All in a Day's Work

So on Friday my sister officially became a homeowner. Yay! Of course, this meant that our whole family had to drive up to see the place on Saturday and inevitably get sucked into moving and cleaning. Thankfully we had plenty of distractions throughout the day...

Her house is pretty old, and there is definitely a lot of work that needs to be done to it, but she got a great price (and has a handy boyfriend), so it was well worth it. Plus, it has TONS of space--which is perfect because she has tons of stuff!

After a mere few hours of working and a slight detour on the way to the hardware store the boys discovered that this was going on:

Who could say no to that? And while the "testicle" reference was talking about Rocky Mountain Oysters (cow testicles), it also could have accurately reflected the patrons--when we got there it was pretty much 1 female to 10 males. Easily. And sadly enough, the girls got there a little late due to some cleaning projects, and they were all out of testicles. I was so looking forward to sampling one... Not.

We wrapped up the night with a little team competition--and after spending the better part of two hours at a testicle fest, what could be better than a little Dirty Minds?

I don't remember the final tally, but I know Darrell and I came pretty close to winning. Although I will say my brother was the champ of getting some of the more random and obscure answers (who would have ever predicted that he would come up with the word "presidency" for an answer--and be correct?!?).

Sunday we drove home on the heels of yet another winter storm

Thanks to the freezing temperatures and blowing snow, the trees were all coated in a pretty layer of snowy ice. And also compliments of the storm, all schools in the northern part of the state were cancelled, and then a large number of schools in the southern part of the state were released early (mine included--woot!). And if I were a betting person, I'd bet that we'll have at least a 2 hour late start tomorrow--6 inches of freshly fallen fluffy snow creates some pretty wicked driving conditions when it's being blown around by 30+ mph winds (although the threat of the blowing snow later tonight and tomorrow apparently isn't enough for my part-time job to be cancelled tonight, so no cuddling up on the couch with a blanket, a book, and some adult hot cocoa like I would like to do right now). Oh well, I think I'm going to use the fact that I have to drive in to town as an excuse to swing by the mall and see what kind of deals I can find on boots--perfectly logical, right?

Figures...

Compared to the crap we've been having, the weather today is supposed to be quite gorgeous. Actually, it's been quite nice the past couple of days, but I had to work both jobs those days. Today though? I actually have a free evening and would be able to go home and enjoy a nice leisurely run outdoors in the sun and "cool" temperatures. "Would be" being the key word. The past few hours have been a serious downhill slide for me. I was starting to feel stuffy last night so I took some Vitamin C before bed, and again this morning, but to no avail. I'm still stuffy and now I'm starting to feel achy. All just a mere two hours before I was to enjoy my outdoor, not on the treadmill run. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably still run (just because I'm stubborn and highs are supposed to be back into single-digits next week), but I just don't know if I'll be able to enjoy it. Sad day.


I do have some baking to look forward to tonight, though, so look for some (hopefully!) delicious recipes next week!


Update: Guess what I just found on the information-full world wide web? A plugged-up proboscis can result from more than just a cold or the flu. Other causes include allergies or a non-allergic inflammation in the nasal blood vessels (which can occur in response to stress, cold air, spicy food, or exercise) (From WebMD). Awesome. So that means it's possible that my sudden change in exercise regiment is the cause of my stuffy nose. Almost makes me reconsider my stubbornness to go running today. Almost

Clarification

So I realized the other day that the sub-heading on my blog is a little bit of a misnomer. Because really, how many "tales" of Darrell and I have I shared in the previous 40+ posts? Not many. But here's the deal. If I were to be truly literal, and just blog about the things Darrell and I did together, this blog would get really repetitive--really fast. Most days it would look like this: dinner after work, then either something on DVD (usually Friends), working on a puzzle, or playing a game. And some nights are even less anti-climatic, with Darrell playing video games and me reading or catching up on Facebook. Or, if I were indeed to only blog about the times that Darrell and I actually did "exciting" stuff, well, then, this blog would also get boring, if for no other reason than the fact that I'd only be updating it like every other week. So I apologize for the lack of "tales" that I have to share about our lives; we're just two people swamped with work right now. Case in point? We had dinner out of the Crockpot last night and we're doing the same tonight since we both will be at work/meetings/errands until close to eight. And that's just too late to start making something.


And just because posts are much more interesting with photos, here's a flashback to another one of the items Darrell and I crossed off our "101 in 1001" list--last summer we went on a carriage ride in downtown Sioux Falls!

