Looking back, Looking forward and The Now :)

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Good Friday morning, everyone!

First things first:

This is fabulous. Make it tonight. (& the recommended wine complements the dish perfectly!) 2 items to note, however: Red cayenne pepper is not a suitable substitute for red pepper (at least, not in the same measured amount ... whoo-- sPiCy!!)... unless you are insane ... or want to drink half the bottle of said wine, and then lie on the floor with your darling kitten and a pounding headache for the rest of the night.

....Yeah....

So I know I told you I'd put up a post for you last night, but in addition to the pathetic occurrence all ready mentioned above last night I made the executive decision to unplug, relax, and just have a "date night" with my husband. It's been a stressful week for both of us, and it was really nice to just sit and enjoy each others' company in a quiet house (oh.wow. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but this may be my #1 on my "Owning a house Good List". the QUIET. Love, love LoVe it. ...Apparently I am getting old.)

I also found great joy yesterday in making our special "date night dinner" (which, as I may have mentioned before was awesome. Imho, it was totally like something I could have ordered at a restaurant...only spicier ;) One of my favorite quotes from the movie 'Julie and Julia' was this:

"Chocolate cream pie! You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure, and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. You can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. That's such a comfort."

- Julie Powell, Julie and Julia

Because it's true. I know I may not cook very often (truthfully, I don't cook half as often as I would like), but oh, when I do-- it's wonderful. And when I say that I am not so much bragging about my cooking abilities (which I consider to be adequate but not stellar or particularly innovative) as I am giving thanks for a few moments of respite.

I love chopping things up and measuring things out. I like stirring constantly and the brief, frantic moments when you need to bring everything together at once. I love the way cooking completely consumes you so that you have no capacity to think about anything but the task at hand (this means a lot coming from me. I am, indeed, the woman who always has a list going in her head-- a bona-fide multi-tasker...) It's another one of those blessed opportunities in life where it's not so much the outcome, but the journey & process of getting there.

Of course, the outcome is also (typically) one of my favorite parts as well :) Om nom nom.... (And, for the record, I did not make a chocolate cream pie. I made brownies with a healthy dose of semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed in. Equally yummy, if not as labor intensive.)

And since we've covered the "now" (I think you can probably tell that with this post we have returned to a more cheery Amy-like tone-- it's amazing what a date night can do for your spirits!) I did want to update you on how last weekends' BIG* party went! (*It's the biggest party I've ever hosted.)

The verdict: Success! I had a wonderful time playing hostess, we didn't lose any cats in the multiple openings & closings of the doors, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves! (Judging by the conversation and laughter, both of which were freely flowing for the duration of the celebration.) ...Also, I didn't have to cut cake, which is always a "win" in my book! (As I explained to J, everyone has something that they "just don't do". I don't cut cake. I think it has something to do with not wanting to be saddled with the responsibility of giving people too little or too much .... cake is serious stuff, bloggies.)

... And of course, after everyone left, J and I were completely wiped out-- which I also consider to be a measure of the party's success :)

Finally: Looking forward. I feel like I say this quite a bit, but this weekend is looking pretty relaxing. I am doing a 5k with my family tomorrow (Saturday) morning (rain, rain, stay away!!); J and I need to give grass planting another try; and I'm hoping we'll get in a "real-go-out-date-night" on Saturday evening (Iron Man 2?!) ..We shall see :) I love weekends full of promise and possibilities (even if they do make my Fridays pass extremely slowly...)

Your turn: weekend plans? Seen any good movies (in theater or at home) recently?

The good stuff.

"Quickie" post tonight, friends... but I promise you I'll "fill in the blanks" tomorrow.

Suffice it to say, I picked up Gracie at the vet today after an overnight stay (ughhh... talk about your whopping dose of 'Mommy guilt" ...) and I need to spend the evening snuggling and kissing my little girl.

But, because I don't need a whopping dose of 'bloggy-guilt', too I like you all an awful lot... here's a quick rundown of life in Amy-ville lately... plus pictures... PLUS a list. ...Really, this isn't such a bad little post after all ;)

Life as I know it (here and now: 6pm on Wednesday night....welcome to chaos.)

