Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Week O' Fun
Just a quick note to tell you I'll see you in a week. David arrives tomorrow (Tuesday) evening and I'll be off having a week of fun with him :)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Cakes and Memories
I just took a carrot cake out of the oven.
My nana was the tiniest woman ever. I’ve been told that when she was 9 months pregnant with my mom, she weighed 90lbs. I’ve always wondered why I couldn’t inherit that gene? The thing that confuses me about her is that she was so tiny and yet she’s known for some of the most fattening but amazing cakes! Her carrot cake and her German chocolate cake are heavenly, and they are the recipes I use. How could such a small woman be famous for things that make most of the rest of us gain weight?
Thinking about my nana always leads me to thinking about my grandma too. Both of them were taken entirely too young, before I had the chance to really get to know them. What I do know is that if they were still alive, we would be incredibly close. I think about my grandma a lot. She’s my dad’s dad, and I’ve been told all my life that we are a lot alike. I think about her here because I think she would love, love, love so much about Portland, especially all things related to food. If she was alive, I would have moved her here with me, and she could have planted us a huge garden, where she would have grown us all kinds of amazing foods that I would cook for us.
Even though neither of them are around for me to talk to, I know they are both still here, in the too few memories I do have of them, and the stories I know, and the recipes handed down, and the stubbornness I have inside of me, and in a lot of other ways. Because of carrot cake, they are here a bit more than usual today.
My nana was the tiniest woman ever. I’ve been told that when she was 9 months pregnant with my mom, she weighed 90lbs. I’ve always wondered why I couldn’t inherit that gene? The thing that confuses me about her is that she was so tiny and yet she’s known for some of the most fattening but amazing cakes! Her carrot cake and her German chocolate cake are heavenly, and they are the recipes I use. How could such a small woman be famous for things that make most of the rest of us gain weight?
Thinking about my nana always leads me to thinking about my grandma too. Both of them were taken entirely too young, before I had the chance to really get to know them. What I do know is that if they were still alive, we would be incredibly close. I think about my grandma a lot. She’s my dad’s dad, and I’ve been told all my life that we are a lot alike. I think about her here because I think she would love, love, love so much about Portland, especially all things related to food. If she was alive, I would have moved her here with me, and she could have planted us a huge garden, where she would have grown us all kinds of amazing foods that I would cook for us.
Even though neither of them are around for me to talk to, I know they are both still here, in the too few memories I do have of them, and the stories I know, and the recipes handed down, and the stubbornness I have inside of me, and in a lot of other ways. Because of carrot cake, they are here a bit more than usual today.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Progress!
The kitchen is pretty much settled. There might be a few small things I come across this week that need to be in there, but at this point most everything is there and in place. At least the place it's starting out to be. Sometimes places get changed along the way.
A lot of boxes are empty. There are also a lot not empty. My plan is to have everything out the den by tomorrow evening and I am pretty close to that now. There are a few things left in the den to deal with, but not much. And then I'll work on the boxes in my room over the course of the week. Hopefully I can find a bookcase this week. That will really help with emptying out the boxes!
I feel good about how much we got accomplished today. Lynn was a great help, washing out all the dishes (since most of them had been in storage for 3 years) and deciding what gadgets we needed readily accessible. Lynn has never really been exposed to Pampered Chef products before, so it's fun to share my love of all things PC with her. It's also just fun to get back to using all my wonderful stuff, and begin using the things bought in the past 3 years that have yet to be used.
I even managed to get to the market this morning. Mainly because I am so sad that we only have a few weeks of the market left for the season. All in all it's been a good, albeit exhausting, Saturday.
A lot of boxes are empty. There are also a lot not empty. My plan is to have everything out the den by tomorrow evening and I am pretty close to that now. There are a few things left in the den to deal with, but not much. And then I'll work on the boxes in my room over the course of the week. Hopefully I can find a bookcase this week. That will really help with emptying out the boxes!
I feel good about how much we got accomplished today. Lynn was a great help, washing out all the dishes (since most of them had been in storage for 3 years) and deciding what gadgets we needed readily accessible. Lynn has never really been exposed to Pampered Chef products before, so it's fun to share my love of all things PC with her. It's also just fun to get back to using all my wonderful stuff, and begin using the things bought in the past 3 years that have yet to be used.
I even managed to get to the market this morning. Mainly because I am so sad that we only have a few weeks of the market left for the season. All in all it's been a good, albeit exhausting, Saturday.
STUFF
I've been here just slightly over 8 months.
On Wednesday, all of my belongings arrived in Portland. On Thursday they joined me in my lovely apartment.
I have stuff again!
34 boxes to be exact. I KNOW! That's a lot. I would say 50% of it is kitchen, 45% books, and 5% random other things. Those percentages shouldn't surprise any of you.
I opened a couple of boxes last night, just to look at stuff. Today after work I started moving boxes around and unloading all the kitchen stuff. Currently it's all on the kitchen table and the floor in the den, until tomorrow when Lynn and I can get stuff out of the kitchen that is leaving, and then organize all the stuff moving into the kitchen. I just used the word "stuff" 4 times in that paragraph. 5 actually.
Once the kitchen is done, I can deal with the other 5% of random stuff, and once I buy some bookcases, I can deal with the books.
But it's all here! Hip Hip Hooray! And nothing is broken, which is a huge deal!
Thank you to my parents, for dealing with those boxes for 8 months, and for all the work you put into getting them to me! You are wonderful!
On Wednesday, all of my belongings arrived in Portland. On Thursday they joined me in my lovely apartment.
I have stuff again!
34 boxes to be exact. I KNOW! That's a lot. I would say 50% of it is kitchen, 45% books, and 5% random other things. Those percentages shouldn't surprise any of you.
