Blogging in Real Time

It's Sunday morning and I'm sitting down to blog.  I often sit down to blog on Sunday mornings, but I almost never blog in real time.  I usually put together posts for the coming week or jot down some notes in my book posts that I do once a month*.  However, I rarely write and publish a post all at once.  In fact, that phenomenon occurs maybe once every 6 weeks.  Strange, right?  Joey got me thinking about this after her post on Friday.  So.  Here we are.

I spent most of yesterday with my face scrunched up like this because I had to have my eyes dilated.  I've only had this done once before and that was, most likely, on a cloudy Alaska summer day.  This time, it was the brightest, warmest, windiest November 29th that Colorado Springs had ever seen.  It wasn't a good combination and I didn't make it to the post office because I assumed they'd think I was there to rob the place because I wouldn't be able to take my sunglasses off.  So there are still 4 boxes of Christmas presents sitting in my car.  Maybe next week.

My car also decided to spontaneously light up the AWD warning light yesterday and I don't know what that means.  Scott can't find anything about it in the manuals or online, so I need to call the dealership tomorrow…which is just what I will feel like doing on the first day back to school.

The highlight of our evening was letting Scout at the popcorn bowl while we watched a movie.

He loves popcorn and if he's asleep, I like to hold popcorn under his nose. He'll snap awake and start chomping away.

Also, we think Jett is deformed because he has this crazy underbite.  When Scott first picked him up, he wasn't our first choice (ha ha ha…oh, I laugh at the irony) and he said, "He's pretty cute.  He's got an underbite and it makes him cuter."  I was skeptical.

And that's real-time blogging.  

*When I write book review posts, I actually keep track of what I'm reading in a blog post draft.  I add to it every time I finish a book or think of something important to say about a book.  I realize that a normal person would keep track in a journal or in Evernote or something, but I'm a fan of working smarter, not harder.  Why would I write something down just to rewrite it later?

Why Love Actually is the best movie ever

I remember when it came out in 2003 and my cousin, whose opinion I trust more than anything, told me the story was kind of hard to follow.  So I ended up never going to see it in the theater, even though I initially thought it looked interesting.  In fact, I probably never saw it until 2008ish.  Now, it's my favorite holiday movie.  I am an absolutely sucker for the fact that it takes place in England.  I don't know why this fascinates me.  It's why I love Kinsella's books.  The fact that Liane Moriarity's books take place in Australia is what keeps me reading them.  Maybe I need to travel more.

Last Friday night, I was browsing through Netflix and I came across Love Actually.  While I'm not one for Christmas music in November, the week of Thanksgiving marks the beginning of Christmas movie season in my house.  

When Scott came into the room, he was all, "NO."  He was appalled that I was watching a Christmas movie when it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet.  That's laughable.  Look around blogland, Scott.  We're behind!

We most certainly spent our Friday night watching this movie.

The best parts of Love Actually…in order.

5. January Jones

4. This kid from Game of Thrones.

3.  Liam Neeson

2. Hugh Grant

1.   Andrew Lincoln

Rick has nothing on this tortured soul. 

Out of all TWD scenes Andrew Lincoln has done, this is my favorite.

What's your favorite part of Love Actually?  Or, rather, what's your favorite Christmas movie?  Tis the season and all.    

Stuff and Things 11/27

Happy Thanksgiving!

+I don't like Stovetop stuffing, but I like pilgrims.

+In fact, I never ate stuffing until last year.  My friend made a cornbread stuffing and it was so good that I'm making it again this year.  

+I don't really like turkey.  I love the way it smells and we have a "perfect turkey button" on our new oven so we're making one, but I probably won't eat much.  The turkey has always been Scott's thing.

+I'm trying something new with Brussels sprouts today.  Cross your fingers.

+Also on the menu: Trader Joe's recipe for green bean casserole.  I think I might bake some cookies too.  I thought about sweet potatoes, but we eat those like every other day anyway.

+No pie for dessert.  I only like pecan pie and there is no reason why I need to bake myself a pecan pie because I will definitely eat it all in two days.  Pumpkin pie I don't like.  And all those other types of pies just put fruit in dessert and I don't really believe in that.

+I'm particularly thankful for the new mowing attachment that Scott got for the four-wheeler.  We have a yard again!

+If you link up today, make sure to enter the giveaway below!  Winner will be announced next week!

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I'm not making a Christmas list.

