After being asked that question for the better part of my 27 years, I finally have an answer! Like this: Ok, so it's not exactly a garden, but my herbs are growing like crazy (which means I haven't killed them!). I've got oregano, thyme, and basil growing...I made my own pesto using some of my basil and it was tasty!
And because she's so cute and squishy, I took a picture of the Maze, too. She talks to birds and squirrels, chases wasps (s-m-a-r-t), and tries to run downstairs to eat grass while I water my plants and flowers everyday. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my patio and am out there some mornings and most evenings catching up on my stack of magazines. I feel like I live in a treehouse; the shade and sunlight are so pretty through the trees. Summer=goodness. Squared.
I am, oh-so-surprisingly, sharing yet another delicious Asian recipe I just recently tried. It literally takes about 10 minutes and is made with 4 ingredients...score! I have started watching a show on Discovery Health called "Just Cook This." The "cooking guy," Sam, is highly ADHD, but he makes thing that look really yummy. Here's his recipe I tried:
Beef Chow Mein with Black Bean Sauce (serves 4ish)
1 pound steak (I used flank) 1 tablespoon peanut oil, plus 1 teaspoon 4 ripe medium sized ripe tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each One 7-ounce package Asian stir fry noodles (from the refrigerator section at the market), but don't use the sauce mix 2 tablespoons black bean sauce (also found in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets)
Trim excess fat from the steak and slice into very thin slices. Preheat a pan or wok on stove top and heat really well over high heat, then add oil. When the oil is smoking, and not until, add beef and stir fry for a couple minutes until beef changes color and is cooked through. Remove and set aside. With the pan back on the heat and smoking again, add a teaspoon of oil and the tomatoes. Stir-fry about a minute. Add the beef, noodles and black bean sauce to the tomatoes. Stir the whole business until the flavor is through everything and all is heated.
That's it! It's really that easy and it's really, really good. I think I'll try it with chicken next time.
Piece of advice: make sure your vent works (mine apparently is sick)...this is super smoky (be sure you use the peanut oil or another oil that can handle high heat)...and while I miraculously did not set off the fire alarm, I did have to open windows and turn the fan on to try and rid my place of smoke.
I know I'm only about a week into summer, but it's been great so far. I haven't had much "free time" yet, which is nice because I haven't been bored, but I know that will be coming soon...I have been recording movies on my DVR to keep occupied in the coming weeks.
So far, so fun list: ~unpacked my office (which I have a really hard time saying) and am going back next week to start planning for the new school year. :) ~bought a pass for summer exercise classes at TCU...attended Pilates and loved it, am going again tomorrow (and attempting to soak up some sun if it's out). Next week, I'm trying TNT (tone-n-tighten)...hopefully I'll live to be able to blog about it. ~went to a Rangers game last minute. If you know me, you know I am very scheduled and not spontaneous, however, I have been working on it. I got ready in about 45 minutes for the game and had a great time. ~went back to Dr. Boothe and tomorrow is my LAST day of eye drops-WOOHOO!!! (see side note below) ~headed to Dallas for some QT with a BFF. It was a fabulously fun day that included tasting an interesting concoction of watermelon cucumber juice, a sushi lunch, manicures (I'm channeling LC from The Hills with my new red polish), shopping at Anthropologie, a delicious dinner and champagne in cute pink sugar-rimmed glasses for a bday party. Could I get used to Dallas easily? YES. Could my wallet? N-O. ~a patio date today once the torrential downpour was over.
The first week of summer has been so great...here's to hoping it stays that way!
Side note: Originally, I thought I would blog about my lasik surgery. However, there are reasons no one tells you ANYTHING about the process. Before. During. Or after. That being said, I highly recommend it and would do it again without a second thought.
After a VERY, VERY long two weeks, I can now officially announce my new job as a counselor!!!
About two weeks ago the counselor at my school announced that she would be leaving the district. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen. I thought she would retire there...she's BFF with our principal and vice principal. Anywho, she sent an email with her news and some of my lovely coworkers all but held a gun to my head to go "RIGHT NOW" and talk to "them" (principal and VP). I resisted, mainly because I was scared of rejection and it's not my personality to do that sort of thing. Oh, and I can be really stubborn when I want to be. Meredeth and Carrie then began scheduling my day so that I could send my kids to them while I went to the office. No. Carrie then sent down a kid like every 30 minutes to check and see if I was in my room (because I lied and told her I'd go down there so she would leave me alone!). Yes I was. I met them halfway and agreed to email the principal and she wrote me back immediately and said to come down when I had time so we could "chat." Was this a good chat? Or a bad "we're moving people around in the district/one of the Summerhills is getting the job" chat?
It was a great chat that made me cry tears of pure joy! She had been anxious to talk to me about the job but was waiting for the current counselor to make her announcement. My principal said "This is just such a God thing." Hello, yes it is and hello, who doesn't want to work with someone who thinks like that?! I know and love the school and kiddos, they know me, etc... She did, however, say that my first test of confidentiality would be keeping the news quiet until it was approved in the admin. building. Um...she was not aware of the clowns down my hallway who looked like gophers sticking their heads out from behind doors to see if I was coming back yet. I tried.
