healthy!

I went to the gym yesterday!

I know that to some, this really isn't a big deal, but for me, it's been a long time coming, and definitely a big deal.  I was able to do 2 miles on the elliptical before I felt like dying, and then I pushed through another mile after that.

I want to get to the point where I can do a 5k on the elliptical without feeling like I am going to die.

I've been working on the healthier eating.  The last few weeks at work have been pretty stressful, which really hinders that, but I am working on it, especially since the superbowl.

Keep reading, I'll have a Tasty Tuesday with my superbowl treats coming up later today!

Tasty Tuesday: Pasta with Clam Sauce

So, I may be Jewish (as can be seen by my love of latkes at Hanukkah), but, I’m also Italian, and I have an unwavering, undying love of (most) Italian food.  I don’t like ricotta cheese, so I don’t really dig on things like cheese ravioli, manicotti, or lasagna.  But… anything de pesce? Mussels? Clam sauce? Aglio y Oglio?  Meatballs? Eggplant Parm?  Alfredo? Carbonara?  Count.Me.In.

So, last night, Graham decided that he was going to stop by, and I hadn’t done anything for dinner yet.  I assessed the pantry (which, is always stocked) and decided on pasta with clam sauce (which comes together in about 30 minutes.)

You will need (feeds 2 plus leftovers):

1 pound of pasta (I used fettuccine rigate, but traditionally, my mom made this with linguine.  Any long pasta would work – I don’t recommend short macaroni, cavatelli, or mostaccolli noodles.)

2 cans of baby clams, drained (juice reserved)

2-3 carrots, grated

2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed.

2-3 anchovies

½ cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

2 tablespoons of butter

Several turns of the pan of olive oil

First, start your water boiling for the pasta.  This is what takes the longest.

Heat your oil and butter in a large, heavy pan over medium-high heat.  Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and carrots and sauté until soft and fragrant.  Add the anchovies and sauté (they will dissolve into the sauce, leaving behind no ‘fishy’ flavor, I promise you!)

After the anchovies have dissolved, add the clam juice and white wine, and reduce.

Oil-Butter-Carrots-Garlic-Wine-Clam Juice

*If your water is not boiling at that point, turn your sauce down to LOW.* 

Fettuccine Rigate

Cook the pasta until just before al-dente.  Just before you take the pasta out, add the clams to the sauce.  Drain pasta, add to the sauce, and toss, letting the pasta finish cooking in the sauce.  If it looks dry, add some of the pasta cooking water.

Everything together, pasta finishing in the sauce.  See how a little parsley would add some color?

Sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley for color.

Can be served with an antipasto, bread, salad, you name it.

Mangia!

Stir Fry Pics!

Writing out my stir fry recipe on Tuesday made me crave it again!  Seriously, it's such an easy dish to throw together, and healthy too!  The sauce is what has the most calories, and can easily be modified by using less soy, more stock, or other seasonings such as red pepper flakes, ginger, garlic, etc., to make up for the lack of soy.

Quickly before I get to the photos, here's the nutritional breakdown:

The sauce (as I made it in my previous recipe) has 250 calories (for the entire batch.).  I don't know what this translates into in WW Points plus, but if I rejoin, I'll find out and report back!

Pork tenderloin has 122 calories per 3 oz serving.
One cup of white rice has 158 calories.

I don't count the calories in fruits and veggies.

So, my dinner was around 400 calories, if I guesstimate on the veg.  Not too shabby for a filling, hearty dinner!

Now, onto the pictures!

Sliced pork tenderloin cooking in a heavy-duty skillet.  This batch didn't come out as nice and brown as the last, because the meat was still partially frozen.

I love veggies!  This is a mix of brocccolini and Chinese greens my mom picked up at the Asian market.

Throw everything back in the pan!

Immediately after adding sauce.

Let that puppy thicken up!

Deliciousness!  You can see the rice peeking out from underneath my delicious meal.  It also soaked up all of that extra sauce-y deliciousness!

Tasty Tuesday: Stir Fry

My boyfriend has a perpetual taste for Asian flavors.  Chinese food.  Teppanyaki.  Thai.  Sushi.  You name it, he wants to eat it.  If we’re ever at a loss for what to eat or make, one of these things generally prevails.

So, in my attempt to get us both healthier in 2013 by cooking at home more, I made stir fry the other night.  I will apologize in advance for the fact that there are no pictures of my delicious meal.