Looking Ahead

Walking into work today I had one of those moments where I thought, "Man I can't wait for (insert random thought) to happen". And it was almost instantly followed by a groan of "ugh, in a few months (more random stuff) is going to happen". So what's a girl to do when she's bored? Compile a list of what the next few months will likely have in store--good, bad, and otherwise.


The Good
--The temperatures getting warm enough to melt that annoying layer of snow and slush and ice that is packed down on roadways and walkways EVERYWHERE
--Finishing this stint of ridiculous hours at my part time job, which is closely followed by a four-day weekend (glorious! Less than 20 days--but who's counting?)
--Training for and running a 5K. It doesn't make me a nerd to be excited about training for a road race, trust me
--Improving my cooking skills and confidence in the kitchen. Just a few weeks ago I had to trim and cook raw chicken and it didn't totally gross me out! Baby step, I know, but at least it's something!
--Getting a dog! This may still be a good ways off, but I can still be excited about the prospect


The Bad
--Darrell's system conversion going live. He's been working crazy hours training for it and getting ready, but he's already told me that the first month or so they go live that it'll be even worse. Joy
--Helping my brother through his Chemistry class. Not that I have an issue helping him or anything, but if only his time management were better (nothing like having him come over at 8:30 last night to work through an assignment and lab that had to be submitted by midnight)
--The inevitable bouts of bitterly cold weather that will still pop up periodically, even after Mother Nature has teased us with some nice days (Friday's high: upper 30s. Saturday's high: 15 with ridiculous winds. Thanks a lot)
--The flooding the will likely ensue when all this snow finally does melt. The water tables in this area are already high from all the rain and flooding last summer, so this snow melt probably won't have very many places to go. Here's to hoping our house continues it's strong streak of no incidents!
--Trying to find another part-time job for the summer since I won't be working at the school and we won't have wedding money to supplement my lack of paychecks (unless people want to be realllly generous with their 1st anniversary gifts... :-D)


Of course, the wonderful irony of this post is that even a week from now I probably won't feel the same way about all of these things, and months from now when they have all passed they will probably be far more anti-climatic than I am making them out to be. Such is the nature of life. And such is the nature of my randomness to fill space by putting this on a blog post.

Another One off the List!

Well, it's nearly three o'clock and I've been pretty unproductive all day. Chalk it up to a Monday, I suppose. But, as promised, here's some photographic evidence of another item that we checked off our "101 in 1001" list this weekend!

There she is, in all her glory. All 2000 pieces of her. And I didn't get a full picture of the table, but we needed to have the leaf in our table in order for the puzzle to fit and still have room to eat. The puzzle was massively huge. And see that fairly dark spot of forest in the middle of the puzzle? It got to the point at the end that we just put the pieces in piles based on shape and just tried them in that way. There was no way to discern color/shading differences (although I can see the different shapes/colors now. Go figure). All in all, it was a good two weeks spent--we've considered gluing it and hanging it, but it's so huge we have no idea where we would put it. Maybe we'll do that for the next puzzle--it's identical in size and number of pieces, but it's a depiction of Starry Night! I'm sure that one will take us way longer than two weeks.

Weekend Fun

So when the forecast is calling for a high of 9 degrees and windchills causing temperatures to feel like -15 degrees or colder, what's the best way to spend your Saturday?

At an outdoor ice skating rink, of course!

You don't agree? Good, neither do I. I'm pretty sure we were there for all of 30 minutes before we left. But it was free skate rentals, and we've been wanting to go (check it off the 101 in 1001!), so we decided to layer up and brave it, at least for a little while. Maybe some time when the weather is nice bearable we'll go out again. Because after all, it is fun!

(I was rather impressed that I was able to kick my leg out for this picture and maintain my balance. My ice skating skills are quite sub-par. Darrell can skate circles around me--literally.)

We crossed another item off the 101 in 1001 today as well--I'll update on that tomorrow!

100 Push-Ups Rewiew

Remember my lofty ambitions set forth here? I was going to go from 6 pushups to 100 pushups in six weeks by following the nifty 100 push up program. Well, I did the program for six weeks. I only made it to week four (and a max of 33 pushups), but darnit, it took me six weeks to get there. How? Because built into the program (for weaklings like me), is essentially a "repeat" feature. If, by the end of a certain week, your max push up amount isn't enough for you to cut it in the next week, the program is set up to have you repeat the week you last finished. Which I had to do after week two. And again after week four. And then my second time through week four I just couldn't do it anymore. I was having more difficulty the second time around than the first, and my muscles were just fatigued. So, I intended to rest a week and then jump back on the wagon.


