March To-Do List #2

Go Skiing with Friends!

 

This past week, we spent a few days in beautiful Crested Butte, Colorado skiing with our friends Christy and Corey.  We drove to GC on Saturday, stayed the night and made the final trek to Crested Butte on Sunday.  We rented a cozy condo that was nestled amongst hundreds of other condos on the mountain.  Here are a few views from our balcony...

Sunday night, we ventured into town for dinner and a little browsing.  There weren't too many shops still open by the time we got down there, but it was still fun to walk around.  The actual town of Crested Butte is very cute and quaint.  We forgot to take the camera with us, so we didn't get any pictures.

We got up early Monday morning and headed to the slope.  I was a bit nervous because I hadn't been skiing in 15 years (!), but I was ready to go...uncomfortable boots and all.

Here we are right after we got off of the first lift on the first day...I'm still standing!

The first run, a green, went pretty well.  I didn't fall and I felt like I had my feet under me.  So, we moved on to a blue.  The slopes were a little icy because it hadn't snowed in a couple of days, so they were moving rather fast.  I got a little bit nervous and a lot frustrated as the day went on.  I felt somewhat out of control and found myself snow-plowing, which KILLED my legs.  Then, I felt like I was holding up the group, so I got annoyed and frustrated with myself and by the time we made our last run before lunch, I was ready to quit!  At that point, Brandon hung back to wait on me and we stopped about midway to the mid-mountain restaurant and I just about broke down in tears.  At that point, I think Brandon was questioning my toughness and wishing he would have married someone a little more fearless and adventurous.  

Once we finally made it to our lunch stop I walked in, sat down and took off my boots.  Brandon and I then proceeded to make plans to sell my lift ticket for the next day and I would spend the day in the spa.  As we continued to rest, my attitude began to change a little and I was willing to give it another try.  Brandon and I skied the rest of the day with each other while our friends went off and did some harder runs.  I finally quit snow plowing and was actually enjoying myself a little more.

{see, I'm even smiling!}

While Brandon and I were skiing together in the afternoon, he decided to take a run through a terrain park.  I skied down to the end to film him with our Flip camera and then I proceeded to erase the video because I had on my big gloves :(  I felt so bad!

We ended the day around 3:00 and made our way back to our condo where we all just pretty much crashed!!  We made dinner at home that evening and played a few games before calling it quits rather early.

The next morning, we got up and pretty much went through the same motions as the day before.  Surprisingly, I wasn't as sore as I anticipated so I was ready to go.  It had snowed quite a bit over night and was still snowing when we got to the base so we had fresh snow, which was great!  However, I was determined to ski greens all morning and after the first run of practically pulling ourselves the entire way, we decided to do blues.  Christy and I split off from the boys and did some blues which was actually pretty fun.  We would ski a little ways, take a break, ski some more, etc. etc.  We met up with the boys for an early lunch and by this time, the snow was really coming down.  It was actually almost white-out conditions, so we took an extra long lunch break and then split up into couples again after lunch.  The conditions were not getting much better so Brandon and I did a couple more runs together and then we all called it quits.  We met up at the base restaurant/bar for a refresher before heading back to the condo for the evening.

We got up super early on Wednesday to drive home because most of us had to work the next day so we wanted to get an early start to our twelve hour drive!  All in all, we had a great time and I've now decided I need to go skiing more than once every 15 years!

March To-Do List Item #1

Build a shed!!

 

This weekend, Brandon's parents came to town so Brandon and his dad could build a shed in our back yard.  The shed was constructed in a matter of about 14 hours over a day and a half!  They took advantage of the nice weather on Saturday and got most of the work done and then finished up Sunday.

 

Brandon and his dad make a pretty good team.  Brandon would take one task while Craig would do something else and together, they work pretty darn fast!

 

After lunch, Brandon's sister and brother-in-law came over.  While the guys continued to work, us girls did a little shopping and got pedicures and by the time we got back, they were getting ready to start the shingles! 

They got half of the shingles done on Saturday before calling it a day and decided to finish up the shingles and the trim on Sunday (luckily they got that far because it ended up being pretty cold on Sunday).