Let me first say that this recipe is pretty universal.  You can use any type of protein (I would probably steer clear of fish though, it’s a bit too delicate for this application, but shrimp would work!) any type of vegetable(s) and any type of rice.  I knew I wanted a lean protein and fresh veggies, so I went to Caputo’s to see what looked good.

I decided on pork tenderloin, mushrooms, broccolini, and watercress.  I was cooking for two, but definitely bought enough to feed 4.  We had white rice at home, so I used that.  Brown rice would also be excellent.  I use a rice cooker for my rice – it’s pretty foolproof, just keep your instructions booklet which includes water::rice ratios.

Here are the measurements, like I said, will easily serve 4, or 2 with lunch for the next day:

Stir Fry:

1 pork tenderloin, sliced.

1 carton pre-sliced mushrooms.

2 bunches watercress, washed thoroughly, ends trimmed.

4 bunches broccolini, chopped into bite-sized pieces.

Sauce:

2 cups stock

½ cup soy sauce (I use light.)

1 cup warm water

½ cup water

1 T corn starch

Rice:  I used a rice-cooker to make 3 cups of cooked rice, according to the directions in the instructions booklet.

Chop all of your veg and meat into uniform size pieces.  I like bite-sized slices, so that all we need is chopsticks to eat with.  If you are using pork tenderloin like I did, be sure to remove the silver skin.

Next, prep what will become your sauce.  You can use any type of stock, depending on what protein you will be using.  In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix stock, soy sauce, and ½ cup water.  In a separate measuring cup, mix warm water and cornstarch to form a slurry.  Add to stock-soy mix, stir, and set aside.

Get a wok or sauté pan screaming hot and coat with canola oil.  I always sauté my veggies first.  Saute veg until just under your liking of done-ness (I like mine to have bite in them still, so this only takes a minute, remember, you’re going to add them back to the pan later.)  Remove, and set aside.

Re-oil the pan if necessary.  You want the meat to sizzle and sear, getting browned, not steamed, in the pan.  If you have too much meat for your pan, do this in batches to avoid steaming.  Once all of the meat is cooked, add the veg back to the pan, STIR your slurry-sauce mix, and also add to the pan.  Stir often, allowing the sauce to thicken.  When the sauce is thickened to your liking, remove from heat.

Serve with rice of your choosing.  I like to pour some extra sauce over my rice.  

The next time I make a stir fry, I'll be sure to take pictures!

resolutions

The idea of new years resolutions has never really sat well with me.  Resolving to do something different seems like a pretty lofty task, and in all honesty, unachievable.  Also, most people don’t follow through with their resolutions, and it becomes somewhat of a joke “hey, how’s that resolution going?”  You know.  I don’t want my goals to be the butt of a joke.

So, I’m not making resolutions this year, I’m making goals.  10 days into 2013, I have two for sure nailed down.

• Be healthier.  That’s pretty vague?  Yeah, I know.  But it encompasses a lot.  In order to achieve my goal of being healthier, this is what I plan to do:
• Rejoin Weight Watchers.  I still haven’t fully decided on this one, but I’m leaning toward it.
• Work out 3-4 times per week.
• Eat home-cooked meals more, and carry-out/delivery/dine-out less.
• Drink more water.

In short, I want to look like this again:

This is me, New Years Eve 2010, and thirty pounds lighter.

Pass my series 6 and 63 exams by mid-year.  This is a professional goal, and one that I’ve been told is realistic.  Passing the 6 and 63 will not only make me a more knowledgeable employee, but a better asset to our team.

These are, luckily, goals that are track-able, and I have people in my life in place not only to support me through them, but to keep me accountable to my goals.

My next step, as Graham has asked me, is to write my 2013 vision statement, which I haven't decided if I will share.  This is something we usually do for work, which I've already done professionally, but Graham has asked me for a complete (personal, professional, financial) vision statement for 2013.

Tasty Tuesday: Latkes

The holidays are a time to forget the diet, and go for what’s traditional and super tasty.  Being a (non-practicing) Jew, there are few traditions I take part in.  In fact, they include the following:

• Eating Latkes (potato pancakes) at some point during Hanukkah
• Celebrating Passover with a Seder (but not keeping kosher for Passover the rest of the time)
• Eating Hamantaschen during Purim

This year, I decided, after years of watching my mom make Latkes around Hanukkah time, that I would try my hand at them, and make Graham be my guinea pig.  I followed from memory, what I’ve watched my mom do for years.

2 boxes of potato pancake mix.  Yes, mix.  You can use Manichewitz, Streit’s, whatever.  Just Jewish mix.  Mixed to box specifications (usually adding eggs and water.)

