So, I neglected to write a letter to go along with our Christmas cards this year. When I sat down to do it, I just didn't know what to say and wasn't really in the writing spirit so I skipped it. The day I mailed the cards out, I received a card from some friends of ours updating us on their lives and instantly wished that I had written a letter (or that I mailed the cards out a day later so I could have re-opened them and put a letter inside). Oh well. Here is my Christmas letter - or rather a run-down of the past year.
We started off the year with Craig getting a new job in Irvine. He quit his previous job of 2+ years doing IT support and some programming for a construction supply company to move on to the new job doing mostly programming at a higher pay, but at the cost of a longer drive (to and from Menifee to Irvine 5 days a week yielded about 3+ hours a day sitting in traffic.) Needless to say it was difficult for both of us - I missed him and he would often times come home and go directly to bed. After three months at the new job, Craig's friend mentioned a job opportunity in Oregon - he basically told Craig that if he was willing to move to Portland he would most likely have the position. The opportunity to advance Craig's career was an amazing one and although it took some convincing, I couldn't take this away from him. After a few weeks of phone interviews, emails and waiting - we finally got the news that Craig had the job. He left for Oregon the first week of June and started his new career while looking for a place for us to live. I stayed behind to pack and get us ready for the move.
I was fortunate enough to have been called back to my previous job (with a pay raise) last December and worked there until the end of June at which point I joined Craig in Oregon. The weekend of the 4th of July, Craig flew back to So Cal and we loaded up the moving truck and headed out on our drive to our new home in Portland! Fortunately Craig's Dad and Uncle helped us immensely, by driving the truck while Craig and I took my little car with the dogs. Overall the move took us a weekend and we somehow had the energy to unload the truck the day we arrived at our new place (after about a 9 hour or so drive). I know to most of our friends and family the news of our move was rather sudden - hey it was sudden for us too! We wished that we had been able to say our goodbyes (or rather, see ya later's) to everyone before we left but it just wasn't feasible.
So far we have been in Portland for five months and the time has flown by. We very rarely drive our cars and Craig takes the bus every day to and from work. The transit center is only a 10 minute walk from our front door and Craig's company pays for a monthly bus pass. Our monthly gas bill has dropped from $400 a month down to about an average of $30 a month for BOTH of our cars. It's great!! Craig enjoys his job (especially the commute) and I have been looking for a job to no avail. Because I have not had much luck in finding a job here I am going to take some classes this coming winter semester at the community college. Starting in January I will be taking a photography class, sewing class, and two classes toward a certificate in sustainable building (intro to building systems and environmental ethics). I am excited to get out of the house more often and am hopeful that it will keep me busy enough during the days! I also recently received an email from my previous employer about doing some contract drafting for them, so far I don't have enough details to confirm having the work yet but I am hopeful!
The summer weather here is amazing and just doesn't compare to a San Diego summer. There are a few days where the weather went over ninety during the summer and since most homes in Portland don't have air conditioning (there isn't much of a need) it was a less than pleasant experience but overall the summer weather was perfect! The fall weather was definitely much cooler but still bearable and once we got into the winter weather we actually got some snow flurries (just one day) which I had never seen before so I really got a kick out of it (actually Craig was laughing at me running in and out of the house to check on the status of snow in our front yard)!! So far I would have to say that it doesn't rain here as much as I expected it to. Sure the sky's are gray and cloudy, there is moisture in the air and you'll get rained on at random times but it's not that bad. I have been warned that February is brutal though.
We spent our fourth wedding anniversary in Seattle, which was really fun! Seattle is only a three hour drive away so now that we've walked the city it is great for little weekend trips in the future. This year was the first year we missed having Thanksgiving with any of our families - we made the best of it though and I cooked my
first turkey dinner, complete with my Mom's cran-jello goodness (I don't
know what to call it, so that's it's name now). We made sure to call our families and wished them a happy Thanksgiving. It was weird being on this end of those phone calls though. We have; however, made a few new friends up here and are having a "New Year with New Friends" party for New Years Eve at our house. I am excited to have people over for the first time (and if you know me you know I love to entertain). Our new local friends have invited us to several outings which has helped us to combat missing everyone in So Cal.
Our dog's are loving it here too! Both Ginger and Bender have lots of room to run around in the backyard and they are loving all of the time they get to spend indoors with us because of the cold and wet weather. Portland is a huge dog-friendly city and practically every park and hiking trail allows dogs (some leashed and some off-leash). We have found a few great hiking areas to take the dogs to and Bender has gotten noticeably exhausted after just a few miles. Ginger could keep running forever though!!
We are looking forward to the next year and are hoping to take a long vacation to Ireland, England and Scotland in October. We are still working out the kinks in our travel plans but are staying really hopeful (and we'll keep you posted on our plans)!
We hope you all are doing well. We love and miss you all and hope to see you when we are in So Cal for Christmas!!
Love,
Craig & Josie Gardner
(Ginger and Bender, too!)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
An Update!
I've been avoiding my blog lately. I don't know why, I just have. My days are pretty boring so there isn't much to write on a regular basis - I guess that may be the why. I have checked some things off of my list and have done little updates in relation to my list but I feel the need to write some blurbs about it. I am having fun checking things off and it's keeping the momentum (and me) going. So here goes some rambling about my list items (and in numerical order).
