Cold Space

One of the perks of having a snowstorm large enough to cancel your weekend activities on your behalf is that it also provides plenty of time to read, clean, catch up on laundry, and bake.

Joe is the baker here and stocked us up with snow food – ice cream, roast, yogurt, and cheese on his day off yesterday…dairy and sweets – oh my!

And since the refrigerator is painfully stocked, we find ourselves in an interesting position.  Too much snow equals no fridge space, however, too much snow also provides a vast open air cooling mechanism.  So our potential problem is actually not a problem at all…

Just don’t let the dogs out on the deck, ok?

In case you’re wondering, the dough cookies turned out great.

Snowpocalypse

I’m not sure of the official inch count but it’s really not THAT bad.  All our weekend activities have been canceled so that means I have no excuse not to catch up on laundry and blogging.

The cheezburger machine is buried.

I suppose these should be in the basement.  Oh well.

The trees are gorgeous and it’s so peaceful outside.

And the dogs think edible snowballs are the best things ever.  Snowpocalypse?  Bring it.

Ten Things

I got tagged by Leslie who got tagged by Abby and let’s just say I needed something like this today.

Instead of going to the grocery store last night, I took a nap in the middle of The Red Tent on our bed with no sheets.  Hello massive sentence full of prepositional phrases!  Nice to see you again.  My 9th grade English teacher Mrs. Clark would be proud.  For me this is on par with drinking out of the milk carton, but I was too tired to care.

And then this morning I cursed myself when I tried to make lunch with no food.  I dug an applesauce out of the back of the fridge and its rogue twin committed suicide right in front of my eyes.  Splat – onto the floor – from 5 feet up.  Right onto my favorite pair of black pants.  Applesauce suicide is a messy business.

So I went upstairs to change and grabbed a pair of pants that wouldn’t also warrant a shoe and trouser sock change, and possibly an entire outfit change.  (Sidenote – don’t you hate that?  This is what men don’t understand.  You very rarely can change just one thing about your outfit without it snowballing and then it’s out of your hands and has a mind of its own.  That’s why it takes so long to get dressed!  If I change to brown pants I can’t possibly still wear my black trouser socks and shoes.  It’s maddening.)  The others were perfectly boot cut and sat on my hips so nicely, and these pants are cut more like 80s mom jeans and are high on the waist.

I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this except to explain what my Monday morning brain is like on splattered applesauce.  It’s not pretty.

Clearly I need an exercise in positive thinking.

So, onto the entire point of this post.  10 Things that make me HAPPY.  Here goes.

1. My little family.  Joe, Bella, and Buddy.  I am so glad I have those creatures happy to see me when I come home.  Today I especially am thankful.

2. My job.  I know some days I complain about the little things, but really I am so fortunate at 25 to have been working at a place I love almost 4 years and have responsibility and be challenged and trusted with new ventures.

3. Dave Ramsey.  He’s changed our marriage, our lives, and our outlook and life goals.  Joe’s school would not be possible without him.  And he appreciates (and validates) my love of spreadsheets.

4. Our church.  This week marks one year since we first visited and they are some of the most supportive and friendly people I’ve ever met.

5. The library.  I transform when I walk into those doors and the pages and pages of adventure and possibility overwhelm me – in a good way of course.  Books are such a sweet escape.

6. Cards or Letters in the mail.  It’s so nice to get stuff that isn’t a bill.

7. Smoothies.  They taste sodarn good.

8. Clean, crisp sheets.  I wish I could have new ones every night.

9. Scrabble.  I play a mean game and it’s one of my favorite family traditions.

10. The DVR.  I can catch up on TV at my leisure and there will not be a throwdown in this house when Biggest Loser and Lost are both on at the same time tomorrow.

I am going to tag…

Katie

Chelle

Sierra

Cynthia

Jenny

Lunch

Yum.

Pictured above (my lunch):

• Gala Apple
• Sweet Red Pepper
• Flat Earth Farmland Cheddar Chips
• Arnold Sandwich Thin toasted with 1 slice colby jack and deli turkey
• Almonds

And not to forget (my real sustenance):

• My shadow dog
• Warm footsies
• Pawn Stars on the DVR

Wish I could work from home everyday!

Living on the Edge

It’s no swim meet Saturday, which means I have time! to! post!  The husband is in Canton all day (for you non-Ohio folk, that’s about 2 hours away) and has been gone since 5am.  Even though he’s been dying (in jest) for our entire relationship to call me his assistant, some days I’m glad I’m just the hired help. I don’t do mornings well, as evidenced by last weekend’s 6:15am bus driver disaster.  (Please don’t ask.)

So, I’m sitting here with a giant cup of coffee and a dog laying on my feet. Who needs socks in the winter?  Not this girl!