2 large potatoes (of any kind) grated, with the excess liquid squeezed out (just wrap the potato shreds in a paper towel and SQUEEZE!)

A healthy sprinkle of salt, pepper, and dried onion flakes, to taste.

Mix it all together!  If the mixture looks a little “wet,” add some flour to bind everything together.

I used an electric skillet to make my latkes, and while convenient, the process was slow.  A cast iron skillet over a gas burner will get a lot hotter and the latkes will cook a lot faster.  This 2 box plus potatoes mixture took about an hour to fry up, tablespoon sized pancakes, five in the pan at a time.

A few suggestions:

• Vegetable oil to fry in, of course.  Make sure the oil is HOT before starting.  I test this by dropping a miscellaneous potato shred into the oil.  If it sizzles up right away, you’re good to go.
• You should have PLENTY of oil in the pan.  Enough so that it will reach ½ way up your latkes once they are in.
• Use a regular tablespoon, not a measuring tablespoon to distribute your batter.   I use the 2 spoon method to flatten them out a bit.
• Only flip them once.  When they’re golden brown on one side, flip and cook until golden brown on the other.  
• Drain Latkes on newspaper.  Much less wasteful than paper towels.
• Preheat your oven to 200*.  Keep your cooked latkes on a baking sheet in the warm oven so that everyone can eat together and your Latkes won’t be cold.
• Serve with apple sauce and sour cream.

Enjoy!  L’Chaim!

2013

Happy New Year, readers (or stumblers, stragglers, passers by...)

The end of 2012 certainly got away from me.  Over the next day or so, I'll be wrapping up my end of 2012 post and my resolutions for 2013 post.

My promise to you all in the meantime is to continue to write.  I like my Tasty Tuesday concept, so that will stay (and I'll be cooking more in 2013 than ever before!)

Stay tuned friends.

12/12/12 Concert for Sandy Relief: Initial Reactions

I did not watch all of the 12/12/12 Concert for Sandy relief last night, but I did watch some.  Regrettably, I fell asleep before being able to see Sir Paul McCartney perform (there’s a reason they put him last, people.)  I did record it though, so, sometime this weekend I can watch the musical acts and skip through the stuff I don’t want to see.

Here are my first impressions, and thoughts on what I did see.

• Bon Jovi is losing his oomph.  I love Bon Jovi as much as the next girl, but if you have to tune down your songs because you can’t hit the high notes anymore, tune them down enough so that you’re still not straining.  Don’t believe me?  I was looking for youtube clips, but, I can’t seem to find any yet.  I’ll get some, and get them up for your review.
• Eric Clapton rocked it as always, and, didn’t tune down a single note.
• Alicia Keys is an amazing performer and musician.  Even my dad commented on it.
• I was going to comment when I saw Mick Jagger unbuttoning his shirt.  I stopped short when I saw he was wearing a shirt underneath.  Well done, Mick.  No one wants to see your 69 year old “abs.”  Unfortunately, Roger Daltrey did not get that memo.
• Why was Kanye West wearing a skirt?

What are your guys’ initial thoughts?  I’m sure I’ll have more to say after watching the rest.

Tasty Tuesday: Freezer Favorites

Sometimes, I just don't feel like cooking a whole meal from scratch.  I would love to, at every opportunity, but sometimes, I'm just tired, or crabby, or too darn hungry to go through all of the prep and cooking when I can just grab something out of the freezer.

Lately, a lot of those something's have been from Trader Joe's.  Their frozen meals are not so bad, in fact, some are quite good.  (I've heard recently about a recall on Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice, so maybe pass on that one, yeah?)  However, a lot of their frozen pasta dishes are pretty tasty.

Confession:  I get crabby when I'm too hungry.  Like, seriously crabby.  This usually results in me yelling or getting cranky with someone (mom, boyfriend, sister, cat...) or crying.  It also inhibits my ability to find food to eat.  I can be standing in front of a  stocked fridge and find absolutely nothing.

This was my conundrum last week.  I wanted to make linguine with clam sauce (which I'll do a recipe for another day, because it's super easy and super delicious,) but my mom said the clams in the house were off limits.  *Sad trombone*  So, I started hunting in the fridge and freezer.  After about three trips back and forth, I settled on a bag of Trader Joe's fettuccine with mushrooms.  At 150 calories a serving, I didn't feel bad eating more than one serving (there are 3 in the bag.)  This frozen delight takes six minutes total, with one stir halfway through.

