Thankful

Today I would like to quit complaining and talk about what I am Thankful for this Thanksgiving.  I lead a pretty blessed life, so here goes:

• My husband.  He drives me crazy, pisses me off and makes me laugh more than anyone in my life.  And he makes me strive to be a better person.
• My family.  They're all crazy interesting, nosy caring, and always there to listen.  
• My Grandmama.  She's my favorite person on this earth, she cracks me up more than anyone else, and she's reached an age where she says what she wants and I wouldn't want her any other way!
• My friends.  I've got some of the greatest people in my life, we support each other through things we might not even agree with and we hold our tongues when we're right, apologize when we're wrong, and have a lot of laughs along the way!
• My dogs.  Seriously, everyone who meets them loves them, I got lucky.  They are my cuddly babies, and I cannot wait to give them more huggles and snuggles at Christmas!
• My ability to get up in the mornings and do pushups even through the muscle soreness.  
• That I haven't killed anyone yet.  I mean, seriously, this time of year at the commissary makes me wonder if MD has a death penalty or not.  I understand it's a busy time of year, but people need to learn some basic manners!
• That it's a Tuesday morning, I'm still in pj's curled up in bed, listening to the rain and planning for everything we have going on this week.  It's relaxing and just what G ordered!

Gah!  I know I haven't posted in forever and a day!  I have been exhausted to my very core, pushing myself to staying up over 24 hours in an attempt to get back on a normal schedule.  And it worked.  The night before last I was up over 24 hours, nearly fell asleep at the Indian restaurant during dinner, came home and crashed at about 8.  Then yesterday I woke up, feeling refreshed, and I drove G to work!!!  I know I seem a little too excited for something so simple, but I haven't driven in over a month.  G is the driver in our house (although he sucks at it) and I didn't even know how to get to his work.  But he was getting off a little early, we had to take the car to get looked at for the insurance appraisal, and so I went to Panera, drank copious amounts of coffee and read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and then continued on to Prince Caspian.  Then I headed over to Target and Tuesday Morning where for $2 I found a little kids book version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and picked that up since G is obsessed with the idea of making sure our future kids are read these.  And yes, he was thrilled.  
                                                                                                                I have a couple other posts set up, just need to add pics.  I'm having a sad week right now with it being Thanksgiving and all, and wishing we were home for the holidays.  But G did find out yesterday that our Christmas leave has been approved so he just needs to decide what dates he wants to use and then we'll mark our calendars in a countdown!  How many days until we get our dogs  see our family?  Priorities people!

Only Today

I had a post all ready to go about this weekend.  It was angsty, because well, it was a mess.  But G and I decided this weekend after a very long talk that our new mantra is Only Today.  As in, what if you have only today to make sure your spouse knows they are everything to you?  What would you say?  What would you do?  What would you let slide that normally would annoy you?  


Today I stayed up all night finishing the care packages I was sending out.  G is going to mail them this afternoon after class.  So I was up and decided, hey, the poor guy is asleep on the couch because he didn't want to go to bed without you, and so you need to get it together. So instead of watching The Biggest Loser (oh my god!) I put together a lunch for him, then cut a note and envelope out of brown paper, sealed it and left a message to not open until he was at work.  I then placed said envelope where he would see it above the alarm panel as he armed it on his way out.  After that I boiled water for tea, and made scrambled eggs, Heinz beans and toast for breakfast.  That left plenty of time to lie in bed and just relax with him before he had to go to work.  And he appreciated it, letting me know how nice it was, since usually I am still groggy (if not full on asleep) when he leaves in the a.m.   


The last 2 1/2 years of our marriage are in the past.  Done.  Over.  We cannot go back and fix them, and with so many wonderful things in the future, who the hell would want to waste the time?  There is no guarantee of tomorrow.  The way the pick-up drivers around here drive (we have gotten pushed into another lane more than once because they chose to pretend they couldn't see our black vehicle in broad daylight) one could slam into us and that would be it.  We only have today.  Moments to make count.  And yes it sounds cheesy like a damn Hallmark card and yet it's a cliche because it's true.  Because every day I deal with my own mortality and we both needed to see our marriage in that light.  


