Comidas

Okay, just to let you know, I've set a quiet, personal goal of writing 31 blog entries this month. I've tried to do this lots of times before and it hasn't happened. But I really need to write something every day and I really hope this month will be different. I'm just going to write when I'm feelin it. About whatever I feel like writing about... hence 2 posts in one day.

Just wanted to offer a quick cooking tip for-- anyone, really.

I'm a decent cook, but a messy one. I don't do time limits. I can't. I really, generally have no idea how long it'll take me to make something. And I usually leave the kitchen looking wretched, regardless of what I cook. So anytime I find something that helps me organize my time while cooking, I'm into it.

So here's my favorite simple, helpful hint as of late:

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. This is KEY. Don't put anything in there until its heated through. Otherwise the timing is all off.

• Get a glass pyrex pan and lightly grease the bottom of it. Then take any chicken breast, thawed or semi thawed (actually I'm pretty sure it'll work frozen too, I just haven't tried it), lay it in the pan and sprinkle it with your favorite seasoning (taco seasoning, lemon pepper, garlic, thyme and rosemary, cajun seasoning, whatever you want). Cover it with aluminum foil.

• Stick it in the oven for 25-35 minutes (30 is a happy medium for me, but it depends on your oven). In 30 minutes, you will have juicy, delicious, mouthwateringly fantastic chicken to put with whatever sides you can make in 30 minutes. Plus, while the chicken is cooking, you don't have to think about it!
  

My past 2 experiences with this have been amazing. The first, I did taco seasoning and topped it with salsa before I baked it. In 30 minutes, I heated up a can of black beans and microwaved a 90 second bag of spanish rice. When I took out the chicken, I sprinkled it with cheddar jack cheese. Yummy!

Today, I used thyme and lemon pepper with a little lemon juice. While it cooked, I made bow tie pasta and peas, mixed 'em up and seasoned it with olive oil, chicken broth, lemon juice, thyme, garlic salt, lemon pepper and sea salt. Took the chicken out, sliced it and laid it over the pasta. SO delicious.

Just thought I'd share. :)

Bumpy Road

About a week and a half before Thanksgiving, Todd and I did something we assumed was unthinkable in our first year of marriage. We applied for a loan to purchase a car, a black, all-wheel drive, 2003 Honda Element, with 115,000 miles on it. It's exactly the kind of car we need, for moving gear, for carpooling, for traveling with a pet and for navigating the treacherously snowy/icy streets of St. Louis when the winter hits.

We're blessed to have two functioning vehicles at the moment, but during this vehicular transition time, all kinds of roadblocks emerged.

First, because of various lacks of credit, employment and a vehicle with over 100,000 miles on it, no bank wants to give us a loan. We're denied multiple times, even as the kind men at the dealership rearrange our application to try and work something out. We're sad because it's too expensive to fly to Texas, so this puts us in the gold Civic for 10 hours. There are a lot worse things, but I hated to tack that mileage onto our one high-functioning car.

Second, one week before our scheduled road trip, I hydroplaned in the gold Civic. Right into an exit ramp sign. I cracked the radiator and caused roughly $4500 worth of damage. We opted to get the car fixed and pay the $500 deductible upon pickup. But its not scheduled to be finished until Dec. 7th.

Then, there's Jade. Her engine has been growling and grumbling like metal in a garbage disposal for weeks now. She's okay for Todd to drive to and from work, but she's basically banned from long distances. So a few weeks ago, this Bosnian kid who works at Coldstone next to Todd's starbucks tells him that for $800, he'll buy the car as is and turn it into a racecar. So we print out paperwork and have everything ready to make the sale. On the day of my accident, the kid comes in with $800 in his hand to buy the car. However, his dad determines that since the car doesn't have power steering, it's not worth it. They walk out and the severe disappointment is mutual.

So Jade and I do that awkward, post-goodbye, "Hey! Thought you were leaving?" "So did I!", reunion thing. I peruse car rental discounts and wonder how in the world this is going to go.