Yeeeeaaah. About that. The closest my hands have come to planting themselves on the floor was when I had to push myself back up after Darrell tickled me off the couch. And truthfully, I'd go back even now (after almost two full weeks off), and try to work my way through and finish, but now I've bitten off this 5K. And I just finished making my pretty exercise plan. Which does include pushups, but not quite to the regiment of the 100 pushup challenge. But you know what? I'm proud of myself for sticking through the program for six weeks--especially when those weeks included multiple holidays and trips. Maybe after the 5K I'll go back to it and try again--although my training plan for the 5K looks fun and manageable and makes me feel like I just want to keep running road races (if only they weren't so darn expensive! $20 a pop adds up quickly!)


You were good to me 100 pushup challenge. But now I'm on to bigger and brighter things. Training for the St. Patty's Day Race in Sioux Falls starts tomorrow!

B.L.A. (Boot Lovers Anonymous)

Hi, my name is Jess, and I have a problem. I love boots. 


Phew. Feels good to get that off my chest. Isn't admitting that you have a problem the first step toward solving the problem? Of course, that would imply that I have an issue with my boot obsession and want to fix it (we won't talk about my husband's feelings on the matter). I, for one, in the frigid, snowy state of SD, feel that my boot-love is necessary. If I don't wear boots, my socks or nylons get wet and snowy when I have to trudge through two inches of freshly fallen snow after work with flats or pumps on. And cold, wet feet is just unacceptable--especially when the high temperatures for the past three days combined is still less than 20 degrees (I didn't realize how horrific that sounded until I put it in print--ugh!) 


It also doesn't help any than many retailers feel that January is a logical time to begin putting their winter items on clearance to make room for their spring merchandise. Hello people--we're going to have snow for at three three more months here! Keep those boots and mittens and winter coats stocked up! Not that I'm complaining, of course, because the clearance sales mean I can buy ridiculously cheap boots and still get plenty of wear out of them before the summer months. Meet the newest addition to my boot family:

(from JCPenney)

Aren't they pretty? (Plus they're comfortable! I've been wearing them all day and my feet feel great!) And if you're wondering, yes, I did get the burgundy color--80% off! I felt it was time for some color in my collection. Which really, isn't even that much of a collection. I have one pair of black and two pairs of brown (one ankle height, one calf length) heeled boots, plus two flat pairs in grey and tan. So really, it's not even gotten to be a severe addiction yet (mostly because I have my husband's voice nagging me in the back of my head every time I shop...Love you dear!)

Hopefully I can find good prices on another pair or two--I've learned (the hard way) that wearing the same pair of boots 4 days a week causes them to fall apart pretty quickly; besides, variety is the spice of life!

Off the Wagon...

Here's a nice little story about my average day:

Work.....

More work....

Dinner.....

And finally, sleep

What, you ask, is so bad about that? Most of the time, nothing. I get my breaks every now and then, and I'm fortunate enough that Darrell and I get dinner together pretty much every night. But the most glaring omission (at least in my book)? Exercise. I would loooove to be able to fit exercise in on a daily basis--but that would mean eating dinner later than I already do (pretty sure you aren't really supposed to eat after eight) or getting up well before the crack of dawn, since most days I'm already up before the sun anyway. But I do genuinely miss a good, regular, work out (don't ask about the 100 push up challenge....that's a post for another day). So I've made a decision. I'm running a 5K. It's not until March 12th so that gives me some time to prepare, but hopefully with a purpose I'll have an easier time making myself sneak in workouts (like the nights that I could make it to the gym by 6 but generally choose not to). And, to further help myself onto the exercise bandwagon, I'm going to make up a "training" schedule. A realistic (for me and my life) training schedule. I know there all sorts of "real" training schedules out there full of suggested mile progressions and paces and rest days and everything else, but those won't be realistic for me. Because let's be honest, I'll be lucky to get in a grand total of 20 miles between now and March 12th. But, I can make my schedule around the fact that I'm working three 12-hour shifts one week. So all I do that week is 10 minutes of jump rope every morning, because that's realistically all I'll be able to handle. Sure, it won't get me the fastest 5K time out there, but that's not the point. I need to get back on the fitness wagon, then I can worry about tackling more difficult things (like a 10K! Hopefully sometime this fall....)


Oh, and you know what else I'm going to do? Start wearing a pedometer again. I am sure that I have become far too sedentary at my job, and I'm almost afraid to see how few steps I've been taking. But at least with a pedometer I have a tangible goal to reach (10,000 steps a day is the recommended amount!), and hopefully within a few weeks I'll be able to get there (even if it means walking laps while I brush my teeth!)

