Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Mo' Moving, Mo' Problems

I have moved four times in less than a year.  It's about to be five.  I am so ready for this phase of my life to be over.  Moving is a nightmare.  Especially when it's hot.  Especially when you have bronchitis.  Especially when there is sloshy snow on the ground.  Especially when you have to decide what to keep for the summer and what to put in storage.  I feel I've experienced it all.

I'm ready to slow, and to settle down.

To do this, I've got to know what is ahead for me.  I would love to be wild and free-spirited, but no one ever tells you how much planning that actually takes.

I want to find a place that's affordable, will let me have Basil (fenced-in yard preferred), has a big enough kitchen for me to cook in, and room for my furniture that fit in my old house.  Hopefully two bedrooms.  I can live with one bathroom, but I MUST have a place to craft and have guests.  And an old place, full of character would be nice.  That's not too much to ask, is it? If I'm paying for it, I want to like it.

Maybe someday I'll just sell everything I have and move to a big city.

But I wonder -- all the great experiences a big city provides -- do they mean anything if you can't share them with the people you love?

And now...a tribute to my former houses, that I loved.  Sigh.












Saturday, June 11, 2011

Dog Days of Summer

Besides basic emotional turmoil of all single twenty-something women, my life, in the words of the Fresh Prince, has been "flipped turned upside-down."  By a small dog who goes by the name of Basil.  Half dachshund, half shar-pei.  Cute as anything, crazy as all get-out.  Apparently, abandoned dogs sometimes suffer from separation-anxiety, and Basil's is severe.  That, and some other factors, have brought me to the decision to stay home this summer and take care of her, and take care of my dad after he has back surgery.  I think it will also be nice to stay home and catch up on reading, Spanish, crafting, and of course, tap-dancing.  I'll just need to live a little more thriftily.  You'll hear about that here.

I've spent this weekend at garage sales, the public library, and the farmer's market.  At the library, I got Mark Bitttman's The Food Matters Cook Book, which is companion to his book that I love so much, and changed my views of food completely.  I'm looking forward to cooking from it!

At the garage sales and antique store(with the help of Molly and Jess), I got some awesome deals!  I spent less that 25 dollars and got two dinosaurs, wood blocks, three movies, two books, pipe cleaners, four spools of ribbon (for my classroom), a NEW game of Catch Phrase, a gift for dad, a picture of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, four pairs of earrings, a feather boa, and two vintage maps to use for a project!  I am so happy with the results.  Garage sales are a teacher's best friend.

I also got this FABULOUS trunk for ten dollars!  I look for a trunk everywhere I go, because I've been dreaming of turning one into a coffee table.  They are usually somewhere from 150-300 dollars, which is obviously too expensive.  When I saw this one for TEN DOLLARS, I flipped!  It needs a lot of work and I know I don't have anywhere to put it right now, but I couldn't pass that deal up.  And I'm so looking forward to the fun of re-finishing it and making it my own!

Finally, this morning, I went to the downtown farmer's market at First and Mosley.  It was delightful!  There were people abound, live music, and local food and produce to die for!  I ended up with a package of Thai Basil and three tomatoes (for bruschetta this week!) and a package of fresh flowers. Heaven. :)

I really wanted some fresh eggs, but they sell out quickly, I was told!  I'll have to go earlier next weekend.  I miss Salina because I got fresh, free-range eggs from a co-worker. :(

Enjoy the bounty of summer, my friends!




Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Book Club

It started as a little nugget of an idea, a joke, really.  It was one of those days we like to remember when the air conditioner was actually working.  When the outside wasn't so stifling that it permeated the entire house.  Days of the past.  Two short weeks ago.

Jessica and I sat, me dreaming of things to come (typical), and she adding rhetoric.  I said book club.  Then we laughed about how little we both read these days.  We threw around ideas, our favorite was reading only romance novels and wearing feather boas.  This turned into a facebook status, and the rest is history.  

Tonight, we had three members present at the first official book club meeting (two absent).  Pizza and fresh-fruit sangria were present.  Many laughs were had, gruesome stories exchanged, and each other made fun of.  We decided to meet every two weeks, and to choose books easily-read in that time period.  First up is "My Horizontal Life" by Chelsea Handler.  Classy.

I'm loving these moments I have with friends.  The onderful part of these adventures comes in the reflection, and what it is doing for me as a person.  Sometimes I might write about something that isn't specifically done on my own (what fun is a book club by yourself?  That's called a reading list).  While I feel it contradicts the blog, it's a part of who I am.  And that's okay.  Onederful adventures are still happening daily. :)

But what I really wanted to share was my sangria recipe (that I just onederfully made up -- with influences from facebook friends <Jane!> to my favorite online cooking blogs -- I found something that worked for me).  

Tabatha's Fresh Fruit Sangria

1 small jug of Carlo Rossi Sangria 
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced red grapes
1-2 cups frozen raspberries
2 tbsp sugar
Ice
Sliced strawberries to garnish

First, slice up your fruit (duh), and put it in the bottom of the pitcher or beautiful decanter.  Muddle the fruit with a fork, squishing some (I use very technical terms).  Add sugar.  Pour chilled sangria on top.  Add ice as you like it, garnish with a strawberry slice.  Ta-da!  Simple and delicious!   


Thursday, June 2, 2011

Fever

It happens every once in a while.

It feels serious this time.

A surge of emotion and passion welling within me.  Every thought washes over me with great fervor.

It's love.

The love of love.

What I have is suddenly not enough.

I want it all.  Everything.  Typical, for my personality type.  Always looking for greener pastures.

I sleep alone.  I want to sleep next to someone.
I work.  I want to quit.
I make dinner for myself.  I want to cook for someone.
And my car suddenly needs a sunroof.

I am completely restless and out of control.

Give in to me, love.  Find me.