Then, two days later, the call comes in. Miraculously, we got the loan for the Element. We are in shock and unbelievably grateful. We travel about 100 miles in one day getting the paperwork signed and picking the car up. We pull over into a parking lot and get out and fold all the seats up and down and marvel at our little transformer. We name him Rufio. We are so happy and can't believe we get to drive to Texas in our dream car. :)

Then, the day before our trip, my phone completely freaks out. The touch screen has a meltdown and the entire contraption is just batty and unresponsive. I take it to the Sprint store, hoping they can fix it. While I am there, some dude hits on me and I have to flash my ring at him. Sprint takes my phone, and gives me a old, loaner flip phone... which is nice of them, except that it has no texting. And of course, no internet or GPS.

We pick it up Friday morning. Todd calls in favors to get out of work earlier on Tuesday so we don't have to leave for Dallas at 4am on Wednesday morning. Everything works out beautifully and we're scheduled to leave at 9:30am, Tuesday morning.

The phone rings.

It's Todd's manager, who's on vacation. Due to bad decision making on one of the other staff members parts, Todd ends up having to wait around all day and go in to work from 3:30pm-5pm, thus delaying our trip by a considerable amount of hours. I sit in Starbucks, waiting, brooding and slowly realizing that despite all the setbacks, I really have SO much to be thankful for. (I was going to write a blog about it, but I ran outta time because in the next moment, my phone rang, telling me my new Instinct had arrived and I could come pick it up. For free. Praise the Lord!)

We drive to Texas in our new ride on Tuesday night. We have an amazing thanksgiving weekend with my family. We drive back to STL, full and happy and grateful-- trusting the Lord for all the little frustrations that will work out in His perfect time.

Growing Pains

A couple nights ago, we arrived home from Dallas after driving for 10 hours. We left Dallas at 5:15, so we didn't roll into STL till around 3am. Our car was packed full of stuff from my parents insisting upon boxes of things we "needed" to have in our new place. (Most of it was my old stuff that they've been waiting years to be rid of.) We listened to a lot of different music on the road, but for some reason, Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" had stayed glued in our heads the entire time. If ever there was a lull, one of us would mumble "feel that beat... and we can ride the boogie..."

Anyway, we pull up to the house, running on caffeine fumes and I insist to Todd that we unload the car now. There have been far too many window bashings in the past few weeks to leave our beautiful, brand "new" vehicle stocked with thief bait.

So we unload the whole car, hauling food, Christmas decorations, luggage, boxes, art supplies, pillows, sleeping bags and a vintage accordion up two flights of stairs. By the time we finish, we are exhausted. We fall into bed around 3:45am and both settle in, snuggling our pillows and brushing our toes together, which has become a habit.

Suddenly Todd pops up and looks at me.

"I have the Growing Pains theme song stuck in my head."

I laughed at him for a second, and rustled through my theme song memory bank, which was very fuzzy considering the hour, to try and remember. Finally, I hit on something.

"Is that the one that goes, "Show me that smile again..."

Todd: "Oooh show me that smile..."

Together: "Don't waste another minute on your cryin..."

We proceed to sing through the entire song very dramatically, (fudging only a couple of words), all the way to "sharin the laughter and-- sharin the laughter and looooooove." Then we both crack up and fall asleep.

I love my life. :)

It's early... well, it was...

I've been up since about 6:17 AM, cooking greens for thanksgiving lunch at the rec center. Apparently, after cooking the bacon and onions and cayenne pepper, I'm supposed to throw the greens in and boil them in apple cider for 3 hours.

I bought 6 pounds of greens from the market last week. Six pounds. I pulled all the leaves off the stems yesterday while watching the cast of NINE be interviewed on Oprah. I cut them up and washed them three times. No small task.

And now I'm up. It smells like bacon and apple juice. I think I put in too much cayenne pepper. But it works. I thought I'd go get back in bed with my husband, but I'm too afraid of our gas stove to leave it by it's onesie for three hours unattended.

So laid on the couch and watched the sky lighten up. I looked for a replacement for Todd's beloved, dilapidated Jack Purcell's online, even though we can't afford them right now. I researched natural hair styles and salons in St. Louis to help me in my upcoming transition back to my "napptural" hair. I'm sort of terrified. I have no clue how to maintain that, (especially in the snow?!) but I'm gonna give it a shot before I just cut all my hair off.

I stirred the greens.