1. Complete Design Portfolio:
Well I have full on avoided this item. I really MUST do this though so that I don't have any more excuses for looking for a job. Yes, I'll admit to being extremely lazy about it - it's nice to not work AND not be stressed over money every day but I know it's irritating to my hubby. It would also make traveling MUCH easier and saving for our future MUCH easier. I am just lacking even the slightest bit of motivation though, which I don't know how to get back. More on a few things I am going to try in the following blurbs...
8. Take a Photography Class:
I am suuuuuper excited about the photography class I am enrolled in for the Winter 2011 semester at Portland Community College. It's called Photography Manual and it basically is geared toward learning how to use your digital camera's manual functions. I have tried on my own to figure out all of the manual functions on my camera but am easily frustrated and end up switching to automatic and end up getting a decent picture - but not the one I was trying to get! I figured with the amount of money I spent on my new fancy camera I MUST learn how to use it properly! I also want to figure it out in detail before purchasing a new lens for it (#53), as that is bound to cost me upwards of $600 or more.
17. Cook 50 New Recipes:
As of right now I have cooked nine new things that I've never cooked before. I am enjoying looking for new things to try (especially ones that are easy enough to make on a regular dinner basis) and I think my hubby is liking the new dishes we've been having.
32. Update my social security card:
Well, silly me. I was planning on mailing in all of the documents I need to, to get the typo on my card fixed but it requires I mail off my drivers license. If I don't have my drivers license I can't get into bars, drive, get a drink at a restaurant, or hop on a plane. So I have been waiting for a time where I won't need my license to mail it off - hopefully in early January.
34. Acquire a sewing machine & 35. Learn to sew:
Well, much thanks to hubby's Aunt I now own a sewing machine. I need to take it in to get serviced before my sewing class at PCC begins in January. It's a basic sewing class and I think we'll be making an apron, robe and pajamas or something. I'm not really interested in what I'll be making but I am excited to learn MY machine! Hopefully after the class is over I'll feel more confident to take on my own little projects (36, 37, & 38).
51. Get a Wii again & 52. Get Wii Fit:
If you haven't notices by now, I have changed these to an xbox 360 and the kinect. I did this because it's a more advanced technology and there are a few games that look fun!
55. Get entertainment unit/ storage for living room:
Well hubby finally caved and we bought a stand for our TV. It's from the Hemnes collection at Ikea and it's stage one of the entire unit we plan on getting. Thank goodness for Ikea allowing us to buy the entire thing in parts. We have 3 more pieces to get to complete the whole unit, which will give us more storage!
69. Visit SoCal for Christmas:
This is our first year that we missed Thanksgiving with ANY of our families. It was a tough one, but we made the best of it. I never want to miss a Christmas in So Cal though so we booked our flights back in September. We'll only have a week in town and I wish we could do more but Craig doesn't get paid vacation, so it's what we had to do. I am excited though, very excited.
73. Visit Ireland:
Well - I started to plan this trip to be in March of 2011, but it just isn't feasible so I pushed it into late September/early October 2011. We also have added Scotland and England to the itinerary - hopefully we can manage to actually do everything we'd like to do. Nothing is booked yet and the research continues, but here's hoping all goes well. (another reason why I could really use a job).
84. Become pen pals with niece and nephews:
Well I have been sending my niece and nephews pictures of everything Craig and I have been up to here in Oregon. I try to include a little note with the pack of pictures. Its fun to hear what they think of what we've sent them! Now to get their parents to help them send me something back (although, my nephews sent us some hand drawn Halloween cards, which was really cute!).
100. Send my Grandma fall leaves:
My Grandma LOVES all of the different colors fall brings, I remember growing up she'd always pick up leaves and flowers. When we moved to Oregon I told her I'd send her some fall leaves from here. I picked some up a few weeks back and dried them out in books and will be compiling an album with pictures of us. It will be her Christmas present this year. Now - to finish it before we fly out there!!
So there you have it. My little update to my list (and my life). I also want to note that along with the Photography and Sewing classes I am taking two classes toward a certificate in Sustainable Building. The first is more of a refresh course of something I have taken in the past : Intro to Building Systems. The second is a bit more interesting and I hope I can keep up with the material, as it sounds exciting to me: Intro to Environmental Ethics. The certificate is supposed to take less than a year of full-time student status but I think with my past education I can get the certificate in less time, while only going to school part time (in hopes I find a job of any sort).
1. Complete Design Portfolio:
Well I have full on avoided this item. I really MUST do this though so that I don't have any more excuses for looking for a job. Yes, I'll admit to being extremely lazy about it - it's nice to not work AND not be stressed over money every day but I know it's irritating to my hubby. It would also make traveling MUCH easier and saving for our future MUCH easier. I am just lacking even the slightest bit of motivation though, which I don't know how to get back. More on a few things I am going to try in the following blurbs...
8. Take a Photography Class:
I am suuuuuper excited about the photography class I am enrolled in for the Winter 2011 semester at Portland Community College. It's called Photography Manual and it basically is geared toward learning how to use your digital camera's manual functions. I have tried on my own to figure out all of the manual functions on my camera but am easily frustrated and end up switching to automatic and end up getting a decent picture - but not the one I was trying to get! I figured with the amount of money I spent on my new fancy camera I MUST learn how to use it properly! I also want to figure it out in detail before purchasing a new lens for it (#53), as that is bound to cost me upwards of $600 or more.