Once they finished up on Sunday, Brandon didn't waste any time getting the shed filled!

And of course, I have to include a picture of Koby...his idea of helping was to follow the guys around hoping one of them would want to take a break and throw his ball!

It's hard work being a dog!

We are so thankful that Brandon's parents were willing to give up their weekend to come help us (I use the term "us" very loosely)!  I know Brandon really enjoys working on projects with his dad and I think his dad really enjoys it as well.

***EDIT***

I should add that the shed is not completely done because we still have to paint it, but we are going to wait on that part until it warms up a little more.

March To-Do List

It's only almost the middle of March and I'm just now posting my March To-Do list.  I guess I haven't been in much of a blogging mood, but that doesn't mean I can't keep up with my monthly lists (even if they are late). 

1. Build the shed (Actually happening this weekend...)
2. Go skiing with friends
3. Make a plan for front flower bed
4. Switch out winter clothes for spring clothes (I hope I don't jinx the weather) and take unworn winter items to Goodwill
5. Start the new Weight Watchers online program after we return from our ski trip and stick to it for at least one month

Based on this list, we better get busy!!!



Laissez les bons temps rouler

That's right!  Today is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday and in honor of the day, I am posting a recipe for Shrimp Creole that I made last night (we have small group tonight and we're having pizza which is definitely not a Mardi Gras food) courtesy of Ella Says Opa.

 

Brandon was a little bit skeptical at first because he saw green peppers and shallots, but after he tasted it, I think he liked it a lot!

At first I thought it was going to taste a lot like Jambalaya, but I've got to say that the secret ingredient must be the Worcestershire sauce.  It added a different layer of flavor that was just right!

Also, last week when I was home sick I was watching good ol' Paula Deen and she was making none other than Shrimp Creole (which was the first recipe I was going to make, but then I saw the recipe below and changed my mind).  One tip she gave was to make sure not to overcook the shrimp, so I took that tip and I do believe I have been overcooking shrimp all this time!  Tonight's shrimp was so tender and so good.  So, everyone else should take Paula's advice and make sure not to overcook shrimp!

Shrimp Creole

Adapted from Ella Says Opa

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 small shallott, diced
1 celery rib, sliced (I didn't have celery so I had to omit it)
1/2 or 1 small green pepper, diced
4 tsp. creole seasoning, divided 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup diced tomatoes with their juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
2 tsp. hot sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
cayenne, salt and pepper to taste


Melt the butter along with the canola oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, celery, and green pepper and cook a couple minutes until they begin to turn tender. Add 2 tsp. of the creole seasoning and salt. Sweat the vegetables until soft.

Add the garlic and the tomato paste, cooking off the paste until it starts to brown.  Add the wine to deglaze and reduce it down until it’s nearly evaporated. Add the tomatoes, broth, remaining Creole seasoning, bay leaf, thyme, and cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the hot sauce (I left this out, but Brandon added it to his own dish), Worcestershire and re-season to taste if necessary.

Sprinkle  your shimp with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.  Add the shrimp to the simmering liquid until just cooked through. Serve over rice (I used brown rice, but white rice is the traditional way).  I also made a batch of cornbread to eat with the meal.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Mardi Gras!  Let the good times roll, indeed!

Oops! Febraury To-Do List Recap

Oops!  I forgot to post my February To-Do List recap last week so here is a quick run-down:

1. Find fabric for the curtains in our bedroom and complete item #6 on our January list (painting our bedroom).
   I looked for fabric but I did not find fabric.  This is harder than I thought.  I'm now trying to find pre-made curtains that fit my criteria...
2. Make fun Valentines for friends and make a really yummy Valentine's dinner for two!
3. Join a friend as we test the waters with a new business idea (more on this later).
4. Clean out our kitchen cabinets.
5. Commit to exercising at least 4 days per week.
   NO EXCUSES FOR NOT COMPLETING THIS ONE!
6. Sketch out a design for built-ins in our basement.
   Again, no excuses...I just didn't do it.

I have not made my March list yet.  However, I will do that soon and get it posted!