The Opportunity Clock

Doesn't everyone just love it when this goes off in the morning?

Not that very many people have alarm clocks like that left any more since most people just use their cell phones, but even they don't make getting up in the morning any more enjoyable. However, at our professional development, we had a speaker who had a different name for the alarm clock--an opportunity clock. Because once it goes off, you have the opportunity to wake up and begin a new day. And you have the opportunity to make that day as great as you choose. Now, while I don't know if I quite buy in to being that optimistic (nothing beats a little grumbling in the morning, especially on a Monday), I definitely know that there is quite a bit of truth in the power of positive thinking. Without going into extreme amounts of detail of what she said (because I'd probably just end up rambling and not making any sense anyway), I feel like it can best be summed up in one of the quotes she shared: A great deal of what you see depends on what you are looking for. If I wake up and expect the day to be long and unenjoyable, then I will probably focus on the aspects that fit that mentality--bad traffic, a burnt lunch, more snow, etc. But if I "re-energize my attitude" (as she said), then I am more apt to focus on the nice thing someone said to me, my chocolate treat after lunch, or the fact that I'm having a good hair day, which will change my perception of the day.


Now, don't get me wrong. I am definitely not Mrs. Super Happy-Go-Lucky. Not even close. I gripe and complain with the best of them. But, I think that if I really try to apply this mentality, even slowly, to different aspects of my life, that I'll find I have less to gripe and complain about. Maybe I'll see that the impending forecast of more cold is bearable because I get to wear my cute winter coat. Maybe I'll see that slow waitress at the restaurant is dragging because she is working two jobs to support her family. Maybe I'll see that the kid always blurting out in class is desperate for attention because he is neglected at home. Maybe. 

A Lazy Sunday

The recipe for a perfectly wonderful Sunday?

--Fresh Red Velvet Cheesecake
--A Glass of Wine
--A Ridiculously Challenging (but fun!) Puzzle
--My Wonderful Husband

Jealous yet? Maybe you will be after this:

Sigh. If only every day Sunday could be like this!

Money Matters

I know, I know. Money is one of those "taboo" topics that you don't discuss, like religion and politics. So I'll choose my words carefully. And I shouldn't offend anyone, unless you are the author of one of the articles that I'm referring to (and in that case, I don't really apologize for your lack of creativity). 


Everyone knows that most people like to go crazy setting New Year's Resolutions. And it's no secret the some of the most common resolutions are to "be happier", "lose weight", "save more money", etc etc etc. And of course, on this world wide web of information, articles aimed at helping people reaching these resolutions have sprung up like wildfire. And as my mother's daughter, the articles on "new money saving ideas for the new year" appealed to me (after all, who couldn't afford to have a little more cushion in the bank?) From no exact source, I give you the ten most common ways that these ingenious authors give to save money:

1. Set your thermostat back in the winter and up in the summer (usually coupled with advice about buying a programmable thermostat)
2. Cut back on water use by not running water while you are bushing your teeth, and taking shorter, less frequent showers. Oh, and by a low-flow shower head while you are at it
3. Be diligent about turning off lights when you leave a room. And make sure that those lights you are turning off are CFLs
4. Unplug your electronics when you aren't using them. They drain energy even when they aren't on
5. Give up your dependance on bottled water/your morning latte/eating out for lunch/etc 
6. Be a savvy shopper and watch for sales and double the sales up with coupons to maximize savings
7. Reassess your cable package--do you really watch all those channels that you are paying for?
8. Negotiate with your credit card company/mortgage lender/etc to cut your interest rates
9. When possible, combine bills with the same insurer, as many offer multi-policy discounts
10. Track your spending and see where all of your money is going. You'll be surprised at how some of those "little" purchases add up

Now, I'll give credit where credit is due, and admit that those are all legitimate strategies for saving some money. The only problem? Those tips have been around FOREVER. They aren't "new" ideas. And most people who are trying to save money are already doing those things. Case in point--

