Good Bye, Roaring Twenties!

I am officially finishing out the last days of my twenties. I'm not too sad about turning 30. I've mostly been trying to think of what I did on my twentieth birthday in 2001. I was on vacation from school (University of Florida) and I think I went to Venice Beach with Vanessa and Maike. Maybe they can remember :) I did a lot in my twenties and am proud of how much I accomplished in a very fun decade. I finished two degrees in two states, traveled a bit, made a ton of new friends had quite a few jobs, and married my best pal and moved across the country with him. (With a lot of silly antics thrown in there.) I am sure my thirties will be just as great.

We received an AWESOME surprise today: two Lou Malnati's Chicago Deep Dish Pizzas!!! We ate the sausage one for dinner; it was so good! Our friends Doug and Becky sent it to us! Such a generous gift.

We have a few guests arriving this week. Megan is flying in on Thursday night and staying until Monday and our friends Scott and Milena are driving up from visiting family in California. I am thankful I have such awesome friends that will travel across continents to spend my birthday with me. It should be a fun weekend.

Jim volunteered with Food for Lane County today at their Grass Roots garden. He was out in the chilly rain for five hours, shoveling compost. What a guy, doing manual labor for free on his day off. He seems pooped and LOVED having a pizza at the end of a hard day. He and Trooper are playing while watching James Bond (a nice man's night.)

There is talk of snow tonight. Less than an inch but the news is already freaking out about it. Even a small dusting gets everyone worked up here! I hope it snows!!

Holiday Arts and Crafts

My husband drew this portrait of Trooper for me. I mean, "Trooper!"


I painted this portrait of Trooper for him. I like his a little more.


I finished a tote bag for one of my Christmas gifts. These are pretty easy to sew and I think it turned out well.


A few people got some hand made stockings. Next year I'd like to do some more embroidery or patchwork.


And I painted this pug, Lexi, with watercolors.

And so, if you didn't get a hand made gift for Christmas, maybe your birthday is right around the corner.

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas! Please ignore my morning hair do. Opening my new Culver's shirt!



Jim LOVES his new garden gnome from his mom.


I made french toast with an orange glaze for breakfast. I'm getting hungry just looking at it!


Jim bought me this awesome succulent garden. He also bought me a wine tasting for two at Sweet Cheeks. I can't wait to use it!


These pics are out of order. This was the soup that Jim made for us on Christmas Eve. It was really good. Our Christmas dinner was awesome also, but the chipotle sweet potatoes were a bit too hot and spicy for me.


We were so spoiled by our friends and family. Although we were far from everyone, we had a full tree and full hearts.

Christmas Week

I've been really spoiled since Jim's been on vacation. He's been driving me to work so he can use the car. Then I come home and do my workout and he has dinner all ready for me. I'm sitting on the couch drinking wine and Trooper's sleeping on the chair. We are listening to my very favorite Christmas albums, the Phil Spector one. Last night Jim made a really good dish, Tyler Florence's stuffed pork chops. The prosciutto inside is a really fun little treat. I took that and some eggplant from the other night for my lunch. Tonight he's making Ina's mustard roasted fish. He goes back to school around January 18th or so, so I can't get used to this royal treatment! We bought a ham at Trader Joe's for Christmas dinner. We are having one of my coworkers over who doesn't have any family in the area. I'm also making potatoes au gratin and a new recipe, chipotle twice baked sweet potatoes. I generally love all things sweet potato, so I'm hoping these will be a hit. We went to a local store, Curious K9, and bought Trooper some frozen beef bones for Christmas. I'm so excited to give that little guy his gift! It's our first Christmas with Trooper and as a married couple. We're really going to miss our friends and family. Okay, Jim just said that my dinner is ready!

Emergency Surgery

Trooper and Chicken are BFF. Notice how much longer one leg is due to all the games of tug.

Trooper is just lucky I have been sewing. We can't afford to constantly replace the toys he destroys, so I do an "emergency surgery" to make sure they last awhile longer. He has just been so, so playful. We think he's extra happy that Jim's on vacation all day and therefore wants to play most of the day and is wearing Jim out. What a good pup.
Tonight Jim used the marinara he made in an eggplant parm bake thing from Martha Stewart. If you don't get Martha Stewart Living, you should. I came in from walking the dog the other morning and Jim was drinking his coffee and reading the January issue. That Martha is a genius!