I opened a couple of boxes last night, just to look at stuff. Today after work I started moving boxes around and unloading all the kitchen stuff. Currently it's all on the kitchen table and the floor in the den, until tomorrow when Lynn and I can get stuff out of the kitchen that is leaving, and then organize all the stuff moving into the kitchen. I just used the word "stuff" 4 times in that paragraph. 5 actually.
Once the kitchen is done, I can deal with the other 5% of random stuff, and once I buy some bookcases, I can deal with the books.
But it's all here! Hip Hip Hooray! And nothing is broken, which is a huge deal!
Thank you to my parents, for dealing with those boxes for 8 months, and for all the work you put into getting them to me! You are wonderful!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Julie and Julia
I tried to read the book, Julie and Julia, earlier this year. Didn't like the writing style at all, so I didn't make it very far. But I just got home from seeing the movie, and I loved it! Everything except Amy Adams hair. Other than that, it's really fantastic, and if you enjoy cooking, or ever enjoyed Julia Child, then you will love it.
Now I'm just really hungry.
As an aside, I just want to reiterate how much I love Portland's 2nd round theaters. Thank you Portland, for helping support my movie going habit, without costing me a fortune.
Now I'm just really hungry.
As an aside, I just want to reiterate how much I love Portland's 2nd round theaters. Thank you Portland, for helping support my movie going habit, without costing me a fortune.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Eat it, Eat it, Eat it.
I want this book:
It's called Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It
Currently I have it, but it's from the library and I only get it for 3 weeks. It took forever for me to get it because so many people had it before me, and apparently no one returns it until the very last minute possible. I flipped through Tricia's copy a few months ago and immediately put it on hold at the library. I finally got it today. It's full of amazing things, like making your own butter, pasta, crackers, cheese, bacon, marshmallows. I plan to try out a few things on David when he's here in a few weeks. And then I'll have to turn this copy in. I am already sad about that, and I haven't even made anything yet.
It's called Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It
Currently I have it, but it's from the library and I only get it for 3 weeks. It took forever for me to get it because so many people had it before me, and apparently no one returns it until the very last minute possible. I flipped through Tricia's copy a few months ago and immediately put it on hold at the library. I finally got it today. It's full of amazing things, like making your own butter, pasta, crackers, cheese, bacon, marshmallows. I plan to try out a few things on David when he's here in a few weeks. And then I'll have to turn this copy in. I am already sad about that, and I haven't even made anything yet.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
I sat here for 5 minutes trying to think of a title
I think maybe it’s the changing of the seasons that’s got me so emotional. Fall is my favorite time of year, but this year it seems that I am wanting more than ever to have someone to share the beauty of the season with, and not having that someone, I find myself feeling lonelier than normal lately.
And then there’s the approaching holidays. I’ve missed a Thanksgiving or two at home through the years, but this year I’m missing Thanksgiving and Christmas, as it’s not really possible for me to go home until early January. This is mostly due to the fact that I won’t have vacation time until the end of December, and even though I have PTO right now, it can’t be used as vacation, which means I can’t take more than one day of it at a time. So even though it works out better for multiple reasons for me to go home in early January, it makes me pretty darn sad to know that I won’t be with my family on either of my favorite holidays.
And on top of that, I’ve got some cases from work that are heavy on my mind, and some ridiculous crazy case workers who are making my job more difficult than it should be. I haven’t left work on time in two weeks, and I’ve taken only one real lunch break in that time. I feel like it’s been a full moon for a month. I enjoy my job a lot, but it is so hard to leave all of my patients problems at the door when I leave for the day. Impossible at times, really.
But on the brighter side, all of my belongings left Chattanooga today and will arrive in Portland next Thursday! I am super excited to know that in a little more than a week, I can finally unpack after 8 months of living here! Some of my stuff hasn’t been used in 3 years, since it was put away when I went to China, so it’s going to feel like all new stuff when I get to unpacking!
And David is coming in a few weeks!!! He gets here November 3rd and I get him for an entire week! There’s a chance I will hold him hostage here and not let him go.
Sometimes I feel like I end my posts rather abruptly. But sometimes I don't have a smooth ending. Thanks for letting me write out some of my emotions. It helps, you know.
And then there’s the approaching holidays. I’ve missed a Thanksgiving or two at home through the years, but this year I’m missing Thanksgiving and Christmas, as it’s not really possible for me to go home until early January. This is mostly due to the fact that I won’t have vacation time until the end of December, and even though I have PTO right now, it can’t be used as vacation, which means I can’t take more than one day of it at a time. So even though it works out better for multiple reasons for me to go home in early January, it makes me pretty darn sad to know that I won’t be with my family on either of my favorite holidays.
And on top of that, I’ve got some cases from work that are heavy on my mind, and some ridiculous crazy case workers who are making my job more difficult than it should be. I haven’t left work on time in two weeks, and I’ve taken only one real lunch break in that time. I feel like it’s been a full moon for a month. I enjoy my job a lot, but it is so hard to leave all of my patients problems at the door when I leave for the day. Impossible at times, really.
But on the brighter side, all of my belongings left Chattanooga today and will arrive in Portland next Thursday! I am super excited to know that in a little more than a week, I can finally unpack after 8 months of living here! Some of my stuff hasn’t been used in 3 years, since it was put away when I went to China, so it’s going to feel like all new stuff when I get to unpacking!
And David is coming in a few weeks!!! He gets here November 3rd and I get him for an entire week! There’s a chance I will hold him hostage here and not let him go.
Sometimes I feel like I end my posts rather abruptly. But sometimes I don't have a smooth ending. Thanks for letting me write out some of my emotions. It helps, you know.
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