We've got huge plans for the next 5 years.  Plans that we made with the other in mind.  Plans that are dreams we are making reality.  But if those 5, 10, 16 years never come?  I want to make sure G knows that he means the world to me.  That I believe he can change because he wants to and that he is worth me changing.  We each are lucky we found someone who loves the best and worst of us.  And we need to say it.  Not tomorrow, not next week, today.


If you only had today, who would you let know you loved them?  That you appreciated having them in your life?  What the hell are you waiting for?

Ribbon Necklace

I loved this thing so much that I wore it today!  Simple red ribbon with a cute white stitching that came off of a Godiva box I think.  I disassembled an old necklace I had from when I was a teen, and re-used the pearly glass beads.  The white part of the ribbon did make it easy to space them out, but it doesn't have to be perfect even if you use satin or grosgrain!

The original necklace

Marking spaces

Starting off

Finished!

I used the old clasp on this one and tada!

Warm Home

G and I keep it downright frigid in our house.  Short of the house heating up from cooking (which surprisingly it does quite quickly) our house is in the low 60's.  It's how we like it, if we get cold, we bundle up or bake.  
We also eat warm foods, like a new favorite roasted acorn squash.  A little salt, butter and maple syrup and you have this:

It was delicious and simple to cook (about 50 minutes total).  Definitely something we'll make again soon!

My New Baby!

On Sunday night my husband and I headed out on an adventure to Wal-Mart!  After having been cooped up in the house Saturday and Sunday I was a little bit excited for the trip.  We had a mission:  hunt down a new baby for me!
Here she is:

(With a free subscription to Martha Stewart Mag to boot!)

And once we got home I sat down to figure her out.  I ended up ripping apart an old baby blue t-shirt of G's because he's a skinny minnie and the size L drapes on him now.  Jerk.  Anyhoo, no bitterness here at all.  I made it into little bags for him when we travel (prepping for Christmas early).  Two shoe bags and two small bags for things like his watch and cuff links (because God knows he doesn't keep them in anything like the box that came with them).  I'm hoping to eventually put together a little travel valet for those things, but for now voila, the shoe bag (using the neckline as a drawstring on this shoe bag, the others are string-less currently, but that will be fixed this weekend). 

Lately

It feels like it's been forever since I posted anything really.  I'm a bad blogger, but have been distracted by shiny things.  Oh, and someone backed straight into our car on Saturday and nearly punctured the door.  It's got a nice square indention.  Lovely!

We've also been baking up a storm.  I am trying to get my care packages out for tomorrow, so tonight I am finishing them up!  I hope the lovely ladies enjoy them!

Tonight I am making some scones.  Please keep your fingers crossed since I've yet to find a recipe that reminded me of the ones we ate in England.  I also made some mock Devonshire clotted cream to go with at G's request!

And also on tonight's menu is chili for tomorrow!  We like to make it a day ahead for 2 very important reasons: one, it flavors better as it "ages" and two, we skim as much fat as possible off, but leaving it in the refrigerator overnight allows the rest to rise to the top and solidify, therefore making it healthier!

And finally, I've been creative quite a bit lately, and will have project upon project to show as we get closer to Christmas!  But the first couple were for me because I couldn't sleep after having been sick and slept in so late.  I took a strand of the cheap pearl beading you usually see involved in wrapping (it comes on rolls) and twisted and braided to make a long necklace.  I also made one with some glass beads and ribbon, but that will be the next post as there are several pics to show steps!  