I have been meaning to write about an awesome Christmas present I got. Most of you that know me well know I love the heel of bread and assorted crust.  I just love bread.  I love it when it’s crunchy.  If someone brings banana bread to the office, I’m the obnoxious one that takes both ends.  Most people don’t care, well, because most people know I’m a nut and they themselves prefer the soft part of the bread.

When we were first dating, Joe was bemused because we had such a symbiotic relationship.  He likes piping hot coffee, I like it cold and will drink the leftovers.  He hates the heel of the bread, I love it.  He doesn’t eat the dough ring from pizza, I grab all the leftovers from his plate.

So anyway, this crust loving thing goes for brownies too.  I love the corners. My brother used to eat the middle (raw if you’d let him) so that’s occasionally useful as well.  He and I have enough to fight about.

I must have mentioned in passing to Joe’s stepmom (the last time we saw them was June!) that I love the corners because she got me this for Christmas.

A BROWNIE EDGE PAN.  I am in love.

I’d seen something like it in SkyMall on my last flight, along with the hot dog cookers, commemorative plates, and generic snuggie called a SLANKET (as if snuggie was bad enough), so I knew they existed, but it was never something I’d think to buy myself.

Crusty deliciousness.

And contrary to popular belief, it is not a PITA to clean.  The pan is very much non-stick.

Yo

Didja know?

It’s National Blog Delurker Day!  I know I haven’t been posting a ton lately, but I would love to know who is still out there reading.

So, show me what you got!

Thanks Kristan for the graphic and reminder!

Happy Birthday Bella

Happy 6th Birthday to the most neurotic, driven, snuggly, lovable, bossiest, ridiculous, sluttiest free lover, and sweetest Weim girl ever.

When we met, Joe’s friends said “She likes your dog?!  Marry her!”

There was never any doubt she was meant to be mine too.

Decade

When I think back to what January 1, 2000 held for me, it’s totally mind boggling.  The last 10 years have been a whirlwind of change.

In 2000 I was a sophomore in high school, not really caring about y2k while I sipped my sparkling grape juice with friends.  I developed black and white pictures of our night together with my own film and darkroom supplies.

In 2002 I graduated and moved to Boston and in 2004 I was there when the won the first world series in 86 years.  Also in 2004 my childhood dog died while I was visiting New York City for the first time.

In 2005 I met a cute guy while we coached together at the pool.  I also turned 21 that summer.

In 2006 we moved in together and got engaged.  I also graduated from college that year, got a grown up job with a 401k, and got a second dog.

In 2007 we bought a house.

In 2008 we got married.

In 2009, not a whole lot happened!   I started a book blog and Joe decided to go back to school.

2010 is the beginning of the first decade I’ll be an ‘adult’ the entire time.  I think I’m finally starting to feel settled and excited about the life I’ve made it.  Scary to think about, huh?  10 years ago I was still in high school.  I can’t imagine what the next 10 years will bring!

Adoptionversary

When Joe and I met, he had always mentioned he wanted a second dog.  I’d always wanted a dog that was “mine.”  I had a bit of a childhood fantasy about a dog following me around, loving me just a teensy bit more than anyone else, and giving me the biggest kisses.  We joke that we called up the rescue and told them “We need the calmest dog you have!” to jive with our overly stimulated and hyperactive female dog.  She of course, did not belong to me and did not love me best.

The true story is that I fell in love with a Weimaraner on a rescue website whose personality I just adored.  His foster mom said he’d sat on the couch with her four year old and let the little boy pick  mud out of his paws while he hung out with a “thanks for noticing me” look on his face.  I wish I’d saved his profile so that I could look back on it now.

The dog we picked up was so scared and I felt so awful that he’d been passed around.  We counted at least three owners before he came to us.  I couldn’t imagine why anyone would give him up since he is the sweetest most loving dog.  On the drive home, he smooshed his head in between the passenger seat and the door so he could put his head on my shoulder, I knew we’d be friends for life.  Bella treated him like a “thing” that had interrupted her happy home for a few days, but they made friends shortly thereafter.

That’s him (on the right) the day we brought him home.  He looks so vulnerable.

Now, I don’t even see the same dog.  He is a total mama’s boy and protects me whenever I’m home alone.  He loves rawhides and snuggles.

And when he’s napping, like his mama, he’s totally useless.

Sir Beauregard, I can’t believe you’ve been mine for three whole years.  I’m so glad you chose me.

Need Book Recommendations?

I just did a big 2009 roundup post over on my book blawg.  I also did a 2009 ABC Challenge.  I enjoyed most of the books a lot.  There were some duds, too (but you don’t have to read those, of course).

Happy reading!