Trader Joe's Fettuccine with Mushrooms

I tend to find that sometimes, (okay, most times) frozen or prepared meals are over-salted.  The bag suggests garnishing with grated parmesan cheese.  After a quick taste, I decided that no extra salt was needed, but did give the bowl a healthy grind of fresh cracked black pepper.  I also tossed in two large handfuls of fresh baby spinach.  The baby spinach wilted down to almost nothing, but gave the dish a fresh-not-frozen taste, as well as some color.

While it wasn't something fresh and homemade, it stopped the crabbies.  What are your favorite Trader Joe's or frozen meals?

Word.

Tasty Tuesday: leftovers.

I’m going to try something new today, and maybe, every Tuesday for the foreseeable future.  As my blog blurb suggests, I cook at home.  Not as much as I should, but I do.  Sometimes, what I make is pretty darn tasty.

A lot of times, what I have to work with is leftovers from various meals as well as a vast array of condiments in the pantry and fridge (and I do mean vast.  The last time we did a full fridge cleanout, we found seven different types of mustard.  Seven.  And that was just mustard.  Don’t even get me started on the hot sauce.)

So.  Leftovers.  Love them, or hate them, we have to cook with them, because, well, it’s wasteful not to.

Awhile back, my fridge was packed with leftover steamed white rice, sugar snap peas, and steak.  I certainly could’ve reheated everything separately, but why stop there?  We also (always) have garlic, onions, s&p, hot sauce (as I mentioned earlier.)  We also had that day Korean short rib sauce/marinade (found here.  We purchase it from our local Asian market.)

I grabbed my heavy duty pan.  Using canola oil, I sautéed one medium onion, sliced.  When they were almost done, I added the snap peas and steak (which I cubed) to get the chill off.  The steak and snap’s were already seasoned, so a little bit of additional garlic, s&p went a long way.  Then I removed everything from the pan and put it aside in the bowl I’d later use for serving (let’s conserve dishes, yeah?)

A bit more canola oil in the pan, and in goes the white rice.  I let my rice get nice and brown, picking up all of the flavors left behind from the onions, peas, and meat.  After a few minutes, when it started to look like fried rice, I added the veggies back in, and stirred everything together to combine.  The rice should be popping and sizzling a little.

Once it’s determined that everything is heated through, I added the short rib sauce.  This turned the dry rice into a rich, decadent, sticky, delicious meal (think of rice from a teppanyaki or hibachi restaurant, when they add a little bit of teriyaki to hold everything together.)  I let the sauce cook out for a few minutes, stirring often, so the bottom of the pan doesn’t scorch.

This is my take on beef fried rice.  It took a lot of leftovers off my hands, was good not only for dinner, but reheated well as lunch the next day at work.

Fried rice with steak, sugar snaps, onion, and short rib sauce.

Variations:  

• Scramble an egg and mix in, Chinese style.
• Fry an egg, top your bowl of rice with it, Korean style. (My personal favorite.  Egg + Sriracha = happiness.)
• Any mixture of vegetables and protein would work.  I don't recommend fish, as it would fall apart into the rice mixture.
• Sub brown rice, if you enjoy it!

70* in Chicago in December =/= Christmas

It’s no secret that I still live with my mom.  I’m not ashamed.  I just do.  Hopefully, within the next 6-12 months, that will change.  But for now, I do.

I want a Christmas tree.  I want to decorate for Christmas.  Not because I am Christian, because I’m not, but because I find it festive and fun.  I’ve never had a Christmas tree.  I’ve never decorated a Christmas tree.  We’ve never had twinkling lights.  My mom did put a string of lights on the mantel this year, but let’s not get crazy!

When I have my own place, Christmas will throw up in it every year.  Christmas will be from the Friday after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.  There will be music and lights and a tree with gorgeous ornaments and a star on top.

I’ve been grinchy lately because the weather has been unseasonably warm.  No one else is complaining that yesterday, December 3, 2012, the registered temperature at O’Hare hit 70 degrees.  I want snowflakes and icicles (but NOT black ice, right, Chrissy?)

I started a list of things I want to do this Christmas season the other day.  Including:

• See A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre (a tradition of my Graham’s family – we are going this Saturday.)
• Visit the Christkindlmart at Daley Plaza (my hope is to go Saturday after the matinee.)
• See the Great Tree at the Walnut Room (but not eat there… the food suffers at this time of year.)
• Decorate a Christmas tree*
• Go ice skating
• Be kissed under mistletoe*
• Make Christmas cookies with my family (This will happen Sunday the 23^rd.)