I would start off today by wishing a Happy Birthday to Scott..but we've already established that he doesn't read my blog.  I can tell YOU what I got him, though.  A PSU camo Tervis tumbler and the book Killing Patton.  Plus that four-wheeler thing that's sitting under the carport…where my car used to sit.

Today my goal is also to mail off some presents.  I've just been picking up little things here and there thinking Oh, she'd love that! or That's perfect for him! and so on.  Gifts are not over the top this year and I'm pretty much done with shopping.  I might just pick up a few gift cards now and that will be that.

I'm also not making a Christmas list.  With this remodel, there's not a whole lot of "stuff" that I need.  Or want.  I mean, I'll never turn down clothes or kitchen stuff, but we're worried about other things now when it comes fixtures/furnishings we could use for the house.  

The only thing I want is this map, framed.

I'll probably do that over Christmas vacation.  I've had my eye on it for months now.  If that one, by chance, is gone when I get around to ordering, I'll find a different one on etsy.  I just want a big colorful-ish map of the world on the wall.  

We do need to get barstools, so we'll probably look for those over Christmas vacation too.  

There's so little that we actually need, and so many better places to put our money, rather than filling up a tree skirt with stuff we don't actually require. We're much better off than most and this time of year, especially, makes me appreciative of that.  The things we really want, like most people, can't be bought anyway, right?

Caramelized French Onion Soup

A few days ago, Scott asked for the address to my blog.  I was immediately suspicious.

He told his friend that I had a "cooking blog".  The friend was going to give the URL to his wife so she could look at it since she likes to cook too.

I hung my head in shame.  I said he should probably not do that.  There wasn't much to read in the way of "cooking" lately and he's all confused and I'm all, "I mean, I have a recipe index…" and he's like, "Hey, just give me the link to that then" and I scowled and that was the end of the conversation.

Side note: Let me remind you all that I have the recipe index simply because I'm terrible at writing down recipes.  I even try, every now and then, to do this in a word document and I fail at that.  The only way a recipe ever gets documented in this house is if I click "publish".

The next day, I made soup from scratch.

Often, French Onion soup is one of those that tempt me on a menu when I'm out somewhere.  However, having worked at a restaurant, I know that they just reheat that same pot of soup day in and day out until it's gone.  Really.  Never order soup in a restaurant.  So I make my own French Onion soup at home. Usually I use the crockpot, but sometimes I just don’t feel like cleaning the crockpot.  That is the honest to goodness truth.  Sometimes using it is actually more trouble than it’s worth.  It often sits in the sink for days, full of soapy water, after it has crockpotted us a delicious soup or stew. 

This time, I went with a stockpot on the stove. I caramelized the onions first and it only took about 30 minutes.  I filled the pot with beef stock and let it simmer all day.  This might be the easiest soup in the world.

Caramelized French Onion Soup
use a 6 quart pot

2 large onions, thinly sliced

2 T. butter

6 cups beef broth

2 T. white wine (or sherry)

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Melt the butter over low heat and add in the onions.  Stir them around to coat them and then put the lid on the pot.  Keep it on low.  Stir every few minutes until they become soft and start to turn golden brown.  (This is where I should've taken a picture…)  

The caramelizing will take about 30 minutes.  Then, add in the wine, garlic salt, and Worcestershire sauce and turn it up to medium.  Pour in the broth or stock.  Allow it to come to a boil and then turn it to low and keep the lid on.  It can simmer for an hour or 6 hours.  Whatever fits your timetable. The longer it sits on low heat, the better.  

To make croutons, this is my preferred method with swiss, provolone, mozzarella, etc.  However, if that's too involved (as it was for me on this particular day…), just slice some crusty bread, broil it to golden-brown, and add cheese to the top.  

Link Worthy Monday

Greetings from Thanksgiving vacation!  Scott didn't realize until last night that I didn't have to go back to work today.  I mentioned that I was already a little bored (just a little) and he was all, "Whaaa?". I plan on finishing my Christmas shopping and continuing my organization of the basement. Exciting stuff.  I also have a couple of recipes to share this week.  Hold me to that, please.

Until then…my bookmark tab is filling up, so time to share!

What 10 Pounds Taught Me.  I've really been working hard at changing my mentality toward fitness and body acceptance so this post was very encouraging.

Why French Kids Don't Have ADHD.  This sounds about right.

A parody of Serial.  Fantastic.

