Tiny Little Things...

Make me so dang happy!  A couple days ago I won an ebay thing for a Gerard Darel clutch in varnished cherry.  It's deliciously the color of a cherry blow pop (to my recollection, it's been years since I had a blow pop).  And it should be arriving either today or tomorrow!  Pics will ensue once it arrives! 

And I should mention that while I plan to do a more serious and in depth post later to answer some questions about how I have been slimming down, this week has been fun with long talks at outdoor tables while drinking coffee.  And I should mention a little ol' thing like turning 25 this Saturday.  

Yes, I am going to officially be a quarter of a century old!  And I am a tad bit thrilled.  Just a wee bit.  There is a international antique show (with vendors showing wares from all over Europe) this weekend, with a live auction on my birthday evening.  After we finish with that though, it will be dinner, champagne and dancing (if things get over early enough for dinner).  And the best part is I am taking my new clutch out on the town!

Now, what to wear to accessorize the new pretty?  Hmm, I don't want to have to do any shopping because at this rate, what's the point.....nothing is really going to fit after a while and I already have a nice pile of things that need to be/will need to be altered.  So perhaps I will go bold and wear a short LBD I have been too nervous about wearing out.  It would be perfect for a night of being on my feet and dancing.  I will post pics when I decide.

And on a slightly more serious note, if you pray or send good intentions out or whatnot, please keep us in your thoughts.  G tests for the next rank this Friday!  And while he's been studying for months (and that's actual studying not "studying") and he assures me he's not nervous in the least bit, I am.....so at least think of me!  

I have been loving the comments lately, so keep them coming!  I'm even planning to take some advice to heart very soon!

*EDIT* Dinner will be Friday night after G's test.  I have a birthday certificate for a bottle of champagne (real champagne, oooh) at Cafe Rouge.  It would have been cutting everything really close had we gone Saturday night, so we are skipping ahead one night.  And G also called about an hour ago from work to remind me that he has a week off because of our anniversary (something he insists on is not working that day) and I had completely forgotten, so it was like an early birthday gift!

Feeling Sexy

I am loving my life lately!  I am now officially too small for some of the clothes I wore on my honeymoon.  My shorts I wore today are cute, but they are slung low, because that's the only place they fit!  I've been a wee bit excited about it!  And after weighing myself last night for the first time in about a week and a half I realized that I am really close to weighing the same as I did when I was 13!!!  Okay, yes, I was a bit overweight at 13, but I haven't seen these numbers on the scale in over a decade, so I am get to be thrilled.  

And because of that I am becoming more than a bit obsessed with trying on my clothes and putting new combinations of outfits together.  And shopping.  Yesterday while in Bury we stopped in at Noa Noa, one of my favorite stores that is based in Denmark (it's where I got my purple dress I wore on Easter).  And I found the most amazingly cute linen dress and leather belt.   (please excuse how tired I look in the photo it was nearly 3 in the morning).

However, now that I have this dress I want this bag.  I think it would be great on the plane home this summer.  But with plans to possibly being buying our first home and eventually getting around to having babies, should I be splurging on a purse that I probably don't really need?  (G is being completely supportive and thinks I should get it, but Im the one who has buyer's guilt)  And I also need to figure out what shoes to wear with this dress.  I could do a simple dark brown leather or I could punch it up with a bright green or purple.  Or I could pull on a gladiator (which I desperately want for this summer).  Hmm, any suggestions?

Lately I have been feeling more relaxed about myself.  It helps that everything fits (or is too big, but that's less frustrating than everything being tight), so I  no longer have the days where I cry and refuse to go anywhere like I'm 5.  And I have been feeling sexier.  I've been making more of an effort.  Currently I am trying to curl my hair some days since G likes it and it gives my hair more body.  And I am playing with make-up trying to figure out what really works for me and how to apply it (I'm usually the quick make-up consisting of maybe a cream eyeshadow, some mascara and lipgloss type of girl).  And I have been realizing that when my life is chaotic (and really, when is it not? I try to stay away from that stuff on here) I feel more uneasy, so I have been allowing myself to relax more and not answer the phone if I don't feel like it, or just go on a walk to de-stress.  So far so good.  

What are ways you de-stress?

A Day In The Sun

(This is the version of a nicoise salade I made on Friday night)

I know, I know, it's Monday, the picnic was Saturday and I am just now getting around to writing about it at all.  I'm kind of a bad blogger sometimes.  Eh.  But after the picnic it was one adventure after the other, and I just kind of put it all off.  

