it must be a recession...

because Christmas trimmings in the store today were 60% off! It's a week before Thanksgiving, and it's all already on sale. It makes me wonder how on sale it will be the day after Christmas. I'll think there will be some deals to be had!

I know that everyone tells me I don't need to wear heels...

and some people go so far as to tell me that it's not fair for me to wear heels.

but I can tell you this, they sure can make you feel good.

today I felt just a little more authoritative, a little fancier, a little more important, a little thinner, and a little prettier. I also think I walk a little straighter when I wear them.

my heels today were a whopping 3 1/2" tall. so they made me 6'-1 1/2". (definitely taller than I'm used to being)

so I'm sorry to those who think it's not fair when tall people wear heels--but I'm going to keep wearing them and feeling good when I do.

hooray for heels!

you know what's not fair? when all of your sleeves are about 2" too short. :o)

I turned my heat on last night for the first time since last winter--hooray for that "just turned the heat on funny smell" that I love!

"I'm not a vegetable person...

...but I think I'd like that."


This comment made me smile this week at lunch. My experiments in cooking "real" food have become a means to provide lunches during the week that are NOT a turkey sandwich if at all possible. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a turkey sandwich, I just have had so many of them (years worth) in my lifetime--it's my default brown bag lunch.

I try to cook a big meal once a week (usually Sunday evening) and then take the leftovers to lunch during the week. While it can get old eating the same thing five days in a row, the repetition is far outweighed by the convenience of not having to come up with something the night before, after a long day at work (and various evening activities that keep me out till 8 or 9 pm).

This week's dish was a peanut veggie stir fry in a wheat wrap. (the recipe called for chicken, but I just added more fresh veggies instead--think broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, & sugar snap peas ). A guy at work (four of us bring our lunches & usually eat together) made the comment, "I'm not a vegetable person, but I think I'd like that." This guy eats a microwave frozen dinner (or leftover fast food) for lunch every day (and I have yet to see any green veggies come out of his boxes) :o) The comment made me smile, and made me think there is hope for people out there who hate veggies (especially the green ones)--veggies can be yummy! You just have to know how to prepare them.

This particular recipe came from kraftfoods.com--one of my favorite recipe websites. For the link to this recipe click here (I used the variation at the bottom).

FALL!

for those of you not on facebook, I reproduce musings from it:

I LOVE Fall. It's my favorite time of the year. I get giddy thinking about pulling down sweaters and blankets from the attic. I love turning off the AC and opening the windows. My favorite day of the year is the day I turn on the heat in my house. I LOVE the smell. I know, its a little weird. But even stranger is that I'm also strangely drawn to the cinnamon spice brooms they sell in the grocery store this time of year. The only thing that's kept me from buying one is the thought, "What the heck am I going to do with a spice broom?!" Also, there's something about them that I associate with grandmas. I think its because there was one (or something close to it) hanging in my Nana's house throughout my childhood. I try not to encourage grandma tendencies in myself, considering I'm only 27, and don't even have kids. But I can tell you this--if I ever become a grandma, you better believe I'm buying a spice broom!

our first real golf

last weekend was our first real golf outing. it was definitely different being on a course as opposed to the driving range! lindsay scored a 70, and I scored a 72 (that's only counting the swings when we made contact with the ball). amazing, huh? well, not when you find out that was on 9 holes :o) but we had fun. I got stuck in one bunker, and lost one ball, but other than that, we did alright.
lindsay teeing off on the first hole--isn't her hot pink club cute!?

my tee shot on the par 3 No. 7--see the hot pink ball on the green? by far, my best shot of the day.

us posing with the No. 7 sign--it was our favorite hole. both of our tee shots got closer to the hole than our coach's! the highlight of the day :o)

17 things

I know, I know, its been forever.... what have I been up to? well, here are 17 things I've been up to in no particular order:

redoing my bathroom,
rearranging furniture,
a blueprint art project for my wall,
working 10 hour days with a three day weekend (but that just ended),
joining facebook,
making jewelry,
starting Financial Peace Univ next week,
getting in the last few swims of the summer,
studying up on LEED for my first LEED project at work,
trying to get over a cold--lots of chicken soup and vitamin C!
work, work, work--designing a high school (I have such a cool job),
trying to finish IDP so I can take the ARE and become a real architect,
seeing old friends,
weekly evening activities: small group, adult ballet, & choir
trying to repair my internet--boo routers that quit on me!
going to the eye doctor lots and lots--boo my punctate keratitis!
recovering a $3 desk chair--hooray yard sales!