1. Darrell and I bought a programmable thermostat a month after we moved into our house. In the winter it's at 60 when we aren't home and 66 when we are. In the summer it's at 80 when we are gone and 74 when we are home. And in order to keep the house livable I don't think we can sacrifice any additional degrees to save an extra buck.
2. I've never run the water while I brush my teeth, and I usually only take showers every other day (be grossed out, I don't care. It's not like I don't use deodorant). And I've been working on making them shorter. Plus before our work schedules got so crazy we tried to make it to the gym regularly and shower there so we didn't have to shower at home. I also don't think that our shower head could be any lower flow--we both have thick hair and sometimes it's hard to wash all the stuff out with what little pressure there is.
3. We're pretty much light Nazis at our house. I tend to freak out if there are too many lights on. And yes, we've forked over the extra money to make sure they are all CFLs.
4. We've been doing this since college. Our TV, Wii, and DVD player are all plugged into a power strip that only gets turned on when we are using it. Same goes for our computers and printer. Aside from our major electronics, the only things that are always plugged in are our internet modem, our clock radios, and Darrell's bedside lamp. 
5. Done done and done? We usually make big dinners so we have leftovers for lunch, or make sure that we have bread on hand for sandwiches, and we've never had an issue with coffee/bottled water/other unnecessary expenses. Darrell only drinks coffee because it's free at his office, otherwise he wouldn't have any. 
6. I was raised by the queen of coupons. While I haven't quite become the hoarder that she was, I'd say I do a fair job of making sure to buy stuff when it's on sale and keeping an eye out for coupons.
7. We don't have cable. Problem solved.
8. No credit card debt, so no reason to negotiate rates there. And since we just financed our mortgage 14 months ago, I highly doubt we'd gain anything by trying to refinance.
9. Done. And kind of a no-brainer in my book.
10. This is probably the only one that we could really improve on, but I'm making an effort to work on it by actually setting budgets. I looked back on all our expenses from the past year and used that information to calculate some averages. Not that we really ever get too out of control with our spending, but now if our food budget is getting close to it's limit we'll have a reason for putting that bottle of wine back on the shelf.

So, as a final note to all of you out there who write articles about ways to save money: do the people a real favor and come up with some new, innovative ideas. Stop recycling the same information that's been around for years. Because I'm doing all that and I'd like to cut back some more.

Italian Spaghetti

So for fear of this blog becoming completely overrun by food and recipes, I've been trying to limit the recipe posts. In fact, my rule of thumb has been to only post recipes that I personally make, or at least have a major hand in making, if for no other reason than I'm better able to talk about them than recipes Darrell fixes (as evidenced by the fact that when I try to cook one of "his" recipes I usually end up calling him to figure out what he does or freak out because it doesn't look like it does when he cooks it). And even though this is technically a recipe from one of my friends, Darrell usually does most of the work on it (maybe something to do with the fact that there is bacon in it?). I'm sure this won't be my first exception to the "only post my recipes" rule, but I just have to share this cheesy, bacony, deliciousness (with a side of squash). I give you:

Italian Spaghetti

(and yes, my friend actually brought the recipe back from Italy, so I'm totally justified in calling it Italian)

1 lb spaghetti

1 stick butter

1/2 whole milk (we just use whatever we have--makes it a little bit healthier)

1 cup grated/shredded Parmesan cheese (we use the Kraft grated stuff, but I suppose you could use whatever)

4 eggs

1 package bacon, cooked and chopped (usually easier to cook in the oven or microwave, stovetop is tedious for a whole package!)

chopped garlic and/or parsley

Prepare pasta as directed. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the whole milk and turn the heat up to medium. Stir for about five minutes, then slowly add the parmesan (if the milk/butter isn't hot enough the parmesan won't melt--not the end of the world, the sauce will just be a little bit grainier). Add garlic or parsley as desired; stir and keep warm. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and add them to the sauce mixture just before draining the pasta. Immediately add the sauce to the drained pasta; the hot pasta will cook the eggs. Add the chopped bacon (and any remaining grease if you want to be really fatty!) to the pasta; toss together and serve!

It sounds fairly easy, and individually all the parts are rather easy, but it usually takes the two of us working together about 45 minutes from start to finish--Darrell handles the bacon and pasta while I put together the sauce (I usually make Darrell whisk the eggs too because I fear that if I stop stirring the butter/milk/cheese combo that it will burn. Has it ever happened and justified my fear? No. But burning food (and/or ruining cookware) is one of my BIGGEST kitchen paranoias). 

I know I've said this about some of my other recipes, but you should seriously try this one. It's SO. GOOD. I'm craving it again just by looking at it and talking about it. Maybe it wouldn't be good if you didn't like bacon...but really, you should like bacon. Everyone should like bacon. It's delicious (I'm dying to try a bacon/chocolate recipe, if you know of any good ones let me know!)