• Gracie. My sweet, sleepy girl. Oh, how Mama missed you.
• Baron = spaz. ... Methinks his "comfort your own" gene is all too quickly replaced by the"primal, must survive and protect ME" gene. (Read: apparently Gracie smells like "vet" and so Baron is on the defensive, growling, hissing, and snapping. Lovely. Needless to say, he got booted out of the room really quickly.)
• Currently I am blogging here:
• ...and on the table next to me rests a devotional ... with a half empty bottle of Miller on it. If there is a more candid snapshot into my life tonight, I don't know what it might be. Truly, it's simple: I love God; I love enjoy beer. Sometimes you need (a lot of) both to get you through an evening.
• Weather this week = yuck. Cold, rainy, and decidedly un-May like. I am ready for the sun & warmth to return any.time.now.
• But this? This chaos here? I'll take it. Because sandwiched between the crazy times, I find myself breathing in little moments like this one (see below.) And these are the moments I live for.

(J & Gracie snuggling. Actually, they are both asleep. I am listening to the snores that prove it.)

Good List

1. J. Sometimes I have a hard time putting into words what he means to me, but trust me, it's enough... and so much more.
2. good, long nights of sleep
3. cupcakes!!! Courtesy of the lovely Laurie :)
4. breathy, kitty sighs from the sleeping lovely next to me. (heh. that would be Gracie.)
5. good books; great escapes
6. chocolates that inspire me (... even if I did have to eat about 5 to get a good message like this. actually, now that I think about it, one might argue that was part of the good stuff.. you know... the fact that I had to eat 5 dove promises...)
7. soft blankets for snuggling under, and cushy (orange) 'writing chairs'
8. romantic comedies. because some nights are for laughing, loving, happy ending type movies
9. sweat pants
10. "What a gift of grace to be able to take the chaos from within, and from it create some semblance of order." - Katherine Paterson

And, like always, I'll leave you with the good stuff. Because there is oh-so-much good stuff here tonight. My rainy, grey work days and the stressful 'in-betweens' will not define me, but rather, it's the good, little moments that are writing my story.

What are you thankful for today? What tops today's Good List?

Amy-do

Not so Good: My day started out bright and early with this* falling into my lap.

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Ewwww.
* For those of you reading who actually know your 'bugs', this was exactly what fell on me. (Gah... which is a good thing bc THIS is a bed bug....) However, it looked pretty much the same, only about 2" long. Anyhoo...

Good: It missed falling into my coffee by mere centimeters -- but it did miss! Also, the shrieks & dances that ensued while Sarah, Katie, Molly and I all tried to catch the critter and smash it were rather amusing. (Yes. it was a team effort, and I do realize that this behavior is decidedly 'girly'. I think it is the perfect time to remind you that (a) the bug was HUMONGOUS 2" long (b) I am a girl, so acting girly isn't all together unexpected ... and (c) the cup of coffee I alluded to was my first of the day... & really, while having a large bug fall into your lap at any time is disconcerting, having said large bug fall in your lap prior to drinking your first sip of coffee is completely unbearable....)

Also good:

Good List

1. J.

2. Snuggling in bed and hot oatmeal make cold mornings infinitely more bearable :)

3. Homemade pizza (last night's margherita pizza was wonderful. Definitely justified me being excited about it all week day!)

4. Quiet nights. Because sometimes it's nice to sit and just 'be'.

5. Clearance racks.

6. Beautiful hardcover books, filled with absolutely delicious inspiration. Like this one : the beautiful outdoor-scapes set my heart and imagination on fire-- and inspire me to create a warm gathering place in which we can both host summer backyard bbqs and relax in the sun.

7. The weather this week (post-Monday, obviously) has been perfect (and I do not say that lightly!) Bright sunshine + cooler (50's - low 60's) temperatures have made it impossible to resist long afternoon walks.

8. 'Mocktails'. Lately I have been enjoying pom + club soda or oj + club soda as a refreshing pick-me-up.

9. Snuggling with the kitties (& a good book!) in the late afternoon sun.

10. One of my favorite things about our new neighborhood is being able to sit out on the front porch and watch the neighborhood kids playing. There is lots of bike riding, and there always seems to be a little group of children gathered at one house or another. A couple of times (when the breeze is just right) I can hear them telling each other stories and/or setting up the parameters for a really good "make-believe session." (ie: "...I'm all grown up, I have a car and a golden retriever. You're my son.") What wonderful memories that brings back! I really wanted to move into a 'family-oriented neighborhood', and I think we picked a good one :)


And now, to continue with List Day Tuesday Wednesday Thursday (?!) (Gah... I'll 'get with it eventually, I promise.), below you will find the list that inspired this post.