I needed to get ONE piece of documentation from TCU to take to the admin. building in order to sign my contract. Well, this ONE piece of paper is only available from ONE person who just happened to be on a week long vacation. Enter the 2nd longest week of my life. I finally got the paperwork from her on Wednesday and took it to the admin. building Thursday. I had a little dance/concert party in my car after I finally got to sign my name on that sheet of paper.
I am beyond thrilled and excited to be starting this new job. I am even more excited and thankful to be staying with my Blue Haze family and some of my very best friends. I spent all day Thursday with the counselor "learning the ropes"...and am completely overwhelmed, too. I am heading up there next week to work on my office (score!!) and try to get organized a little bit.
I have had several songs on repeat recently. 1. Mad World (Adam Lambert) 2. Falling Slowly (Kris Allen) 3. One (Adam again) 4. This sweet song by one of my very favorites, Miss Taylor Swift:
Crazier I was trying to fly, but I couldn't find wings Then you came along and you changed everything You lift my feet off the ground, spin me around You make me crazier, crazier Feels like I'm falling and I am lost in your eyes You make me crazier, crazier, crazier
(Obviously, that's not the entire song, but it's my favorite part)
(And yes, maybe this song is from the Hannah Montana movie...maybe...but please remember that I spend my weekdays with 8 year olds...)
I get to see her in concert in about 3 months! SO excited!!!
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 pint cherry tomatoes 3 cloves garlic, whole 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts 1 pound penne pasta 1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes. While the vegetables are roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish. Place in the oven on the rack below the vegetables. Roast until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor. Add the torn mint leaves and extra-virgin olive oil. Puree the vegetables. Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl with the pasta and add the Parmesan. Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta is saucy. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and serve.
*SO yummy!! It has the texture of a meat sauce, but is all veggies. Best of all, it's from my future BFF Giada. :)
This is for my sweet friends, Emily and Freddie, and little Anna Sophia...I'm at a loss for words for them; their strength, faith, and love amazes all those around them. Please pray that they continue to stay strong through this trying time and that they be surrounded by grace.
When God Calls Little Children When God calls little children to dwell with him above, We mortals sometime question the wisdom of his love For no heartache compares with the death of one small child Who does so much to make our world, seem wonderful and mild Perhaps God tires of calling the aged to his fold, So He picks a rosebud, before she can grow old. God knows how much we need them, and so he takes but a few To make the land of Heaven more beautiful to view. Believing this is difficult still somehow we must try, The saddest word mankind knows will always be "Goodbye." So when a little child departs we who are left behind Must realize God loves children, Angels are hard to find.
Well...my eyes are, at least...and maybe it's more of a laser than a knife. But it's still scary and also exciting! I went for my initial consultation yesterday afternoon with Dr. Boothe. Little did I know that a mere 48 hours later I would be back there, taking a sedative, and having Lasik done. I'm currently wearing my 5+ year old glasses which is a joy that I can't even begin to express. Not. I'm also putting two different eye drops in my eyes every 4 hours; one of which burns like the devil. I stocked up on another set of eye drops at Target that I'll apparently need for several months after...and most importantly, I have my prescription for Vicodin ready to go!!
Also, because Deneise is so lovingly strange, she's somehow jealous of my surgery...which she has already had...with Dr. Boothe....and it went well...???
I saw the room where he does the surgery, I met him (I'll elaborate on that joyous event in a moment), and already had my eyes numbed so he could poke at them for some sort of measurement. They were oh-so-kind at the office and booked me a late afternoon appointment since we have 2nd grade luau day in the morning. My sweet mama is coming up to drive me there and back and stay with me for the weekend.
I had been warned by several people that Dr. Boothe and his kind are the most socially awkward human beings ON THE PLANET. His kind being complete geniuses with negative social skills. I thought I could assume just how awkward and uncomfortable it would be. NOPE. I have never heard someone speak in such a deep, monotone voice before. The expression on his face never changed and he didn't smile back at me any of the times I smiled at him to try and make it less awkward! It was like talking to a 2x4!!!! Or a deaf person.
Anyway, I'm just ready for it to be over and for me to not be the statistic that has a bad surgery. I think it's supposed to take all of about 15 minutes, so please cross your fingers and say a little prayer for me that I don't go blind between 4:00-4:15 tomorrow.
Woohoo!! Several spectacular things happened yesterday.
1. I took my last final for this semester. I'm free as a bird this summer and can't wait! So far, out of two classes, I have one secured A, and unless I did horribly on a book report, I should be good to go in the other class. Those of you who know about my nerdy nightmare, have no fear, it has yet to come true. :) I got to celebrate with some class friends afterwards, too! Only thing left now is my Practicum class in the fall...and hopefully a new job.
2. My future baby daddy ROCKED the stage! I especially loved his duet with my other Idol favorite, Allison. Those of you who are doubting that destiny is on my side...you just wait til he stops here on his Idols tour and comes looking for me. I know he wants to have a mohawked-hair baby with me. Meredeth's blog has the picture to prove it. 3. This little diddy came in the mail:
My car is mine all mine! Now those payments will go towards my eyes...Lasik, here I come!
Ok, so it's not exactly a garden, but my herbs are growing like crazy (which means I haven't killed them!). I've got oregano, thyme, and basil growing...I made my own pesto using some of my basil and it was tasty!
