Monday, December 5, 2011
Random Truths #3
I'm a hippie at heart, but I'm an advocate for gun rights, I'm also pro-abortion, like limited government, understand the need for taxes, am all for free speech and protests, and would do anything for the environment and living naturally. So, where does that leave me on election days? Mostly left-leaning, but slightly confused.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Random Truths #2
I love insects, in fact I once debated about becoming an entomologist. However, I am afraid of spiders the way Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes. I still love looking at them though, and I find them so fascinating. I'm also more afraid of spiders when John is around than when I am alone. It's like I store up all my girly shrieks for when he's around.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
And We're Back...
Okay, my apologies for not updating lately, but life has been really busy, both at work and at home.
At work, I just finished hosting three big events, and I am really tired. Brain-dead in fact, hence the reason I am making a blog post before going back to being productive. I also have a brochure mockup for the office due now, but I am going to extend the deadline since we have been swamped with events.
Thanksgiving was marvelous, and we had a great meal with great company. The rabbit John killed and roasted went over very well, and I think it was beyond delicious, marinated in jalapeno jelly. After the food, and some sleep, we headed out to the ranch, where we can be found most weekends these days. John shot a beautiful buck, and last night he ground up some of the meat and cut up the rest, and I vacuum sealed it all and put it in the freezer. Let me just say, that was a lot of meat, and we will be good for awhile. Though, thanks to modern technology and vacuuming sealing, John is going to try and shoot a 'spike,' a male deer with just spikes where full antlers normally are. He was also awarded two tags for the national forest, and so may be found haunting the local forests soon. We have already scouted the national forest a little, but we definitely need to do some more.
On a slight side-note, if you have need to buy a meat grinder, may I just suggest an old-fashioned hand-cranked meat grinder, especially of Czech make. They know meat in that country, and they certainly know anything needed for making sausage. I have to say that was the best present I was given at my bridal shower. Yes, a Czech woman gave me a meat grinder for a bridal gift, and yes, it was the best, most awesomest gift ever. And yes again, I get to use awesomest as a word, because that is how fabulous the gift was.
I'm in the process of trying to expand my knowledge of sewing, though I am slow to get started, mostly because I feel so exhausted at night right now, and then there is Skyrim to think about. :) Currently, what I am trying to learn is how to make custom garments without having the person present for sizing and adjustments. This might sound trivial, but making clothes for someone else, at a distance, and making them well, is very difficult. As is making a custom pattern piece. I'll be starting, lazily, with a swing dress for a friend in St. Louis and then a medieval gown for a friend in Florida. Who knows how long it may take to produce these items, but I have warned my friends that even when "finished" they may not fit, and I'll have to remake them. If I can perfect women's clothing, I'll start on men's. Right now I need to get my skill up for non-custom men's clothing, since I have done little to no sewing for John. I know, I'm bad, and I really need to ramp up the sewing for him. He wants vests, an 1800's suit, and modern button down shirts, since the going price for the kind he likes are $30-50 each, which is ridiculous for what goes into them.
As I mentioned above, I am obsessively playing Skyrim, and loving it. I swear I play games backwards, since I am getting to be high level, and I just now managed to get to High Hrothgar. Sad really. In the process I killed about 6 dragons, and a couple blood dragons. In Oblivion I did nearly everything possible, including became the Grey Fox and the head of the Dark Brotherhood, before I turned in the Amulet of Kings to the priest in Cheydinhal.