The picnic was fantastic.  I put on a cute skirt and off we went with our blanket and picnic basket full of yummy goodness.  I had cut up a few carrots into sticks and half an English cucumber.  I made some roasted chicken breast sandwiches on ciabatta bread with tomato.  And I even put a bowl of strawberries in the basket to munch on.  We had almost a full bottle of red left, so in it went as well.  It was a nice day out, the abbey was very crowded with people lying about, picnic-ing or tossing a frisbee or kicking a football.  We found a spot near where we were the last time we had so much fun at the abbey and spread out.  We ate, we drank, and we read a couple newspapers his parents had sent us from back home.  At one point G got made fun of (I heard it, he didn't......but we both giggled when I told him about it!) by a teenager who was saying, "I don't have a picnic blanket.  I don't have a picnic basket.  I'm frou-frou-y, but I am not that frou-frou-y.  Isn't it romantic?  Doesn't it make you want to vomit?"  Imagine that said in a very whiny British teenage voice.  It was quite funny and since it was only the group on teens around we decided that making out on the picnic blanket was a good punishment for them.  

My friend Nancy (who I went on the cruise with) lives there so we usually park our car at her place and walk to the abbey.  We had told her we were going to be in town, and that we might grab some coffee, so when we went back to the car to drop our things off we knocked to see if she was awake and wanted to grab coffee.  She had gone to market earlier, so we sat around and chatted about things going on.  All of us are leaving this summer, around the same time, so it's a busy time.  

Three hours later we were walking out the door to drive to Cafe Rouge for coffee.  I was a tad bit nervous, because it was now nearly 8, and on a Friday night that can be bad.  Sure enough Cafe Rouge literally had one table open, so we grabbed it (it helps that the people who work there love us, so they try to find room for us).  We grabbed some coffee and a banana and chocolate crepe.  Delicious!  And it was a good boost for the night because everyone we love there stopped to chat and I got a couple comments about how pretty my skirt was.  It's going to be hard when we leave, since I love finding a place where you get to know the people.  It makes it's sad to say goodbye.

After that we went home and decided that we wanted to head out for drinks and maybe try to find some live music or dancing.  We ended up at a pub about 15 minutes away, but when we sat down with our drinks we realized that everyone was more sexily dressed, and the DJ was playing more hip hop/dance music.  We downed the drinks and then headed back to base (told you it was an adventure) where I proceeded to change out of my skirt, shirt and flats into long jeans, a tank top with shrug and some high heels.  I also completely changed my make-up and curled the ends of my hair.  I'm quick, so half an hour later we were back at the pub drinking and dancing the night away.  I had a blast, but it's been a while since me and heels hit the dance floor (and got low, low, low on the dance floor) so my thighs have been sore ever since.  It was worth it though.

(This is us before heading back out, I had drank a pint very quickly, so I must admit I look a little dazed.)

On the way home we stopped of at a roadside stand and got chips and a cheeseburger with grilled onions which while horribly unhealthy was fantastic.  Then we crashed on the couch, calling our families and chit chatting before finally heading to bed to pass out.  

Yesterday we stayed in bed most of the day discussing some things coming up.  And now G just left to go back to work after stopping in for lunch and working out.  Today I need to clean some more, as I continue to get the house ready to move.  I know I said I would post about changes, but that will have to wait until next time, this post is already so long!

What Do You Do When It's Gorgeous Out?

Why, picnic of course!  G and I are headed out for a lazy afternoon.....I'll update later with pics!

Springtime

Easter, a time for rebirth, new beginnings.  Garret had a wonderful time this past weekend.  He was baptized, confirmed and had his first communion. He chose St. Albert for his confirmation name because he is the patron saint of scientists and was known for trying to blend science and religion way back when. At the reception afterwards we ate and laughed with others in the class.  Garret got a small version of the Roman Catholic catechism and has been reading it off and on for the past few days.  I think the boy is trying to be more Catholic than me!  

G getting baptized!

The two of us before the ceremony began.

We decided to just wear the same outfits we had worn for our "wedding."  G looked handsome as always.  Sometimes I look at that man and think, "he's loved me for so long, and maybe someday I will figure out why."  In less than a month we will have been married for 2 years.  Last night we were lying in bed talking about senior year, about prom and I was shocked that it was 7 years ago!  I mean, seriously, it seems like just last year.  Our wedding seems like it was only yesterday that I was standing, anxiously waiting to see him again (it had been 16 hours people, and that was a long time after not having seem him for 4 months), pacing the little room I was in.  I was never more sure of anything in my life than I was in that moment, knowing I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.  