Pics from this weekend will be up by Monday.  Currently I have the lovely flu.  I suppose I'm lucky, it's the first time I've had it in about a decade.  That being said, apparently that earned me every symptom possible, including body aches, weakness, and getting winded walking up the stairs.  Thank God I married a man who will wake up at 3:30 a.m. to go get me juice (vitamin C) and tylenol.  He's pretty much my hero.  "Time to take your medicine" says nurse Garret.  :)

Glove Love

This summer I bought some vintage leather gloves in a beautiful navy blue with some stitching and buttons on the bottom.  But they didn't really work for the summertime.  So i packed them in my suitcase, showed them to my Grandmama this summer while we were home and then promptly forgot about them.  Not completely, just in the sense that I couldn't wear them so I didn't give them much thought.  Well, it's been freezing cold here so they came out yesterday!  
                                                                                                             Garret loves when I dress like a lady.  Dresses, skirts, gloves and heels.  Even the occasional hat.  This isn't to say that he doesn't like me in jeans (he does very much so!) but he lights up when I come out dressed more carefully.  So yesterday I put a simple outfit together of jeans, a tank with cardigan belted with my pale blue obi belt and my navy blue print shoes. Then I added my new large sunglasses and the gloves and he suddenly was a supreme gentleman, helping me out of the car and holding an umbrella as he did so to prevent me getting soaked.                  
                                                                                                               So when he wanted to take some pics, I of course agreed.  Simple, nothing special.  Just me, my gloves and sunglasses.  

So Excited!!!

For those of you who know us well, this will come as no surprise, but for my lovely readers (and family) who I don't catch up with often enough, I must admit full on that I have a dis-combobulated husband.  I say this because I know that he has a hard time putting a plan in his head into action, hence he thinks he's done more than he has.  I'm talking about dates.  G and I have been together for 3 1/2 years now, and in that entire time he's planned 3 dates.  Count them: one in Soho at La Travaille over Christmas vacation when we were engaged, and two at Strada this past spring (and yes, we are both well aware that makes those 2 dates 2.5 years apart) and three when he planned the museum outing here in Baltimore last month.  


G's main problem is that he doesn't know what the hell he's doing.  I mean, let's be frank, I am the great love of his life, he's pined for me so long he didn't even pay attention to other women who were interested in him (although at the time I highly encouraged him to talk to them), and I'm the only woman he's really ever been in a relationship with.  Oh, and ours started when we were 22.  He's a late bloomer (or mild obsessive, since he's loved be since we were teens).  And he has no idea how to plan a date.  I tell him, keep it simple.  I am a simple type of girl.  Food is always good, but other than that, who cares?  


So my lively (typo, but I left it because I like it) readers guess what is happening tonight?  (don't pay attention that it was supposed to happen Wednesday, I gave him more time to breathe)  G is making me dinner (I helped prep things last night as his sous chef, sauteeing onions and peppers).  And yes, because I've helped with the cooking I know what we're having.  But G also has typed up a menu that has a quote, and although he really wanted to show me he is making that bit a surprise.  And then the rest of the night he's planned something here in the house, so we'll see.  He's been keeping a notebook squirreled away that has it written down, but I haven't gotten my hands on it.  (I do know he's planning a trip to the martini bar soon for me!)


Tomorrow I will post pics of the amazing food, and along with the share-able other activities.  Right now I'm like a kid at Christmas!  

On Choosing Family

I have recently written about how much I love my family, but failed to mention that you can also choose to make people a part of your family.  I come from a rather large family, both immediate and in-laws, and also aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.  Family get-togethers can look like a convention of sorts when everyone is there.  So the idea of choosing more people as part of my family is a wee bit nuts.  But I have my in-laws because I chose one very important person to be my family: G.  

                                                                                                                               Garret is my family.  He has been for far longer than I've been in love with him, because he was there through the up and downs.  He waited it out in the trenches for me.  We had a big blow up when we were younger that involved saying some not so nice things to one another and I thought we were done as friends, but damn is he persistent.  :)

I have a close friend JoLee who I never see enough of when I'm home.  We've been friends since we were I think 14, so 11 years now.  She is the most unique, quirky, big hearted person I know and I am trying desperately to convince her to move out here so I can see her more often.  She works at a children's hospital, worked in non-profit before, and constantly is thinking about how to help the world out.  G and I got the chance to hang out with her this summer (she's one of the people I went to the fashion show with), and she is one of my absolute favorite people back home.

