Sunday, November 29, 2009
Media closet
It looks a little better now since we moved C's video games to another spot. We have a lot more board games that went under the bed...they looked horrible here, we just kept the ones we might actually play out.
Live & Learn
Thanksgiving with the Allman side:
Thought I might get out of there without any drama, but alas, I did not. Some feuding occurred during the bridal shower planning that it has continued & let's just say I was a little upset at some inferences made & the fact that it was even brought up.
Thanksgiving with C & N:
The only hiccups were that I threw my potholder in the gravy (not on purpose) & I managed to make the smoke alarm go off by burning the oil I was heating up. :oP
All in all, not too terrible.
Thought I might get out of there without any drama, but alas, I did not. Some feuding occurred during the bridal shower planning that it has continued & let's just say I was a little upset at some inferences made & the fact that it was even brought up.
Thanksgiving with C & N:
The only hiccups were that I threw my potholder in the gravy (not on purpose) & I managed to make the smoke alarm go off by burning the oil I was heating up. :oP
All in all, not too terrible.
Poll
Do you...
1. Leave all your dirty laundry to do at one time?
or
2. Do laundry continually so you don't have to do a whole bunch at one time?
1. Leave all your dirty laundry to do at one time?
or
2. Do laundry continually so you don't have to do a whole bunch at one time?
Monday, November 23, 2009
Build up to nothing
I have a problem with falling asleep during tv shows. 9 times out of 10 I'll fall asleep before the big reveal. CSI...right before they figure out whodunnit.
And the Next Iron Chef? Right as they were deliberating who would get the honor.
Annoying!!
And the Next Iron Chef? Right as they were deliberating who would get the honor.
Annoying!!
Media storage!
C & I solved our media storage problem. Well really, he did. He had the brilliant idea to remove the coat closet door & install shelving to hold our massive collection of movies (ours) & games (his). Just want to separate myself from the gaming before we begin. :o)
We bought a gallon of red paint for $15, shelving supports for $14 total, black spray paint to paint the supports for $2 total, & 7 shelves for $42 total. We went the cheapest without going the 2x4 route.
Our day off yesterday consisted of removing the door, all closet contents (board games, 1 wire shelf, 2 small book cases, a steam cleaner, gaming consoles, gaming accessories, & massive amounts of dvds), painting the back wall red, installing the seven 37" shelves, alphabetizing the movies, & last but not least, placing them on the shelves in an organized manner.
Oh. My. Gosh. It was like heaven. I love it. I'll post pictures later. And believe it or not, I barely got everything on those shelves. If I could bear to part with my VHS tapes, I think we'd be in good shape, but alas, I cannot. And I admit, my tape collection is pretty bad. Little House on the Prairie? Yeah, sorry, can't get rid of it. The entire tv series of Christy? Yeah, sorry, not gonna happen.
Is there something out there that can put tapes onto dvds? That would be heaven too.
I painted a huge wall in my house in NM red and swore I would never paint with red again. Yeah. I quickly remembered yesterday why that was.
Oh, and I also finished painting C's sidetable. :o/ I was starting to feel bad, so I was determined to finish it. He had been propping his lamp on top of the headboard and when that kept falling he just let it hang there. Poor guy. I never did find a cool wallpaper to put on the top of it, so I think I'll just mod podge a cool piece of fabric to the top.
I think I'll put a halt to the house projects until after our Christmas party. Stoked for it!! I think it'll be a good one.
We bought a gallon of red paint for $15, shelving supports for $14 total, black spray paint to paint the supports for $2 total, & 7 shelves for $42 total. We went the cheapest without going the 2x4 route.
Our day off yesterday consisted of removing the door, all closet contents (board games, 1 wire shelf, 2 small book cases, a steam cleaner, gaming consoles, gaming accessories, & massive amounts of dvds), painting the back wall red, installing the seven 37" shelves, alphabetizing the movies, & last but not least, placing them on the shelves in an organized manner.
Oh. My. Gosh. It was like heaven. I love it. I'll post pictures later. And believe it or not, I barely got everything on those shelves. If I could bear to part with my VHS tapes, I think we'd be in good shape, but alas, I cannot. And I admit, my tape collection is pretty bad. Little House on the Prairie? Yeah, sorry, can't get rid of it. The entire tv series of Christy? Yeah, sorry, not gonna happen.
Is there something out there that can put tapes onto dvds? That would be heaven too.