Tuesday night G and I went out to our favorite Indian restaurant and ordered a bundle of food.  Papadums with relish, onion bhajee (onion and lentils and gramflour, oh my!) and meat samosas, then rice and naan, and aloo gobi (cauliflower and potato).  Our mains were chicken and tomato bhoona for me (I ordered it extra spicy and it was amazing) while G had chicken and mushroom aloo (his isn't that spicy, and I tend to steal his sauce when I need to dip my naan into something....mmmm).  We are currently looking into Indian cookery books because quite simply I cannot go without this stuff for too long or I become very grumpy.

We are quite the little busy bees in our house right now.  I am trying to organize things, get ready to move in a few months.  G is studying to take the S. Sgt. test in about 2 weeks.  He is confident he will pass (most people do), it's just when he will actually put the rank on that will be interesting.  And the waiting will suck.  He tests in 2 weeks, but we won't find out until August.  Damn slow processing!  But I think there is a good chance he will do well enough that (keeping my fingers crossed) he will put rank on before the beginning of 2010.  I know he is getting anxious about it.

And the biggest stress is the idea of looking into a mortgage to buy a home.  We've found a couple homes we love, and now we just have to wait until we find out in May exactly where we are going so we can start finalizing plans.  Then it will be moving and finally settling down in a home, not just a house.  We are both so excited to paint rooms and really get the house we buy turned into a beautiful and organized home.  

Spring always makes me feel refreshed.  It's about new beginnings, something I will be discussing much further in the next post!

Fish-tastic

So last night I mentioned making a sauce to top our chicken breasts.  We had a bit left over so decided to put in on some tilapia we were baking for lunch.  Oh hell yes! What a fantastic idea!  It turned out amazing beyond belief.  The sauce didn't overpower the tilapia, and the sundried tomatoes complimented the fish perfectly.  

G made it all by himself and what he did was cover the fish with the sauce before baking, so it isn't as pretty as it would have been drizzled, but damn was it scrumptious!

We loved the meal so much that tomorrow night we are planning on having more tilapia (with it being Good Friday and all).  Just add a potato, and some salad and that is going to be simply to die for.   

TV Show Addiction

After my last blog Sunny asked if we watched shows online.  Well, yes.  In the UK they have some of the same shows, but they are a year or so behind and it costs more than I am willing to pay for a dish.  So we have become addicted to watching t.v. shows online.  Slightly non-legally (video hosting sites).  Because of this we usually watch shows somewhere between 6-24 hours after a US resident does, but it's no different than if I DVR'd a show and watched it later.  Also, my addiction to a particular show that involves housewives has to be bought off of iTunes, and still I don't blink an eye.

If you only knew of the un-chic amount of t.v. we watch it would be embarassing.  Ah, what the hell do I care.  In the name of being honest, here is all the shows we watch in a week that I can come up with:

America's Next Top Model (my husband and I are both very addicted, the cattyness and over the top behavior is fantastic), Big Love, Bones, Castle (a new crime type show that stars an actor my husband has liked in other things....for the women out there he's the guy Keri Russell falls for in Waitress), Criminal Minds, Dexter, Ghost Whisperer, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy (although I am over a season behind, I just stopped caring), Supernatural, The Hills, The City, The Mentalist (omg, if you don't watch this show, look it up.  Fan-freaking-tastic), True Blood, and Cold Case.  We've also been known to have marathons of Good Eats through YouTube.  

Yes, we watch a lot of television, but we do it in small sessions (like 2-3 t.v. shows a day and that's it).  Other than that we go out and live out lovely lives.  I think if you added up the amount of time we spend on those shows each week we would still be considered odd when compared to how much the average American watches.  No Oprah (although when we got good reception for the Armed Forces network I occasionally put it on in the background, same with Dr.Phil, but no amount of tweaking gets the signal right, and I don't care enough to call housing and complain).  I get my news from online sources.  

And after a lot of thought G and I decided that when we move back to the US we are going to basically have basic cable (and not the American version of basic cable, we're talking just enough to be able to check the news).  Channels like Bravo and MTV play their shows online afterwards, and with sites like Hulu I should be able to find all the others (along with some other sites).  By doing it this way we can watch what we want, but cut costs, and also cut the ability to be able to just sit and become couch potatoes.  G and I both like a more active up and about lifestyle, and t.v.'s are easy to get addicted to. 