Sick Day Redux and Weekend Wrap-Up

Yep, I'm home sick again today.  This time, though, it is what I affectionately call "The Crud" and it is not much fun.  It all started with a bit of a sore throat on Sunday evening.  I still had a sore throat Monday morning, but I was not achy so I went ahead and went to my dentist appointment (what a way to start a Monday, huh?) and then on to work.  I drank hot tea, sucked on Ricola cough drops and gargled grapefruit seed extract oil. 

By lunch time I was feeling significantly worse, but I had a lunch meeting so I went ahead and went to that and by the time I got back to the office, I was pretty much feeling like crap.  So, I decided to call the doctor because I've heard the current version of "The Crud" is nasty and doesn't go away.  The doc got me in pretty quickly, took a peek at my throat and my nose and asked me to remind him when my throat started hurting.  He said by the looks of my throat and nose "The Crud" (not his term) was definitely moving fast and he was glad I came in when I did.  So, now I'm on antibiotcs and I'm feeling sort of better today, but I didn't sleep much last night (which I know caused Brandon to not sleep well either) so I decided to stay home today, get a few doses of meds in me and take it easy.  We have a work event in Topeka tomorrow that I need to be at so I'm hoping I can get some rest today so I can be ready to go tomorrow.

Aside from "The Crud", I had a great girls weekend with my sister this past weekend.  We don't get to spend too much time together with just the two of us, so this was a special treat!  We started out on Friday night with some yummy appetizers at my house, then we headed to see The King's Speech, where we indulged in a bucket of popcorn!

Saturday we had a leisurely morning before heading to get Shellac manicures.  The weather was crummy so that was not much fun, but we made the most of it the rest of the day.  After lunch we browsed at a boutique and then met up with my aunt and cousins for lunch at Cafe Moderne.  After lunch, we did more shopping at Lucinda's and then headed to Bradley Fair to do yet some more shopping!  We stopped at Cocoa Dolce for a yummy treat, browsed through Williams Sonoma and ended up at Francesca's where we both did a little damage!  We both picked out a bunch of things, tried them on and ended up getting two items that were identical (I tried to find pics of the items we bought but couldn't find them...).  Thankfully, we live in different cities so our chances of running into each other while wearing the same outfit are slim.  We did a little more browsing the rest of the afternoon and then headed back to my house to get ready for dinner.

One thing my sister likes about my city is that we have a lot of local restaurants, so I wanted to take her somewhere really yummy for dinner.  After thinking about where to go, I knew Luciano's was the perfect spot!  It is a little out of the way, but so worth the drive!  We definitely didn't hold back for dinner and we loved every last morsel.  Needless to say, we both felt like we should do a body cleanse or fast or something after the weekend, but that is what girls weekends are for, right?!

And of course, I didn't take any pictures.  I think I might ask for a small camera for my birthday or something.  I love to have pics for the blog but hate to lug around our big camera...

Friday Five

1.  This has been such a mood lifter for our community.  In the past, it was perceived that the families were not very deserving, but this family is nothing but deserving!!

 

2.  I made homemade mac and cheese last night and did not feel the least bit guilty!!

 

3.  I love reading Reality Steve and getting the inside scoop on all things Bachelor and Bachelorette!  Just  like yesterday when he announced who the next Bachelorette will be...  I'm sure the show producers are just seething that the information gets leaked.  (I know, there are more important things going on in the world like the power struggle in Libya and the earthquake in New Zealand, and I pay attention to those things too, but sometimes, I just have to indulge my guilty pleasurs and this is one of them!)

 

4.  We had a great small group lesson this week about being salt and light in the world.  I realized that I need to incorporate this concept into my every day life a little more.  We have so many opportunities to share Jesus with other people without even getting out of our comfort zones and it is a real shame when we don't seize those opportunities.  Some areas I need to work on are not participating in gossip, not holding back my thoughts on moral/social issues that arise in conversations, and not being afraid to talk openly about what God has done in my life. 

 

5.  When I left my house for work this morning I saw a For Sale sign in my rear view mirror and for a split second thought it was in the yard of our crazy neighbors, but unfortunately, it was their neighbors' yard.  Shucks! 