I painted a huge wall in my house in NM red and swore I would never paint with red again. Yeah. I quickly remembered yesterday why that was.
Oh, and I also finished painting C's sidetable. :o/ I was starting to feel bad, so I was determined to finish it. He had been propping his lamp on top of the headboard and when that kept falling he just let it hang there. Poor guy. I never did find a cool wallpaper to put on the top of it, so I think I'll just mod podge a cool piece of fabric to the top.
I think I'll put a halt to the house projects until after our Christmas party. Stoked for it!! I think it'll be a good one.
All about Thanksgiving
When I was growing up I always felt like we (I) were left out from the extended family's fun holiday gatherings--which we were--there were only a handful of times we actually visited them during the holidays.
So when I came to graduate school near my extended family, I was really excited to spend more time with them. I soon realized that other family members saw us as having been lucky to have a good excuse to miss certain gatherings. And I soon saw why. You know families!
At any rate, for some reason (probably because I've never done it before) I have this intense desire to make Thanksgiving dinner. C & I even discussed declining all invitations and staying home to have our own Thanksgiving. After much thought and careful consideration we decided we'd spend it with my grandparents on my dad's side...and have our own Thanksgiving on Friday.
I'm so excited about it! Here's the menu I picked out:
Baked mashed potatoes, w/ pancetta, parm cheese, & breadcrumbs
2 in 1 gravy & sausage stuffed stuffing
Cornish game hen (on the panini press)
A green bean casserole of some sort
A sweet potato casserole of some sort
Cranberry sauce (yes, from the can, it's my favorite)
Pumpkin pie
And maybe a sweet corn bread pudding--if I'm feeling adventurous
I'm trying to think if I'm missing something my mom usually makes, but I think I covered it all. I only have one oven, so I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being fiasco. Then again, I might discover a talent I never knew I had. Come to think of it, most people only have one oven, so it must be doable.
In case you're wondering, the cornish hen is taking the place of a turkey. A turkey would just be ridiculous for two people. Unless they have turkeys made for two. I have no idea.
So when I came to graduate school near my extended family, I was really excited to spend more time with them. I soon realized that other family members saw us as having been lucky to have a good excuse to miss certain gatherings. And I soon saw why. You know families!
At any rate, for some reason (probably because I've never done it before) I have this intense desire to make Thanksgiving dinner. C & I even discussed declining all invitations and staying home to have our own Thanksgiving. After much thought and careful consideration we decided we'd spend it with my grandparents on my dad's side...and have our own Thanksgiving on Friday.
I'm so excited about it! Here's the menu I picked out:
Baked mashed potatoes, w/ pancetta, parm cheese, & breadcrumbs
2 in 1 gravy & sausage stuffed stuffing
Cornish game hen (on the panini press)
A green bean casserole of some sort
A sweet potato casserole of some sort
Cranberry sauce (yes, from the can, it's my favorite)
Pumpkin pie
And maybe a sweet corn bread pudding--if I'm feeling adventurous
I'm trying to think if I'm missing something my mom usually makes, but I think I covered it all. I only have one oven, so I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being fiasco. Then again, I might discover a talent I never knew I had. Come to think of it, most people only have one oven, so it must be doable.
In case you're wondering, the cornish hen is taking the place of a turkey. A turkey would just be ridiculous for two people. Unless they have turkeys made for two. I have no idea.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Job Update
My heart it overflowing with joy about my job. Kinda weird, and I'm sure it won't last, but I certainly hope it does.
We had lunch as an office today to say farewell to one of the employees and I realized just how wonderful it is to work with a group of people who are positive and so caring about health and wellness.
It's just such a nice reprieve from the countless negative thoughts that are seemingly constantly thrown at me (be it from people or media); and to top it off, their specialty is wellness, something I strive for in every part of my life.
Sometimes I feel a little inept (especially when they're eating salads or talking about the race they just ran etc), but they never make me feel that way--I do that to myself.
I spoke with the previous director of the department this morning (she got promoted) and it looks like they're going to try their hardest to keep me in February and bump me up to full-time. I might have to do the happy dance if that transpires. For one, more money; two, health benefits!!
The other thing she said was that she's heard good things about me. Yay! And last week the lady that has been training me said, "Well, we might just have to do one session since you pick everything up so quickly." Another yay!