That's not to say that we won't have a nice set-up.  We are planning on buying a HD LCD television when we get home, along with a blu-ray player and eventually a nice home theater system (we're looking at Bose, so it might be a while before I can convince myself we need it).  We like to watch movies, and we should also be able to hook the iMac up to the t.v. when watching our shows.  But the cost of cable and DVR is just more than I think it's worth.  My parents had it all when I was living with them while G and I were engaged, and damn is it easy to get addicted to DVR-ing absolutely everything under the sun.  

(all images from bestbuy.com)

If you are thinking of making the switch to online viewing, but don't know what sites to look for comment with an e-mail or easy way to reach you and I can e-mail you a list of sites I have found helpful.  

Daily Norm Lately

So I figured since I had a fairly normal day I would expand on exactly what that consists of.....follow along if you can.

First we woke up at about 9:30 this morning.  Too early but my body was determined to not go back to sleep.  It was supposed to have a 60% chance of rain today and be cloudy, but damn if it wasn't bright blue skies with lots of clouds (that made it cool enough you needed to wear a jacket until the sun popped out again, then you were too hot).  

Watched the newest episodes of The Hills (not so exciting) and The Real Housewives of New York....yes I am a reality show junkie, what about it?  While watching, taught G how to make the tilapia and that is what we had for lunch.  Yay for 110 calories of yummy goodness.  Boo for the fact that in a mere 2 hours I was starving and peeling oranges like it was for pure survival.

Decided going outside to sit and bask in the sun while G picked up the yard and mowed was an excellent way to spend the late morning/early afternoon.   Then we rearranged the outdoor furniture/grill.  Must remember to take pics, because I think it will be the best set up for the next 3 months.  We put some chicken in the fridge to thaw and then headed out for some errands.

Off to the tea room where I popped in to ask Jacqui (the owner) if she is still planning on putting a cookbook out because I have tried a good half dozen scone recipes and haven't found one I love as much as hers.  Ironically she had just discussed the specifics with her solicitor.  Yay!  Then decided my craving was going to be detrimental to my health if I didn't immediately have a scone.  G ordered a deal that is a pot of tea and 2 scones and I ordered a pot of tea, and I ate about 2/3 of a scone.  Any more and it would have been too much, but perhaps that's because they are fluffy and I have a true love of clotted cream.  Eh.

Bounced around a couple shops.  Then headed to the library where we picked up a few dvds for what little free time we will have this weekend.  Came home and grilled a potato, while starting a movie and I made a sauce for our grilled chicken that consisted of goat's cheese, sour cream, onions, and sundried tomatoes.  It was amazing.  Dinner was half a plate of mixed lettuce and tomatoes (no dressing, since I was mixing food), grilled chicken breast with the sauce and half a baked potato with a smidge of butter.  Damn delicious if I do say so myself.

Finished a movie, then decided brownies sounded amazing.  Made some up (quite simple since you use one baking pan and one sauce pan on the stove that after you melt the butter everything else gets mixed in that pot) and then made the frosting up.  Anxiously awaited brownies to finish and cool.  Then we sat down for a game of scrabble (where I once again ruled supreme, whipping G's ass).  Brownies and milk.....so good it should be illegal.  Talked about going for a walk but it's freaking cold outside at night lately.  Sat down to check my e-mail and write this and G has currently fallen asleep on the table. Great.  Poor boy, he has carried me around (literally) quite a bit today.

So I am thinking it's about time to get some sleep.  Hope everyone had a lovely Wednesday!  

Showers

I was reading the Frugal Girl today.  If you are into trying to live more frugally I highly recommend her!  Her slogan is "cheerfully living on less" and she comes up with simple ways to live more simply, and even though we don't have children yet, I have catalogued some ideas that she has given (such as buying items like roller blades that get looking not new quickly used to save money for other toys) for the future.  

Today she was writing about how to use shampoo as a body wash (since for the most part soap is soap....my Paul Mitchell even says you can use the awapuhi shampoo as a body wash on the bottle).  One thing she mentioned was not washing every body part every day during the winter, and she mentioned that it might gross people out, but she keeps the house so cold and she is so covered she really doesn't get very dirty.