17. Cook 50 New Recipes:
As of right now I have cooked nine new things that I've never cooked before. I am enjoying looking for new things to try (especially ones that are easy enough to make on a regular dinner basis) and I think my hubby is liking the new dishes we've been having.
32. Update my social security card:
Well, silly me. I was planning on mailing in all of the documents I need to, to get the typo on my card fixed but it requires I mail off my drivers license. If I don't have my drivers license I can't get into bars, drive, get a drink at a restaurant, or hop on a plane. So I have been waiting for a time where I won't need my license to mail it off - hopefully in early January.
34. Acquire a sewing machine & 35. Learn to sew:
Well, much thanks to hubby's Aunt I now own a sewing machine. I need to take it in to get serviced before my sewing class at PCC begins in January. It's a basic sewing class and I think we'll be making an apron, robe and pajamas or something. I'm not really interested in what I'll be making but I am excited to learn MY machine! Hopefully after the class is over I'll feel more confident to take on my own little projects (36, 37, & 38).
51. Get a Wii again & 52. Get Wii Fit:
If you haven't notices by now, I have changed these to an xbox 360 and the kinect. I did this because it's a more advanced technology and there are a few games that look fun!
55. Get entertainment unit/ storage for living room:
Well hubby finally caved and we bought a stand for our TV. It's from the Hemnes collection at Ikea and it's stage one of the entire unit we plan on getting. Thank goodness for Ikea allowing us to buy the entire thing in parts. We have 3 more pieces to get to complete the whole unit, which will give us more storage!
69. Visit SoCal for Christmas:
This is our first year that we missed Thanksgiving with ANY of our families. It was a tough one, but we made the best of it. I never want to miss a Christmas in So Cal though so we booked our flights back in September. We'll only have a week in town and I wish we could do more but Craig doesn't get paid vacation, so it's what we had to do. I am excited though, very excited.
73. Visit Ireland:
Well - I started to plan this trip to be in March of 2011, but it just isn't feasible so I pushed it into late September/early October 2011. We also have added Scotland and England to the itinerary - hopefully we can manage to actually do everything we'd like to do. Nothing is booked yet and the research continues, but here's hoping all goes well. (another reason why I could really use a job).
84. Become pen pals with niece and nephews:
Well I have been sending my niece and nephews pictures of everything Craig and I have been up to here in Oregon. I try to include a little note with the pack of pictures. Its fun to hear what they think of what we've sent them! Now to get their parents to help them send me something back (although, my nephews sent us some hand drawn Halloween cards, which was really cute!).
100. Send my Grandma fall leaves:
My Grandma LOVES all of the different colors fall brings, I remember growing up she'd always pick up leaves and flowers. When we moved to Oregon I told her I'd send her some fall leaves from here. I picked some up a few weeks back and dried them out in books and will be compiling an album with pictures of us. It will be her Christmas present this year. Now - to finish it before we fly out there!!
So there you have it. My little update to my list (and my life). I also want to note that along with the Photography and Sewing classes I am taking two classes toward a certificate in Sustainable Building. The first is more of a refresh course of something I have taken in the past : Intro to Building Systems. The second is a bit more interesting and I hope I can keep up with the material, as it sounds exciting to me: Intro to Environmental Ethics. The certificate is supposed to take less than a year of full-time student status but I think with my past education I can get the certificate in less time, while only going to school part time (in hopes I find a job of any sort).
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
New Recipes: Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and Chicken
I have two new recipes for you! Both of them turned out great and made a good meal with a side of mashed potatoes (and the sauce from the chicken makes a good gravy for the taters).
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Prepare asparagus spears by cutting or snapping off the bottom 1-2 inches.
Starting just under the tender tips, wrap the bacon in a spiral motion down the asparagus. I used one piece of bacon and wrapped it around 2-3 spears of asparagus (an alternate method is to cut the bacon in half length-wise and use two cut pieces per spear).
Place spears, seam side down if possible, on a rimmed baking pan. Lightly coat with olive oil and pepper to taste. Use salt sparingly or not at all.
Roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is cooked to desired crispness.
My husband and I LOVED bacon wrapped asparagus. We are huge asparagus eaters and wrapping them in bacon just made it even better. I would eat these as a snack or they'd be pretty fun to bring to a pot-luck party (in which case I would do the individual spear method).
Bacon Wrapped Smothered Chicken
Wrap each chicken breast in 2 strips of bacon and place in a glass 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and soup. Cover the chicken with the sour cream/soup mixture and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until slightly brown on top.Let cool and serve on top of hot, cooked rice if
desired.
I used chicken tenders (4-6) and used one piece of bacon per tender, I also didn't have any sour cream so I used a little bit of milk to make the soup creamier. It turned out pretty good, but I would suggest making sure you have the sour cream as it adds just that little bit more flavor. Overall it was really good and will be something I'll make for future dinners!
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- 1/2 Lb Bacon
- 1 Lb Fresh Asparagus
- Olive Oil
- Pepper
- Salt (optional)
Prepare asparagus spears by cutting or snapping off the bottom 1-2 inches.