I've been bad about diet and exercise lately, and by diet I don't mean starving oneself or Adkins, I mean diet as in what I eat. I have been eating crap lately, hot dogs, pizza, and ick. While I walk to work everyday, I still don't get good cardio-exercise or toning. So, I need to make the effort to run a few nights a week, and do little exercises around the house like I discussed in a previous post. I also need to just make three meals at a time, and just eat on that for awhile, then make more when about 1 meal is left, because when I come home I am starving, then I just eat whatever is easiest instead of cooking a meal, which takes an hour + with me. Last night we made venison chili, yummy. Tonight, even though we have tons of food left, I might make a tofu basil curry, which is in my repertoire of common recipes. My major attempt lately is to eat more fruits and vegetables, and a lot less meat. I say that after writing about venison chili, but several things there...1. I reduce the amount of meat any recipe states, especially lately, both for cost, and health reasons, 2. I know exactly where my meat came from, and it definitely has no hormones, no antibiotics, no crazy injections, additives (like some glues they put in ground meat), etc. This is 100% grass-fed, free range, cruelty free meat. The animal didn't suffer a bit, as John takes one-shot kills only. No chasing the hurt and dieing animal through the woods while it bleeds and suffers; nope, one-shot, never feels it, drops where it was standing.
On a girly note, I am always looking to improve my wardrobe, and I am in love with Oxford shoes for women. My mom offered to buy me the pair I want, for my birthday, but I feel bad, and I want her to save her money for medical expenses, etc. The shoes are too expensive, and I don't know if I can spend my parent's money, it makes me uncomfortable. The Oxfords are here, in black, or see below. I'm also in love with the tights, skirt, and sweater kind of look. As for my hair, I've been trying to learn new braiding styles, and up-does, as well as makeup techniques. Since I've been with John I am such a girl. Besides, my mother keeps me stocked with high quality MAC makeup... ♥ my mother.
Life is going pretty well in general. Tonight is finally the night I make toothpaste and deodorant, as we are almost out of both. Woo hoo, less chemicals poisoning my body! Besides, I think making your own is fun, and once the cleaning chemicals are gone, you better bet I will be making my own. I guess that is just more incentive for me to clean the house more than I already do, so that I can have nice lemon, eucalyptus, or lavender smelling cleaning products that work just as well as Comet, Bleach, etc.
In the townhouse, while we have a small patio and a very small front area with grass, I haven't started to grow anything. First of all, it is getting cold, and lastly, I've been lazy. Since College Station isn't the last stop in our lives, I don't want to grow anything too big, so I think I will stick to potted mint, Aloe Vera, and things of that nature.
Lastly, I will be getting a new piercing in December, an industrial. This will add to my belly button piercing, my cartilage, my tragus, and my 4 normal earring piercings (2 in each ear). I'm saving for the lovely tattoo I featured awhile back, and I now have the artwork in hand from the original artist. Yea!
Until next time, fearless readers...
At work, I just finished hosting three big events, and I am really tired. Brain-dead in fact, hence the reason I am making a blog post before going back to being productive. I also have a brochure mockup for the office due now, but I am going to extend the deadline since we have been swamped with events.
Thanksgiving was marvelous, and we had a great meal with great company. The rabbit John killed and roasted went over very well, and I think it was beyond delicious, marinated in jalapeno jelly. After the food, and some sleep, we headed out to the ranch, where we can be found most weekends these days. John shot a beautiful buck, and last night he ground up some of the meat and cut up the rest, and I vacuum sealed it all and put it in the freezer. Let me just say, that was a lot of meat, and we will be good for awhile. Though, thanks to modern technology and vacuuming sealing, John is going to try and shoot a 'spike,' a male deer with just spikes where full antlers normally are. He was also awarded two tags for the national forest, and so may be found haunting the local forests soon. We have already scouted the national forest a little, but we definitely need to do some more.
On a slight side-note, if you have need to buy a meat grinder, may I just suggest an old-fashioned hand-cranked meat grinder, especially of Czech make. They know meat in that country, and they certainly know anything needed for making sausage. I have to say that was the best present I was given at my bridal shower. Yes, a Czech woman gave me a meat grinder for a bridal gift, and yes, it was the best, most awesomest gift ever. And yes again, I get to use awesomest as a word, because that is how fabulous the gift was.
