Back in the Saddle

Yesterday I gushed about my future plans to cook again, and man, I was NOT kidding!

I may or may not have gone online for a good chunk of the day yesterday to read recipes. I printed some out and put a plan of action into place. No, I haven't exactly created a menu per day yet, but I have been logging a few recipes to try here and there.

So, last night's meal consisted of chicken breast lovingly smeared with olive oil, poultry seasoning (and not just your standard - I'll get to that), sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. I over cooked it a bit - okay, a lot because I wasn't paying attention. I was multi-tasking. Not a good idea. However, the side dishes were delicious and pretty standard. It was a good meal to get me up and running again.

Of course, I will tell you what I made for sides! First being asparagus, which a co-worker told me to turn the oven to 475 degrees, place the asparagus on a baking sheet, slather with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until delicious!

My second side was rosemary potatoes cooked in the skillet. I usually bake them as well, but this tends to take some time and since I was multi-tasking while cooking I did not have time to spare. So, using some wonderfully sharp knives given to us as a gift at Christmas (don't worry, we also received another AMAZING set for our wedding) I sliced those potatoes just thin enough and threw them in with my standard olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and fresh rosemary (are we beginning to notice a theme in ingredients??).

I almost took a picture, but I ended up not doing it. Darn. I would have loved to show you because we have the Everyday White square plates from Bed Bath & Beyond and the presentation of the meal was BEAUTIFUL! Add a dinner roll and I almost cried at the sight of it!

Tomorrow, I will regale you with the tale of tonight's meal, which called for me getting up a little early to throw into the old crock pot! Yes, I changed the recipe as I said I would yesterday. I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, I have not gone yet, but I was made aware of a store that only carries spices - in bulk. I was given a sample of the poultry spice and I must say that I can taste the difference. I will have a field trip to this store and let you know. My source - okay, my mom - says it's wonderful!

It's OVER!! I'm a married woman!

Dear reader(s),

Well, I'm contemplating starting a new blog without having a hidden identity. This could be a fun adventure that will keep me on the straight and narrow sans whining. But, until then, this is my baby. My little pet project that allows me to vent. I may update my two to three readers and allow the hubby to join in on the fun. Perhaps it will be invite only - the options are endless and I have all the time in the world to explore!! I'll try and keep you posted.

So, what am I going to do now that I've had my big day, opened all of my shiny new kitchen appliances and dishes and have started the long journey down Thank You Lane??? I'm going to cook and read again, that's what!! And I'm very excited! I've had not a wink of time this past year to liven my spirits with a good, new recipe and truly enjoy it without a nagging sensation that I should be working on, oh, guest lists and seating charts, so now is the time!

It's freaking freezing and unseasonably so right now. We even had a winter-wonderland preview yesterday and it got me thinking that now is the time to delve into Comfort Food Land!! First on my list is dusting off the slow-cooker and filling it with a beautiful roast! Mmmmmm. No, I won't be using my new appliances for this baby, but I'm sure going to enjoy coming home to the smell of spicy meat and sweet carrots!

I did a little exploring on Food Networks website and decided on a Paula Dean slow cooker version that sounded delicious. Paula Dean knows comfort food after all. Here's the link if you're curious - I'm too lazy to write the recipe out for you, but I'll be sure to let you know of any modifications. I've already been scheming what to add and subtract.

Next on my list? My cousin - the Domestic Diva Trainee- has been chatting up pumpkin, well, EVERYTHING and all of a sudden I NEED it all!! She attempted some pumpkin cupcakes with great success and I am in dire need of these delicious little delicacies! I'll let you know about those too, however, seeing as I think she is my only reader - well... ;)

So, what else could I do to fill up my time (besides getting a very adorable puppy - please, Please, PLEASE hubby!!! Just one! And I promise I will take ever so wonderful care of her!!!). Well, I am creating my winter reading list and any and all recommendations are welcome. I love pretty much all books with exception of those trashy, romance books. Tasteful and fun, suspense, mystery, non-fiction - I'm ready!

Of course, some day I'm going to finish knitting that darn scarf I started about four years ago. I can wrap it around my neck, but just barely enough to tie it. It's my practice piece and it sports some scars and flaws. Now that my bestie from awkward teenage years has moved back with her wonderful husband and beautiful daughter, she can keep me motivated to finish.

It's not that I didn't love planning the wedding and I'm not saying that I'm not sad it's all over. I'm ready for the future! I'm ready for some relaxation! I'm ready to be a wifey!! Hooray!

So, until next time (and since it's the off-season that may be coming quite soon) send some positive thoughts my way and I'll send some cooking/reading/knitting feedback your way!!

Love and all that good stuff,
Gidge

100th Post & Counting

Happy 100th post me and my one reader!