And then there is my best friend Theresa.  She rocks more than I can ever say.  We're so different and yet so alike.  It's a weird paradox.  As with all friends you've had for a while (we met freshmen year of college, she and her roommate lived next door....so that makes us friends for 7 years!) we've had some crazy fights.  At one point I "borrowed" something she's had since she was a baby and hid it from her, only giving it back after we had worked things out.  We've always been the one to tell it like it is to one another, whether it's "you really need to get over so and so because girl he's never going to be anything but a jackass" or "you need to wake up and realize you're more amazing than you give yourself credit for."  I miss her like crazy, and will be making some definite plans for when we're home at Christmas time!

I think it's important to remind yourself that you make your own family.  You choose the people you allow into your life, and you can also choose when to say goodbye to others.  I've been super lucky in the fact that I have been blessed with some over the top fantastic people.  Sometimes I forget to tell them, so I'm writing it down here.  

Family

I don't talk about my family much on here, because oftentimes I'm irritated with one member or another, and also I think they deserve a bit of privacy.  G has to okay any post I do that involves something foolish he says or when I'm upset.  It's a rule I put on myself, so that I respect the boundaries of our relationship.  But I would like to take a minute to talk about my family.  

My parents have been married over 27 years.  Sometimes they have huge blow ups, and life has been a lot harder than it has been easy.  But they are each other's best friends and love each other so much.  My mother and I are a lot alike, and never fails to remind me I essentially married my father.  Because G and my Dad are a lot alike (especially the irritating traits, isn't that always the way?).  

I am one of 4 kids, the oldest, with 3 younger brothers.  The oldest is a father, and that's the best damn thing he's ever done.  We fight like cats and dogs, but in the end he values my opinion a lot, and I love him to pieces.  The middle brother is so much like me at times it's not even funny.  We made up our own little group called "The Beautiful People" and G is a member because he married me.  We're slightly snarky when we're together, he has that 18 year old attitude that drives me nuts, but I am so proud of who he is.  My youngest brother is my baby.  I would literally murder someone if they hurt him, and I don't believe in killing.  He is one of the most intelligent people I know, and I loved being home this summer because he enjoyed having me and G around.  As so often happens, he's the youngest, slightly annoying (he's at that teenage age), and he doesn't feel like he's listened to a lot, so G and I did a lot of just hanging out with him this summer.  

My family is really close.  We're loud, boisterous, and argue more than we should.  But we are very, very tight knit.  We go to bat for one another, we fight for one another, and it doesn't even matter if we don't agree with a decision, we try and be supportive.  And I am missing my family like crazy right now.  My mom goes through "Kalee-withdrawels" and wishes I was there to hug a lot.  My dad is not perfect, but he's one of the best men I know, and he has the perfect lap.  My eldest brother is a moron (if anyone outside our family called him that I'd smack them), but I can see the possibilities with his life, and I miss having more chats with him.  My middle brother cannot keep a secret for the life of him, so if I want to know something about anything going on, he's the one that I ask.  And my baby brother is by far the best person I know (sorry G).  His kind nature makes me so excited to see the type of man he turns into.  

So that's my night in a nutshell.  I've been lost in thought a lot.  I haven't been home for Christmas in 3 years, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we will be this year.  But I'm wishing I was there for Thanksgiving.  I miss that family time.  I miss my mom's cooking (we're skipping turkey this year---it's been too ridiculous cooking that huge meal for the 2 of us).  I miss playing baseball or football outside with my brothers and dad.  I miss going around the table and saying what we're thankful for.  I got lucky.  God gave me a family that at times drives me batty and makes me want to stop speaking to them, but then I'll get a call from them, just to say hello, to check in.  I'll get a goofy Halloween card from my mom (thank God she finally quit sending those obnoxious sounding ones that talk at you).  And I'll miss them once again.

I Try And Love Like Jesus

I was catching up on some episodes of Grey's Anatomy, and I came to the one where Callie's dad tries to "pray away the gay."  And I felt for her.  I have had friends who have had to pretend they were different to family members because that was what they felt their only choice was.  I've been portrayed as the "girlfriend" more than once.  And I am okay with that.  I have learned that although you need to be true to yourself, some people don't need to know every aspect of your life, and sometimes crap like that is necessary for survival.  