Starting just under the tender tips, wrap the bacon in a spiral motion down the asparagus. I used one piece of bacon and wrapped it around 2-3 spears of asparagus (an alternate method is to cut the bacon in half length-wise and use two cut pieces per spear).
Place spears, seam side down if possible, on a rimmed baking pan. Lightly coat with olive oil and pepper to taste. Use salt sparingly or not at all.
Roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is cooked to desired crispness.
My husband and I LOVED bacon wrapped asparagus. We are huge asparagus eaters and wrapping them in bacon just made it even better. I would eat these as a snack or they'd be pretty fun to bring to a pot-luck party (in which case I would do the individual spear method).
Bacon Wrapped Smothered Chicken
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 4 slices of bacon
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- Salt/Pepper to taste
Wrap each chicken breast in 2 strips of bacon and place in a glass 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and soup. Cover the chicken with the sour cream/soup mixture and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until slightly brown on top.
I used chicken tenders (4-6) and used one piece of bacon per tender, I also didn't have any sour cream so I used a little bit of milk to make the soup creamier. It turned out pretty good, but I would suggest making sure you have the sour cream as it adds just that little bit more flavor. Overall it was really good and will be something I'll make for future dinners!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
86. Get a massage
YES!!! I've finally had a professional massage!! Yippie! It was great!!
This past weekend my new local girls and I got together for a girls weekend. We spent the weekend at The Resort on the Mountain in Mount Hood and all got spa treatments. It just so happened that during the same weekend there was a wine, art and music festival so it totally worked out perfectly.
I will have to admit I was a bit intimidated to get my spa treatments - naked, under a small and thin blanket with a complete stranger touching me - eek!! The Resort had a spa package where you could mix two treatments for a lower price (so naturally we all did this). The first treatment I had was The Earth Cocoon "a re-mineralizing and detoxifying wrap purifies the body, mind and spirit." It was really interesting, they cover you in a type of mud and then wrap you up like a baked potato (with mylar film) then you lay there all wrapped up while the masseuse gives you a scalp treatment with a lavender-mint conditioner. After the treatment is done they unwrap you and shower you off with small wash clothes covering your special places. It was a nice treatment, once you get over the awkwardness of being naked (but not exposed). The second treatment I got was the Mountain Spirit Massage, which is your basic run of the mill massage that could be customized per your individual needs. Since I had never had a professional massage before I just let the masseuse do his thing. Yes... I said, "HIS"....a large black man was my masseuse. I was a bit intimidated to be honest but he was nice, gentle and I had to keep telling myself he's a professional. In the end it was SO worth it (once I got over the idea of a male stranger with his hands all over me).
Call this one DONE. If you've never had a professional massage I strongly suggest you get one!! Spoil yourself!!
This past weekend my new local girls and I got together for a girls weekend. We spent the weekend at The Resort on the Mountain in Mount Hood and all got spa treatments. It just so happened that during the same weekend there was a wine, art and music festival so it totally worked out perfectly.
I will have to admit I was a bit intimidated to get my spa treatments - naked, under a small and thin blanket with a complete stranger touching me - eek!! The Resort had a spa package where you could mix two treatments for a lower price (so naturally we all did this). The first treatment I had was The Earth Cocoon "a re-mineralizing and detoxifying wrap purifies the body, mind and spirit." It was really interesting, they cover you in a type of mud and then wrap you up like a baked potato (with mylar film) then you lay there all wrapped up while the masseuse gives you a scalp treatment with a lavender-mint conditioner. After the treatment is done they unwrap you and shower you off with small wash clothes covering your special places. It was a nice treatment, once you get over the awkwardness of being naked (but not exposed). The second treatment I got was the Mountain Spirit Massage, which is your basic run of the mill massage that could be customized per your individual needs. Since I had never had a professional massage before I just let the masseuse do his thing. Yes... I said, "HIS"....a large black man was my masseuse. I was a bit intimidated to be honest but he was nice, gentle and I had to keep telling myself he's a professional. In the end it was SO worth it (once I got over the idea of a male stranger with his hands all over me).
Call this one DONE. If you've never had a professional massage I strongly suggest you get one!! Spoil yourself!!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
34. Acquire a sewing machine
A while back Craig's Aunt mentioned she had a sewing machine she didn't use and I could have it if I wanted it. About a week ago I asked her about it and it arrived on my doorstep via UPS today! I am excited to figure this particular machine out. I know a little bit about sewing from my Mom and was taught on her machines; this machine is slightly different but I think I'll be able to figure it out! Hopefully I can find a users manual online in the event I need some troubleshooting!!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
New Recipe: Baked Acorn Squash
A few weeks back, hubby and I stopped at a farmers market and I kept overhearing people talk about acorn squash and how good it was. We ended up leaving the market with two of them. I then came home and looked up a recipe for baked acorn squash. Here is the recipe and the results.
Classic Baked Acorn Squash
Using a strong chef's knife, and perhaps a rubber mallet to help, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out.
Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. Add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter. Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Do not undercook. When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.
Serves 2 to 4, depending on how much squash you like to eat.