I was going to leave a comment about how surprised I was that she would be worried people would see it as gross, but instead decided to explain further here.  Right now, living in the U.K. I have had to fight extremely dry skin and scalp.  Literally to the point my skin at times cracks and bleeds.  The water here is very hard and the air is very dry.  Although the crazy Brits have a hard time understanding why the Americans say the air is dry.  Their response is "but it's so wet."  Yes, congratulations, you managed to be the one place I know that is sodding wet all the time and yet dry as a desert.  Go figure.  But most Americans here love their humidifiers.

Because of the uber dryness here I have taken to only showering every 3-4 days.  Yes, it might gross some of you out, but I have naturally dry skin and add that to the conditions here, and really, my hair doesn't even begin to show any sign or oiliness until 3-4 days.  I freshen up when I get dressed, but getting in, lathering up and shampooing/conditioning my hair happens infrequently.  If I happen to feel concerned and decide to shower for an even before I really need to I pay big time.  My skin gets dry and itchy and my face will suck up any lotion I put on it like I didn't even bother.  So I have learned to take cooler showers, more quickly, and less frequently.  And honestly, it's more frugal that way.  If I lived in a house that we paid a water bill on, I would rock that water bill's face off!  And I use less products because I don't use them as often.  

Lotion is a big thing for me, and I have gotten lazy with applying it as often as I should.  But literally I can shower even every other day in the summertime if I get sweaty (which doesn't happen often) and still apply lotion several times a day and never look greasy.  When my skin gets very dry I have been known to apply olive oil and still manage to look dry a few hours later.

Does anyone else have this problem?  I know most big time hair stylists say to not wash your hair except every few days to keep it healthy.  I just do it to survive.

Feeling Better

So my eye is feeling much better this afternoon.  I was able to switch my contacts out, and even do some reading.  So I thought perhaps I would try a regular post.  I am in need of advice, so all the readers who never comment, this is your time!

G and I do not have cell phones over here in the UK.  It was quite the shocker, because I used to be attached to my cell like no one's business back in the US.  G would call me on my cell during my lunch hours so that I could chat with him around his dinner time.  My best friends and I all were on the same T-mobile network so we talked for free.  And my mother had some thing set up where I had unlimited texting which was amazing when I was out and about planning the wedding.  But over here we realized it would be pointless.  We don't have a bunch of close friends over here who I would need to get ahold of at all times.  We do have an old beat up pre-paid (I think we are like the 3rd or 4th owners, it's pretty ghetto) that we keep with us on long trips because it's free to call emergency numbers if we were stranded or in an accident, and it's free for people to call in, so if someone here really needs to get ahold of us they can.  Other than that, I admit I have enjoyed not being so damn accessible.

But when we move back to the US in a few months we are planning on getting cell phones but not getting a home phone.  It seems easier and more cost effective.  And if we go with T-mobile again he and I will be able to call each other for free, both of our families use T-mobile, as well as most of my friends.  So basically we will save quite a bit by having a phone plan with lesser minutes, because we will only get charged for ones that are not t-mobile numbers.  

My thing now is, what kind of phone will I be getting?  So dear readers, I need to know what you have and whether or not you would recommend it.  Would I be best to go with either an iPhone or a Blackberry (crackberry, I know some addicts)?  Or have you found them not as useful as you would have thought?  Would I be fine just going with a regular cell and texting a lot?  I am interested in the web capabilities of some phones, because it would allow me to keep in contact with G through e-mail when he's at work and I am out and about.  But at the same time, I worry it would end up being a waste of money.  I mean, I'm a housewife so no strong need to be heavily accessible, although I could get addicted to checking my mail and whatnot.  I might even take up twitter.  Do any of you twitter?  Love it?  Hate it?  Please leave some comments and help me out!  

Eye Hell

My left eye has been useless pretty much all of today.  I am pretty certain that I scratched my cornea.  It happened before (although last time it happened it was both eyes and it lasted a couple days with me terrified I was going to end up blind).  This time it's not quite as bad, but it's painful.  The skin around my eye is raw from it watering so much.  And the watering causes my eye to sting and be pretty useless.  Focusing on things has been hard, and it's only now, after midnight, that I feel okay to do this post.  

So I am hoping tomorrow it's better!  I realized today how bored I get when this happens.  I can't look at the computer (lights hurt, and even dimmed, my photosensitive eyes cannot take all the white on the screen), cannot read, can't really lie down (I found walking around without focusing on anything seemed to keep my eye from watering the best), and sleep took a while, but it was the only thing that seemed to work when my eye was at it's worst.  