A Trip to the Dentist

For many people, a trip to the dentist conjures up fears of this:

Or perhaps you have a dentist that tries too hard to be funny and ends doing creepy stuff like this

Whatever the case, most people can think of loads of stuff they'd rather be doing than going to the dentist. But me? I rather enjoy it. Sure, I've had my fair share of hygienist "slips" that results in cut gums, and no one likes to hear that they have to get a filling, but for the most part? It's just an excuse to lay back, rest my eyes, and relax. I've found that as long as I'm not watching what they are doing or what tools they are putting into my mouth that it's actually not so bad, plus my hygienist doesn't feel the need to have awkward conversation with me (not that I can even talk with those tools in my mouth!). Granted, I suppose part of the reason that a trip to the dentist doesn't fill me with dread is that my mom always made sure we did a good job taking care of our teeth, and I've taken that with me into adulthood, so I've never really had any "bad" experiences. Now if only I get insurance to cover more than two trips a year--I need all the forced relaxation I can get!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get on and blog a delicious (and deliciously bad for you) recipe--I'd do it today but I can't get the picture to upload!

Patience and Trust

So last night was a little bit of a humbling experience for me. I was all set to sit down at my blog and take out my frustrations at the world (in a post aptly titled "I'll cry if I want to") becuase things were just not going my way. Darrell was gone at work/meetings and wouldn't be home until close to eleven, I just found out that over the course of the next four weeks at my part-time job I'm going to need to pick up 15+ additional hours (and when I'm already there until 6/7 at night, that adds up to late nights and long days quickly), and at 8:45 PM I was just getting a chance to eat dinner. I was even minutes away from going and grabbing a nice, big piece of chocolate cake and topping it with caramel and ice cream to consume during my "pity party" blog post. And then I got the call. Two hour late start today. I know it doesn't sound like much, but at the very least it meant that I could stay up until Darrell got home and actually get to see him without sacrificing too much sleep. And then I realized that the late start also meant that I had time to bundle up and blow the three inches of snow out of the driveway so Darrell didn't have to worry about it this morning (or at eleven last night). And let me tell you, that was a much better use of my evening than having a pity party for myself. I've been realizing more and more lately that I'm not very good at giving up control, which causes stress and anixety whenever things don't go "my way". But really, the whole concept of trying to have control in bogus anyway, because really, what do I actually control? I need to have more patience and trust in The One who is actually in control, and know that my way isn't always (or ever!) equivalent to His way, but that doesn't mean I'll be less able to handle what comes. I'm still counting down the days though until February 12th when (hopefully!) I'm able to cut back hours at my part-time job. I think I'm allowed to do that :-D

And because blog posts are more fun with pictures/graphics.... Check out this awesome weather!

Right Now	Next 36 Hours

	Today	Tonight	Tomorrow
Cloudy	Flurries	Flurries	AM Clouds / PM Sun
-4°F	4°	-4°	5°
Feels Like: -22° Get FREE weather on your desktop	High	Low	High

(courtesy of http://www.weather.com/)

Windchill of 22 below zero? Sign me up! Not. This kind of weather SUCKS. I hate trying to dress professionally for work but feeling like I need to have a gazillion layers on so I don't freeze walking the 50 yards into the building. The high is supposed to get up to 21 by this weekend, but then plummet again to single digits for the first part of next week. Gross. Looks like I'm going to be getting some good use out of my long johns in the coming weeks.

Lesson Learned

Saturn Ion's are not made for hauling Christmas trees. Especially when you don't have a rack on the top to tie it to and have to shove it in the trunk.

Suffice to say that after all the shoving and wedging and pulling to get the tree in and out the plastic bag did very little for keeping pine needles out of the trunk. And those pine needles are nasty little buggers to clean. At least it was Darrell's car. And now we'll know to definitely borrow a truck next year.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

In the kitchen, that is. This is actually a meal from a few weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to blogging it (so punctual, right?) Since Darrell had to work over Christmas break and I didn't, I was tasked with creating and preparing the menu for the week. And wisely foolishly decided to try three new recipes in one night. Pair that with an affinity to grossly-underestimate the amount of time it takes me to prepare a recipe, and what results is a massive fail. Thankfully, my husband loves me no matter what and we both were able to laugh our way through the meal. 
I present to you: Salmon and Pasta with Sweet Potatoes (I promise, that's really what's in the picture. I know it's hard to believe)