Amanda's Ginger Snaps

I've had a few requests for this recipe. One of the keys is that I line the cookie sheet with parchment paper and use an ice cream scoop to make the cookies. I can't lie, this is mostly from Better Homes and Gardens, but I use butter instead of shortening.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp ground ginger (if you really like ginger you can add candied ginger, but I felt it was too much)
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 cup molasses
Extra sugar to roll dough in before baking

Stir together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter on low for 30 seconds. Add 2 cups of sugar and mix until combined. Scrape sides of bowl. Beat in eggs and molasses until combined. Beat in the flour mixture.

Shape dough into balls using scoop. Roll balls in the extra sugar and place on cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 for 11 minutes. Do not overcook! Cool on wire wracks. Let loved ones enjoy!

Portland

As planned, we woke up and drove to Portland. Well, we took our time getting out the door. While we were busy minding our own business and eating our oatmeal, Trooper ate the sole out of one of my work shoes in our bedroom! Bad dog! He knew I was mad and put his little head on my leg. I took him on a 40 minute walk to work out his energy before we left for the day. He's never done anything like that before. So we drove up and the sun was actually out! It took about 2 hours to get there. We first went to Powell's Books. It's three stories and sells new and used books. It was giant. I had a few books in mind to get, but Jim told me that Santa may be getting some of them. So I picked three that Santa wasn't likely to bring. One on embroidery and two used novels. Then we walked to a brewery/ pub and had lunch. I had an elk burger and sweet potato fries and a glass of wine and Jim had falafel. It was really good and just fun to eat out together. After lunch we went into the Anthropologie we'd spotted. Oh, beautiful goods. It was packed with Christmas shoppers. I tried on a few things while Jim sat on a couch playing on his iPhone. Then the frugal side of me put the clothes back and we left. It was still fun to browse. We found a Stumptown Coffee (one of our new favorite kinds of coffee) and each got a coffee (decaf for me) and headed to the car. It was a fun day but we were eager to get home to our house and puppy. A half hour into the ride the rain started again, but by the time we got home it was clear and still light, so I took Trooper for a jog to wear him out. I think we are just having curry and tofu for dinner (after the elk lunch.) Back to work tomorrow!

Arts and Crafts Day

I ordered these from Namemaker.com! I love them.


Trooper loves his post so much, he doesn't get down when he's tired. If you're wondering why this chair is covered in blankets, it's so it doesn't get dirty from the never ending mud and dirt that gets tracked in on the never ending rainy days.


I made this at our Big Brothers Big Sisters craft day.

We've had a fun few days! Jim is relaxing and helping out a lot around the house. He's been reading for fun (imagine that!) and making me dinner, cleaning, etc. On Thursday night we went over to some friends' house. Trooper came but was a little nutty. They have a dog who is still kind of a puppy. We also set out appetizers on a coffee table. Bacon and little hot dogs were driving him crazy! But it was still fun. Last night after work we ordered a pizza. It was no Chicago pizza, but I enjoyed it. Then we went over to another friends' house to have a drink and meet their cat, who we will be checking on over the break. Everyone else is on vacation but both nights I was the party pooper who was tired from working all week! Today I got out the last of my Christmas packages. I was relieved but the postage made me realize, once again, how far away we live from friends and family. I imagined my little packages covering the entire continent to get to New York, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, etc. Then I took my Little Sister to a place called MECCA, for an arts and crafts day with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She made cards for her mom and brother. She seemed to have fun. I also gave her a framed picture of us together for Christmas, and I think she liked it. Right now I am sitting on our chair while Jim makes marinara sauce to make dinners this week. Trooper is on our couch, which sounds like it's about to break again. Our not so sturdy Ikea couch broke in April. Jim used Gorilla Glue and a clamp to repair it, but we can hear it cracking under our weight every time we sit down, and one of the areas is bending under the pressure. We have wanted a new, comfy couch for awhile and may have to break down and get one. We've had our Ikea not so comfy not long enough for Jim to stretch out on couch for three years, so maybe it's served its time. Jim is going out with some friends later but I already have my jammies on and got Funny Face from Netflix. And a bottle of wine and my doggie. What more could a gal want on a Saturday night? We're still heading to Portland tomorrow. No offense, other humans, but I'm really excited to have a full day of just Jim and I on a little adventure. I'll post pics tomorrow!