We're down to the last handful of days before the BIG day and I'm completely stressed out... about work. I'm swamped and it doesn't help that the guy I work with is testing his boundaries. I would like to think that if the tables were turned it would go a little something like this, "Well, we need to get these projects done, but I know that you are down to the last week of preparation before your wedding, so let's buddy up and get this done so you can get out of the office at a decent hour".

Instead, I am handed his part of the work at 3:30 pm and told that this must get done by tonight. It was a solid 3.5 hours of work AND THEN I had to go run some errands and go home to begin my printing and cutting assembly line. And that was only last night. If I go back for the last two weeks, I regularly departed from work around 6-6:30. Everyone else leaves at 4-4:30.

I really don't have much left to do for the wedding. Let's be honest, if something doesn't get done, then something doesn't get done or we'll find a way to work around it. I always imagined that I would be out of my mind crazy with stress because the wedding was coming up. Instead, I'm putting the wedding on the back burner for work. Mind you, the guy I work with can throw a tantrum that would rival a two-year-olds (I know because he has a two-year-old) and has a tendency to never take blame for anything that would fall under the fault category. He's gearing up for my time off of work (a full 1.5 weeks!) at the end of the season (meaning, it shouldn't be that big of a deal) and at first it was all fun and happiness, but now he's moping in the corner with the, "What about me??" attitude.

Sorry dude. I don't giving a flying pig through space about you. This is my once in a lifetime moment and you're being a giant a _ _ (another word for donkey).

Down to the Final Days

Well, we are down to the last 25 days of our wedding planning adventure. I'm so psyched I can hardly stand it - well, mostly for the honeymoon part because I can't wait to get away!

So, you may be wondering if I have put my social life on hold. Nope. I would have to say that we have been busier than usual and so far I don't really feel too stressed.

So far, so good. Now, to tie up a few loose ends and we should be skipping merrily down the aisle in 25 days time! Being prepared and having a stress free day is the best birthday present I could give myself!

Stop salivating all over my lunch!!

Yeah, I know. It tastes as good as it looks!

Baby spinach + chicken cubes + raspberries + blueberries + strawberry white wine vinigrette = DELICIOUS.

And, a cup of red grapefruit chunks.

This is why I struggled with South Beach Diet. No fruit. I just have to have it!!

P.S. I'm down another 3 pounds... YES!

-5 is my new favorite number

The diet paid off!

I had to schedule my personal trainer appointment for the middle of the day on a Friday (right after getting into an argument with the Angry Inch, ugh) and I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure if I had lost the weight that she was hoping for me to shed. She had stated that she would like me to be down about 6 pounds.

Well, I weighed myself this morning at home and the scale said I was down 3.5 pounds... but I also need a new battery for that scale. I had checked it at the gym previously to see if the two scales matched up and they seemed pretty close. Still, this isn't the scale that the personal trainer uses every time she records my measurements and weight, so who knows if that's the difference.

So, I flew into the locker room at about, I don't know, mach 5 because said argument had happened just before I was supposed to leave and it caused me to run a tad late. No worries, I was still ten minutes early and was able to change quickly since it was the middle of the day and only stay at home mommies are there. When I met up with the PT she was curious if I had really stuck to the diet and then very pleased when I told her yes and that I hadn't found it too difficult. I struggled through South Beach before and I hated it... I need my fruit. Compared to that, this diet is a cake walk! AND, I can still eat sushi!!

When she had first put me on the diet she had told me that we would meet in two weeks and then she would adjust the diet as necessary. No need! I am quite enjoying my diet as is! I found some great alternative snacks and I've become fond of salads (I know! Me? The Human Garbage Can!! Yep! I really like them!).

Well, anyway, as you can guess from the title of this post - I LOST 5 POUNDS!! Woohoo!

My next appointment is on September 11th. My first dress fitting is on August 24th. I hope I can lose even more weight by then! Not to mention, my legs are slimmer. My thunderous, stubborn legs that have always given me the most trouble when attempting to slim down!

This is the best day ever... sans argument with co-worker.

Baby Bonanza

We had a very fun 80th birthday bash for the Finance's grandma this last weekend. I seriously had a blast! I really enjoy hanging out with his family and there are TONS of them! We laugh because we say they breed like rabbits since there are always a minimum of 15 babies at every given function! I'm a fan because I get to hold them and play with them!

However, we have always said that we are not so keen to have our own. It seems like the thing to do, having a baby, because it's expected of a couple once they are married, but then I stop and think about it. Sacrificing weekends for the next 18 years, sleepless nights, and all of that jazz that comes with a kid. I know, I'm selfish.

Now, I'm not anti-children. I love children. Always have. I just don't think I'm even close to thinking about having them. I haven't gone anywhere or done anything with my life where I feel like I'm ready to settle down for my own brood of youngins. It's not in my plan... yet. Maybe not ever. We'll see.