I am a Christian, and a Catholic at that.  I believe in Jesus as the son of a loving God.  I believe that God may have indeed not liked the gays in the Old Testament, but then he had a child, and we know how that changes parents (I am not saying this is what I believe, just that since the conservative Christians believe the Old Testament points to this, that this is a compromise).  I don't type any of this to sound flippant.  I know some Christians will take offense, and while I hope they feel as I do, that our beliefs are our own, if they're offended I don't apologize.  I'm offended every time I hear a Christian cry out hateful words to the gay community.  Jesus asked of us to love one another as if every person we met was Him.  I choose to try to attempt this.  If you choose to have moments of hatefulness (ala the Fred Phelps Church) then I will still love you, because God says you need it.  


In the show Callie's girlfriend Arizona said that when her father found out she was gay he asked one question:  "are you still the person I raised you to be?"  I cried during the show and I am not afraid to admit it.  Because I've never heard it put so wonderfully.  I am not a mother, yet, but I do know how I want to raise my children.  I have heard conservatives cry out that they don't like how whorish the gay community is.  It can be, especially when you take a bunch of men (who are young and have high sex drives) and ostracize them from the rest of society.  Oh yes, they explore just like any other young adults.  Do I condone this?  No.  But neither do I condone any straight young adults acting like whores either.  It happens, will continue to happen, but I hope to raise my children to act differently than my peers and I did.  If they do, I will love them anyways, but I hope I will have raised them better than that.  


I know people who as soon as they hear someone is a Christian they expect the judgements to begin.  How sad is that?  I don't live my life like that.  I try not to judge, but the things that cause me to judge the most are liars and hypocrites.  I still love them, because I see the God in them.  I want to change the minds of people.  I want the title Christian to represent more good than bad.  So I am not going to judge people for who they are (which is a whole other issue, the debate on either being born gay or choosing to be gay, and we really don't have time for that).  And it makes me sick those who do, in the name of Jesus.  Jesus is ashamed of that hate, and believe me, wants nothing to do with it.  

Perfect Weekend

SInce moving back to the US, and G starting a new job, we've been on a normal schedule of M-F with weekends off.  Couple that with the fact that he gets off an hour and a hafl early three days a week (including Friday) to work out, and our weekend is nice and long.  Today G is cutting down the tree in our backyard so that the privacy fence can be installed on Monday.  I thought while he was doing manual labor I would lie in bed and type up a list of what makes the perfect weekend for us:

* Waking up snuggled together.

* Lying in bed, being lazy bums for no less than 2 hours while we read news or watch a t.v. show.  Or talk, whatever we're in the mood for.  

* Get up and dance naked (or in underwear, whatever) to music like Beyonce, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Joe Cocker, AfroCuban Music, Michael Buble, etc. (this was just the ones we danced to today)

* Breakfast in bed.  Or just coffee.  In the a.m. I'm not picky.

* Getting some sunshine in (if it's not a rainy weekend).  

* Baking something, anything.

* Church.

* Opening our windows to let the local church's gospel music flow in to get us up on Sundays.

* Reading good books.  It's one of the things I love about us is that we are both voracious readers, so we love curling up together, each of us reading a different book, pausing occasionally to chat or make out.

* More coffee or Earl Grey.

* Board games, particularly scrabble or checkers, since we get really (fake insults and all) competitive.

* A dirty martini while dressed in a cocktail dress.

* More dancing --- in the kitchen this time.  What do you think the hardwood floors were installed for?  To twirl of course!

* Dinner of good food, wine, and lots of laughing, with some stolen smooches.

* Crashing curled up in bed watching a favorite movie on the computer.  

I like my weekend productive and lazy.  I don't think they're a contradiction.  If I'm too busy I feel like the weekend rushes past and sets a bad precedent for my weekend.  If we just lie around it makes me feel overwhelmed during the week that we didn't get anything done.  We balance it.  We spend plenty of time just lying around chatting.  But we also complete a few tasks. (G is doing the tree now because of the daylight....I work better doing things in the house at night, since that's when I feel productive).  