The salmon was really the highlight of meal, and insanely easy to boot. All I did was sprinkle the raw fillets with a little bit of lemon pepper, melt a few tablespoons of butter and minced garlic together, pour it over the fish, and bake for about 15 minutes in our toaster oven. I think I was supposed to season it with the juice of one lemon or something, but I'm pretty sure I forgot that. Maybe next time. The potatoes would have been good, if it hadn't been for my negligence. The prep work was easy--peel, cube, toss with olive oil and some seasonings (I used paprika and garlic powder)--and then you just bake them until they are tender. Well, in the flurry of recipes I had going at the same time, I forgot to set the oven timer, so I subsequently forgot to monitor them to see if they were getting tender. The result was a mess of crunchy, but well-flavored, sweet potato cubes. We're definitely going to make them again (tonight actually!), but this time around I'll remember to keep a closer eye on them (in addition to spraying the tin foil that we lined the baking sheet with). I'd prefer to not even discuss the pasta, but since I'm not talented enough to photo-shop it out, I suppose since it's there I should explain. The recipe sounded great--pasta with lemon cream sauce--but the execution was terrible. I was supposed to put ricotta cheese in the food processor and process until it lost its graininess and resembled whipping cream. Well, either my food processor is not that capable (it's just a little guy!), or I just got too impatient, but I definitely stopped before it got "creamy". But, I figured that when I mixed the lemon juice and seasonings into it, and added it to the hot pasta, that it would soften it up a bit and make it creamier. Not. A. Chance. The end result was something that more closely resembled a pasta blob--dense, thick sauce that effectively made the entire mess cold and stick together, like some type of a lumpy, ill-flavored pasta salad. Being the good kids that we are (thanks mom!), we each ate our share, but not a bite more. 


I thought that I was doing so well, pairing the lemon in the salmon with the lemon in the pasta, and the garlic in the salmon with the garlic on the sweet potatoes, but sometimes even the most well-intentioned plans don't rise to their full potential. Maybe next time I won't bite off more than I can chew (ha!) and only try one new recipe. Or, at the very least, enlist Darrell's help to ensure I don't ruin 2/3 of a meal again. If only it weren't for that darn stubborn streak I have....

Sick City

Sick city may be a slight exaggeration, but it's definitely a sick house at our house. Darrell and I both managed to come down with a cold to start off the New Year, and it's been uber fun. And of course we haven't cut back our work hours to expedite the "healing" process (I'll have just over 30 hours by the end of today, and Darrell will have over 35). It's gotten so bad that I was actually excited to see that tissues were on sale because we've gone through SO. MANY. 


But hey, at least 2011 can only get better, right? RIGHT?

NYE

So I'm convinced that Mother Nature decided that she owed the Midwest payback after giving us such a mild fall. And apparently the blizzard in mid-December wasn't enough. South Dakota got round two of that storm New Year's weekend, and although Sioux Falls was pretty manageable, the interstates were closed pretty much everywhere else in the state--which effectively ruined our plans to go visit some friends out west. But, that also meant that my sister and her boyfriend we stuck in Sioux Falls, so we decided to make the best of an unfortunate situation. My dad and Darrell are Shriners, and on New Year's Eve they were having a formal dinner and dance at the local Shrine Mosque. As much as I was looking forward to spending some time with my friends, it sure was fun getting all gussied up.

Getting ready to leave

In addition to a fabulous steak dinner and lots of good (ballroom) dance music, they also had a really cool "Battle of the Artists". Each artist was given a 4 ft by 4 ft canvas and one black marker, and 30 minutes to complete a drawing. They weren't allowed to use any sketches or other aids to help them. I wasn't exactly blown away by either drawing (one artist had potential going, but then he started mocking the other artist on the back of his canvas and that ruined it for me), but I won't judge because no way could you pay me enough to go up and do that.

Just before finishing

All in all it was a great night, and a good last-minute NYE plan. Who knows, maybe we'll make an appearance again next year--after all we were one of the best-dressed crews there!

2011 "Resolutions"

So Darrell doesn't really buy into the whole concept behind making New Year's Resolutions, but because I like having tangible goals and a way to keep track of them, we sort of compromised. Actually, we "compromised" on this like six months ago, when I read about the idea of making a "101 in 1001" list. Basically, you are supposed to list 101 measurable and precise things to complete in 1001 days (just shy of three years). Darrell and I took a trip out to Rapid City this summer, so I figured 12 hours in the car was a good time to put our list together. But in the spirit of New Year's, I've decided to post our list now (and the progress we've made). Hopefully I'll also be able to figure out how to add the list permanently on the blog site so I can hold myself accountable for the progress. Oh, and we decided to split it up a little bit by coming up with 71 items for us to complete together and 15 each for individual goals. 

101 in 1001 (to be completed by April 20th, 2013)

Get a dog

Landscape the house (trees planted 9/26/10)

Skydive

Go skiing in the Rocky Mountains

*Personal* (but over half-way done!)

Build a lower deck in our backyard

Go to a professional dinner theater

Go horseback riding

Get passports and use them

Reach $20,000 in savings (currently just shy of $7000--eek!)