Tomorrow is G's last day of work for an entire week!  He and I will be pretty busy thought, since there are Holy Thursday services, then Good Friday, then his baptism, confirmation and first communion on Saturday and then Easter Sunday.  It's making my head hurt just thinking about all of it!  I think for the second year in a row we are going to do a simplified Easter meal since it's just the two of us.  Last year we literally stayed in bed all day Easter, reading and watching movies and just cuddling, so if we even get out of bed this year it will be an improvement (or maybe not quite as good, we did enjoy being that lazy).  G has just informed me (he reads over my shoulder as I type) that we did get out of bed briefly to have a snowball fight on Easter.  But this year it's been unusually warm so I think that won't be in the schedule.  

Hope everyone's week is going well.  Mondays can be a bummer.  

This Is How You Do A Weekend

G and I went to the market yesterday and picked up some yummy yummy brie, and also about 12 dollars worth of sundried tomatoes.  I only mention the cost to describe how much we bought....enough to last us for quite a while.  Then last night G grilled some chicken and we ate it with some lamb's lettuce, sundried tomatoes and goat's cheese. It was delicious!

Today was Palm Sunday.  So after staying up late last night (early morning) we dragged ourselves out of bed and got ready for mass.  It was actually a nice service, but we swear we sat on the wrong side of the church, we were literally surrounded by children and babies (is God trying to tell us something?).  Sharing our pew was a family with, count them, five children!  Wow!  I know it's only one more than my family, and technically G has 4 siblings (although he's his parents only child), and yes, I will admit originally we wanted 5, but they were all close in age, and I thought the parents were brave (a.k.a. slightly nuts, God bless them).  

After mass we rushed home and walked and got food to cook.  We sat outside and barbecued bratwurst while we had a huge fire in the outdoor fireplace.  We sat for hours just talking about life and burning wood.  I might have even amused myself by taking the hot poker to an old plastic rake that we are sending to the trash (it was partially broken).  Not that I like to play with fire or anything.  In my defense I was raised partially by a firefighter who is the definition of you have to love fire to be a good firefighter.  I even have a professional guide to fire eating, but am slightly too chicken to try it.  

So here are some pictures of the weekend, including us burning a yellow pages that we didn't need, which I sarcastically said was a representation of how businesses are doing in the crappy economic times.  I'm a genius, I know.  

Here we are leaving our home.  Our favorite number is 5, so you would think getting this address would have been a good thing.  Eh.

Here we are at Cafe Rouge having some citron presses....

Too bad I don't think the lemon juice was fresh squeezed and so I think we were highly overcharged for what was esentially lemon juice and tap water.  It won't be happening again.

Outside the abbey gate.  So many pretty flower beds.

And finally here is G drinking a homemade citron presse today which I squeezed lemons for (a whole lemon per glass) and added spakling water.  It was really refreshing.

Two More

Here are a couple more pics of me as I clean out my closet.  I am hoping it will be finished this week.  The addition of glasses of red wine did make us tend to be goofy and also get sleepy quicker.  Hmm, perhaps we should not drink and clean.  

Two of my more casual looks:

G loves me all dressed up and cute, but he always says he loves me in hoodies.  So while most of mine have been thrown out or donated since my days at university, this one sticks around for cold days in the house.   

Playing With Photography

So as previously mentioned I am cleaning out the closets, and it's turning out to be a bunch of fun.  G is playing photographer to my model and I am coming up with some cute outfits!  And when all is said and done I am going to take my favorites and post them here.   

For now, here's a sneak peek!

Patent Leather Beauty

So I am in love with a patent leather handbag.  I said it, and I never thought I was a patent leather type of gal.  But I love it's robin egg blue inside, it's pockets, it's special compartment in the middle with a kisslock closure.  It's just pretty sexy when it's on my arm, almost as sexy as my husband on my arm.  And my local store has it for $300 instead of $500.  And I can find it on ebay for less.  Hmm, what's a girl to do?  We just shelled out $300 for car repairs, so I am feeling like perhaps I should wait (god knows I will be able to find it on ebay for a few months more).  But here it is so you all can admire it.  

What do you all think?  Hot handbag yes?

Goodness

Our car is fixed and we are heading in a bit to pick it up!  Woohoo!

Due to lack of car G and I have been walking everywhere.  Yesterday total we walked around 5 miles, which while it is only a couple miles more than we usually walk, I definitely felt it worked off anything I ate!  We stopped off at the park here on base to take pics of the ducks.  I love how protective the males are right now.....how cute the little duck couples are.  