How do you celebrate a weekend (or a break if you work weekends)?  Share!

Needing Opinions

I'm in a hair rut.  I generally love long hair on me, but I've also had it short and loved it then too.  I'm thinking in between.  And lo and behold, I see the cover of this month's Elle with Katie Holmes:

What do you think? I'm thinking it'll be slightly harder to have lazy days and pull my hair back.  But I'm also thinking that I can get some dry shampoo and give the kind of not quite dirty french girl look a try.  Hmmm.

Night In

No big post or cute outfit today.  Just a night in with the husband.  You see, we've been married 2.5 years... halfway to 5, 1/10 of the way to 25.  So he's a bit excited.  He even got me a card!  And he's making me breakfast for dinner.  


And he was cute and this morning brought me a granola bar and left it on the bedside table. He knows how I've been skipping eating until he gets home most days because let's face it, I'm rarely hungry enough to go all the way downstairs.  


So we're having a night of laziness.  Of eggs with Heinz beans and toast.  Earl Grey for the first time in months.  We're taking a moment to remember that Home for us is each other.  

Lazy Days

Today we were busy dealing with boring things like property taxes.  Which included finding out that the people we had to deal with were really nice, but the city people in the phone chain?  Rude as hell.  They hung up on G before making sure he had the right number.  Then off we flounced (one of my favorite words, that quite frankly doesn't get used enough) to the store for the rest of the ingredients for muffins, and then had soup and sandwiches at Panera because we didn't have enough shornakhod left for dinner.  Sad day, I know.  Now we're home, have had one pot of espresso, and G is hunting down something for our 2.5 year anniversary tomorrow.  I've been banished to watching Sons of Anarchy.  Oh the horror!


I think my outfit reflects my I don't care attitude of the day.  

Boots:  Kenneth Cole Reaction

Jeans:  Ann Taylor Loft

Tank: Old Navy 

Cardigan:  Burton (thrifted in England)

Necklace: one from a relative

Scarf: I picked it up at a market in Turkey, it's huge and I love it.

Espress Yourself

Espresso made in our Bialetti.  

Things I've Done Today

* Re-painted my nails with Light My Sapphire, because after removing spray paint from my hands, there was no more polish.  And because it makes me smile.
* Ate yummy leftover shornakhod.  Even better today.  Oh yes it is.
* Thoroughly contemplated different outfits revolving around one pair of shoes.  Thanking God for the memory I have with visualizing, because I did this all from the comfort of my bed.
* Went to a free wine tasting with G.  Awww yeah!
* Bought a nice goat's cheese called Bucherondin from the wine store (which also carries cured meats, bread, olives, truffle oil, and liquor galore.....)
* I fell in love with a 1972 scotch that is supposed to have a taste of seville oranges.  I'd settle for the cheaper one that is supposed to have flavors of vanilla and butterscotch.  (both by Glenrothes)
* I sound like an alcoholic, but I want to learn to drink scotch/bourbon.  
* Because I am wanting to throw a retro cocktail party with martinis, scotch on the rocks and shirley temples.  

And now I'm just rambling.  So here is what I wore on our mini date to the wine store.  

Gah, it was brought to my attention that I didn't put anything about the outfit!

Dress:  Gap Outlet

Tights: Gap Outlet (I love them, they're thicker so nice for the cool weather)

Ring:  H&M

Boots:  Kenneth Cole Reaction

As I am typing this I am snacking on ciabatta with the goat's cheese, and lemme tell ya.... divine!  I am not usually a huge fan of the rind on cheeses (but I'm working on it, so I eat it anyways) but this rind is actually good!  And the wikipedia description is completely accurate... crumbly, gooey, yummy!

The wine we were tasting is from southern Italy, in Calabria.  We tried a dry white, and 3 reds, and every single one was decent-good.  We really liked the white, so we picked up a bottle of that, and we're headed back to the store for the last one we tried once it comes in.....they sold out.

So there you have it:  mini date successful!

Happy Fridge

Green Goodness

What To Wear...