10 Ways Introverts Interact Differently.  It's not about being shy.  It's about how we're all wired differently.

A pro-vaccination argument.  This is different than the typical "herd immunity" point, but makes just as much sense and it's probably not thought about as often. The last paragraph of this letter states it all so well.

Confessions of a Pilates Instructor.  This was informative.  No one really has it all together.  Reassuring, right?

Serial replaces Shakespeare.  Such a good idea.  We need more current, relevant critical thinking in our schools.  Also, Koenig's husband teaches at Penn State, our alma mater, and this podcast on Slate does a thought-provoking recap of Serial each week.  I try to get people I know in real life into Serial and no one will listen (to it or me).  Scott loves it though.  As he said when I complained, "It's their loss."

Last but not least, Scott's birthday is this week so I'm baking this cake while he's at work.  Cross your fingers.  I've never made a homemade layer cake before.  Usually I go with the ice cream variety.

Actually, I do write everyday

…just not on this blog.

You see, my school has a very labor intensive writing program and I have to write 4 separate pieces each day with my 4 separate small groups.  It is …laborious.  I think the reason why I'm too worn down to blog is because I'm doing this stuff all day long…

I get a prompt, I model a response to the prompt in "my" notebooks, they copy into their notebooks, and then they go write their own original piece.

I'm *prompted* tell you this story because, by the last group of the day, I'm exhausted and near delirium and, I swear, just making stuff up.  It often feels like I've stayed up too late and I can't think clearly.  

Tuesday's prompt for my highest group:  Tell about a time you were embarrassed.  

Why?  Just why?  Sometimes, I use the example the website gives with the prompt.  Sometimes, the example is dumb and it's easier to make up my own.  I spend a lot of this writing hour drawing on my own experiences.  

I start my piece…and talk about a time I missed the kickball in gym class when I was up to bat.  Like it wasn't bad enough the first time.  Now I get to tell this to a bunch of 4th graders who will laugh at my expense.  However, it's the first thing I can think of and they get more out of it if they see me modeling, not just copying from the screen. And seriously, the quicker I start writing, the quicker this is done.

"Luckily, for me, the teacher called it a foul and I received another chance to make it to first base."

One kid:  Foul?  More like FAIL, son!  Boom.  

Another kid:  How is that embarrassing?  

A third:  Yeah, that's not embarrassing.

Second kid again: You didn't even fall?

Another:  Is this true?

Second kid again (he's a talker): No, she's getting it from the computer (peers at monitor to see if I'm copying or making it up).  Oh, no.  It's real.

First kid:  You didn't even fall?

Oh, I definitely fell.  But I'm definitely not telling them that.  

Cheers to 9 days off for Thanksgiving.

*Edited to add:  These are really well-behaved and smart students. This is their chance to converse with me and their peers and I often just sit there and listen as the group or 4 or 5 banters back and forth (it's kind of eye-opening) while I write.  

Stuff and Things 11/20

Last week, Scott was flipping through the channels and we were deciding what to watch.  Out of all the hundreds of channels and all the amazing shows on the DVR he chose…CBS.  The Big Bang Theory. I'm not saying that show isn't funny.  I chuckle at it.  However, I said, "Out of EVERYTHING, including Netflix, you choose this?"  He said, "What? You don't like it?"  I called him a plebeian. He shrugged.  My insult didn't have its desired effect.  I KNOW I'm a T.V. snob.  It's a fault.

The next night he made fun of me for watching New Girl because it's on "regular t.v."

Scott bought himself a birthday present.

I've noticed a disturbing pattern.  In 2011, he got a snowmobile.  In 2012, he got a pile of cross-country skiing equipment.  In 2013, he got a camper.  Now, a four-wheeler.  This seriously concerns me.  When I asked what I got, he said "the kitchen".  I told him that he keeps saying that and while I enjoy our kitchen, he HAD to provide that kitchen.  I let him buy this house. It's not the same thing.  

Before the 5K last weekend…

Me:  Are you going to run with me or leave me behind?

S: Well, I have a PT test next week, so I should actually run.

Me: I run.

S: Yeah, okay.

I went a little craft-fair-crazy last weekend:

I've had a Scentsy since 2010.  But I rarely buy new scents because those things last forever.  I got Very Merry Cranberry and Salted Caramel Cupcake on Saturday.  Fun fact:  We ended up with our first Scentsy because a kid came to the door selling them and Scott couldn't say no.  I totally would've turned him away in a Scrooge-like manner.