What a Nice Husband

Jim made one of our faves, pasta with with sausage and peas.

Last night Jim picked me up from work and took me home to work out while he went to the grocery store. He made dinner and bought me flowers and a chocolate bar. What a guy! We started watching Good Hair, a documentary by Chris Rock about African American hair. It's really good so far. It looks like we're actually having a few days of no rain, which is a nice relief. I am hoping to ride my bike to work tomorrow. I love riding it, but it's hard in work clothes. I get to wear jeans on Fridays so that makes it a bit easier. I only have a certain amount of nice work pants and wouldn't want them to get muddy or ruined on a rainy day. We are going to a little party tonight. A law student and his fiancee are hosting us before everyone goes away for the holidays. I am hoping I can convince Jim that Trooper should go with us. He was invited, after all. Saturday is a Big Brothers Big Sisters event at a local art studio. We'll be making Christmas crafts, which should be fun. On Sunday we are heading to Portland for the day together to go to Powell's Books and Stumptown Coffee. And get lunch somewhere. Then it's a week of work. I have to work on Christmas Eve and then Jim and I want to make Christmas cocktails together and listen to Christmas songs. And eat cookies. I can't wait!

Christmas Break (for Jim!)

Yay, Jim's done with finals! He is already awake and planning his DVD to watch today. He was home by the time I finished with my dinner last night. The dinner went well, except for a few near break downs from my Little Sister. She just needs to learn patience and sportsmanship. But the night ended well because she won a doll in a raffle.
I had a request from my very lovely friend for my meatloaf recipe. I use Ina's for mini meatloaves and make a big meatloaf. It's really yummy. I've also been searching for the cookie recipe that we love. It's in the December issue of Martha Stewart and called "One Basic Cookie Dough, 30 Kinds of Cookies." I've made three different versions of the cookies and we've loved all of them.
I've also found a fun Eugene blog, Culinaria Eugenius.

Christmas time!

Trooper Zika: The King of Chillaxin.

Last night I made a really good Sunday dinner: meatloaf, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes. I was expecting Jim to be late for dinner, but he walked in just as I'd started eating. He even watched a little 60 Minutes with me. I was exhausted from house cleaning, jogging with Trooper, etc. I started watching a documentary on Valentino (which he owns about five pugs! They even put diamond clip on earrings on them, which was hilarious) and fell asleep. Tomorrow is my family dinner and Jim's LAST final! He is heading straight to the bar afterward. We'll see if he's still there when I'm done or if he's pedaled himself home. Yay to no more finals! I keep hearing about how cold it is in Chicago. It's been raining a lot here, but oddly warm. We had the windows open on Sunday. It's making it hard to realize that it's Christmas. We might be a bit frigid when we head to Illinois, but it will be worth it! I just pulled some spice cookies out of the oven for Jim. He's pretty spoiled!

Tangled

We're in the home stretch of finals! Jim has one more, Tuesday at 1:30pm. On Friday evening we went out for sushi with another couple. It was really fun and I am glad Jim went. (I was ready to go without him!) The sushi was yummy and we went to an area of Eugene I'd never been to. Some of the rolls had pickled jalapeno on top, which was really good. On Saturday I took my Little Sister to lunch (she didn't eat any of her taco, I think she was too excited) and to see Tangled. It was really cute. She brought me a cookie (she called on Friday night to ask my favorite color and made me one with pink icing!) and a card she made. There's a Family Dinner for Big Brothers/ Big Sisters on Tuesday night. Her mom can't go, so I'm going to take her. After dinner we'll be baking cookies together. After Tangled I got some shopping done and took Jim a coffee at school. Trooper and I went over and had a movie night with our friend and her dog. We actually didn't even watch a movie but drank wine and had fun. We just finished breakfast. I bought a ham and cheese croissant. It was really yummy. I used to love, love, love getting chocolate croissants at The Cocoa Bean in Geneva. I haven't had one in Eugene yet, but I've heard there's a good bakery called The Sweet Life. One of my baking goals is to learn to make croissants. So flaky and buttery. Jim and I have plans to go to Portland next Sunday. We're going to check out Powell Book Store and get lunch together. I'm really excited!