Go to an amusement park

Go on a date once a month (so far so good!)

Take a wine tasting course

Go white-water rafting

Go to a real zoo (aka not the one in Sioux Falls)

Camp in five State Parks (Custer 7/28/10; Farm Island 9/4/10)

Take old-timey photos (7/26/10--although I so want to do it again!)

Play all of our classic board games (I think we have three left--I'm dreading playing Risk!)

Put a puzzle together (we got two ridiculously hard ones for Christmas, so hopefully we'll be getting to this one soon!)

Bike around the Sioux Falls bike trails

Go to a DI football game (Nebraska vs SDSU 9/25/10)

Organize the basement

Have a movie marathon (we have the "Bourne" movies...now just to find time to watch all three!)

Watch five classic movies

Go cross-country skiing

Spend a night on the Appalachian Trail

Go snowshoeing

Go sledding

Take ballroom dance lessons

Help someone pulled over on the interstate

Go to a shooting range

Shop at a Farmer's Market

Order a restaurant meal that we can't pronounce

Eat at Touch of Europe (8/13/10--if you've never been you should go, it's great!)

Have a romantic picnic

Go stargazing

Go skinny dipping

Eat a lobster

Be greeters at church

Play bocce ball (9/4/10)

Ride a trolley

Go on a carriage ride (8/13/10)

Start a garden

Host a holiday party

Buy new kitchen chairs (10/8/10--although we just finished assembling them last week!)

Go to a homecoming at Wartburg (10/23/10)

Visit the State Capitol (9/4/10)

Go ice skating outdoors

Give $3000 in offerings to church (I think we're close to $1000??)

Take a canoe trip

Fly a kite

Go to a Pow-wow

Go to a State Fair

Throw a dart at the map and go where it lands

Spend a weekend at my parent's lake cabin

Read "The 5 Love Languages" (we're about halfway through!)

Go to a Pheasants game

*Personal*

Tour a battleship

Make one of the drinks on our drink mixer

Go to a driving range together (8/14/10)

Carve pumpkins

Make a decision by flipping a coin

Clean and organize the garage

Insulate the garage

Celebrate Christmas morning at our house (didn't happen this year, and next year isn't looking good either...)

Go to a museum (9/4/10--SD Cultural and Heritage Museum)

Go to an art gallery

State at a Bed and Breakfast

*Personal*

Complete the wine passport for downtown Sioux Falls

--Darrell's items--

Get an eagle (while golfing, not the animal)

Golf eighteen holes in under 85 strokes

Visit Mount Rushmore (7/26/10)

Learn a song on the guitar

Get a new computer

Randomly send Jess flowers

Be hoakey and agree to see the project through to completion

Hang hammocks in the basement

Build a wine rack for the kitchen

Surprise Jess with a romantic dinner

Take a photography class

Learn how to drive a boat/pontoon

Pay off car

Start swimming laps again

Donate one gallon of blood

--My goals--

Donate hair to Locks of Love (so! close!)

Run a 10K

Read 25 books (six down!)

Not buy clothes or shoes for two months

Enter a writing contest

Have a "Pirates" marathon (any takers? Darrell refuses)

Mow the yard

Finish our wedding scrapbook (12/14/10)

Score a goal

Get comfortable driving Darrell's car

Bake a cheesecake with no cracks

Sing karaoke

Subscribe to a cooking magazine and make a recipe out of every issue

Get and use a gym membership (got it on 8/1/10....need to get better at using it)

Get all my stuff cleaned out of my parent's house

Well, there you have it. Not exactly resolutions, but hopefully things that we can find the time to complete in the next few years, and feel good about doing together. If I'm counting correctly we have 12 completed and a handful more in progress--not too bad I don't think! If you have the means to assist us in completing any of these--or if you're just interested in doing one of them with us--let me know! I'm also cheating a little (shh, don't tell Darrell) by making an actual New Year's resolution for both of us--I think we really need to work on eating more balanced meals (sometimes I think we don't know what fruit is) as well as smaller portions. There are nights where we'll load our plates up with spaghetti and call that dinner, when I really don't think it counts (nutritionally, at least) for anything but grains and meat. And since I'm having to cook at least two nights a week hopefully we can make this change pretty effortlessly. Hopefully by easing into the change now it will be easier to stick to when we're trying to conceive and needing to be healthy (years away, before any asks), or at the very least we won't be in for as much as a shock when our metabolisms finally decide to slow down (because let's be honest, I know we've both been very lucky in that department).

If I get a chance I'll try to upload our photos from New Year's later today, otherwise that will be coming later this week as well as a few more cooking successes/fails!