We were looking at some carved walnut bowls but they were like $80.  Unreal for just a bowl that would probably turn into a crap basket. These functional and cute bottle holders were only $30ish.  

….maybe all of this is why Scott can rationalize a four-wheeler.

Joey and I would like to thank you all so much for joining in on this lil' link-up, so we're hosting a giveaway next week with a special Thanksgiving Day edition of Stuff and Things.  Join in next Thursday and you'll be entered into the drawing for a couple of fun prizes!

Hope to see you next Thursday for the link-up!

To each (military wife) their own

Of course, I've also gotten to a lot of states…

Last month, Scott was in Texas.  I've never been to Texas and we're loooong overdue for a vacation or getaway.  We tried to figure out a way I could get down there to El Paso. He drove the first weekend of October and I thought I might make it down over the long Columbus Day weekend.  I wouldn't be able to leave until Saturday morning and then spend all day driving, with two dogs…and since Scott was working nights, he wouldn't be able to meet me until late Saturday night or Sunday morning…and I'd have to leave by Monday afternoon in order to be back for school on Tuesday.  And this is us meeting halfway, near Albuquerque, not even me getting the whole way to El Paso, so I still wouldn't get to Texas.  Plus, I was dog-sitting on that weekend, so I would've had 3 dogs and we just decided it wasn't worth it.  I've been under enough stress with work and pet-care and and a half-remodeled house (I used that weekend to paint the bathroom).  Scott was dealing with a wonky schedule of night shifts.  It would've been too stressful, all for about 6 waking hours together.  Not to mention trying to find a pet-friendly place to stay in a good location when we'd never been to that city before.

My point is…if I didn't have a full-time, can't-leave-it kinda job, I would've spent the whole month in Texas.  I could've taken the dogs and we could've had a fabulous change of scenery for a few weeks.  In fact, Scott just came back from a long weekend of duck hunting in Missouri…I could've gone there too.  Okay, maybe I wouldn't want to go on a camping trip in Missouri in November.  But I wouldn't mind a weekend road trip.

Back in the day (i.e. Alaska), I would take 2 weeks of unpaid leave each year in order to go on a pre-deployment vacation and a post-deployment vacation.  It was necessary for many reasons and I had a fabulous principal who told me to do whatever I needed to do.  I appreciated that.  Here, such things are not allowed without a special letter to the board of education or something.  If or when the time comes, I'll definitely be writing that letter.  However, until then, I'm pretty much here, going to work each day, even if Scott is somewhere else.

In the past, I've seen wives go home for months at a time while their husbands were deployed.  I've never done that because that was a choice I chose to make.  I chose to find a full-time job, so that was a sacrifice in some ways.  However, I can't complain about having a job:  It's money, obviously, and it's a special kind of fulfillment I wasn't sure I would find when I became an army wife.  Scott and I were talking the other day about how I moved to Alaska with nothing but the intention of being an army wife and how that was a good thing because I didn't feel like I was sacrificing anything. My first set of friends were army wives.  Some had careers, some didn't at that point, but the army always came first. I never felt pressured to find a job. That was my own undertaking. Since then, I've had the opportunity to work and it definitely complicates feelings when it comes to moving and readjusting to new places.  On one hand, I've been fortunate enough to have the best of both worlds.  On the other hand, I definitely have trouble feeling like I belong at times.

The most terrible goals I've ever set

I've really been meaning to join in on some of those challenges I see out in blogland.  There was a no-spend challenge but I knew that probably wouldn't work out well because there's a package sitting on the doorstep almost every day when I get home. So I, mentally, set my own goals for the fall season without actually telling anyone about them.  If that's not a recipe for success, I don't know what is.  I think I originally set 4 or 5, but I didn't meet all of them.  These are the two where I was able to grant myself a shining star of success.

1.  Stop buying pre-popped popcorn.  There is nothing that will reel me in faster than a bag of pre-popped kettle corn.  I was spending at least $6 a week on this stuff.  Hot, microwaved popcorn doesn't actually hold the same draw for me.  We also didn't have a microwave in this house for the first 4 months we lived here so microwaved-anything wasn't an option.

I kept Popcorn Indiana in business.  Another favorite was Boom Chicka Pop. That stuff is all organic so it's more like $4 a bag. I stopped cold turkey the last week of September and haven't bought a bag since.  This addiction was a tough one to break. I'd be holding onto since March-ish when my friend introduced me to the product. I think I'm good now though.

