rantings of a college criminal....

Today, Copper has been gone from us for one week. We miss him, but while I was out today wasting time until Gary got home from work, I stumbled upon this saying:


"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose,
all that we love becomes a part of us."
--Helen Keller







Today was filled with craziness! First thing this morning I had to head BACK to Baltimore (1.5hr one way), yes, I said BACK to Baltimore. I was there just two days ago, at the Maryland State Board of Nursing. Apparently, although claiming to participate in the multi-state compact, they are having difficulties processing my nursing license.

OK, so I have a record, what self respecting woman this day in age doesn't, right? You don't have to answer that. Either way, SC licensed me with no problems, shouldn't that mean that participants in the compact would do the same? I thought so too.

So back to my story, and long story short (as possible), I had to go to Baltimore ONCE to figure out what was wrong with the processing of my license. Now, this is assuming a lot, but when and office building provides a phone number, that means someone is on the other end to answer it right? Well that is something the MD board of nursing seems to be in disagreement with as well. In hopes of not having to go to Baltimore for the second time, I spent nearly every thirty minutes yesterday calling their office to check on this paperwork and not even once was the phone answered. Lunch break, Lunch hour, extended lunch hour.... no no no try day of lunch! So there I was heading BACK to Baltimore to make sure they received the paperwork needed to resume processing my license only to find myself explaining what I needed to a receptionist (poor lady, I suppose it isn't her fault) who has no idea what I need. So I wait in the office for an hour as she takes care of other people. Then, as if everyone in the office didn't have enough lunch the day before, she goes to lunch. WHAT? HELLO? So a new receptionist takes her place, woo hoo, so I go explain what I need again and luckily finally get somewhere. I verified my paperwork had be received! YAY, that is all I need, that, and now I need a drink!

So, my day went on. As promised, I made some pillows today with my sewing machine. OMG, it was so much faster than making the pillows from the summer.













Also, we had stir fry for dinner. Easy, one dish meals are my specialty! Cut up whatever vegetables you like, make them fun shapes. Make rice, cook vegetables and meat of choice, mix and serve. I used a "stir fry" seasoning packet from the store, no judging please. :)













Whatever tomorrow brings, I hope it is not a trip to Baltimore!

Until next time....

all moved in... sorta

Gary and I moved into our house last weekend. We still aren't completely finished with all the things we thought we would before we moved in, but we have made a lot of progress! The kitchen is basically done except for the doors to the cabinets and drawers. They still need to be painted. (I'm hoping Gary will get that done this weekend (:-) I lucked upon a good looking dining table for our "breakfast nook" area in the kitchen. I got a really good deal on it and although it isn't the most expensive looking item, it is really good for what we need it for. I was so thankful to have our first meal at the table because since we moved here we have been eating from the coffee table. (doesn't exactly make one want to cook a beautiful meal...) Needless to say, I love it! We are also able to use the place mats my lovely sister, Christina, made for us!











The living room has had almost nothing done to it. The walls are primed and ready for paint, but we haven't yet decided on a color. We are also waiting on carpet to be installed. So the pictures of the living room will be out of date soon hopefully! After that, we will pretty much be done with the updates of the main floor, aside from some small odds and ends.


I hope you all have enjoyed the update on the house... more to come...

until next time...

going vegetarian

Monday was the beginning of Gary's and my new life... our exercise and healthy eating life that is. Since the festivities of our wedding and honeymoon, we have kinda fallen off the healthy life bandwagon! I mean, it isn't like we eat BigMacs every day or anything, but we'd like to shape up a little. Anyway, our schedules are kinda all over, so it will be hard to work out together (we usually run together). Gary has to wake up early every weekday and so his best time to work out is in the afternoon. There is a gym at his work where he can lift weights, or he can come home to run. For me, I'm a little crazier. I only work 3 days a week, but when I get home at night it is pretty much dinner and bed... so tired. So the best workout times for me are the mornings of my days off. So complicated, I know, but all you have to know is we are going to be eating less ice-cream and more cauliflower.

Here is the recipe for our first dinner as healthy people. I just made it up, so don't think it is anything super special. Although, super easy to make. Spaghetti Squash with other vegetables is what I call it. haha

1. Preheat oven to 450F. split spaghetti squash in half length-wise drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in over for 30-40 min.

2. take 1/2 and onion and grate it on a cheese grater.

3. thinly slice up one zucchini and one yellow squash (any mandolins out there, perfect.... I however did not register for one.... tragic!) Feel free to sub/add any other veggies you like, eggplant, carrots, etc.