Grocery Shopping!  Every time we go to The Helmand for dinner my wallet cringes.  Because we eat a lot.  Several courses really.  It's great Afghan food, but I wanted to try making it at home.  So we headed to the grocery store to finish picking up ingredients.  We were going to make it last night, but when we realized the beans and chickpeas that cost 50 cents a can at the commissary cost $1.29 at Safeway, we decided to wait and pick up those today.  

Dress:  Old Navy

Tights:  Anne Klein (from TJMax)

Boots:  Kenneth Cole Reaction

I had a cute pink bangle from Gap on earlier, but this photo wasn't taken until I was done cooking dinner!

My apron (one from my Grandmama) looked good with the whole outfit, so I had G take a pic of this too!

Dinner was a salad called shornakhod.  It's really simple, cheap to make, and tastes oh so damn good!  The hardest part is the cilantro sauce, since I didn't have a food processor or blender, and was using a mini chopper.  It didn't get it as fine as at the restaurant, but sill really good. 

Yes, it's messy... this was after mixing it up.  Pre-mixing it looked like there was something growing on it!

*EDIT* For those of you who really cannot stand cilantro, but want to give this a whirl, I came up with an idea for a sauce.  Just let me know if you're interested!

And finally, if you want to see our (simple) first project for our home, please head on over to Une Maison Chic and let me know what you think!

First Painting Project

I want to preface this by saying that I have never spray painted anything really, ever, so after doing this project I went about the house looking for things to paint.  I might be a wee bit obsessed, but had to give it up until we can take the can of spray primer back to Home Depot, because the thing broke on me, mid spray, and all I had covered was the frame.  Damn.  


The Before:

I love the painting (G really loved it, we saw it at a thrift store in England, decided we had no idea what to do with it, and then 4 days later were back to pick it up.  It was meant to be, it really fits into our home now.)


The After:  

So there you have it.  A simple little project, but daunting.  Especially since we did it inside our living room, because I was too eager to wait until daylight outside!    In the end we ended up with paint on my hands, but nothing was ruined.  

Have you painted anything fun lately?  

Homesick

Lately I get whiny a lot.  Some days I even cry....in the grocery store.  Oh, it doesn't take much, just seeing a can of Heinz beans and missing going to a pub for breakfast is enough to do it.  Because, well, as much as I was glad to leave G's job, I miss England.  We both do.  


It's strange to feel out of place in your own home country.  But we do.  We miss market days (yes they have them here, complete with rude people who run over your feet with a stroller and never notice, much less care, and no people yelling hawking their goods).  We miss coffee at the Portuguese grocer.  We miss the abbeys, the nature reserves, the tea.  We miss the slower pace, the store keepers who don't get in your face, the excitement this time of year because of preparing for Christmas fayres, not because of crazy materialism.  

I don't want anyone thinking I hate the US, I don't.  It has it's perks (certainly one is that not everything is closed after 5 p.m. here).  And we're adjusting, but just enough to make do, because we want to leave.  We thought we would stay here for 8, maybe even 12 years, and now all we talk of when the topic comes up is of going home.  Maybe England, hopefully Belgium, and we would not scoff at Germany.  And as a pick me up, I decided to post pics of England.  Enjoy!

Me?

I was reading a post by an insanely good writer, Rebecca Woolf.  She's one of the few women who I read her stories and think, "I could do this, I could be a mom and not lose myself."  And I was leaving a comment, and I thought to myself, "Why do I do this?  Why do I leave comments so damn detailed and not just post about it?"  So I left a shorter comment and came here to write.


There are days I wake up screaming.  Not really aloud, but in my head.  Days when I think "Oh my God who the hell have I become?!?"  I'm 25, married, a housewife, and we're talking about babies.  Um, wtf?  I wasn't planning on getting married until I was 30.  I wanted to travel the world with my girlfriends, backpacking through Asia, drinking espresso in Italy, flirting with men worldwide.  I wanted a big career, and to date lots and lots of men, because damnit I get bored easily.  