I'm in the process of trying to expand my knowledge of sewing, though I am slow to get started, mostly because I feel so exhausted at night right now, and then there is Skyrim to think about. :) Currently, what I am trying to learn is how to make custom garments without having the person present for sizing and adjustments. This might sound trivial, but making clothes for someone else, at a distance, and making them well, is very difficult. As is making a custom pattern piece. I'll be starting, lazily, with a swing dress for a friend in St. Louis and then a medieval gown for a friend in Florida. Who knows how long it may take to produce these items, but I have warned my friends that even when "finished" they may not fit, and I'll have to remake them. If I can perfect women's clothing, I'll start on men's. Right now I need to get my skill up for non-custom men's clothing, since I have done little to no sewing for John. I know, I'm bad, and I really need to ramp up the sewing for him. He wants vests, an 1800's suit, and modern button down shirts, since the going price for the kind he likes are $30-50 each, which is ridiculous for what goes into them.
As I mentioned above, I am obsessively playing Skyrim, and loving it. I swear I play games backwards, since I am getting to be high level, and I just now managed to get to High Hrothgar. Sad really. In the process I killed about 6 dragons, and a couple blood dragons. In Oblivion I did nearly everything possible, including became the Grey Fox and the head of the Dark Brotherhood, before I turned in the Amulet of Kings to the priest in Cheydinhal.
I've been bad about diet and exercise lately, and by diet I don't mean starving oneself or Adkins, I mean diet as in what I eat. I have been eating crap lately, hot dogs, pizza, and ick. While I walk to work everyday, I still don't get good cardio-exercise or toning. So, I need to make the effort to run a few nights a week, and do little exercises around the house like I discussed in a previous post. I also need to just make three meals at a time, and just eat on that for awhile, then make more when about 1 meal is left, because when I come home I am starving, then I just eat whatever is easiest instead of cooking a meal, which takes an hour + with me. Last night we made venison chili, yummy. Tonight, even though we have tons of food left, I might make a tofu basil curry, which is in my repertoire of common recipes. My major attempt lately is to eat more fruits and vegetables, and a lot less meat. I say that after writing about venison chili, but several things there...1. I reduce the amount of meat any recipe states, especially lately, both for cost, and health reasons, 2. I know exactly where my meat came from, and it definitely has no hormones, no antibiotics, no crazy injections, additives (like some glues they put in ground meat), etc. This is 100% grass-fed, free range, cruelty free meat. The animal didn't suffer a bit, as John takes one-shot kills only. No chasing the hurt and dieing animal through the woods while it bleeds and suffers; nope, one-shot, never feels it, drops where it was standing.
On a girly note, I am always looking to improve my wardrobe, and I am in love with Oxford shoes for women. My mom offered to buy me the pair I want, for my birthday, but I feel bad, and I want her to save her money for medical expenses, etc. The shoes are too expensive, and I don't know if I can spend my parent's money, it makes me uncomfortable. The Oxfords are here, in black, or see below. I'm also in love with the tights, skirt, and sweater kind of look. As for my hair, I've been trying to learn new braiding styles, and up-does, as well as makeup techniques. Since I've been with John I am such a girl. Besides, my mother keeps me stocked with high quality MAC makeup... ♥ my mother.
Life is going pretty well in general. Tonight is finally the night I make toothpaste and deodorant, as we are almost out of both. Woo hoo, less chemicals poisoning my body! Besides, I think making your own is fun, and once the cleaning chemicals are gone, you better bet I will be making my own. I guess that is just more incentive for me to clean the house more than I already do, so that I can have nice lemon, eucalyptus, or lavender smelling cleaning products that work just as well as Comet, Bleach, etc.
In the townhouse, while we have a small patio and a very small front area with grass, I haven't started to grow anything. First of all, it is getting cold, and lastly, I've been lazy. Since College Station isn't the last stop in our lives, I don't want to grow anything too big, so I think I will stick to potted mint, Aloe Vera, and things of that nature.
Lastly, I will be getting a new piercing in December, an industrial. This will add to my belly button piercing, my cartilage, my tragus, and my 4 normal earring piercings (2 in each ear). I'm saving for the lovely tattoo I featured awhile back, and I now have the artwork in hand from the original artist. Yea!