*These would be firsts.  No, I’m not kidding.

TGIF

Things that have made today better than any other day of the week so far:

•        Free coffee with a fuel purchase this morning.  I bought $12 worth of gas, and saw a little itty bitty sign informing me that I was privy to free coffee.  Thank you, Shell gasoline!
•       It’s payday.  Thank goodness for that.
•       NYE plans have been finalized, see point 2, it’s time to buy the tickets.
•       In addition to point 2, it is FRIDAY.  We have a double date this evening.  We never have double dates.  We’re both pretty excited.
•       Making plans to catch up with a friend and former co-worker whom I haven’t seen since she had a baby in August.
•       A cute chuckle from a blog I follow.  Kate at The Small Things Blog gave us a tutorial this morning on how to add patches to the elbows of a sweater.  Hers happen to be cat patches.  They’re super cute.  Also, all of her tutorials and posts are awesome.  I feel like maybe we could be friends, because she grew up in Illinois, and I grew up in Illinois. (yeah, yeah, Illinois is huge and we probably never lived within 200 miles of each other, but still.)

Black Friday

There are three types of people in this world:  those who love Black Friday, those who loathe Black Friday, and those like me, who love looking at the ads (which I do every Sunday, not just the Black Friday ads) but loathe and would not be caught dead taking part in a doorbuster sale.  (There is one exception to this, which I will get to later.)

I know people who begin planning for Black Friday the second the ads and sales are announced.  They have very early Thanksgiving dinners.  They set multiple alarms.  Some even camp out for sales, you know, like at Best Buy where you can get a $600 camera for $10, but there’s only ONE in the entire store.)

To me, this is craziness.  Why would you forfeit SLEEP AND SANITY to not even guarantee yourself such a deal?  No thank you!  I do have to give them mad props though.  Last year, I did go to Wal-Mart for a midnight doorbuster, but I was not the one purchasing it, and I was mainly there to keep the other person (Graham, this was right before we were dating) company.  We were lucky in that the item he wanted was one that they were giving numbers out for, so there was no pushing/shoving/clawing, rather just sitting in line and waiting.  I heard the rest of the store was mayhem.  Adults shoving children out of the way for items.  People fighting over everything from comforters to toaster ovens.  Not.my.thing.

Most of the time, the sale items are big ticket things I just don’t need yet, and don’t have a place to store them in until I do have need for them.  What I do enjoy, is the online shopping, and this is mostly for clothes.  Last year, I was lucky enough to get a lot of things from The Limited drastically reduced, albeit, most of it has the tags still on because by the time I got around to wearing it, it didn’t fit anymore.  Before this weekend, I hadn’t bought new work clothes since that time (approximately.)  My mom and I stopped at Francesca’s Collections and LOFT, where I was able to get some new, versatile wardrobe options on sale (bonus!)

So, to all of you Black Friday shoppers… good luck to you.  I’ll be thinking of you from my couch, in my sweats, with my laptop.

Apology

It has been brought to my attention that a previous blog post, which has since been deleted, has been viewed as offensive to my family.

This hurts me more than I can put into words. I love my family dearly, and it was NEVER my intention to hurt any of them in any way, shape, or form. The post was meant to express the simple fact that Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. My family, however, are my favorite people on earth, and I cherish and appreciate then more than I can verbally express.

I clearly did not think my words through as I wrote them that day. I believe in sincere, heartfelt apologies, and admitting when you are wrong.

My post was about thanksgiving, and not my family. I was wrong to express my feelings on this upcoming holiday in such a way that could have painted my family in a negative light. It was in no way my intention and I sincerely apologize to all of my family.

I hope that they can understand that if I would have thought that anyone would be hurt by my post that I would not have ever written it. I hope that they can accept my apology.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

It snowed last night for the first time this season.  It wasn’t a lot, there was no serious accumulation (I did have to dust off my car, but nothing more than a sprinkling,) but, it snowed.

I know I’m not alone when I say that the first snow is magical.  There’s something about it.  The air is crisp and clean, and all is quiet, and the snowflakes are falling.

I happened to be in Highland Park yesterday evening, where the snow seems that much more beautiful than it does at home.  Maybe because Graham lives on a quiet street, his house is tucked back into the woods, and it’s just… serene.

I felt like a little kid, standing in the middle of the street, watching the snowflakes fall, illuminated by the one streetlight.  I tried to take a photo, but it of course did not come out.

