have felt that way for almost two weeks and tonight I finally got to bake, and there was much rejoicing.
My friend Liz is throwing a surprise birthday lunch for her husband tomorrow, and since she used me as an excuse to get him to the restaurant, apparently the mister and I have a big announcement, I wonder what it is?!? I decided to use her as an excuse to bake. I think it's a scenario where everyone wins.
Strawberries have gone mad here! Last week at Saturday Market everyone and their dog had strawberries. And to me strawberries mean angel food cake yuummmm. I have always wanted to make an angel food cake but have been to scared to try. I admit I am fairly fearless in the kitchen, but angel food cake has always alluded me. For Jeremy's birthday cupcakes I was originally just going to use my amazing vanilla cupcake recipe, but I found a recipe for angel food cupcakes that felt less intimidating then making a full cake and decided to try it. I am so glad that I did, I just took these little angels out of the oven and can I just say they look like individual servings of heaven. EEK! I've already taken out five more eggs to get at room temp. Can someone say angel food cupcakes with their coffee in the morning?
I originally found this recipe on Culinary Adventures of a New Wife.
Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes
3/4 cup superfine sugar*
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
5 large egg whites* at room temperature
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of one lemon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a small bowl, sift together cake flour and 1/4 cup superfine sugar.
In a large bowl, beat room temperature egg whites until foamy, then add in cream of tartar and salt.
Gradually add in remaining 1/2 cup superfine sugar while mixer is on high speed. Beat egg whites to soft peaks.
Fold in vanilla and lemon zest. In two or three additions add flour mixture into beaten egg whites.
Divide evenly (I used my 1/3 cup measuring cup) into muffin tins, they will be full.
Bake for 16-18 minutes (mine went about 18-20, but my oven is old) or until they are golden brown. The tops will spring back when lightly touched.
Remove from pan and cool on wire rack, no need to turn upside down.
*I didn't buy superfine sugar, instead I just pulsed regular ole' granulated in the blender until it was super fine.
*This website has a lot of great tips on using egg whites, from how to separate them to what a soft peak should look like. Very helpful.
Now, the recipes that I saw all said the same thing..."these are so light you don't want to weigh them down with frosting. Just drizzle them with the lemon glaze." WHHHHHAAAATTTT?!?!?!?! These people be crazy! Everyone knows the best thing about strawberry shortcake is the whip cream. So I set out on a mission to find the best light and fluffy whipped cream frosting I could find. And I found it! This frosting is soooo good I think it's going to become my new standby.
Whipped Cream Frosting
1 eight-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teas. vanilla extract
1/2 teas. almond extract
2 cups heavy cream
Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and almond in large bowl.
Fit mixer with whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth.
While mix is still whipping, slowly pour in heavy cream.
Stop and scrape bottom of bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
SO simple and easy I love it! I didn't use almond extract, instead I added more vanilla. The frosting was also very stable. I made it in the morning and never put the cupcakes in the fridge before we left for the birthday lunch. I wouldn't leave them out overnight but for a couple of hours they're just fine.
Are you ready to see what these beauties look like? Prepare the napkins for your drool.Go ahead, I'll give you a minute.
Happy Baking!
My friend Liz is throwing a surprise birthday lunch for her husband tomorrow, and since she used me as an excuse to get him to the restaurant, apparently the mister and I have a big announcement, I wonder what it is?!? I decided to use her as an excuse to bake. I think it's a scenario where everyone wins.
Strawberries have gone mad here! Last week at Saturday Market everyone and their dog had strawberries. And to me strawberries mean angel food cake yuummmm. I have always wanted to make an angel food cake but have been to scared to try. I admit I am fairly fearless in the kitchen, but angel food cake has always alluded me. For Jeremy's birthday cupcakes I was originally just going to use my amazing vanilla cupcake recipe, but I found a recipe for angel food cupcakes that felt less intimidating then making a full cake and decided to try it. I am so glad that I did, I just took these little angels out of the oven and can I just say they look like individual servings of heaven. EEK! I've already taken out five more eggs to get at room temp. Can someone say angel food cupcakes with their coffee in the morning?
I originally found this recipe on Culinary Adventures of a New Wife.
Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes
3/4 cup superfine sugar*
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
5 large egg whites* at room temperature
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of one lemon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a small bowl, sift together cake flour and 1/4 cup superfine sugar.
In a large bowl, beat room temperature egg whites until foamy, then add in cream of tartar and salt.
Gradually add in remaining 1/2 cup superfine sugar while mixer is on high speed. Beat egg whites to soft peaks.
Fold in vanilla and lemon zest. In two or three additions add flour mixture into beaten egg whites.
Divide evenly (I used my 1/3 cup measuring cup) into muffin tins, they will be full.
Bake for 16-18 minutes (mine went about 18-20, but my oven is old) or until they are golden brown. The tops will spring back when lightly touched.
Remove from pan and cool on wire rack, no need to turn upside down.
*I didn't buy superfine sugar, instead I just pulsed regular ole' granulated in the blender until it was super fine.