Review: My husband liked it, I didn't. I think it was the maple syrup part that I didn't like, because that was all I could taste - I am not a maple syrup person (not even on pancakes, which I love). I do think this would make a decent breakfast when using maple syrup in the recipe (not that I would eat it). If we cook this again I think we'll be testing out cinnamon, sugar and cloves or nutmeg. There are variations of this recipe on the internet so feel free to find your own and test it out. Acorn squash is pretty cheap at farmers markets (we got two for $1) and by itself it tastes a lot like a mild sweet potato.
Classic Baked Acorn Squash
- 1 Acorn Squash
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 Tsp Maple Syrup
- Dash of salt (if using unsalted butter)
Using a strong chef's knife, and perhaps a rubber mallet to help, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out.
Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. Add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter. Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Do not undercook. When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.
Serves 2 to 4, depending on how much squash you like to eat.
17. Cook 50 New Recipes
As I started to look through my list on a recent update I realized I have no way of tracking how many new recipes I try. I usually end up cooking something new on a whim, so I decided to make a post to both keep track of and share any new recipes!
- Pumpkin Pie Chili
- Baked Acorn Squash
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken
- Acorn Squash Supreme (recipe coming soon)
- Real Pumpkin Pumpkin Pie (recipe coming soon)
- Thanksgiving Turkey (recipe coming soon)
- My Moms Cran-jello goodness (not sharing the recipe, sorry folks)
- Gourmet Bean Soup (recipe coming soon)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
65. Go Kayaking
My arms are sore, my legs are stiff, I have blisters on both hands and I know that my entire body will be hurting even more tomorrow...but I had a blast kayaking! A new-to-me friend invited me at the last minute cause she had an extra ticket and I was so happy she did. Not only did we all have a blast but I got to know her and her other friend some more so it made it even more fun! We hope to go again in the future when it's not quite as cold; however, we did miss the rain so that was a bonus!
Here are some pictures:
Here are some pictures:
Friday, October 29, 2010
October 2010 Project
Well as a part of my list to complete two crafts per month (#47) here goes my wrap-up for October 2010:
Unfortunately I only got one craft/project done for this month which is okay as it was a bit more time consuming than other crafts I have done in the past. Craig and I spent three solid weekends in thrift stores just to kill time during the days. We have so much fun finding all the interesting little objects in the stores (which we usually don't buy) and then we tend to find several items we've been on the lookout for, like this:
We saw this on our first trip to one of several Salvation Army stores in our area, we happened to be there during their half-off weekend. The sticker price on this baby was $250. I pointed out the piece to Craig and we passed on buying it. Even with half off we thought $125 was still too much to spend. The following weekend we ended up in the store again and I didn't see this piece anywhere, it had been on my mind since first seeing it. The third weekend we went there ta-da this baby was still there! It was a half-off weekend again and the $250 tag was still on it. I called one of the workers over and told him I saw this 3 weekends in a row and the price was still the same - I checked to see if he could lower it any. We ended up buying it for $100 total. It was still a tad more than we wanted to pay but it was exactly what we were looking for for our kitchen/dining room. The weekend after we brought it home we ran to Lowes and bought some stain/sealer in one and started the re-finishing process...
I was surprised at how well this color stain matched our dining room table. I was very pleased with the outcome; however, I must let you know that this project is still incomplete...
...more to come, later.
...more to come, later.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
New Recipe: Pumpkin Chili
I was looking around on allrecipes.com for some good pumpkin pie recipes and stumbled upon "Pumpkin Chili' so I had to give it a go. Here is the recipe (with my modifications) and the results.
Oh yea and I am changing the name of this to "Pumpkin PIE Chili" because I like it better.
Pumpkin Pie Chili
Stir in onion and bell pepper and cook 5 minutes.
Stir in beans, tomato juice, diced tomatoes and pumpkin puree.
Season with pumpkin pie spice, chili powder andsugar.
Simmer 1 hour.
(Note: While it's simmering, be sure to stir every so often - I didn't and ended up with some burnt yuck at the bottom).
Overall it was really yummy! We have enough leftover to play with so I intend on adjusting it a bit. It had no "kick" to it so if you're not a fan of spicy chili then this would be a great recipe for you - if you like spicy I'd suggest adding some diced jalapeno (that will be my next adjustment). I am glad I made the adjustment with the pumpkin puree and nixing the sugar. Oh and only one bowl was enough for Craig to get nice and full...although he had three biscuits with it.
Oh yea and I am changing the name of this to "Pumpkin PIE Chili" because I like it better.
Pumpkin Pie Chili
- 2 Lbs. Ground Beef
- I only had 1lb so that is all I used.
- 1 Large Onion, Diced
- The recipe didn't specify what type of onion, I used yellow.
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, Diced
- We bought our peppers from the farmers market, so they are much smaller than what you'd find at a regular grocery store I used two small ones to compensate.
- 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
- 1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice
- 1 (28 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- Rather than only using 1/2 cup out of a 15oz can of pumpkin puree I used the whole can - waste not want not, right?
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 cup white sugar- Because I used the entire can of pumpkin puree I decided not to add the extra sugar. I didn't want the chili to turn out too sweet.
Stir in onion and bell pepper and cook 5 minutes.
Season with pumpkin pie spice, chili powder and
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Latest in Thrift Store Finds
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
54. Sofas & 56. Bedroom Furniture
I thought I'd combine these two goals from my list as they are #1 not completely all that interesting and #2 they happened right around the same time as one another, which was totally not expected but totally welcome.