I will confess, I listened to the holiday lite on my way home.  If the lite wasn’t already playing Christmas music, I wouldn’t be listening to it yet.  However, the lite makes its own rules on when Christmas music starts… so, I listened, and I loved it.  I also saw my first set of Christmas lights up on a house.  We’re close enough to Thanksgiving… right?  (of course, this morning, I went back to my mentality that Christmas lights can be put up before Thanksgiving, but should not be illuminated until Black Friday.  I know my pal Chrissy disagrees… but I don’t even get one Christmas tree, let alone one in every room.)

I hope it actually snows a little bit this winter.  Last winter, we barely got anything.  The winter before was Snowmageddon.  A healthy medium would be okay with me.

Snowmageddon 2011.

give thanks

November is a time to give thanks.  Many of my facebook friends do a daily list of things they are thankful for, one for each day in November, until Thanksgiving.  I know myself, and know that I would never remember to do this on a daily basis.  This month, Thanksgiving is the 22^nd.  So, here are 22 things I am thankful for, in no particular order:

1.  My family.  Last year at this time, my family was spread across the world.  This year, we’re all in the Chicago area.  I’m happy that we are all safe, home, happy, and healthy.

This photo is really old... but it's family.

2.  My friends.  Friends are the family you choose.  I have the best friends in the world, and would not survive life without them.  Well, maybe I’d survive, but it’d be really freaking boring.

3.  My health.  Not everyone is so lucky to have their health.  Could Should I be healthier?  Yes.  But for the most part, I’m doing good.

4.  Thai food.  I’m not kidding.  Thai food is my newest obsession.  I crave it regularly (no, I’m not knocked up.)

5.  My relationship.  My relationship is seriously the tops.  I am so lucky.  It really doesn’t get much better than this.

honest to goodness... this is how weird we are.

6.  Graham’s family.  Graham’s family, immediate and extended, is awesome.  Everyone has welcomed me with open arms. 

7.  My job career.  My job isn’t a job, it’s a career, and I’m thankful for that in itself.  I’m thankful to have a flexible employer, who is compassionate and understanding, and values family time (let’s not talk about how much time off I get for the holidays.  You’ll hate me and stop reading my blog.)

8.  My college degree.  It took almost exactly 10 years, but I did it!

The proof is in the pudding.

9.  The Food Network/Cooking Channel.  Graham doesn’t like to watch TV at my house because he can never hear it, and besides, it’s always the food channel.  Both of these things are true.  For someone who has bionic hearing, he has trouble hearing TV below arena level volumes, and I don’t like watching TV that loud.  I am also always watching the food network or cooking channel.  I like watching people cook.  I like watching people visit restaurants I’ve visited or want to visit.

10.  Democratic process.  We just had the presidential election.  Whether your candidate won or lost, you should be thankful for the simple fact that we have this process.

11.  Sleep.  I don’t get enough of it, but when I do, it is just the best.  I value every.single.second I can manage.

12.  Daylight Savings Time.  Now that it’s over, I realize, I am thankful for it.  I hate the fact that when I leave work at 4:30, it’s already dark.

13.  Lazy Sunday Afternoons.  Sitting in my comfy sweats on a Sunday afternoon under a blanket sipping coffee is the definition of love for me.

14.  Pinterest.  You know how many cute things and ideas I find there?  See for yourself: http://pinterest.com/valerierae84/

15.  My mother.  I can’t even dive into the thousands of reasons I am thankful for my mother.  There will be a post at some point, I’m sure.

My momma.

16.  No-chip manicures.  2 weeks without a chip?  Hell yes.

17.  Music.  I can’t get through my days without it.  I love a broad spectrum of music (I’m listening to the West Side Story movie soundtrack right now.)

18.  Vacation time.  Yeah, I know, I said I love my career, but who doesn’t need a mental health day now and then?

19.  Books.  I like to read.  I have a small collection of books which I am slowly expanding upon.  The books I read in college that I liked I kept instead of selling back, and I’ve purchased a lot of books I borrowed from the library (at the half price bookstore) so that I can have copies for my kids one day (like Harry Potter.)  I have also been making a list of the books I don’t own but want to, so I can check half price books for them.

20. Good food.  I know people say “eat to live, don’t live to eat” and “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”  I don’t believe in either of those statements.  Well, eat to live don’t live to eat, that’s a good one to live by most of the time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be eating good food in the process. 