*This website has a lot of great tips on using egg whites, from how to separate them to what a soft peak should look like. Very helpful.
Now, the recipes that I saw all said the same thing..."these are so light you don't want to weigh them down with frosting. Just drizzle them with the lemon glaze." WHHHHHAAAATTTT?!?!?!?! These people be crazy! Everyone knows the best thing about strawberry shortcake is the whip cream. So I set out on a mission to find the best light and fluffy whipped cream frosting I could find. And I found it! This frosting is soooo good I think it's going to become my new standby.
Whipped Cream Frosting
1 eight-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teas. vanilla extract
1/2 teas. almond extract
2 cups heavy cream
Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and almond in large bowl.
Fit mixer with whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth.
While mix is still whipping, slowly pour in heavy cream.
Stop and scrape bottom of bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
SO simple and easy I love it! I didn't use almond extract, instead I added more vanilla. The frosting was also very stable. I made it in the morning and never put the cupcakes in the fridge before we left for the birthday lunch. I wouldn't leave them out overnight but for a couple of hours they're just fine.
Are you ready to see what these beauties look like? Prepare the napkins for your drool.Go ahead, I'll give you a minute.
Happy Baking!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Friday Favorites!
HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYBODY!!!!
I'm so happy it's Friday, except that it means I go back to school on Monday, that I'm not so happy about but it's okay. I've had a great week relaxing and enjoying being on vacation, but I was starting to get bored so it's good that I'll have class four days a week. Not good that my math class starts at 8:00 am, that part sucks. BUT I did sign up for another class and guess what it is....BALLET! Yep, my first ballet class in 20 years (eek, that makes me feel old). I think it will be fun, and I'll get in great shape. Plus it's only two days a week, two hours each day but only two days nonetheless.
In addition to Motivation Monday I'm going to do Friday Favorites. Just a few things each week that I love, am thankful for or that are going on the Christmas wish list.
Ready, OKAY!
* The Eugene Public Library. Or really all libraries in general. The Eugene downtown library is amazing, the building is beautiful with a huge spiral staircase that you feel so small walking up. It's awe inspiring in there, just what a library should be. And the books, ah the books. Plus it has parking, which is a rarity in downtown.
* Three day weekends. The mister took today off because it was my last day of summer before school starts. Sweet, right? It would probably be more fun if we weren't smack dab in the middle of Junuary here in Eugene. It's supposed to be nice tomorrow, but that's what they said yesterday. Either way it's nice to have three days to spend together instead of the two we usually have.
* Reality TV. I found some great new guilty pleasure shows this week. "You're Cut Off" on VH1, about spoiled rich girls who get cut off and have to learn how to support themselves. AMAZING! Usually I would feel bad for these girls, but they're snotty so they deserve a smack in the face by reality.
The other, "Campus PD" on G4. Seriously, drunk college kids trying to explain to police officers why they are passed out in the street, classic. I couldn't get a clip to properly embed, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
*This website: Olioboard
It helps you create Mood Boards for decorating, a great time waster as well by the way.
Okay peeps, it's time for me to get my butt off the couch and be productive today. Or at least go buy my books. Have an amazing weekend!
I'm so happy it's Friday, except that it means I go back to school on Monday, that I'm not so happy about but it's okay. I've had a great week relaxing and enjoying being on vacation, but I was starting to get bored so it's good that I'll have class four days a week. Not good that my math class starts at 8:00 am, that part sucks. BUT I did sign up for another class and guess what it is....BALLET! Yep, my first ballet class in 20 years (eek, that makes me feel old). I think it will be fun, and I'll get in great shape. Plus it's only two days a week, two hours each day but only two days nonetheless.
In addition to Motivation Monday I'm going to do Friday Favorites. Just a few things each week that I love, am thankful for or that are going on the Christmas wish list.
Ready, OKAY!
* The Eugene Public Library. Or really all libraries in general. The Eugene downtown library is amazing, the building is beautiful with a huge spiral staircase that you feel so small walking up. It's awe inspiring in there, just what a library should be. And the books, ah the books. Plus it has parking, which is a rarity in downtown.
* Three day weekends. The mister took today off because it was my last day of summer before school starts. Sweet, right? It would probably be more fun if we weren't smack dab in the middle of Junuary here in Eugene. It's supposed to be nice tomorrow, but that's what they said yesterday. Either way it's nice to have three days to spend together instead of the two we usually have.
* Reality TV. I found some great new guilty pleasure shows this week. "You're Cut Off" on VH1, about spoiled rich girls who get cut off and have to learn how to support themselves. AMAZING! Usually I would feel bad for these girls, but they're snotty so they deserve a smack in the face by reality.
The other, "Campus PD" on G4. Seriously, drunk college kids trying to explain to police officers why they are passed out in the street, classic. I couldn't get a clip to properly embed, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
*This website: Olioboard
It helps you create Mood Boards for decorating, a great time waster as well by the way.
Okay peeps, it's time for me to get my butt off the couch and be productive today. Or at least go buy my books. Have an amazing weekend!
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