 

February To-Do List Item #3...

...Join a friend as we test the waters with a new business idea.  CHECK!

I am pleased to announce that my friend Ali and I have created a little business called Grocery Girls!  We have been trying to think of ways we could combine our talents (we are both marketing majors, we both like to cook, she sews, etc.) to make money.  We've thought of all sorts of ideas but none of them ever seemed to be just right.  Then, one day I wrote this post and that is when the light bulb went off!  Between the post and a couple of conversations Ali had with different friends, we decided we should give Grocery Girls a try!

We offer meal planning with pre-made grocery lists, personal grocery shopping and grocery delivery for people who work long hours, have kids they don't want to drag to the store, are home-bound or do not drive, dread coming up with ideas for meals, hate fighting the crowds at the store, etc.  Since I work full time, I will initially do more of the behind the scenes work and Ali will do most of the shopping and then we will both do deliveries if necessary.  If this takes off and we get a lot of customers, then I will pitch in and do some shopping in the evenings.

If you or someone you know who lives in our area would be interested, please email
grocerygirlsict@gmail.com for more information and we'd be happy to visit with them!

So, there you have it...our new business venture!  Here is to hoping it takes off!! 

Belated Weekend Wrap-Up

I know I'm posting this Weekend Wrap-Up on Wednesday, but in all honesty, I haven't been in much of a mood to blog lately.  Sure we have had plenty going on, but for some reason the creative bug has momentarily left me.  But, I do have a few things on the horizon that are fun, so it will be back soon, I'm sure!

In the mean time, we did have a good weekend!  On Friday night I went to the Music Theatre for Young People to watch their performance of "All Shook Up", but more importantly to watch my friend's daughter who was in the show.  It was surprisingly fun and I was so impressed with all of the kids in the show (ranging from elementary to high school students).

Saturday morning, we got up bright and early and went to breakfast together and then took Koby for a walk.  The weather was so nice (a tad bit humid, but we didn't mind) and Koby was so happy to be out of the house!  Later that day, we had an opportunity to go to the Extreme Makover Home Edition build site here in town to watch the construction of a house they are building for a local family.  Boy, was it interesting!  Brandon, of course, was in awe of the construction.  At one point we overheard the head builder say they were seven hours ahead of schedule.  Brandon turned to me and told me that he couldn't imagine working up a construction schedule in hours.  Needless to say, it was pretty much organized chaos but they were making huge progress.  Here are a couple of pics I snapped with my phone...

{The gal in the plaid shirt is Jillian Harris from The Bachelor and Bachelorette and she also is a

designer for the show!  Yes, I might have been a bit star struck!}

{Paul, another one of the designers for the show.}

{Jillian again...}

{The gal in the pink is Paige, another designer.}

Saturday night, we had Brandon's sister and her husband over for dinner.  We hadn't seen them in a while so it was nice to catch up.  I made Pasta Bravo for dinner and the best peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  Seriously, these cookies are to die for!

Sunday morning, we headed to church and then came home and worked around the house for most of the rest of the day.  We cleaned out the inside of our cars, did a little yard work, picked up the inside of the house, ran a few errands and then just relaxed the rest of the evening. 

I've decided as much as I love Sundays, I really hate Sunday evenings because the work week is drawing near.  Oh well, that's life I suppose!

Friday Five

1.  Monday, we celebrated Valentine's Day and as I mentioned in my Valentine post, all Brandon wanted was for me to make homemade pizza.  In the rush of preparing my Valentine treats, I forgot to make the pizza dough (I make it and pop it in the fridge for a later use or sometimes, I even freeze it).  So, as I was wracking my brain about what to do, I remembered all of my favorite Food Network TV chefs saying sometimes they stop by their local pizzeria and purchase their dough.  Ah ha!  So, I called our local pizzeria, Knolla's, and sure enough, they sell their dough.  So, I swung by on my way home and we were on our way to homemade Valentine pizza!  I will definitely be picking up their dough more often because it was convenient and the pizza turned out amazing!