2.  Stay out of Wal-mart.  Few things make me grit my teeth more than a Wal-mart trip. (Actually, dirty floors. Dirty floors in my house make me grit my teeth more than anything.)
I hate the Wal-mart.  We all agree on this, I think.  After a particularly terrible trip there during the first week of September, in which a rainstorm soaked my groceries on the way to the car, I said ENOUGH.  That was over two months ago, and I haven't been back since.  I think I've actually become a happier human being because of it.
That's a victory, right?
Also, this directly correlates to goal #1 up there because one of the only places around here to buy my beloved kettle corn is Wal-mart.  Two birds, one stone.

Have you been successful at setting and achieving any goals this fall?  Victory feels good, no matter the importance. Right?

Turkey Trot 2014

It's rough when you realize you're not in the best cardiovascular shape that you can be.  It's even harder when you were in better shape a year ago, and better shape still a year before that. Truth be told, it's been a really rough year in that regard.  I've tried to find a balance.  Still a work in progress. However, a post with that much introspection, though well-suited for Selfie Sunday, might have to wait for another day.

Last year, I ran a 10K Turkey Trot in 55 minutes.  This year, I feel like life has caught up to me.  I don't do a whole lot of cardio and I truly hate running.  I don't like anything about it.  Oh, wait.  I like the shaky legs and endorphins rushing through my system a few hours after a run.  I do really like that.  However, I get nothing out of the physical act itself.  It's not a rush, it's not thinking time, it's not graceful movement in my case.  It's torturous.

I don't know why I sign up for these races.  I can't pass up a good "5K!" sign.  If for nothing else, just to prove I can do it.  Plus, this one was free.

So when Scott and I were walking across the parking lot to the starting line yesterday, he mentioned that he hadn't run in a few weeks.  My response was that I hadn't run since July.  And that is the honest to God truth.

I mentioned that the 5K I did in July was tough and this one followed the same route.  I'm now making a mental note to not bother with any more Ft. Carson 5Ks because they are trail runs, up and down hills (more up than down if we're being specific) and yesterday's trail was covered in snow.  Therefore, I can give very little credibility to my time and how I would rate my running ability overall.  And let's add in the fact that the altitude sets my lungs on fire.  Actual searing flames of pain.  Colorado Springs is over 6,000 ft. above sea level. (This is almost 1,000 feet higher than Denver, so I don't know why everyone makes such a big deal about that place.) A quarter mile into the race, I feel it.  No outward physical pain to speak of,  some mental boredom for sure, but the lung pain is what kept me walking for a third of this race yesterday.  Still, I finished in 35 minutes.  Not the worst, right?  Scott told me how hard the race was for him and then I felt a little better about my time.  Though he finished several minutes before I did.

Sometimes I think I could walk a 5K in the same amount of time that I could jog one. After all, I walked an awful lot yesterday.  I'm not a fast runner but I'm definitely one of those fast walkers.  Maybe I should do one more here just to prove my theory…

Linking up with Joey!

Quick puppy post

I dare you to tell me Jett isn't (one of) the best looking dog(s) you've ever seen.  Scout may be adorable, but Jett is turning into ridiculously-photogenic dog.  He looks like he's standing at the helm of a ship staring off into the sunset. I hate the way he's practically forced me to love him.  My hands are tied.  

The other pup there is Ole, after Ole the Viking.  He's our friends' new dog.  Scout and Ole apparently didn't get along, but Jett became his snugglefriend without an issue.  Jett is like that.  You don't like him?  He'll force a snuggle on you and there: automatic friendship.  That's what he did to me.

Yesteday, we had a two-hour delay so I had some extra time.  Jett and Scout got scrambled eggs for breakfast.  I swear this is real life.    

Stuff and Things 11/13

+Who watched Sunday's Homeland?  Stupid Homeland.  Within 45 seconds, all my hopes had hit the ceiling and my jaw had dropped…and then it was ripped out from under me.  Also, Scott watched it before I did and he let me go along with that ending, insinuating that it was indeed what it appeared to be.  Ridiculous. I've never been so let down before.  Except during the Dexter finale, maybe.  That was pretty awful. 

+I decided to finally update my Goodreads account the other day because I do need a tracking system of sorts.  I added all the books I've read this year and rated them.  I also got sucked into reading Divergent reviews because Divergent was one of those books I started and never finished.  There were some particularly intriguing one-star reviews.  Give it a go.  Kept me busy for awhile.