54. Get sofas for living room:
We finally ordered sofas for our living room! Yay!! No more sitting on a really uncomfortable camping chair that smells of many bon fires! WooHoo! We ordered them on 10.11.10 and they were finally delivered on 10.26.10. They are super comfy and feel like velvet (that'll be fun with the dog hair). I plan on making some pillow covers in a coordinating (but not brown) pattern, in addition to making a few more pillows just for decor purposes. What do you think?! Now I just need to cross off goal number 55: "Get entertainment unit/living room storage" for our living room to be more complete.
56. Get bedroom furniture:
We totally did not expect to be getting bedroom furniture for a few months - probably after the holidays to be honest. We wanted to pay off our current debt (the mattress and the sofas) before even looking at furniture sets but, being a huge craigslist shopper I was up late browsing the furniture section just for kicks. I had no luck finding anything interesting at all when all of a sudden I saw "4 piece bedroom set: $150" I thought: ok it's going to be crap but I'll look anyways. This is what I found:
Sooooo awesome! I sent the seller an email before I went to bed thinking "there is no way they will still have these by tomorrow at THAT price!" I woke up the next day, checked my email (good news, obviously), we ran to the bank and then met the seller to check out the pieces. He agreed to deliver them for an extra $20 which wasn't a big deal at all. All of the pieces have zero scratches, scuffs or nicks; all of the drawers slide wonderfully and are even lined with shelf paper; all of the pieces are CLEAN and in brand spankin' new condition. I was amazed! The coolest part of this bedroom set (aside from the price) is that the lines and style are exactly what I was looking for! The original picture from the seller they appeared to be a lighter shade of red, but once we got them into place they are a bit darker which is perfect for our taste!!
LOVE craigslist and LOVE Craig for letting us get these!!
PS - I know these pictures aren't that great, but maybe I'll take some better ones when the rooms are both more complete!!! Stay tuned!
54. Get sofas for living room:
We finally ordered sofas for our living room! Yay!! No more sitting on a really uncomfortable camping chair that smells of many bon fires! WooHoo! We ordered them on 10.11.10 and they were finally delivered on 10.26.10. They are super comfy and feel like velvet (that'll be fun with the dog hair). I plan on making some pillow covers in a coordinating (but not brown) pattern, in addition to making a few more pillows just for decor purposes. What do you think?! Now I just need to cross off goal number 55: "Get entertainment unit/living room storage" for our living room to be more complete.
56. Get bedroom furniture:
We totally did not expect to be getting bedroom furniture for a few months - probably after the holidays to be honest. We wanted to pay off our current debt (the mattress and the sofas) before even looking at furniture sets but, being a huge craigslist shopper I was up late browsing the furniture section just for kicks. I had no luck finding anything interesting at all when all of a sudden I saw "4 piece bedroom set: $150" I thought: ok it's going to be crap but I'll look anyways. This is what I found:
Sooooo awesome! I sent the seller an email before I went to bed thinking "there is no way they will still have these by tomorrow at THAT price!" I woke up the next day, checked my email (good news, obviously), we ran to the bank and then met the seller to check out the pieces. He agreed to deliver them for an extra $20 which wasn't a big deal at all. All of the pieces have zero scratches, scuffs or nicks; all of the drawers slide wonderfully and are even lined with shelf paper; all of the pieces are CLEAN and in brand spankin' new condition. I was amazed! The coolest part of this bedroom set (aside from the price) is that the lines and style are exactly what I was looking for! The original picture from the seller they appeared to be a lighter shade of red, but once we got them into place they are a bit darker which is perfect for our taste!!
LOVE craigslist and LOVE Craig for letting us get these!!
PS - I know these pictures aren't that great, but maybe I'll take some better ones when the rooms are both more complete!!! Stay tuned!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
96. Get lost in a corn field
Well I've managed to get lost in a corn field. Yup!
We went out to The Haunted Corn Maize on Sauvie Island for some good ol' spooky fun!! It was frigid cold. I was not prepared. I still had fun. The maze was actually quite spooky and we were startled quite a few times. I was impressed with it, actually. I have been to haunted houses before and there was typically nothing spooky about it - or there were crowds of people ahead of us who ruined our experience with excessive screaming. This was not at all the same. For the most part you couldn't see where "ghouls" were hiding because they constantly moved around behind the corn. It was fun!We had planned on getting pumpkins after the maze, but they had closed the patch and it was too dark and I was ready to leave cause I was freezing cold! So we went home and decided to do pumpkins the next day.
The next day, after we got home from taking the dogs on a long walk through the Hoyt Arboretum we headed over to the Roloff's Farm (Little People, Big World on TLC) just to check it out. It was about an hour from our house so we thought 'what the heck.' The farm was much smaller than we thought it would be - at least the pumpkin part of it, I am sure if we took a tractor ride we could have seen the entirety of the 32 acre farm. We meandered around looking for the perfect pumpkin and saw Amy and Jacob Roloff entertaining visitors and taking pictures with them, lots of kids running around and enjoying the place. It was much more fun than finding a pumpkin at the grocery store or parking lot patch! After we got our pumpkin seat belted into the car safely we headed over to the farm where the corn maze was to browse through their market. We ended up taking home some honey, a sugar pumpkin, some cheese, apples, and apple cider. Oh and on our way out we got a caramel apple!