Until next time, fearless readers...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
"Alternative"
As someone who is "alternative" and has to hide it everyday, let me just kindly present these photos, which just struck me.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Weddings
About a 1.5 years ago I made some bridesmaids dresses for a friend. Whether I was given the wrong measurements, followed my pattern wrong, or just simply fucked up, it doesn't matter. In the end though, she wasn't happy with the dresses, they were all the wrong sizes, and adjustments had to be made at the last minute, and I wasn't there. In any case, here is a good picture of them. I did all the work for free, but I still feel like crap that she wasn't happy.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Food, Food, Food
I can’t tell you how much I love food. Mmm, food. Baked, fried, charbroiled, grilled, sautéed, pureed, or however it comes, I love it. Lately, on Pinterest I have been finding a ton of vegan friendly recipes that I adore. I’m not vegan myself, but I wandered down that rabbit hole and came out with a million recipes to try. Here is a link to my Pinterest for Food and Diet.
Some recipes I REALLY must try soon:
1. Steamed Chili Lime Tofu with Steamed Collard Greens and Quinoa
2. Bloomin’ Bree Bowl – yes, like a bloomin’ onion, only with bread and bree!
3. Matcha Mochi – especially for John’s sake
4. Bread and Eggplant Lasagna
5. Veggie Gyros
6. Black bean and Butternut Squash Burritos
Those don’t even include the fruit tarts, the brownies, or the cupcakes. That is just “real” food, and not junk food. There is a link there for 30 vegan fall recipes. Mmm, I want to try them all.
I would fear turning vegetarian if I wasn’t so in love with meat. But I will say that a friend of ours posted about mushroom and spinach naan pizza, and now that is a favorite to make in our household, plus all the Indian cooking I have been doing in the last year. There is nothing like fresh naan, or cilantro mint chutney to round off a week. There is much baking and cooking in my weekend future, I see it, along with some nice Wood Chuck’s Winter Cider or maybe a Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale. It’ll have to do, at least until we can make our own cider, and more mead and beer.
While I already walk to and from work, I really want to exercise more, but let’s be honest, I am not the best at exercising. I’ll never go to a gym, I’m not interested in tapes long enough for them to matter, and classes make me uncomfortable. I used to fence, but don’t want to fence with the A&M team, and I currently ride horses every week, and occasionally (a lot less than I like) I do archery. Still, I need something more, even just a little bit more. So, again with Pinterest, my current obsession, I found two quick workouts that even I can probably do each day. Probably being the operative.
The first is the 100 Workout:
100 Jumping Jacks
90 Crunches
80 Squats
70 Leg Lifts
60 Jumping Jacks
50 Crunches
40 Squats
30 Leg Lifts
20 Jumping Jacks
Run for 10 minutes
The second is just a series of workouts on the wall that help your butt, thighs, and stomach to be stronger. Simple, easy, no fuss, no gym, no equipment. Now to motivate myself.
My mother-in-law’s birthday is today, and we went last Sunday to have dinner with her since we don’t have time this week, and she lives in Waco. All went well, and we had a good time, but on our way home the Camry broke down and had to be towed. Luckily, we were in a safe place with a wide shoulder, David was home and near a computer so that we could get the number to a tow company, and we weren’t too far from College Station. John was also great and quickly noticed that the car was overheating, plus he thinks he knows what the issue is. If he is right, which he usually is, he should have it fixed by the end of the week. I love having a mechanically inclined husband. Actually, he is inclined to anything he puts his mind to: blacksmithing, brewing, archery, car repair, cooking, shooting, hunting, reloading, writing, science, okay everything, and I am jealous, but it is just part of why I married him.
In turn the car being broken down may prevent me from seeing my brand new niece. My brother’s daughter was born yesterday evening at 6:40 p.m. Her name is Kaylin Victoria Bullard, and she is 8 lbs, 21 inches long, and is very healthy.
We have two cars, but John has to work the opening of deer season to measure antler spreads at the local sausage market for Texas Parks and Wildlife. I will also in turn miss David’s baby shower, and I haven’t seen him in some time.
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