+I have 5 more books to go before the year's up.  I've been cruising Amazon looking for some recommendations and I keep stumbling upon The Best Yes.  Apparently it's the new "it" book in the Christian circles.  However, the description says it's about how to say yes to God and not feel obligated to say yes to everyone else.  I'm not a "yes-person".  I don't feel the need to be a people-pleaser at all.  If anything, I'm a "no-gal".  Let's start that as a hashtag, okay?  #nopersonnotayesman….Therefore, I probably won't be reading this book.  I did read one of the author's other books once and it was okay.

+I don't really want to admit to this, but here goes:  I've watched like 30 episodes of Revenge since last Friday.  I know I said that it's one of those shows I don't watch and don't care to watch, but I started back in 2011 and was enthralled with the first few episodes.  Then I lost interest and never regained it.  Also, I have trouble watching shows from week to week.  Especially network shows where there's 2-6 week breaks between new episodes sometimes.  Interest = lost in that case.  I picked it up again because Hostages was over and I was bored. Anyway, can I say that I cried when she had to give up the puppy when her dad was arrested?  It was terrible.  And then, farther into the first season, when he winds up on Emily's porch?  I was in ugly tears.
If my dogs ever die, I think I will too.  That's what I took away from Revenge.  Sorry for the spoiler, but that episode is like 3 years old.
Anywho, it's like Gossip Girl with guns.  Going back to my plebeian lifestyle on Monday was rough.  

+While we're crying together, here's a sob story…I started crafting a Thanksgiving menu and realized it's just me and Scott.  No guests.  Because we don't really have any friends here.  People are weird about being friends and hanging out when you live 30 minutes outside of town.  Scott always talks about how awesome our kitchen is going to be (and man, it really already is) and I'm like, "Yep, we'll get to enjoy it all by ourselves".  It seems like we always had people at our house in Missouri.  I got used to that.

…who wants to visit Colorado?

+I started my Christmas shopping over the weekend.  It's so tricky because Scott's birthday, my mom's birthday, and my mother-in-law's birthday all fall within the month before Christmas.  Plus, I've got to get everything in the mail this year.  Too much to do….

+Blog-posting has been a little off this week, I suppose.  It's cold and snowy here and I'm just worn out.  Maybe I'll be back at it next week.  Weekends can be just as stressful as the weekdays because I feel like there's so much to accomplish.  However, I could possibly whine all day about weather, and work, and…whatnot.  So, I won't.
Here's to Thursday!  

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Duck Hunting

I could call this "Duck Hunting Part XXII" or something because Scott goes duck hunting a lot.  This is the first time I went though.  It's not that I don't want to spend this time with him and the dogs.  I just usually have several things to accomplish on the weekends.  It's hard to justify sitting in the woods all day, when it'll end up stressing me out in the long run.  The best part about being outdoors, I maintain, is going back indoors. Thankfully, he doesn't usually go hunting all day.  Ducks only "fly" at sunrise and sunset.  So he'll either get up at 3am and be home by lunch or leave in the afternoon and be back late.  On this day, Scott had just come back from 30 days away, so I figured it'd be in my best interest to participate in the outing.  Plus, an ice cream stop was promised for the way home.

On the way to the Arkansas River, I introduced Scott to Serial.  

If you are not listening to this, I'm not sure what you're actually doing with your life.  We have so many theories about what is going on here.  I'm trying to get a new hashtag going:  #SketchyJay

Anyway, 2 hours later…

See, I was there. 

Chewing on sticks…

…and digging holes.

I have no pictures of the dogs from the front because they would not stop moving.  Also, 30 minutes into it, I was bored and almost fell asleep on my little stool.

The end.  

How do you take your jeans?

If  you looked into my closet, you would see three pairs of jeans.

First, a pair of bootcut American Eagle jeans I bought last fall because it seemed like bootcut was the style at my last school and every Friday was black/orange/andjeans day. Plus I hadn't worn a pair of bootcuts in a couple of years and thought it would be a nice change.  I can't even remember if I wore them to school.  I believe the only time I ever remember leaving the house in them was for a trip to the vet.  How ridiculous. I suppose they were only $30, but there they hang.

You'd also find a pair of Gap boyfriend crops.  Nice and comfortable but they stretch out when I wear them and by the end of the day they will be falling off.  I've worn them once in the last 4 months.  They are nice and soft and comfy though.  Until they become a falling-off-burden.