Something I've learned recently is that I'm really hard on myself. I want to pick things up the first time & when I don't, I beat myself up over it. C says, "Oh, you're doing fine." But he doesn't know, he doesn't work in my office--he's just being the supportive husband. And I didn't realize until recently how instrumental it is for me to hear that I'm doing well.
The only thing I'm still having a hard time with is getting everything I need to get done in the amount of time I have to do it. I'm only working 20 hours a week, so it's definitely challenging.
Perhaps I chose the wrong major after all. ;o)
We had lunch as an office today to say farewell to one of the employees and I realized just how wonderful it is to work with a group of people who are positive and so caring about health and wellness.
It's just such a nice reprieve from the countless negative thoughts that are seemingly constantly thrown at me (be it from people or media); and to top it off, their specialty is wellness, something I strive for in every part of my life.
Sometimes I feel a little inept (especially when they're eating salads or talking about the race they just ran etc), but they never make me feel that way--I do that to myself.
I spoke with the previous director of the department this morning (she got promoted) and it looks like they're going to try their hardest to keep me in February and bump me up to full-time. I might have to do the happy dance if that transpires. For one, more money; two, health benefits!!
The other thing she said was that she's heard good things about me. Yay! And last week the lady that has been training me said, "Well, we might just have to do one session since you pick everything up so quickly." Another yay!
Something I've learned recently is that I'm really hard on myself. I want to pick things up the first time & when I don't, I beat myself up over it. C says, "Oh, you're doing fine." But he doesn't know, he doesn't work in my office--he's just being the supportive husband. And I didn't realize until recently how instrumental it is for me to hear that I'm doing well.
The only thing I'm still having a hard time with is getting everything I need to get done in the amount of time I have to do it. I'm only working 20 hours a week, so it's definitely challenging.
Perhaps I chose the wrong major after all. ;o)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Pies, pies, & more pies!
If you love pies, you'll love Martha Stewart's Pie Contest blog post. The pies are beautiful and it makes me want to go home right now and bake one up!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Not much into history
I'll warn you before hand and let you know that this will be kind of a weird post. I don't know, maybe not, but it's regarding the sensitive subject of the Holocaust, so it certainly has the potential.
As the title suggests, I've never been what you would call a History buff. Except when it comes to the Holocaust. I've seen numerous movies (I know, movies...but many are quite good and accurate), read countless books, took a History of the Holocaust class in college, visited a concentration camp, and attended seminars.
I'm writing about this because recently I watched two movies on the subject and attended a presentation by a man who survived it. If you weren't aware, November 9th marked not only the fall of the Berlin Wall, but also Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass--an anti-Jewish riot).
The movies are Fateless and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and I recommend them both. Assuming you're in the mood to be depressed.
"We in the United States should be all the more thankful for the freedom and religious tolerance we enjoy. And we should always remember the lessons learned from the Holocaust, in hopes we stay vigilant against such inhumanity now and in the future." - Charlie Dent
As the title suggests, I've never been what you would call a History buff. Except when it comes to the Holocaust. I've seen numerous movies (I know, movies...but many are quite good and accurate), read countless books, took a History of the Holocaust class in college, visited a concentration camp, and attended seminars.
I'm writing about this because recently I watched two movies on the subject and attended a presentation by a man who survived it. If you weren't aware, November 9th marked not only the fall of the Berlin Wall, but also Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass--an anti-Jewish riot).
The movies are Fateless and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and I recommend them both. Assuming you're in the mood to be depressed.
"We in the United States should be all the more thankful for the freedom and religious tolerance we enjoy. And we should always remember the lessons learned from the Holocaust, in hopes we stay vigilant against such inhumanity now and in the future." - Charlie Dent
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
An interesting thing occurred
Right after the wedding I was so full of stuff to blog about that I thought I'd have to split it up into multiple posts.
But now, it seems like I don't have anything to say.
I think it's because I know I won't be able to describe my views of the wedding to my satisfaction.
Perhaps things will change when I see the wedding videos. :o)
But now, it seems like I don't have anything to say.
I think it's because I know I won't be able to describe my views of the wedding to my satisfaction.
Perhaps things will change when I see the wedding videos. :o)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wedding pictures!
The pictures are up! Sorry, but I won't post a link here until the mass email first goes out to friends and family with the link. That will be done later this evening so be watching your Inboxes!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Inquiry sent
I've been the proud owner of two houses (the current one with a co-signer) by the ripe ol' age of 27 thanks to my parents' kindness and generosity.