(One of the planes we have on display here)

I have been making more of an effort to dress in clothes I love everyday.  Today I threw together this outfit quickly.  Comfy jeans, comfy tank top, and a cardigan over it because today is quite overcast.  A simple beaded headband to make me look like I did something with my hair.  And some red shoes to add a punch of color! (actually as G was taking the pic he commented that he really liked the red shoes with it.....which is nice because he's not the guy to notice those type of things!)

This weekend will be fun, I think.  If the weather is nice I think we will finally have our picnic in Bury.  And we might even bring the lovely Sophie along so she can romp and introduce herself to every child within a five mile radius.  

Lately I have been kinda deep in thought about crap that is going on in our lives, and the lives of those we know.  Lots of planning, lots of plotting.  And of course the occasional admittance that "thou shall not kill" is pissing me off lately, because I could name a bitch or two who really need to make better uses of their lives.  Apparently I need to go to confession.  But as G and I begin the next chapter of our lives it annoying to realize that as much as I would love to shut everyone else's crap out of my life, they're family, and it just isn't easy to have their problems not affect you.   

So I am trying to think positive.  I have a husband who is wonderful and thinks the best days are days spent with me.  I have a family who is extremely tight and we go to battle for one another when needed.  I have great friends who when I come home this summer better be ready to go out and dance the night away.  I have a neighbor who is great for the self-esteem......pretty much every time I see her she comments that I am getting so skinny and my outfits are cute!  And last, but of course not least, I have my health, I have my sanity (thus far) and I have a belief that life is overall pretty damn fantastic.  

Frugal Fish Dishes

It's Lent here in our household, so we have been eating quite a bit of fish and seafood.  I wanted to share some pretty cost savvy meals that we have done this month, as well as in the past.  

Salmon Filets:

We eat salmon filets more often than anything else.  In a non-stick skillet we heat them with lemon juice and sea salt.  In the oven we squirt lemon juice and spread dijon mustard on top and back at 350 degrees F until cooked to preferred doneness.  And either one of these we will eat with potatoes (roasted usually with sea salt sprinkled on them) or on top of a salad with tomatoes and sauteed onions.  When using these on salads we find no dressing is required!

Tilapia Filets:

Oh, tilapia, how I love you!  I introduced Garret to this wonderful fish just tonight, and he was mighty impressed.  And at less than 13 for a bag of 12 filets, the price cannot be beat.  We figured it up tonight that if we eat it 3 times a week that still means only buying one bag each pay period, which is damn smart to me.  Six meals worth of protein for less than 13 dollars! 

With tilapia I like to keep it simple.  I squirt some lemon juice on top and then grind some fresh black pepper.  I sprinkle some dried basil and parsley and stick it in a 350 F oven for about 15-20 minutes.  You just want to make sure this fish flakes when you drag a fork across a piece of it.  Do not overcook it though, as I found it gets tough.  If you want to see a photo of how ours turned out, please see my other blog.  

Shrimp:

Recently we found a dollar off coupon for some frozen cooked shrimp that was on sale for $3.99.  So for $2.99 we got a decent sized bag of shrimp.  What we chose to do was buy Bertolli's frozen pasta dinners.  Our favorite is the one in a tomato basil sauce with penne, shrimp, red peppers and asparagus.  It's supposed to serve enough for 2 people, but we tend to have leftovers, even when we didn't alter it.  But now what we do is add another 15-16 shrimp, 8-12 asparagus spears (it's not quite in season here yet, so we have been using the frozen bagged kind, which seems to work well for this meal), I saute up a large onion or 2 medium onions, and cut up a red bell pepper.  Then I add a little bit of olive oil (because the directions say to use a non-stick skillet with a lid, but ours doesn't have one so we use our stainless steel-----but the olive oil is a good way to stretch the sauce as well).  I also add dried basil, parsley, minced garlic, and salt and pepper.  Last time we made this it actually ended up making 6 servings instead of 2!  And we basically only added extra veggies and protein so it was healthier.  This meal could easily be made without the frozen pasta meal, and I highly recommend it-----the flavors do very well together.

Smoked Salmon:

I am talking more of the kind called lox than the filets.  British smoked salmon.  It's yummy by itself, on sandwiches with cream cheese, and of course on a bagel.  But my favorite smoked salmon sandwich is smoked salmon and cucumbers with boursin cheese.  It's amazingly delicious!  Yes, smoked salmon is not always the most frugal, but it is a strong taste, so a little goes a long way.  When we pick up a large package of it on sale for around 5 dollars, we can usually make it last for several meals.  