I love fall. :-)
We went out to The Haunted Corn Maize on Sauvie Island for some good ol' spooky fun!! It was frigid cold. I was not prepared. I still had fun. The maze was actually quite spooky and we were startled quite a few times. I was impressed with it, actually. I have been to haunted houses before and there was typically nothing spooky about it - or there were crowds of people ahead of us who ruined our experience with excessive screaming. This was not at all the same. For the most part you couldn't see where "ghouls" were hiding because they constantly moved around behind the corn. It was fun!We had planned on getting pumpkins after the maze, but they had closed the patch and it was too dark and I was ready to leave cause I was freezing cold! So we went home and decided to do pumpkins the next day.
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| Dustin, Katie, Mike, Heather and us in the corn! |
Monday, October 11, 2010
20. Brew my own beer
On 10.10.10 Hubby and I set out to brew my first beer. Hubby helped with the heavy lifting, gave me direction and basically told me to pay attention a few times (watching a pot boil for an hour can get kind of boring). A while back at the Southern California Homebrewers Festival I tasted a beer someone had made: Chi Cream Ale. Ever since then I have wanted to try my hand at making it - it was so wonderfully good! The one I tasted was really light and would make a great summer beer but at the same time it had all the hints of fall flavors and spices - nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon. I had asked the brewer what ingredients he used and he told me to use a basic cream ale recipe and then add Trader Joes chi tea bags to the end of the boil. He left me with no accurate measurements, just a general idea. We went to Trader Joes and found their Ruby Red Chi tea in boxes of 20 and bought 4 of them. We figured at 8 ounces of water per tea bag, 80 bags would work for 5 gallons. Strangely enough I had never once tried chi tea so I used one of the bags for a cup of tea so I could judge how strong the flavors were - we ended up using the remaining 79 bags in the brew and added it to the last 10 minutes of the boil as well as kept it in the pot while we cooled everything. Overall it steeped for about 20 minutes. The aroma was amazing! Now we wait for the beer to ferment so I can see how good (or bad) my first brew turned out! I am excited to taste it and so hopeful that it's at least drinkable!!
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| 80 bags of tea |
 |
| Cleaning out the mash-tun. |
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| Stirring the wort - such a nice aroma! |
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| Adding Hops |
 |
| Adding the tea bags |
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| And finally a bit of Ginger. |
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
95. Compile the List of 26 Movies
From my revised 101/1001 list, here are the 26 movies from A to Z.
Movies that I have watched will be crossed off.
Last updated: 01/03/2011
Last updated: 01/03/2011
A - Absurdistan
B - Baby Mama
C - City of God
D - Dreamgirls
H - Hannibal
I - Inside Man
J - Joy Luck Club
K - Kiss the Girls
L - Les Miserables
M - Moon
O - Original Sin
R - RocknRolla
S - Slumdog Millionaire
T - Taking Lives
U - Under the Same Moon
V - Vanilla Sky
Y - Youngblood
24. Read 50 New Books
As a part of my new 101/1001 list I am slowly compiling a list of (at least) 50 books to read, in no particular order. As of 10.6.2010 this list is very small so feel free to leave me some suggestions. Actually, please leave me suggestions. Also if you have any books you want to donate or long-term loan to me (as I am not local to most) I would love to have/borrow them!
Unread, Own It, Currently Reading It,Read It
Unread, Own It, Currently Reading It,
- Life of Pi - Yann Martel
- Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
- Man Eater - Gigi Levangie Grazer
- Wicked - Gregory Maguire
- Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk - David Sedaris
- The Modern Girls Guide to Life - Jane Buckingham
- Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin
- Something Blue - Emily Giffin
- Baby Proof - Emily Giffin
- Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin
- Heart of the Matter - Emily Giffin
- Belly Laughs - Jenny McCarthy
- Baby Laughs - Jenny McCarthy
- Life Laughs - Jenny McCarthy
- Love, Lust & Faking It - Jenny McCarthy
- Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
- The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards
- My Sisters Keeper - Jodi Picoult
- Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
- The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson
- The Girl Who Kicked in the Hornets Nest - Stieg Larsson
- The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
- Catching Fire - Suzanna Collins
- Mocking Jay - Suzanne Collins
- Stephanie Plum Series 01 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 02 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 03 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 04 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 05 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 06 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 07 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 08 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 09 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 10 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 11 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 12 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 13 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 14 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 15 - Janet Evanovich
- Stephanie Plum Series 16 - Janet Evanovich
The Good Rain - Timothy Egan
- Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People - Amy Sedaris
- The Write Words - Crystal Dawn Perry
- The Write Baby and Toddler Words - Crystal Dawn Perry
- Top Titles & Tips Too! - Crystal Dawn Perry
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
101 Things in 1001 Days (revised)
I don't think it's in the rule books, but I am revising my 101 things in 1001 days list. Yea, I know - cheater cheater pumpkin eater. After moving to Portland I've realized that a lot of the things I had on my list were location based. So I am revising it as not to become a complete and utter failure all because I moved away. I also visited the Day Zero Project website and discovered that they now have account capabilities available, to keep a running track of lists (super cool, but I will still post my list here and blog about completed tasks).