Well, the Finance, whom I must say is usually terrified at the idea of holding a child under the age of two because he fears he will break/drop them and claims, "I will hold them when they are old enough to rough-house", was getting all googly eyed at those little tykes in their nappies. Then we went to church with his (pretty much) entire family the next morning and there was THE CUTEST little girl sitting right in front of us. I mean, let me paint you a picture: golden ringlets ran wild across her chubby little face while huge, blue eyes peaked out. Favorite word/stuffed animal's name: Sheep! which was said at every moment possible. Favorite drink: Juice! which was said every time she knocked her sippy cup down. When the choir began to sing she bobbed and swayed along with the music while laughing and clapping her hands joyously. A-DORABLE!

The Finance was glued to her chubby, little fingers and even made little cooing noises when she smiled at him. I was awestruck. Who is this guy sitting next to me?? I wondered.

Later, he finally admitted that he was getting a little baby fever and was unsure what it meant and why. He was still talking about it yesterday when he got home from work, although he was claiming that it was because he was "finally over it". I don't believe a word of it. If he were over it, he would have forgotten about it.

Guess what readers, I guess there might be a mini-gidge running around some day. Who'd of thunk it? Not me.

My New Diet

About a week and a half ago (the Friday before last to be exact) I had an appointment with the old personal trainer. I was NOT looking forward to it because somehow (Oh, I know how Little Miss Rescheduler) we got on the same schedule as my monthly "friend" which caused me to be weighed and measured at my most bloated. This, of course, caused me to be grumpy at our meetings and caused me to look as though I had not lost any weight... well, maybe I really hadn't lost any, but I wasn't getting that half inch less that I had during "normal" times of the month on my record and this made me an unhappy little Gidge.

So, because of my lack of results lately, I was put on a strict diet and told that we would meet again in two weeks.

What is this diet you may ask. Well, I will tell you kind readers. I was put on a no dairy, no gluten diet. I know, bizarre, right?? I'll have to remember to update you on my results this coming Friday as it was predicted by the old personal trainer that I would lose 6 pounds. Since my scale needs a new battery and I haven't put one in since I like what it shows me (15 lbs) because of it's lack of go-juice, I have no idea if I've lost even a pound.

I should probably weigh myself at the gym tonight.


P.S. I have never craved a Bugle more in my life!! Yes, as in Bugles that look like witches fingers or tornadoes. Those really cool, funnel shaped corn chips from the past. You may say, "Well Gidge, corn is okay, right?" Right, that is true. However, my beloved Bugles contain wheat flour. Bastards.

To-Do List

Using the last e-mail as a jumping off point; I have a list of to-do's that I fear will never get done. Do you remember, way back in the day, when sitcoms would inevitably have the episode where someone would stumble across the list of things they wanted to accomplish before they die? Well, I'm about to reveal mine to you, so get ready...

1) Learn to speak another language - fluently
2) Become a photographer of the non-amateur variety
3) Travel... anywhere, everywhere!
4) Learn to cook, and I mean REALLY cook
5) Learn to speak another language - fluently
6) Become a phenomenal landscape architect
7) Win an award - all by myself - for my phenomenal landscape architecture skills
8) Live happily ever after

Yeah, pretty impossible to do it all. I dream a lot about these and then I realize that I lack the ambition to get the process started and finished. Dreaming is much easier.

Wedding Registries and All That Etiquette Jazz

Yes, I'm well aware that every time I start a new post I am most likely apologizing for my lack of something to say. What can I say? If I've been this busy at work, I must be doing something right... otherwise I would be joining the other half of my company that was, well, released.

Anyway, I have a question for my two, maybe three, readers. The finance and I have put together our registries with much love and maybe a few joke items (c'mon Snuggie!). I have been dreaming of a new camera for about two years now. And I'm not talking about a point and shoot. No. I have my little eye on something a grade or two above. However, this comes with a price tag that exceeds my camera budget (of $5). Hey, I's broke.

Since the finance and I have lived together for quite some time and since I have been the proud owner of a townhome since May of 2006 (Anyone in the market for a townhome?), we have accumulated most of the necessary items and therefore were at a loss of affordable items to place on our registries. In fact, for the past year I have been avoiding buying certain items because I knew we would have this problem. Still, our choices are ending up sitting on the higher side of the price tag subject.

So, is it wrong of me to place this expensive little prize on our registry?

Is it bad etiquette?

It will benefit the both of us in the end. I'm salivating just at the though of having this beauty in my hands! Otherwise, I may take some of that glorious cash people seem to talk about and buy a used Nikon or Canon DSLR.

Second question: If you know anything about digital SLR cameras - Do you prefer Nikon or Canon? Why?