21. Luna.  Our kitten, who is almost a full fledged cat now.  She’s so much bigger than when we first got her.  She likes to snuggle up next to me or by my feet at night, and wake me up at 5am by sticking her butt or paws in my face.  I don’t even care, she’s such a cutie.  Except for when she climbs onto the table or countertops.

baby.

22.  Last, but certainly not least, Graham.  Yes, I said “my relationship” earlier, which is, that I’m thankful that my relationship is a good great one.  Beyond that, I am thankful for Graham, who is my friend, my love, my confidant, my rock, my personal cheerer-upper, and a trillion things beyond that. 

Really, who wouldn't love someone who can make you smile like this?

rock the vote!

Yesterday, I said I wasn’t going to go off on a political rant.  Yesterday wasn’t Election Day.

Now, I’m not going to go out and tell you who to vote for.  That, my friends, is up to you.  All I am asking, is that you go out and rock the vote.  Do a little bit of research, and cast a ballot.  I’m not asking you to research every single candidate present on your ballot (mine had four pages of judges and others running unopposed.)  I’m asking you, for those who mean something to your future, like your Senators, and the President of the United States, do some research, decide which candidate you like, and go vote.

Should you choose not to exercise your legal right to vote, in my eyes, you are also choosing to give up your right to complain about anything political in nature that has to do with this country.  Things like, Obamacare.  The economy.  Taxes.  Welfare.  Gun Laws.  Abortion.  The Supreme Court.  The War on Terror.  Foreign Policy.  If you vote, you can bitch about that stuff as much as you want… that doesn’t mean I’m going to listen to you, but you have the right to complain.  If you sit on your couch today, watching the polls come in, and you don’t like what happens,  but you didn’t cast your vote, I don’t want to hear it.

That being said, I’m going to be really happy when this election is over.  I’m really sick and tired of the campaign ads, smears, and crap all over facebook.  That is why, I’ve kept my comments completely non-partisan by saying, I don’t care who it’s for, just go out and vote!

holiday time!

Halloween is officially over.  Tomorrow is Election Day.  You all know what that means…

No, I’m not going on a political rant.  I don’t care what your political views are.  I do care though, that you exercise your civic right to vote.  If you voted, you can complain and be as political as you want.  If you didn’t vote, you have no right to bitch about one single little thing that has anything to do with politics.

Seriously, I said no rant… Halloween is over, tomorrow is Election day… that means, it’s officially the Holiday Season.  I love the holiday season!  I especially love the holiday season because I have amazingly wonderful friends and family to spend time with!  In going through my calendar for the next several weeks, through the end of the year, and as usual, November and December are JAM PACKED:

This week is Graham’s mom’s birthday.

Next weekend is Camdin’s Friendsgiving, and also the Chicago Food & Wine Festival, which I won tickets to through Yelp!  (After that, I’ll have an AMAZING blog post, I’m sure.)  That weekend Graham is also out of town for Deer Hunting season.

The following week is Thanksgiving.  Immediately following Thanksgiving is both the HPHS and BGHS 10 year reunions, which I mentioned earlier.

The weekend after that, Graham is gone again for deer hunting, and my buddy Jim is having a wine tasting party (yummy!)

The following week is my mom’s birthday.

The following weekend I’m hosting an Ugly Sweater holiday party for my pals.  More on that in a soon-to-be post.

The following weekend another of my friends is hosting their annual Twelve Drinks of Christmas party. 

The following week is Christmas, and the week after that is New Years.

If you’ve followed me this far, you realize, as I do, that we have just over 8 weeks until 2012 comes to a close.  That’s ridiculous.  2012 has probably been the fastest year OF MY LIFE.

Anyway, I love holiday time.  When I grow up, I’m having a Christmas tree.  And I’m going to decorate my abode in holiday things.  Like these:

Free printables.  Found here.

yarn, burlap, buttons, and foam balls.  Found here.

Found here.

Books

As you all pretty well know by now, (those of you who are reading, or reading regularly, I should say) I read my girl Chrissy’s blog daily.  It’s a part of my daily routine.  Get to work, log into computer, pour coffee, read Quirky Chrissy, carry on.  Usually, a new post for the day has arrived by the time I sit down at my desk at 7:30am.

Today, we had a guest post from Katie, which inspired me to hop on over to her blog.  After reading the first entry, I started to think about what my favorite book is.  To be honest, I don’t really know that people a) ask that question anymore or b) read anymore.  Some of my friends are readers, my family is full of readers, but a lot of people I don’t think read anymore.  One of my best pal’s who lives out West hasn’t read a book in years.  He listens to them on tape.  My boyfriend doesn’t have the patience for reading, because he reads to slow and his brain gets ahead of what he’s reading.  This lead to a very embarrassing moment for me, when my sister asked if I was going to have Graham read XYZ book, and my response was “no, he can’t read.”  It’s not that he can’t read, it’s that it’s difficult for him.