Then, you'd find my Aerie jeans.  I bought these skinny jeans in February 2012 and they are my go-to jeans. I mean, I wouldn't go so far as to call them "comfortable", but when a skirt is too formal and gym shorts won't do, they are my go-to.  I, since, have not found jeans at Aerie, but I look every once in a while.  They are as good as it's gonna get for jeans.

So that's it.  Kind of sad, right?

Awhile back I was directed to J.Crew's website from another blog and I decided it was time to order some grown up jeans.  Of course, being unfamiliar with how grown-up jeans work, I had no idea what size to get.  The ones in my closet are sized in those fake numbers:  2, 4, 6, etc.  Completely inconclusive measuring when it comes to buying grown-up jeans.  I ordered a 27 based on what I saw on the size chart.  They arrived a week later and were too tight.  But jeans that are too big are awful uncomfortable to me, so I didn't want to go too big, especially since these things are stretchy.  I exchanged them for a pair of 28s.  These ones are fantastic.  They are a great, dark color and are very soft. Super flattering too!  They are kind of high-waisted compared to what I'm used to wearing but I think that is just fine.

Sweater: Target // Bag: Lucky Brand // Jeans: J.Crew

So.  Where do you buy your jeans?

Linking up with Joey for the first-ever Selfie Sunday!

I can't get these songs out of my head

So I'm passing them onto you.  Good luck.  I've been waking up with these terrible tunes in my head all week.  That's what I get for "showing videos".. something that is frowned upon.

The greatest compliment I get as a teacher is when kids tell me they love Social Studies.  I make it a point to teach Social Studies and teach it well.  We have a new textbook series this year and I'm on the committee that is meant to train other teachers on it.  I've discovered that some teachers spend one day per lesson.  I usually end up spending a week on a lesson because I bring in other resources and to really teach a brand new concept, 35 minutes is not enough time.  So, I stretch and extend things.

When a girl told me that she loves coming to school because we do Social Studies first thing in the morning, that gave me the hope to keep going.  I'm only kind of being overdramatic here.  Social Studies is the best 35-40 of the day.  It's all downhill from there.

Side note:  I can't believe how many of you linked up for Stuff and Things yesterday!  I should've hired Joey a long time ago as a PR person, because she brought all of you into it..or so it would seem, anyway.  Just kidding.  I totally didn't have to pay her to get her on board as a co-host.  

Have a good weekend!  I'm going to Costco to renew our membership after 18 months of no Costco and I'm very excited about it.  

Stuff and Things 11/6

+I have a hate-hate relationship with the pants I posted yesterday.  I should say love-hate, right?  But any pants that ever make you hate them have to be hate-hate pants.  Last week they were too tight.  This week they feel great.  It's off and on with these stupid things.  But, though I check J.Crew for sales often and just need to buy some $60 pants already, I haven't splurged.  I did get a fabulous pair of jeans from J.Crew a few weeks back, but that doesn't help me on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

+Side note:  I LOVE reading Stitchfix reviews.  I mean, it's a real guilty pleasure.  I'm fascinated by the people who keep more than one thing from their monthly box.  I never could justify it.  However, when I see a person spending $70-$100 on pants from Stitchfix, I side-eye it a bit.  Are pants really ever worth that much?  Especially from Stitchfix, who we know cannot necessarily be trusted.  It's like he-who-cannot-be-named:  Stitchfix is that-which-must-not-necessarily-be-trusted.

+Organize:  Create your own challenge.  Well, my challenge is to get this house put together in a way that  resembles human beings living in it.  I'm going to organize things one drawer, cupboard, and room at a time.  I've been chipping away at it here and there.  It's a work in progress.  Always.

Specifically my goal is to work on the basement.  I have a ton of high-quality Rubbermaid bins, and I'm going to put all my teaching stuff in them. "High-quality" is important when it comes to bins.  Cheap bins fall apart and break easily.

If nothing else, I get a whole week off for Thanksgiving this year, so that's the week I'm going to do all the things.  Including paint our bedroom and/or kitchen and organize the basement.  We'll see, right?

+How do we feel about TWD?  I truly like Beth but I like Rick and Daryl more.  So yes, an entire episode of Beth and these new characters (new characters are the worst) is not going to hold my interest as much as it should.  I went to bed at 8pm-ish on Sunday night and then watched TWD on Monday before I fell asleep at 9pm.  Homeland was on Tuesday for me (eh, it took 52 minutes to get to the only interesting part...this is a good review of this week's episode)…Once Upon a Time was…not happening.  I'm not sure of this Frozen storyline.  It's kind of meh-y.

