dumpster accoustics

yes it's as crazy as it sounds.  and i wasn't even there to witness it but couldn't stop laughing thinking about it.
  my coworker was coming out of subway and heard someone singing.  looked around and saw a guy leaning up against a big garbage dumpster with his arms resting on top and the best part-the big black lid was up and resting on the top of his head.  singing away into the garbage dumpster. 
too bad we didn't get a video. 
people are great.

not going down without a fight

tragedy struck two weeks ago.  i'd spent the evening with a friend in bountiful and enjoyed a nice oreo milkshake and order of fries.  that night i thought i was going to die.  natalie had no such symptoms. 

the next thursday i was enjoying some chips and salsa from chili's and made myself a tall glass of chocolate milk.  i love chocolate milk.  not even an hour later my stomach was screaming at me.  couldn't think of anything i was eating that i hadn't eaten numerous times before with no problems.  natali suggested milk.  i wanted to cry.  but it was somewhere to start.

so i gave it a few days.  then started with half cup with my breakfast.  by noon it was confirmed.  all i kept thinking of was soy milk, soy ice cream, tofu-yes i realize this is not a milk replacement but still.  blah.  not going to happen.  i love milk too much.  nothing like a cold glass of milk with waffles for breakfast. 

so this lactaid pill everyone's telling me about better be a miracle pill.  or i'll really cry.

a tender mercy

on a day when all I was feeling was frustrated and disappointed and frustrated in the male gender (i'm a single girl, it happens and in this case was justified) what should happen to remind me that i'm being watched out for and that life isn't so rough?  

two bags of oranges, fresh from california, show up at work for me from one of the guys in our warehouse in redlands.

as simple as it was, it's exactly what I needed. 

dreary weather calls for yummy food

i love yummy food.  good thing because cooking for one can be a little depressing, especially when it can take over an hour to put something together since apparently i'm slow.

it's been raining buckets here for the last couple days.  yep, rain in the middle of january.  it finally turned to snow tonight but we've got 'lakes' all over town that are going to be small skating rinks soon.  crazy weather.  nothing better than yummy food on a dreary saturday.  tried a new recipe tonight that is worth sharing:

bbq chicken salad with creamy bbq cilantro lime dressing

somehow mine looks completely different than the original (the recipe is linked to the recipe name above-a little deceiving) but when does it ever turn out like the picture?  i also added my cilantro lime rice to the salad and it was fantastic.  

best ever cilantro lime rice (cafe rio):

1 c. uncooked converted white rice

1 t. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. grated lime peel

1 15 oz. can chicken broth

1/4 c. water

2 T. fresh lime juice

2 t. sugar

3 T. fresh chopped cilantro

in saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime zest, chicken broth, and water.  bring to a boil.  cover and cook 15-20 minutes until rice is tender.  remove from heat.  in a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar, and cilantro.  pour over hot cooked rice.  mix well.

a little untraditional

stampin up card night tonight.  theme: love  

paper used: spice cake designer series, more mustard, chocolate chip, very vanilla

embellishments: antique brads, crochet trim, cricut die cut letters and heart

weakness confirmed

another holiday, another set of mini cupcake liners (or two since you can't see the package underneath). i may need a bigger cupboard. . . 

. . . especially with the christmas ones i found on clearance!

love this holiday

no, i'm not a valentine's day lover, pretty indifferent in fact, but whatever holiday brings with it cherry juju hearts i'll embrace it wholeheartedly. nothing really special about roses or another box of chocolates (my vendors bring those why would i want them for valentine's day?) but only once a year can you get cherry juju hearts.  original or chocolate covered, i'm not picky. 

love love this time of year.

a little bliss

my heart found a little bliss on the way to work this morning in the form of a bagel.  ready for this?  maple & brown sugar oatmeal with honey almond shmear.  oh. my. word.  try it.  love it.

An unexpected announcement

It began as a funny story telling how I had been asked out the night before at my first day of institute this semester and somehow it turned into this:

Apparently it is a rare enough occasion for the guys at work to hear about me dating that it quickly gets out of hand.  Before I knew it I had a post on my facebook wall followed by two congratulations and another in a text.  I'm a little curious if the day ever comes how they will react. . . probably won't believe me.

Lemi Shine-love you but really?

No this is not a product review but at the risk of sounding like I'm a 40 year old house wife: I have a hard water problem.  Milky glassware and filmy silverware.  Slightly embarrassing when someone asks for a glass of water. It's clean, I promise.  So an older and wiser friend told me about Lemi Shine-the hard water expert.  Tried it.  Love it.  Until this morning.  Do you see something wrong with this picture:

Yes, it is my 2 cup measuring cup . . . now without the measurements.  Missed the fine print.  Caution: Check manufacturers' suggested cleaning instructions on all dishwasher safe items.  Not recommended for painted glassware. . . Sweet.

Abandoned as a child?

Some people have asked me lately if I was abandoned as a child as if it would explain a lot about me. . . cold hearted and distant. . . Mom?

On the same subject but not necessarily to do with anything happening in my life right now, sometimes I don't mind getting my heart broken because it reminds me that I really can feel and get attached to people.  Not so cold hearted and distant.  It sounds horrible but it's really not.  Honest.  How does the quote go, "Still, a girl likes to be crossed in love now and then.  It give her something to think of. . . "  It doesn't happen very often, not that I get crossed in love but that I get attached so that being crossed in love is even an option.  If that makes sense.

A bunch of pillows

It's been a long time since I've done a sewing project so I'm not sure where the confidence came from to do this one, another example of me getting crazy ideas!  Found a really cute quilt at Gardner Village and decided to do a new bed set for my mom's guest room for Christmas.  So, I picked the colors and went at it, with a little help from Google image search and reluctantly Pinterest (still haven't hopped completely on the bandwagon).
Pillow #1 (and technically 2):

The Euro Shams.  The fabric is almost a corduroy but that sounds not pretty for pillow fabric so we'll call it textured in stripes.  Color is brown but has hints of gold in the right light.

Pillow #2:

The Petal Pillow.  Made completely out of felt (but the kind with wool in it so it's stiffer).  Started with 5 1/2 in petals on the outside and went down from there.  Started sewing the petals down but once it got too fluffy turned to the glue gun.

Pillow #3:

The Ruffle Pillow.  And since I don't actually pin things when I use Pinterest I can't even tell you who I got this idea from, I have horrible blogging manners, but whoever she is left the edges unfinished but I decided not to to keep the design a little less casual.  I did leave the top serged edge showing and just including the serge in the flower to tie it together.  Props to Natali and her fine ruffling skills!

Pillow #4:

The Buttoned Sham.  Wanted to make this one a little more formal to tie everything together but let's be real, the buttons are the only thing formal about it.  Love the fabric pattern though.  And no hand sewing involved except for sewing on the buttons, huge plus!

And the final result:

Merry Christmas Mom!