Now I know you've heard of "honey-do's... well this, my friends, is the "Amy-do". In the spirit of full disclosure, I've gotta tell you right off the bat, a good amount of this stuff won't get done tonight ... so I guess really you should read this as a "wish list" for my next 24 hours (as of now, 8:48 pm tomorrow-- Friday-- will be my cut-off)



I'll try to cross these out as I go... My basic problem m.o. is to make lots of lists, and thrill in the making.... And then lose them, or for various other reasons never end up checking things off (which is tragic, since 'the checking' is arguably the most fulfilling part!) This is actually a little experiment for me... to see if I get more accomplished since I am being held accountable :0


Amy-do:

• Drink a glass of red wine
• & eat some dark chocolate with sea salt (All right, fine... I may have added these 1st two items to the list simply so that I can cross them off... but, on the other hand... I did wish to do this tonight ... )
• Go to bed early (930 ish) and attempt to get 8 hours of sleep. (Friday a.m. edit = FAIL. Total fail. I was in bed early... but I don't think we turned off the lights till around 11pm.)
• Remember to set my alarm for early early tomorrow morning, so I am forced to .... (Friday a.m. edit = Okay... I did this, but I definitely woke up at 4:30 this morning and re-set it.... That's why this is "half-crossed-out".... not a total fail, but definitely not a complete success, as far as the intent behind it....)
• wake early and go for a run (& shower) and manage to make it out of the house at 7 am, so I can ....(Friday a.m. edit = Again, partial win. Showered and made it out the door at 7...ish)
• Call Emily on the way to work (Friday a.m. = DONE!)
• Hit up the S-bux drive through and celebrate the fact it's Friday with a delicious, hot cup of caffeine (note: I have been trying to do this all week. Tomorrow is my last chance, so to speak...) (Friday a.m. = DONE! ... although, I feel the need to point out how glad I am that I didn't say "make it into work exactly on time... Ah well, one step at a time :)
• Walk at lunchtime, and take lots of pictures for W.W.M. (I will link this acronym forward once I get tomorrow's post up.... just trust me and check back tomorrow evening!)
• DATE NIGHT! (so, actually, the 'Amy-do' part of this is "PLAN date night!")
• (keep in mind that these are not necessarily in order... I need to do this one as soon as I press "publish"...) Write an encouraging (inspirational? It's a "lift-up", agape type of thing :) note to a friend who is running her 1st half-marathon this Saturday!
• ... and because I am so cool, and don't think I could stand to go one more day without doing this ... I need to run to the library and get a reserved book. ('American Wife' -- I'll let you know what I think, but I've heard it's awesome !)
• Um... and I think ice cream will be necessary tomorrow, too :)

What are your weekend plans? Crazy nights out with friends? Lovely, quiet nights at home? Movies? Books? Travel plans (Heidi, I'm looking at you here)? (I'll go first: Date night Friday, time with my sister on Saturday a.m., and then ???)


Whatever your plans are, I hope it's a fabulous one, and one you are looking forward to. TGIaF, friends!

List day + "Mission Possible"

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I apologize in advance if there might be (more) typos (than usual) tonight-- I'm wearing my 7 year old glasses (SeXXy... lucky J.), and can't see that well out of them... I am working on getting a new pair (more on that later!)

Okay.. so first things first:

Good List

1. J.
2. Apple pie. The homemade kind. Enjoyed with a hot cup of tea, while snuggling with Gracie. Heaven.
3. New books!! Love, love, Love. I'm currently being inspired by Donald Miller's "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." This is a great one, folks.
4. Daydreams.
5. Online banking + automatic transfers. Though this will take some getting used to, this tool will ensure that J and I can buy a house together in 3 years... Rest assured, I will be dreaming and planning said house up until that time :)
6. Mmmmm... Coffeemate peppermint mocha creamer... Tastes like Christmas!
7. Black Box wine. So far, it has definitely lived up to the hype.
8. New challenges and goals (read on...)
9. Our wedding pictures are online!! Now I'm just (impatiently) awaiting the arrival of the disc of images... I promise to share more when I get them!
10. Fuzzy socks (which I love, love LOVE, and am determined to wear, despite the fact that Gracie (who has entered the "munchy" phase of kitten-dom) seem to think they might be a small fuzzy animal, and insists on attacking them every chance she gets...)

The top 7 reasons I love Fall*

1. Apple cider
2. Bright trees against a dramatically dark sky
3. Pumpkin Spice Lattes
4. Cute coats, cozy sweaters... and BOOTS!
5. Halloween (my favorite thing to do is go for a run on trick-or-treat night... before things get too crazy. I love seeing the little kids prancing around in their outfits because they are so excited that they are ready way too early, and I love looking at the decorations in their full, unadulterated glory (read: before overzealous mean adolescents smash the jack-o-lanterns).
6. Hm... J. would probably gag if he read this, but fall means that I can start thinking about Christmas. If you know me, you know that I LOVE giving gifts... so this is the beginning of a fun time for me :)
7. The smell. I love, love, LOVE the smell of fall: smoky, crisp and earthy. If I could bottle it up and keep it with me year round (that and the sharp, sparkly smell of the first snow...)-- I think it could perk me up even on the gray-est, rainiest days.