17 has no particular significance--that's just how many I thought of. maybe I can get it together enough to post some pictures--we'll see :o)

golf in action

sorry its taken so long, but I finally got around to downloading pictures from my camera from vacation/ birthday. here is a picture of Linds and I at the driving range in our FABULOUS golf attire on my birthday :o) we had a lot of fun, AND we're getting better at the game.

I swear we didn't plan on dressing alike, it just kinda happened :o)

quite a sight

working in a field that is male-dominated makes for some interesting moments, especially on the construction site, like today. in my trunk, I keep boots and a hardhat for just such site visits. but because they don't really make "work boots" for women, mine are rubber galoshes-- white and black herringbone with pink insides. picture these with a white eyelet skirt, polo shirt,big sunglasses and a hardhat. quite the fashion statement. if only I had a camera...

arm strength? apparently not...

so I had my first golf lesson this weekend. it was fun, but not as easy as it looks. on saturday i went and got my clubs, and learned how to hold the clubs, practiced putting, and hitting whiffle balls in the backyard. and then on sunday afternoon, I went to the driving range with Bob & Zac. (Bob is long-time family friend, Zac is his son & also family friend). Out of the like +100 balls in my bucket, I probably hit 5-10 good shots. quite a few times I failed to make contact, and quite a few other times I dug into the dirt. but it was still fun! I also woke up monday morning with sore arms and torso--clearly not muscles I use often :)

Lindsay and I are taking our clubs to the beach next week, so we may spend some time at the driving range there...but I don't think I'm ready for a real course yet. that day will come :)

Bob said I'd do better next time once I had my golf shoes ;0) (they should be arriving soon!)

hooray for new golf clubs and new golf shoes!

thanks to the magic of the internet, clubs and shoes are on their way to my doorstep!

fence construction

i have not fallen off the face of the earth...

... although I understand if you think that I have. sorry for the absence of posts; but when I spend all day at work at a computer, its hardly the thing I want to do when I get home. And I've found myself very busy lately!

I hope to write more later, but here a few tidbits of what I've been up to lately:

1. A few months ago, we started a "Cell Group" for young peeps at church--we meet on Monday nights for fellowship, snacks, and bible study. It's really become a good way to plug in and spend time with other people from church that aren't grandmas or preschoolers :)

2. Last month I celebrated one year in my house, yay! and this week I will celebrate one year with my company (post grad school) and three years total. yay!

3. Last weekend, Dad and I demo'd my old fence around my patio and rebuilt it completely. Its now the best looking fence in the neighborhood. pictures to follow soon, hopefully :) (and Mom helped too)

4. Our church softball team has their very own Pep Squad, and yours truly is a C0-captain :) We even have our own t-shirts, which I designed. Tons of fun, and lots of hours went into those!

5. Vacation Bible school starts tomorrow, so I'm busy preparing to teach, as well as I spent all of yesterday transforming the church into a Beach Party Paradise! (with lots of help)

6. I think I'm going to learn how to play golf--don't have clubs yet, but Bob is working on that, and I bought some cute golfwear this afternoon :) so even if I'm not very good, I'll at least look good :)

7. I'm still working on my New Year's Resolution to cook more. Its really a lot of fun, and I sure am eating better since I started making myself real food. I've also been baking, too. That part is not so great for my waistline, but sure is yummy.

8. I've been Mom's assistant of sorts in the real estate world--hosting open houses, going to open houses, touring neighborhoods, etc. I always am imagining what I would do to the houses that we see if I were to live in them. Not looking to move, but its fun to think about.

that's all that I can think of right now. hope you enjoyed the update :)

an afternoon at the master's

this afternoon, I was fortunate to get to spend the afternoon at the master's practice round. big time thanks to my boss who gave me the two tickets. i took my dearest friend with me, and she had the most wonderful hat on the entire grounds. the hat was her grandfathers, and on it is every badge from every masters from 1959 to 2002 (except for maybe one that didn't make it on the hat). He attended every year without fail. but since he died in 2003, the hat hadn't been back to the tournament. but today, it made its triumphant return.

with Amen Corner in the background

Augusta native Charles Howell III putting at 17

Martin Kaymer teeing off at 18--we liked his pink shirt

lawnmower parade at the end of the day. what could possibly need mowing? we wondered...

roar 2008

Last weekend was the 23rd annual production of the Roar of Love. How I miss dancing in it! But I was able to be involved--I worked backstage. All of the girls who were little bitty when I was in the company are now the senior company members. It makes me feel old!

Above is a picture of the alumni who were at the show. Some watched in the audience, some worked backstage, and one danced as a guest artist in the ballet--she was the lead. We're all so proud!