There are days I panic, wishing I could have a re-do.  Wishing I could be the person I was before.  Feeling like I've changed and barely know myself.  Sometimes I feel....boring.  I'll be out with G and I'll see a group of college girls and think "holy shit, when did I get so old?"  (apparently I feel about 40, if you haven't caught on).  


But I'm really not that different.  I got married at 23 not because I was stupid and rushed into it (although at the time my friends thought I had lost it) but because I fell in love with my best friend, and even on days when I want a divorce (and there are plenty, believe me), I know he's it.  He's the one who gets me, and puts up with my bullshit.  He's the one who knows I flit about, not because I'm flaky but because I get bored so easily.  He told me the other day that he has always known this about me, I get very intensely into something, but once I've become too saturated with it, I have to just leave it.  He let's me lead in that respect, willingly stopping a show in the middle only to finish it months later.  And he is constantly changing, growing as he figures out the type of man he wants to be (and sometimes trying to be what I need, because he loves me and is pushing past his comfort zone of anti-sociality), so it's like dating different men, right?


I've traveled the globe.  I've seen countries I never even thought of seeing.  I fell in love with Turkey, and dream of going back there sometime soon.  I also have gotten G interested in seeing more, so we're currently planning a trip for the 2 of us (destination to be announced once we've worked it all out).  I missed having espresso in Rome, but enjoyed a Greek coffee in Athens and a Turkish Coffee in Turkey.  I've flirted with men all over, including guards in Egypt.  I don't get to travel all the time (don't we all wish we could?) but when I do, I jump into it, I live each moment as it comes, and have vibrant memories because of it.


I don't have a big career, other than being a wife (and let's face it, G should have fired me a while ago).  But I will be a mother (well, at some point), and that's a huge job.  And eventually, some day, once the little ones are in school I'm going back out there.  In the meantime, I write and work on figuring out what to be.  I told G the other night I was too old to be a doctor.  He looked at me like I was crazy and said no, and that I needed to just do it.  Hmm.  Does he want children any time in the next decade?  (the answer is yes, he wants them desperately, so I think the doctor thing will wait!)  


So, I'm still me.  Just a grown-up version.  Like Kalee 2.0!  I still want the same things, and I still dance in the street when I hear music playing.  I still get a rush when I realize men who are not my husband have their eyes following me (Panera is great for this, we even had a man recently move to a booth closer, much to G's annoyance).  It's just now I flirt, but don't take it seriously.  Now I travel the world, but know that someday it's going to be with a wee one in a sling (because we're the crazy people hoping to hit up Paris in the next two years, and no, we're not leaving the baby with a relative, we want them to see Paris too!).  I've not changed, just changed how my dreams will happen.  They will still happen, because no matter what, I'm still me.  

What To Wear...

To the hardware store!  G and I were headed to Home Depot to pick up some spray paint for me.  I have an old jewelry box that I wanted to re-do, and we needed to paint the picture frame for our mountain painting.  I got dressed cute, because, well, I can.  By the end of the trip my feet were killing me (it's nothing to do with the boots and everything to do with the fact that my poor feet need to be looked at, and these 2 flights of stairs are not helping).  But we were able to get paint, and also picked up an aloe vera plant, a succulent, and an apple tree!  A golden delicious apple tree at half off, actually.  We're planning planting it in the backyard (although we might be waiting until the fence is done).  In a couple of years I should be able to make an apple pie when I want, no problem (and I'm considering canning my apple pie filling to make this easier).  

Necklace: H&M (from England over a year ago)

Shirt:  Banana Republic

Bag: Gerard Darel (it's my baby, I'm hoping for a slightly different one in brown soon)

Jeans:  Ann Talor Loft

Boots:  Kenneth Cole Reaction

Socks: (which you can't see) G's dress socks, since I have yet to find my own socks!

We have so many projects coming up, so be sure to check out my home blog Une Maison Chic.  Four levels is proving to equal lots and lots of projects!  


And, my first real cooking in the oven moment:  Salmon with onions on top of pasta with tomatoes on the side.  It was quite yummy (and cheap, I picked the salmon up for $2.00, and it fed both of us).