+I started watching Hostages on Netflix.  Dylan McDermott is one of my favorites.  In fact, I've all but boycotted American Horror Story because I don't think any season will ever compare to the first, starring him and Connie Britton. I became very sad when I realized there was only one season of Hostages.

+And that is the current state of affairs concerning television.

Remember, remember…the 1st week of November

Sweater: Target // Shirt/pants: JCPenney // Boots: Steve Madden

The sun is doing weird things in this picture, but it was a good hair day so here we are.

The title of this post is based off of V for Vendetta.  However, I've never made it through that movie.  I always fall asleep.

November and I have a tricky relationship.  For the last 6 years, Novembers have been big months.  Not every November.  Just most.  Especially that first week of November.  Not sure how I feel about it.

The following is color-coded as good, bad, and absolutely indifferent.

November 1, 2008  Scott buys my engagement ring two months after we meet.  I'm patiently standing beside him at Kay Jeweler's as he drops the down payment on the counter. (I didn't actually see it until mooonths later.  He just wanted me to pick it out to make things easier on all involved.)

November 2, 2009  Scott deploys to Afghanistan.  He returns in February 2010.

November 2010  I was blogging at this point, but I don't remember anything particularly significant.  It was always cold, dark, and I was getting ready to take a trip to Boston.

November 4, 2011  We return to Alaska after a 2 week block leave vacation to the east coast.  Deployment is upon us again.

November 1, 2012  Scott comes home from Afghanistan deployment #2.  It was about 11 months. 

November 2013  Living in Missouri.  Indifference to the umpteenth degree.  

November 1, 2014  Scott comes home from 30 days of temporary duty in Texas.  

I told you.  

I don't know what it is about the first week of November.  Kinda makes me terrified for next year.  

Pumpkin Apple Cake (or bread…your choice!)

I was pretty happy to have Scott come home this weekend. He finally arrived home late Saturday night after a month in Texas.  While it might seem like he was gone forever..it hasn't been forever but he was gone for 2 weeks, he was back for 8 days, and then it was 4 weeks.  So definitely not the definition of a long time.  But still.  Kinda seemed that way.  I maintain that long trips (2 months or more) are easier than counting by days or weeks.

This meant I got access to my old computer.  I was able to retrieve my Columbus vs. Pilgrims powerpoint, complete with real Mayflower-replica pictures.  So, of course, I spent a lot of time browsing through my old Toshiba.  It's actually really nice and then I remembered the reason for my upgrade to a MacBook:  the Toshiba won't hold a charge and won't work unless it's actually plugged in.

I did find some interesting documents, lesson plans, and pictures and it was nice to take a walk down memory lane.  This is a screen shot of some menu-planning I found from 2011.

I was an efficient little menu planner.  There were 3 months of menus that look like this.  The strikethrough clearly means "ACCOMPLISHED!"  I mean, I was baking sugar cookies that looked like states and continents.  I don't even know who I am anymore…

As you can see, I used to be quite organized.  I gave myself deadlines.  And I don't know what the asterisks mean.  Some sort of secret organizational code, perhaps? There's a lot more of them as you go through the document. "Re-blog" meant re-do for the blog because the first showcased terrible pictures.  When I showed this to Scott, he just laughed and then we said, "What HAPPENED?" at the same time.

I digress.

This is a recipe for a healthy-ish fall bread that can serve as breakfast, a snack, or dessert.  I actually left the recipe completely sugar-free and just put a homemade cream cheese icing on top, but you can make the call on that.  I'd say a half cup of brown sugar would work just fine in there.  Of course, I highly recommend frosting, or at least peanut butter or something, on the top.  I made it over the weekend as a way to use up some gala apples, canned pumpkin, and extra frosting I had leftover from cookies the week before.

I followed all the food-blogging steps:  created the recipe, constructed the recipe, photographed the recipe, blogged about the recipe.  I'm definitely trying to get back in the groove here.

Pumpkin Apple Cake
makes one 8x8 pan

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup apple butter
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla

Combine all the wet ingredients with a mixer.

Then, in a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients:

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups flour

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl.

Pour into a greased 8x8 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  I used a convection oven and it took longer than I thought it would.  However, that also could've been the 6,000 foot elevation here.  I recommend starting to check it around 25 minutes.  You could also use a loaf pan and baking time would increase to about 45 minutes.  Just check the middle with a butter knife or skewer before taking it out.