And yes, because I am a cheater, cheater pumpkin eater I am starting my time-line over. I'll have you know I also have 51 new tasks to complete. So, a year (and 16 completed tasks) after the first one was created...here goes my new list:
101 Things in 1001 Days, inspired by Day Zero Project
Start: October 5th 2010
End: July 2nd 2013
In Progress, Completed
Last updated: January 2, 2011
21. Make a Martini 12.31.10
55. Get entertainment unit/living room storage 12.05.10
100. Send my Grandma Fall Leaves 12.25.10
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And in case anyone was wondering, the items I have completed from my previous list are as follows:
1. Got a job (I moved and now I don't have one again so it's a repeat item).
And yes, because I am a cheater, cheater pumpkin eater I am starting my time-line over. I'll have you know I also have 51 new tasks to complete. So, a year (and 16 completed tasks) after the first one was created...here goes my new list:
101 Things in 1001 Days, inspired by Day Zero Project
Start: October 5th 2010
End: July 2nd 2013
In Progress,
Last updated: January 2, 2011
1. Complete Design Portfolio
2. Get a job (again)
3. Pass LEED AP Exams
4. Study Interior Design Books
5. Learn Google Sketchup
6. Learn (and practice) Yoga
7. Learn the alphabet and 25 common sign language signs
8. Take a photography class (enrolled! 12/2010)
9. Photograph a Sunrise (time lapse)
10. Photograph a Sunset (time lapse)
11. Photograph the Stars
12. Get a Kitchen Aid Mixer (in Boysenberry!)
13. Get a food processor
14. Learn to can
15. Make Pickles
16. Go fruit picking
18. Compile Favorite Recipes Book
19. Make Homemade Dog Treats
22. Get a Wine Membership
23. Host Cookie Exchange
25. No Caffeine for 2 weeks
26. See Dermatologist
27. Get My Knees Examined
28. Get Teeth Whitened
29. Don't dye hair until July 2nd 2013
30. Update Passport
31. Update Drivers License
32. Update Social Security Card
33. Go White Water Rafting
35. Learn to Sew (enrolled! 12/2010)
36. Reupholster a piece of furniture
37. Make: Pillow Covers
38. Make: Bed Linens
39. Repair: Gma Smiths Christmas Ornaments
40. Make: Christmas Ornaments
41. Have a Scrap-a-thon Weekend
42. Finish: Wedding Scrapbook
43. Finish: Honeymoon Scrapbook
44. Finish: Year Scrapbooks ('06, '07, '08, '09, '10)
45. Finish: Puerto Vallarta Scrapbook
46. Finish: Cruise Scrapbook
47. Complete two crafts per month
48. Make Pottery Barn Inspired Mirror
49. Make: Beaded Ring (or two)
50. Make: Flower Hair Clips/Bows
51. Get a Wii (again) Get an Xbox360
52. Get Wii Fit Get Kinect for Xbox
53. Get a new lens for Camera
57. Get 5 year Ring from Hubby
58. Get a Carpet Shampooer
59. Get a Dyson
60. Go to Photography Meet-up
61. Get Awesome Gift for my Hubby (I have two great ideas)
62. See Disneyland at Christmastime
63. See the Rose & Japanese Gardens
64. Go Fishing
66. Shoot a real gun
67. Attend a Concert
68. Take a Trip on a Train
69. Visit SoCal for Christmas (1/3)
70. Visit Family in AZ
71. Visit Family in CO
72. Visit the Oregon Coast
73. Visit Ireland (currently planning)
74. Visit Europe
75. Plant an Herb Garden
76. Plant a Vegetable Garden
77. Start a Compost Pile
78. Buy half a cow
79. Pay off Student Loan (mine)
80. Pay Off Student Loan (Moms)
81. Donate Blood (if they'll let me)
82. Build a house with Habitat for Humanity
83. Volunteer in a different country
84. Become Pen-pal's with Niece and Nephews
85. Get pregnant / have a baby
87. Have a Garage Sale
88. Payoff our credit cards/debt (again)
89. Make a new (local) friend
90. Buy a house
91. Sell both of our cars
92. Buy one new car
93. "Disconnect" for a week (excludes phone calls).
94. Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the Alphabet
97. Fix my Tattoo
99. Save $5 for every completed task (11/101)
101. Donate $100/year to various charities. (to date: $50)
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And in case anyone was wondering, the items I have completed from my previous list are as follows:
1. Got a job (I moved and now I don't have one again so it's a repeat item).
2. Attended a meet up for digital scrapbooking.
3. Saw a Broadway show live (Lion King)
4. Watched all current seasons of Dexter
5. Got DVD storage unit and moved DVDs to sleeves
6. Learned how to use my 4-cup coffee maker
7. Made everyone a gift for Christmas
8. Went hiking (a few times).
9. Acquired bikes for myself and my husband
10. Went camping (a few times)
11. Planned an Owens family picnic
12. Paid off credit cards (and then acquired more on them since, oops)
13. Moved out of my in-laws house (and to Portland)
14. Saw New Moon with friends.
15. Got a new mattress (a sleep number, too!)
16. Bought a nice DSLR Camera (and am loving it)..
17. I now owe myself $80 to my savings account, per my 101st item on my previous list. :-)
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