dialogue of a 17 year old chef.

i'm not a super big fan of facebook, but i couldn't help, but smile at this posting by andrew.  the chicken was really, really good. i'm gonna miss him when he goes to school in the fall. (i'm sorry about the formatting.)

 

Andrew Sheffield:  for a roasted chicken recipe, i had to put the chicken in a 500 degree oven for 15 minutes. it was a very stressful 15 minutes!

Marie Richardson to get it brown and crispy, my dear!

Andrew Sheffield i know, but i didnt want it to burn

• marie Richardson i bet it came out perfect!
•  
• Marie Richardson the more you cook, the bolder you get!

   
• Andrew Sheffield its still in the oven, at 425, i just cant deal with this nonsense!

   
• Adam Zeller Hey but that fried chicken was pretty legit

   
• Andrew Sheffield it was, im glad i didnt have to fabricate this chicken!

   
• Adam Zeller That crap sucked....

   
• Andrew Sheffield indeed, the should be the last of it. i think tomorrow will be southwest, so that should be simple and delicious.

   

PL weeks 3 & 4

i wasn't quite sure how these weeks were going to come together, but i'm pretty happy with the results. here's the first page of week 3, i love that some weeks are going to have more than others, but i'm more on the look out for stuff i can include.  it really is a project that can come together however you want it to.  i have a feeling that the last few pages are going to be very different from these.

a variety of things included to represent week 3, wine bottle labels from knitting with mary and karen, and from quilt club-thanks to mary for showing me how to remove labels.  bowling stats, and a ticket from the falcons game (both games are included) along with a few photos from the week.

i managed to get week 4 into one side of a protector, not sure if i really like the variety pack of page protectors i got, so when i need to re-order i'll decide which i prefer, but for now, i'll use what i have.  the long strip on the edge are quotes from the recent episode of downton abbey, and one from les miserable that i was reminded of during the week. 

so far, so good!

change.

it's inevitable, right?  just look at how much the world has changed over the centuries. first off, i should explain the photo. this is today's lunch, deli chicken, hot sauce, asparagus, all wrapped up in several leaves of romaine lettuce. i wish i was a yogurt and carrot sticks kinda girl, but i've tried that and i'm just not.   i've discussed my desire to eat as healthy as i can. 8 years ago, this would be a sandwich complete with 2 slices of bread, a slice of cheese, and heaping smear of mayonnaise.  cutting back and eliminating these things has helped me to better manage my weight.  one thing i can't seem to explain is my recent crush on all things spicy, i'm always adding dashes of hot sauce or siracha sauce to my food. i'm not quite to the point of eating pickled jalapenos from a jar, but i don't mind them so much in cheese dip like i used too. i just don't get it, but i'm sure there is something in these condiments that my body is craving, so i'm just going with it.  this whole idea of food changes got me to thinking about how much i've changed in the last 25 years.  i'm not so sure that the changes are evident to others, but i'd like to hope so.  dealing with some childhood/young adult issues has caused me to do a lot of soul searching and re-evaluation of who i am, and who i am going to be.  this may be a little melodramatic, but while we are all cut from the same fabric of humanity, we are all very different and unique in our responses and attitudes.  sometimes those responses and attitudes are not always the right ones, and in order to fix that you have to be willing to make changes within yourself.  this, i have to say has not been easy, but i am sorta seeing the rewards in taking this approach.  it is also important to surround yourself with those who understand this, and are really "there" for you as you evolve and change.    i've also learned that even though you accept those things/people you can't change, doesn't mean you allow those things to weigh you down with guilt, or change who you are and want to become.  you can establish boundaries and guidelines in a good and healthy way, this is something i'd wished i'd learned a long time ago.  it's like being selfish in a loving way which really sounds like an oxy-moron, but sometimes you have to be brutally honest and there are people who don't handle the truth very well. this whole idea goes along with my theme for 2013, and the idea of moving forward without looking back, and embracing what lies ahead.  aside from all this pondering, it is cold as all get out, and i've very glad to be inside where it is toasty with my wool cardigan and wool socks.

new.

one of the great things about january is that there is so much "new".  for lack of a better blog post title, here's some "new" i'm enjoying right now.
a new sweater, chandrail in fig (madeline tosh)-totally LOVE this sweater.

new glasses-a total splurge, i've worn glasses/contacts for almost 25 years, and i think this is the first time i really LOVE my glasses (and they're purple!!!!)

new prescription, but no need for bi-focals-yet!

also enjoying a new bottle of wine, Christmas gift from a co-worker Kiara cabernet sauvignon-sylvester vineyards paso robles (california). enjoyed the zifandel the other night, and both are quite good.

i'm looking forward to a packed weekend of quilt club, bowling (not so much really), knitting with mary and karen, the falcons game on sunday, and then shooting (or at least mexican) on monday. what's new with you?

project life begins.

i'm so glad to finally get strarted on this project. i'm sure i'll change my layout approach over the year, hopefully for the better. i still need to purchase some supplies-binder, page protectors, etc., but i'm using patterned paper that i got from mary.  i also need to do the title page, and now that i've watched a few photo shop tutorials, i plan to have that done sometime this week.  i'm doing sunday to saturday, with saturday being my day to get the layouts put together. this will depend on my ability to print photos from home if there are just a few, and of course whatever else might be going on.

here's week 1 (on the left) and part of week 2 (on the right)

 

 here's the rest of week 2

 

not sure if i'll blog about each week or not since the goal is to keep things simple and not to get overwhelmed with things being just "so".  i have lots planned for 2013, and i'm looking forward to seeing how the year evolves.

getting things done.

i've gotten a lot of things done in the last 3 1/2 days, but then i think about the things i still want to do, and begin to wonder if i'll mark everything off my list.  i have been de-cluttering and re-organizing things since i got home from work on friday.  i decided to file my completed projects patterns in a file drawer rather than in a notebook, cause as you can guess, a notebook fills up very quickly.  the pile in the photo represents completed project for 2012, and i'm very proud of what i completed.  also, i just finished weaving in the ends of chandail, so my needles are empty AGAIN!  i've downloaded some mitten patterns to cast on next, and i plan to buy yarn for the featherweight cardigan on friday.  andrew and i took a tahoe load of stuff to goodwill, and i have a smallish box that is going to a charity shop near my office.  it feels REALLY good to get this stuff out of the house.  i know i will continue to re-organize and sort stuff through out the year, but at least i've gotten ride of the stuff i no longer need or want.  all the christmas decorations are down and put away (except for the tree, that's steve's job). closets and cabinets have been de-cluttered, and i watched the season premiere of downton abbey (it's going to be an awesome season!).  mom and i went for our eye appointments, and i have some really sharp specs on order-yea! haven't bought glasses in well over 10 years. sophie spent the day at doggie day care-and now she is passed out next to me. should really try to get more things done while she's not wanting any attention.  she and i have had a couple nice walks as it's been way too cold to go for a bike ride.  today was perfect, but there was just too much to do while she was gone, so tomorrow i plan to get a nice long ride in.  other things i'd like to get completed before i go back to work next week: organize digital downloads on my pc-get caught up on breaking bad-put my daily december scrapbook together-complete week 1 of project life-get my sewing table re-organized-hand photos and artwork. there are still things i want to learn about my i-pad and phone, and other tech-y tips and tricks.  perhaps i'll have a chance to check back in on what else got done on my staycation. i still can't believe it's 2013, the holidays are over and schedules are getting back to normal?! weird.