So, hopefully this has inspired you to look at fish as a frugal option.  I know that people usually think fishsticks or frozen battered fish filets or popcorn shrimp when they think of frugal fish dishes, but I have to say we've found that overall those actually seem to cost more than some of our favorite options.  And allrecipes.com is a wonderful place to look for simple fish dishes.  

If you have any delicious recipes to share, please do!  

Delicious

Our tilapia dinner went over very well tonight.  It was amazing.  I haven't eaten it since college, but we have 10 more filets left, so I am sure we will be eating it again soon!  It's so simple to make, and for those who don't like "fishy" fish, it's a very clean taste, not really fishy at all.  And it looks so damn pretty when it's plated!

Sunny Day

The weather has continued to stay absolutely beautiful!  Garret and I had our car towed this morning to get repairs.  Then we woke up and I made pancakes, which we ate with maple syrup and bananas.  Possibly the best combo ever.  And G told me that he always thought pancakes like mine were only on sitcoms, that they looked so perfect.....he even took a pic!  Does anyone know how to make pancakes in a skillet that isn't non-stick?  We're looking to get rid of our teflon pan and I have a bunch of stainless steel, and will eventually have a really nice cast iron pan.  If you can help, please e-mail me or leave a comment!

Because the weather has been so lovely, we were able to run errands (to the bank, the car place, the post office, and the grocery store) on foot, meandering, and even eating the strawberry frozen fruit bars on the way home.  It's been so nice outside lately that Garret doesn't bother with a jacket, and even though I wore one, it was lightweight and got a little warm.  We also got to go next door and see our youngest neighbor (who is 3 months old).  Everytime I see G hold a baby my heart just swells up.  He is going to be such an amazing dad someday!  Here's a pic of G from about a week ago holding him.  

We are getting so excited, as May gets closer and closer.  That's when we celebrate our 2 year anniversary, my 25th birthday, and hopefully early in the month we will find out where we are heading next.  Right now we are really hoping for Ohio.  He has a co-worker he previously worked with who said it's a great base.  We like the housing there (both the market and the styles of homes).  Both G and I really love old homes with fireplaces and wood floors.  I love the classic feel to homes that have history.  And it would be only 9 hours away from our families, so much easier a drive to go home for visits.  (Also, we've somehow convinced our families to help us with painting a house and whatnot, so the closer the better for them too!)

I've spent the past couple of months looking at color schemes for rooms, furniture that would suit us, and little details that will make a house our home.  I cannot wait until we move and get everything the way we want so we can share ideas of things we did ourselves and of course tons of photos.  I've been bookmarking pages n DIY projects, because we want to try and do a lot ourselves, both to save money and because we are really into building things, making things with our own hands.  I would really love an old Duncan Phyfe-esque couch to recover and make part of the formal living area.  

I've done a lot of thinking about style lately.  I love old things, whether it's furniture, music, or clothing. But I also do like some modern style when it comes to decorating.  I'm doing a lot of research on how to mesh the two.  For instance getting a Duncan Phyfe sofa recovered in a blue-grey velvet would allow it to mesh well with browns, silvers, basically a ton of colors and styles.  I love neutrals with patterns thrown into the mix.  One of the homes we are looking at in Ohio has a lot of old dark woodwork, so the walls and the rooms we would want to be light and open to contrast (because no way in hell would I be painting over all the beautiful 1920's woodwork).  

So much things coming up in the future, and with beautiful weather we are enjoying being outside to sit and plan the next few months.  And tonight I am cooking a simple but nice dinner for us.  Tilapia, with roasted baby potatoes (I got the tiniest ones I could find so I can roast them whole), with a lamb's lettuce salad and a glass of wine.  G has never had tilapia, so I will have to let you all know how it goes! 

Does anyone have any suggestions for this blog?  Maybe there is something you've wondered about?  Feel free to e-mail me any time.  And if you know where to find a simple but nice pattern for an apron, please let me know!  I am wanting to make a few sweet ones to wear while baking.  We already have a butcher's stripe one for Garret and a patriotic one I got for my birthday last year.  I'm planning on utilizing my mother's sewing machine when we go home in August so that I can make a few for our new home.  Thanks for any help anyone can give!