 

{And what is Valentine pizza without super cute Valentine plates, also part of my 5 days of Valentines from B}

2.  I mentioned this on Facebook and Twitter, but yesterday the high temperature was 78 degrees which set a new record for our city.  However, the crazier part is that we experienced a 95 degree shift in the temperatures from one week ago!  I guess you could say the snow has melted.

3.  Umm, I'm not sure if we were the only people who were less than impressed with Lady Gaga's Grammy performance, but with all of the hype and the "egg", I guess we were expecting something significantly more crazy...  I think her stint on Good Morning America, where she was promoting safe sex while wearing a condom inspired outfit was a bit more bizarre.

4.  The Justin Bieber Experience on Glee this week was awesome!! 

Yep, I'll admit I might have a little Bieber Fever...LOL!!


5.   And last but not least, Monday night was a good, good night in our household!!

The Wildcats played an amazing game and gave those Chicken Hawks!!  Sadly, this is how they should have been playing all year, but we won't dwell on the past, we'll just hope they continue the momentum for the remainder of the season!

Observations From a Sick Day

So I've been home sick today.  I started to not feel well yesterday afternoon, I left work early and then it went down hill from there.  I will spare you the details, but thankfully I think I'm on the mend.

As I've been home, I've realized a few things...

• My husband calls me more than he does during a typical day. 
• I have a really sweet friend who didn't mind entering the cesspool to bring me flowers and 7-Up

• I have found all sorts of TV shows that I didn't know existed.  Shows like Million Dollar Listings.  It is a reality show on Bravo about these three young real estate agents in LA who sell AMAZING homes.  I can't imagine having homes like these homes and I can't imagine being responsible for selling them.  Plus, it is pretty humorous because these agents, who are all guys, act like such girls!!  One of them even carries around a little chihuahua to all of his appointments!  Speaking of shows on Bravo, I've also seen previews of my girl Bethenny's new show...I can't wait :)
• Saltines always taste so much better when I'm sick.  
• When I'm home sick, the dog thinks he is sick too...

•  And when he's not being dramatic, he brings me all of his toys and sets them all around me hoping I'll take him up on his offer to play.  Not gonna happen, buddy!
• I can never get a good nap in when I'm home sick.  I either can't get comfy, can't fall asleep or get woken up by noises/the dog/etc. 
• Nothing ever happens when I'm not at work.  For instance, I've checked my email a couple of times and have had nothing.  Hmm...this could be a problem!

So, there you have it.  My observations from my sick day.  Now, to figure out what I'm going to eat for dinner since I haven't cooked the past few nights.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Item #2 - Make fun Valentines for friends and make a really yummy Valentine's dinner for two! CHECK!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!  I hope you are celebrating LOVE in some form today!  I got up this morning and had a nice gift waiting for me (more on this later because Brandon really outdid himself this year!) and we had a sweet breakfast together.

Yes, that is right!  We had strawberry shortcakes for breakfast!  I actually intended for us to eat them last night for dessert, but we made a few special Valentine deliveries and our evening just got away from us.  Plus, I kinda like the idea of eating something indulgent for breakfast on Valentine's Day!! 

Speaking of our Valentine deliveries, I made special Valentine treats for a handful of our friends.  It was an experiment, but I think they turned out pretty good!  Behold, my first attempt at making Whoopie Pies!

I used a recipe from Annie Eats, but as you may notice, I didn't attempt to pipe heart shapes...I know my limits! 

They were really fun to make and fairly easy, too!  I did have to make a run to the store because the recipe calls for a significant amount of food coloring, and since I doubled the batch I didn't have enough.

Here they are all assembled and looking quite festive!  Next time, I will add more filling because I don't think I got quite enough, but I was afraid they would seep out the edges and ruin the cute packaging...

 

And here they are, all packaged up and ready to spread some Valentine's Day love! 

 

I mentioned we had planned to eat our shortcakes for our dessert last night because I did make a nice dinner, but due to the Whoopie Pie making, me not having my act together and doing enough ahead of time, a nice visit from my parents, and the treat delivery it wasn't exactly the special dinner I had envisioned.  However, it was tasty!  We had KC Strips with a Balsamic BBQ sauce, PW's Au Gratin Potatoes and Regal Romain Salad.  We even had enough leftovers for each of us to have lunch today, too!