* 7 things rather than 10, because I like the number 7... and when I said "Top Ten", all I could think of was Letterman....

All right... now onto "Mission Possible"! I have found that lately I am pretty much completely lacking in my motivation. For a little while, I was able to rationalize it by saying, "Amy, you've been through a lot of big life changes recently (getting married, moving)-- you should go easy on yourself-- and you can't possibly tackle everything at once." (my sub-conscious is very lenient like that...) But in fact, I think I let things slide for so long that it's starting to seem easy to let them go... And there's something in me that rebels against that. Now, it's not like I am talking about running a marathon (which I DO want to do someday... but I do not feel guilty about saying "not now" to that one...)-- I'm talking about little life changes (like getting up an hour earlier and getting into the habit of working out before work...) -- but little changes that I know can mean a world of difference. For the most part, I am interested in developing healthy habits for the years to come. I feel that I have gotten quite proficient in living this new routine (...wake, snooze 3x, brush teeth, kiss hubby goodbye, feed cats, shower, pour coffee, out door, traffic, work x8 hours, traffic, cook dinner, tv, bed...) -- but now I am interested in breathing life into it.

Which, I believe, is completely possible. Hence: "Mission Possible"!

And here is what I intend to do about it:

• Get up at 6 am each day (the ultimate goal is earlier than this ... but this is when J's alarm clock goes off... it's not like I really go back to "quality sleep" after this, anyway.
• Take time each morning (especially on weekdays!) for morning meditation (journaling and Simple Abundance)
• Log at least 15 miles/week for POTM 2009 (woohoo!! I am really excited to be doing this this year!)
• "Save myself" for one really wonderful "sweet treat" each day. (I just got this amazing looking dark chocolate bar.... which I may or may not have picked up partially bc it's called TWILIGHT Delight... yes, I am a 12-year old girl... so sue me.)
• Do yoga twice a week (I did this religiously during the spring/summer... and my body loved me for it. Since I am not uber flexible, I only ever did the beginner hatha yoga (there is a free 20 minute class here, if you haven't ever tried yogadownload.com-- I highly recommend it!)... but it was so nice and relaxing:)
• Get 8 hours of sleep each night. Nap whenever socially acceptable possible (Omg-- could someone please tell me how to achieve "strikethrough" in my text?!)
• Spend less time in front of the tv (ughh... this one may be a hard one.... but I always feel really good about my day & all I have gotten done if I can be strong... so I've got that going for me. ... Of course Glee is a necessary evil :)

I promise to give you a full briefing on the "Mission Possible" outcome in about a month from now. Wish me luck!!

In other news... I think I need a new eye doctor. I was due for an appointment in.. oh... August, but since I didn't have vision insurance (and I knew J. did) I decided that I would wait until after I got married. Yesterday I arrived for my 2:00 appointment, and was surprised when I was informed that I was NOT seeing the doctor I had been told (on Friday) that I would be seeing. Actually, this part of the story is happy, because I LOVED Dr. Johnson. He was very kind and competent, and respected my wishes when I told him that I didn't want to get my eyes dilated (my job is ALL computer work.... I would have had to call off the rest of the afternoon...) --and he recommended a new kind of contacts for me to try (which were quite nice! I am wearing glasses bc of allergies... not because the contacts didn't work out...) So: good, good.

But here's where it got "not so good". I was in with Dr. Johnson for about 20 minutes (we're up to about 2:25pm, if you're counting...)-- AND then I was waiting to check out for 1.5 hours!! REALLY? Now the part of the story I haven't told you is that I had a client calling me at 4pm. Yup... if you are keeping track, we are now at 3:50 pm. Yikes. The icing on the cake was this: at 3:57 pm I took my receipt, was halfway out of (the office) my chair when the technician says, "Oh, you can't leave yet-- we haven't checked your side vision."

... To which I replied, "I'm sorry (I wasn't)... but I can't do that right now. I have a meeting scheduled to start in 3 minutes." ...In a way (once I was done fuming) I was really proud of myself... it's rare that I stand up for myself and speak my mind-- I felt empowered!

...Of course, now I have to go back in 3 weeks to get dilated and get my damn side vision checked.... But I was able to order a new pair of glasses, and I'll take my small victories where I can :)

Have a lovely Tuesday night!