I drank some orange juice. I answered the phone and the door at 7:10 when Emily came by to drop off her stuffing for the rec center before she leaves to teach school. It's gonna be a great event there today. 250-300 kids and old folks, coming for a buffet thanksgiving lunch at the local rec center. We set up tons of tables and chairs there last night and they've been cooking food since yesterday.

Yesterday, Todd sent out message into the Twitterverse, asking if anyone has connections at UMSL in the HR dept or otherwise. (I've got 3 applications in over there, 2 positions I could actually use my degree for). Last night, a totally random dude (who turned out to be a professor) emailed him and happens to be a good friend of another professor in the media department, which is precisely the department I applied in. After come conversation, we sent him my resume. So we'll see how it goes! If it works, I'll probably sign up for a Twitter account out of sheer gratitude.

Also, I broke our good car on Tuesday. Hydroplaned into the exit ramp sign on the highway. I'm fine. But I smushed the radiator. And the hood. Car's in the shop. Thank God for State Farm, but our deductible is no joke either. I really need a full-time job.

On the other hand, my part-time gig is going great and I'm VERY grateful for it. I'm a Brand Ambassador for Coke Zero. Which translates to, I load up giant coolers at university events and concerts and smile and hand out cans of Coke Zero to anyone who will take it. It's fun and the crew I work with is great. I'm very grateful for the income.

Time to stir the greens. I think two hours might actually be enough time, my stove is pretty beastly.

Also, I've pretty much peaced out on Nanowrimo. I'm never going to catch up. But maybe I'll upload the words I have, just for kicks. 3000! Woot! But good on all of you who have pushed through, maybe I'll join your ranks next year.

Okay, I think the greens'll be done in 36 minutes or so. And since it's soggy and gray outside, I'm gonna go crawl back in bed for a bit.

Speaking of countdowns that begin around the number 36... Christmas. 35 days. So crazy!

NaNoRAWRmo.

I am in over my head.

And a day behind already.

My concentration is shot.

I have a feeling I'm going to give up on this several times before I finish.

So...

I'm married!

I went to Mexico for a week and didn't pay for anything except batteries and aloe vera gel.

I live in St. Louis.

I'm temporarily unemployed.

I entered a writing contest today.

I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year, alongside Katie, Joey, Steph & Val.

I have Netflix... but not regular television.

I painted 3 rooms in my house last week.

The power is out in my scary basement, and it's pouring outside so I can't do laundry.

But I have a fireplace!

And a wonderful husband.

And a great church.

And a few possibilities for new work.

And last night I made claws for my husband out of cardboard, duct tape and aluminum foil.

You can't wait to see pictures. :)

6 Days...

Ohhhhh I'm gonna miss Grace Chapel. Next to my roommates and just above my co-workers, Grace Chapel is the thing I will miss the most about Nashville. The passionate, loud worship, the joyful giving, the solid teaching of truth, the community of God taking care of one another, my sweet sweet pastor and his wife and their family... I feel so privileged to have been a part of this congregation, even if only for a moment.

This morning was my last Sunday. I enjoyed every bit of it, from the powerful worship to the precious prayer at the end with my roommates. It was a perfect way to begin the day.

Holly's been in town rehearsing for her Bermuda industrial show, so we (me y roommates) got to eat lunch with her today at Miss Saigon. Yum! After a quick Target run, I made my way back to the house and proceeded to clean out the kitchen and reorganize the mass of unclaimed crap that is eating two corners of our living room. I helped Kish move some stuff to her apartment and then we sat down and made a list of EVERY thing that has to be accomplished in the next 6 days. It was really frustrating. But freeing too. I feel like my mind is lighter, though my paper is heavier. But... it'll all come together, I'm sure.

I came home to unwind for a bit. I nibbled at some overcooked mini sirloin burgers and wheat thins while I watched the best episode of Glee I have seen so far. I'm so sad I couldn't make my musical tv comedy work first!!! it's okay though... at least now I know there's a market and an audience.

20 minutes ago, I was unloading the dishwasher and rearranging coffee cups while I talked to Todd. But then we realized it was almost 2am... and now its after that! I gotta go.

It'll all be over soon... right? :)