It's a tradition to always take a picture of the alumni who show up for the performances. Last week was no exception!

the limp handshake

"Andrea, a pleasure to meet you," Gabriel said, extending a hand and taking mine in one of those annoyingly delicate I'm-not-shaking-your-hand-as-I-would-a-man's-because
-I'm-sure-I'd-just-snap-your-girly-little-bones
-in-half-clutches. "Christian has told me a lot about you."

"Really?" I said, pressing a bit more firmly, which only caused him to loosen his already slack grip...

Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada

Have you ever been a victim of the limp handshake? I absolutely hate it! I was on the receiving end of one this afternoon in a meeting. Did this guy really think he was SOOO strong that he was in danger of crushing my hand? Do I look that fragile and breakable? I mean, seriously!

To all the men out there, PLEASE shake my hand as opposed to offering me a limp fish to shake! Women around the country will thank you. Especially this businesswoman!

the COOLEST plastic EVER!

I must say, I think I have the coolest credit card company EVER. Not only do I earn cash back on purchases, but I recently got to design my own card--like with a picture I took myself! for free! on the website. you can even just play around, regardless whether you have a card with them or not. AND, I can change my card image lots of times (I just have to wait 30 days between each time).

The designer in me is giddy!

Cool, huh?

more of those cheeks!

Mom thinks that I look mostly like Dad--so I just hope my kids have cheeks like his!

guess who's having a birthday soon!?

the joys of tax time

well, I've officially reached another level of adulthood--itemizing my tax return! what fun! and what a complicated year 2007 turned out to be. I think the only way it could have been more complicated is if I had changed my name! I'm sure that some of you are well acquainted with the 104o form, but for a girl who is used to the 1040EZ, it was one big frustrating step for me. a big thanks to mom for guiding me through the process.

and on an entirely different note, below is a watercolor that I painted at Christmas for my bosses. In a few weeks, our office is having an Open House to show off the new building the firm purchased, renovated, and moved into not quite a year ago. And guess what is going on the front of the invitations?

maybe I'll start up a side business...

the most fabulous grits EVER

this recipe came from the Southern Living 2007 Annual Recipes. Definitely the best grits I've ever tasted, and that's saying something!

p.s.--for those of you who don't like cheese, or cheese doesn't like you, the grits still taste yummy sans the cheese--so this recipe is definitely adaptable. I highly recommend it!

Skillet Grits With Seasoned Vegetables
1 (32 oz) container of chicken broth
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked regular grits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper
Seasoned Vegetables

1. Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits; return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened.

2. Whisk in cheeses and pepper until cheeses are melted. Spoon Seasoned Vegetables evenly over grits, and serve immediately. Makes 6-8 servings.


Seasoned Vegetables
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 carrots, chopped
3 small red potatoes, diced
2 small turnips (~1/2 lb), peeled & chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 (14-oz) can chicken borth
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch

1. Saute onion and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 5 min. or until carmelized. Add carrots and next 4 ingredients, and saute 12-15 min. or until veggies are tender. Increase heat to medium-high; stir in chicken broth and next 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 min.

2. Whisk together cornstarch and 1 Tbsp. water until smooth. Whisk into vegetable mixture in skillet, and cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 min. or until thickened.

caroline's party

sharing crayons with Nana. her favorite was the box, anyway :)


her very first tutu. because every little girl needs a pink tutu :)

in awe of her tutu. a future ballerina for sure.

in the news

check out this article from Sunday's newspaper about downtown development, an interview with my boss. and if you follow the link on the thumbnails, you can see me in several of the pictures and see what my office looks like. I'm the one with the black V-neck sweater.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/010608/bus_179256.shtml

note: i think you may have to create a profile to see the article, but its free to do so :)

new years resolution

my resolution this year is to cook more. now that I am not in school, I have the time to create delicious and nutritious meals, but I don't often take advantage of that. It becomes too easy to just eat a bowl of oatmeal for dinner, or to drive through chick-fil-a if I'm out, rather than plan out, buy, and prepare real food.

whenever I do cook, I enjoy it, and get a sense of satisfaction from it. so far this week, I've made spinach artichoke dip for a new years eve party (technically not real food I know); chocolate-cranberry-oatmeal bars for easy breakfasts; and a chicken & veggie (mostly veggie) pot pie/casserole (multiple lunches and dinners, for sure!) It's delightful when I try a new recipe and it turns out yummy. I also think my independent streak likes that I can nourish myself :)

thanks to my boss, I now have the Southern Living 2007 recipe book (a great Christmas present)--definitely no shortage of recipes to try!

we'll see how the culinary experiments go...