So, back on track.  Katie brings up an interesting point that many people may not be entirely honest about what their favorite book is, and I can’t say I disagree.  In my opinion, people do this because they want to seem smart, educated, or well-rounded, by stating that a classic like Jane Eyre, Catcher in the Rye, or To Kill a Mockingbird is their favorite book.

I’ve read several books in my day, several genre’s, themes, what have you.  I have many favorites.  I have one favorite of all time, which I’ll get to later.

We’ll start off with the obvious.  Favorite children’s literature:  Harry Potter.  All of them.  Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book of the series.  (The Hunger Games is second… I didn’t like the Mockingjay all that much at all.)

Favorite Modern American Literature: Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger.  This is the first novel I recall being assigned to me that 1) I actually read, 2) read ahead, and 3) enjoyed.

Favorite Modern non-American Literature: We the Living, Ayn Rand.   I was assigned this my senior year of high school in AP European History, and fell in love with it instantly.

Now, my favorite book of all time.  My third year at Illinois State, I took a course on war.  It was an interdisciplinary course.  We read books on war and wrote papers about them.  We discussed war tactics.  It was part history, part literature.  We also formed “armies” within our class and had “battles” on the quad some days.  One of the books we read in this class was On the Home Front, Mary Jo Clark, as told to Jack Clark.  It is a compilation of short stories from Mary Jo’s adolescence and adulthood, reaching from Prohibition through the end of World War II.  Mary Jo grew up in Chicago, so a lot of the stories resonated with me and sounded familiar to the ones I heard from my grandparents and great grandparents growing up.  I took this course in 2004.

Fast forward to January, 2012.  I’m downtown in Chicago for a work-related conference.  I have to go from the conference to my hotel, which is a 10 minute walk.  Except that it’s snowing.  It’s snowing A LOT.  Mini-blizzard if you will.  There was no walking.  Especially not in a suit and heels.  Graham hails a cab.  We get in.  The driver (a white, English speaking gentleman, you don’t get that a lot in Chicago) made small talk on our much longer than would be normal cab ride just a few blocks.  At one point, he hands us each a postcard and says “I’m a writer.  You should check out my new book.  It’s a mystery.”  I glance at the card and immediately do a double take.  My cab driver… the man who is taking me through the snow to my destination, is Jack Clark.  I turned into a babbling idiot.

Me: “You’re Jack Clark?”

Him: “Yeah, that’s me.”

Me: “You wrote On the Home Front?”

Him: “you’ve read it?”

Me: “It is my favorite book.  Literally my favorite book.  I read it for this war class I took in college.  I recommend it to everyone.  It’s fantastic!”

Him: **flabbergasted**

We bantered back and forth for a few more minutes, about the book, his mother, and what prompted him to write it.

We got back to the hotel, Graham, who was in awe of this entire conversation, tipped him extremely well, and we went upstairs.  I called my dad, because I had just given him the book to read.  I called my mom.  Graham couldn’t get over how giddy and excited I was about this.

Call me a geek, nerd, whatever… this was one of the highlights of my life to date.

Halloweenie!

Halloween is, has been, and will always be, the equivalent of Christmas at my house.  Call us heathens… we love Halloween.

When I was a kid, my mom used to hand-make our costumes.  Once we became old enough to decide what we wanted to be, she would take us to the fabric store to look through the pattern books, choose the patterns and fabrics.  This usually started in early September.  I’ve been everything under the sun, from a rabbit, to Snow White, a clown, an Indian (Native American) several hippies, etc.

We decorate for Halloween similar to how normal folks decorate for Christmas.  We have lights, and all sorts of fun decorations for the house, like witches potion bottles, gargoyles, and skulls.  Maybe I’ll take some pictures tonight.

When I was at Illinois State, I joined Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed national service fraternity.  Part of my service to the community was to volunteer at a local haunted house, which was MEGA fun.

And now… gratuitous recent (or not so recent) Halloween costumes!

1988ish.  

Jackie Kennedy - 2009

Marilyn Monroe - 2004

Volunteering at the Haunted House - 2004

Mimi & Roger from RENT - 2004

1993.  I was so PC.  ugh.

Audrey Hepburn - 2008

Flo, the Progessive Insurance Girl, 2011