 

Since we are both working today, I planned a low-key dinner of Brandon's favorite -- homemade pizza!  I asked him what he wanted me to make (and told him I'd make anything!) and his request was pizza, so pizza it is!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a post about my Valentine's Day gift(s)! 
 



February To-Do List Item #4

Item #4 - Clean out the kitchen cabinets.  Check!

I've never been one to work a list from top to bottom.  I tend to prefer jumping around from item to item and typically cross the easy items off the list first (this is especially true at work).  So, it would be any different for my monthly To-Do lists.  This month, item #4 was completely crossed of the list first (although we did put a dent in item #3 this weekend).

Thanks to my lovely husband, we got all of our kitchen cabinets cleaned out and re-organized today.  Things had just gotten stashed wherever they would fit, utensils were spread across two different drawers, one cabinet had so much stuff in it that it was sort of like doing a jigsaw puzzle every time we put dishes away, and our food cabinets were just a disheveled mess.

So, after church today we got started unloading the cabinets.  I unloaded, vacuumed (yes, I vacuumed the cabinets) and wiped down the cabinets, while Brandon was in charge of adjusting shelves, switching the way a couple of cabinets open, and helping me figure out how to best utilize the space when we put everything back.  Side note: If you want your husband to help you clean out cabinets, let him use his power tools!

While Brandon was doing his thing, I decided to combine my spices and get rid of empty bottles, creating a little more room in one of the cabinets (the spice rack in this picture only holds about half of my spices).  Once the shelves were in place, we began loading the cabinets once again.  I wish I had before and after pictures because the difference we made in just a short time is pretty amazing!  And, it just feels good to have an organized kitchen again. 

February To-Do List

I can't believe the month of January is already behind us and we're on the downhill side of the first week of February!  Crazy!  Anyways, a new month means a new To-Do list.  We have most of our weekends this month free, which is awesome, but it also means we have no excuse to not complete this month's list!

So, here it goes:

1. Find fabric for the curtains in our bedroom and complete item #6 on our January list (painting our bedroom).
2. Make fun Valentines for friends and make a really yummy Valentine's dinner for two!
3. Join a friend as we test the waters with a new business idea (more on this later).
4. Clean out our kitchen cabinets.
5. Commit to exercising at least 4 days per week.
6. Sketch out a design for built-ins in our basement.  Here are a few inspirational photos:

{Photo courtesy of Young House Love - I love the different shelving shapes and unique accessories}

{I really want to include drawers similar to the drawers in this picture.  And can I just say, I love Candice Olson!}

 

{Not a great pic, but I like the upper cabinets.  Again, photo courtesy of Candice Olson}

 

{Totally love these shelves, but not sure how practical they would be.  Photo courtesy of HGTV.}

 

{These shelves are probably more practical.  Photo courtesy of HGTV.}

So, there you have it - our February To-Do list.  This month, there are probably more items for me to do than for Brandon, but he will reap the benefits of all of them!

January To-Do List Recap

As you might recall, I created a January To-Do list at the beginning of the month and even gave a brief update at one point, and now I'm here to recap the whole month and update the status as we begin a new month today:

1. Celebrate Brandon's birthday - we had the great birthday smoke-out!
2. Clean out the garage and create a work bench area (also occurred on the b-day weekend)
3. Have a dinner party with my college friends - We had to cancel so one of our friends could attend a KSU bball game :(
4. Write thank-you notes - crickets.....we never got to this one.
5. Research storage sheds (do you see a theme here?!?) Plans have been drawn up and the building phase should begin in March
6. Paint our bedroom - I went and got paint samples and then this got put on hold since I decided I would like new curtains (see item #5) for our bedroom. 

So as you can see, we had a 50% completion rate.  It would have been more like 83%  had we not cancelled our dinner and had I not found the curtain tutorial, but hey, at least we accomplished something!

Our February list will be up soon!

P.S. This is happening outside my office window right now.  What you can't see in this pic is the snow that is blowing all around at 40 mph!!!