Our current home is 960 sq ft. So with two dogs, a cat, and gobs of accumulated stuff, we've quickly outgrown it. Honestly, we probably could live with it, but because we like to have kick-ass parties, it's not enough space for us.
We've gone back and forth about whether to pursue purchasing a new home (biggest question: how long are we planning to stay here?) and have ultimately decided to at least look into it and see what we could afford. And there's two sides...it's a buyer's market...WOO!...seems like home sales have stalled...BOO!
Even though I've been through the motions twice, home buying is still confusing as hell to me. Do you see a realtor first? But how do you know what you can afford, if anything?? Do you go to a lender first?
I decided to email the woman with whom I worked previously, to see if 1. we can afford it 2. what we can afford and 3. if we will qualify for a first time home owner tax credit (or whatever the heck it is they're offering right now). It may be that I can't be included if we're to qualify for the tax credit--which means C would have to qualify for a loan all on his own I think.
At any rate, that's kind of exciting and I just wanted to share that with you. I'll be SO glad to get out of this little home. I'll miss it, but yet, I won't. And if we don't qualify, well then I'll be sorely disappointed and just have to learn to live with our humble abode.
Our current home is 960 sq ft. So with two dogs, a cat, and gobs of accumulated stuff, we've quickly outgrown it. Honestly, we probably could live with it, but because we like to have kick-ass parties, it's not enough space for us.
We've gone back and forth about whether to pursue purchasing a new home (biggest question: how long are we planning to stay here?) and have ultimately decided to at least look into it and see what we could afford. And there's two sides...it's a buyer's market...WOO!...seems like home sales have stalled...BOO!
Even though I've been through the motions twice, home buying is still confusing as hell to me. Do you see a realtor first? But how do you know what you can afford, if anything?? Do you go to a lender first?
I decided to email the woman with whom I worked previously, to see if 1. we can afford it 2. what we can afford and 3. if we will qualify for a first time home owner tax credit (or whatever the heck it is they're offering right now). It may be that I can't be included if we're to qualify for the tax credit--which means C would have to qualify for a loan all on his own I think.
At any rate, that's kind of exciting and I just wanted to share that with you. I'll be SO glad to get out of this little home. I'll miss it, but yet, I won't. And if we don't qualify, well then I'll be sorely disappointed and just have to learn to live with our humble abode.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Quick post
This is going to be a general post because if I went into any detail regarding the wedding, I'd be writing forever and I'm sure you'd get bored. I've decided to break things up and comment on specific wedding things in no particular order.
First topic: my name.
As I'm sure you all know, I went back and forth with this for quite a while. It wasn't until I was filling out the social security form that I decided what I was going to do.
I was going to let my middle name go *poof* and move my last name to my middle and take Chris' last name. As I was filling out the social security form, I actually started crying because I didn't want to give up my middle name. My middle name means a lot to me (I've been told it's a combination of my dad's middle and my sister's middle) and I wasn't willing to part with it.
What I ended up doing was moving my last name to my middle (so now I have two middle names) and took Chris' as my last. Which is kind of confusing to people and has posed a problem (if you can call it that) with my middle initial. Can you have two middle initials? I guess not. Which means I write down the first one? (D) But then the A gets passed over and I don't like that either. Whatever. It's not something I can't live with. This still is the best option for me.
And I wonder how long it will take before I can introduce myself as Nicole Parrish? Probably quite a while.
First topic: my name.
As I'm sure you all know, I went back and forth with this for quite a while. It wasn't until I was filling out the social security form that I decided what I was going to do.
I was going to let my middle name go *poof* and move my last name to my middle and take Chris' last name. As I was filling out the social security form, I actually started crying because I didn't want to give up my middle name. My middle name means a lot to me (I've been told it's a combination of my dad's middle and my sister's middle) and I wasn't willing to part with it.
What I ended up doing was moving my last name to my middle (so now I have two middle names) and took Chris' as my last. Which is kind of confusing to people and has posed a problem (if you can call it that) with my middle initial. Can you have two middle initials? I guess not. Which means I write down the first one? (D) But then the A gets passed over and I don't like that either. Whatever. It's not something I can't live with. This still is the best option for me.
And I wonder how long it will take before I can introduce myself as Nicole Parrish? Probably quite a while.
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