4. Add some olive oil to a saute pan (large enough for the veggies) add onion, zucchini, and yellow squash.

5. After veggies are cooked down a bit, add one can diced tomatoes, drained (reduced sodium of course) and one can tomato sauce. voila .... homemade veggie sauce.

6. Once spaghetti squash is done, remove "strands" from skin with a fork. Either add to sauce or place on plates and ladle sauce over top.

Hope you try the dinner, it actually is really good... for all veggies. Gary even likes it, although he quickly let me know he couldn't possibly live if he was only allowed to eat vegetables. We will keep you updated on our new lifestyle!

until next time....

dinner party

Last night Gary and I had dinner with some of his friends from work. We had such a great time, but before I start telling you about that, I would be remiss in my blogging if I did not mention how my radiator hose busted just as I was pulling up to their house. What a way to make an entrance, boiling hot water bursting from beneath the hood of my jeep. sheesh.... I can't get a break with this thing. Fortunately the three engineers came to the rescue and fixed it so I could still drive it home! Now to tell you about the actual event. First off, great dinner! We had fresh caught Mahi Mahi, fried up just right with mac&cheese, and green beans!! delicious!! Second... the entertainment... which ended up being all of us. We played Beatles rock band, which I had never played before. This is not the type of thing I usually get into, but I have to admit it was fun. We had a guitarist, a vocalist, and a drummer. Needless to say it was a crazy time, and I even sang a little and tried my hand at the drums! Gary always sees these people, but it was great for me to get out and hang out with some people our age.

the weekend

Gary and I were very busy this weekend. Mostly with car work, but I also began a new "apartment beautification" project. We will start with the very beginning.. a very good place to start...

Friday:
I used a new recipe to create Friday night's dinner. We had one of my favorites.... Salmon!! I used to work at this delicious restaurant and we made a Salmon with a bourbon glaze, so I decided I would try to recreate the glaze to spice up plain salmon. I really liked this recipe, but it made A LOT of glaze. I would recommend quartering the recipe for just two people. 1/2 the recipe would be good for a larger crowd. The recipe is really easy to follow and the ingredients are some commonly stored kitchen items, so you won't have to make a special trip to the store to make it. Here is the recipe and some pictures to show you how it turns out.

Bourbon Glaze
1c. bourbon (we chose jim beam)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1c. ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire
1/4c. white vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice (we used the juice of 1/2 of one lemon)
1/2 tsp garlic (we substituted for garlic powder)
*in the recipe we found they did not "cook" the glaze, but we
heated the glaze to a simmer for about 5-10min.

After the glaze was created, we just poured some over the salmon and then broiled it (about 10min/inch of thickness). I chose to broil it because that is how we did it in the restaurant, and also because broiling kind of caramelizes the sugar in the sauce. We added some more of the glaze when it was done cooking and it was delicious!! For the rice, I just cooked brown rice per box instructions and then added chopped carrots, red and orange peppers as it was steaming so they became tender.









Saturday:
This day was full of car work. First we needed a special tool, so we went to sears (Gary's favorite store) and got a star tool... Gary calls it a torx bit. :) When we got home the real work began. First we hit my front brakes. Having done my rear brakes a few years ago, we were feeling like veterans. It still took a long time, but we cut our time from 4hrs to do the rear to just 2hrs to do the front! We worked so hard that we decided to save the second project until Sunday. We went to the pool the rest of the day, which is probably a good thing because I got a terrible tan line from working on the car all day. :/



Sunday:
Back to the automotive grind. A few weeks prior to moving to MD, Gary and I found out that my left front swaybar end link was sheared off. This doesn't make the car immovable, but it does make it more prone to sway in strong winds or hitting a pot hole or something. We went to work and luckily this repair didn't take all day. We removed the bad part, slapped on the new, and we were done. Since this repair only took about 30 minutes (way less than we were figuring), I decided to take on a new "home beautification" project. The couches we just bought came with some pillows. Not ugly ones, but definitely not cute. Our living room needed more color and I was not about to let it suffer. So Gary and I both went to the fabric store and picked out a fabric to cover the old pillows with. I am proud to say we agreed on the same one!! Now, I don't have a sewing machine, so I am sewing all the pillows by hand. This takes a while, especially because you want to make the stitches as close together and as equal as possible to ensure a tight stitch and a clean finished product. I will say I am quite proud of the pillows.


p.s. I AM wearing my swimsuit in this picture although it may not look like it.

After/Before

And lastly, today (Monday) is my grocery store day when I stock up for the week. I am very excited to announce that I have reached my highest bonus card savings of all time. Please review my receipt to take part in my rejoicing!!

yay!!

until next time....