TGIF

I put this picture in a frame and put it on my desk. It's my favorite picture and reminds me of my special guys and our perfect wedding day. (Photography by Bob Kessler)

Friday is here! I spend most of my week day dreaming about the weekend. Tonight Trooper and I have been invited to watch a movie at a gal's home. I am going to wear my jammies and hope I don't fall asleep on her couch :) Jim has his second final this morning and is about to head to school. Tomorrow he'll be studying away and I'm taking my little sister to see Tangled. It's been raining every day. It gets up in the 50s so it's warm, but wet. Sometimes it rains lightly and other times it pours hard. I haven't blogged since Tuesday morning. Tuesday evening I went out for a drink which was really fun. Wednesday and Thursday I came home, worked out, and worked on Christmas things. (I can't wait to post all of my Christmas crafts after they are given!)

Jim's First Final!

Today is Jim's first final, Torts at 1pm. We had our friends over for dinner last night. They brought their puppy. Trooper and Harvey played so much, it was great. They just chased each other around. Trooper tried to hump him a lot, of course. Trooper was so tired after! We had turkey lasagna and hopefully helped the guys forget about their final for just a little while. I made Jim eggs and chicken sausage for breakfast this morning. I don't know what single people do in law school. I assume they eat a lot of take out and live in their own dirt. After work I'm going to go to the gym and then get a drink with one of my lovely girlfriends. Jim will be back to studying, as his next final is Friday morning. Poor guy!

Christmas Cheer

Our stockings are up! I made this one for Jim and that's mine from when I was little. It's hard to see, but that's also a picture from our first Christmas together. Back in 2004. Yikes!

What's Christmas without cookies??

I couldn't wait for Jim to be done with finals to put up our tree! Usually he helps me decorate, but this year I had help from Trooper and a glass of wine.

I decided that I didn't need Jim to pick out our Christmas tree! (I did call home to confirm he'd help me carry the tree upstairs and put it in the stand. Which he did!) I picked a 6 foot one out at the Boy Scouts tree sale. I just finished decorating it. Jim's at the library and I even put the lights up by myself! I love looking at the decorations we have, even if it isn't a ton. I even put on Christmas music (my favorite album is Phil Spector's Christmas album (I think it's called a Christmas Gift For You. It's very awesome, even his creepy voice during Silent Night.)) I put more cookies in the oven. Martha Stewart has good cookie variations this month. Last night I made a small batch of thumbprints. I ate 2 and Jim ate 11, so I made 13 more, this time marble cookies. Trooper went for a jog and got a bath today, so he's sleeping soundly. He's still itching, but I did buy hypoallergenic soothing shampoo and fish oil to start putting on his food, so I'm hoping those will help. Maybe he's allergic to the Pacific Northwest. We are having a couple over for dinner tomorrow (a guy who is in Jim's section and his fiancee) to help them destress on the eve of their first final. (Is that possible?) I made Ina's lasagna today to pop in the oven tomorrow. (Kind of my go to meal!) I made pulled pork for dinner tonight. I make my own BBQ sauce and cook the pork in the Crock Pot all day. Then I put cole slaw on top of it on the sandwich. It's ridiculously good!

Saturday

Well, a lot was accomplished today. Last night I bought us burritos for dinner. Jim didn't have classes on Thursday or Friday, as they are reading (or study) days. I ordered us take out from Laughing Planet, which was really yummy. This morning Jim woke up at 6:30am, did his work out, and then went to the library until around 4pm. He took a break at dinner time and is back to studying at our kitchen table. His first exam is on Tuesday at 1:30pm. Since yesterday, we've done five loads of laundry for our house. We keep putting off buying our own washer and dryer, so we haul our clothes over to the laundry room. When I woke up this morning it was actually sunny outside! So I finished breakfast and took Trooper over to the dog park while it was nice out. He ran, chased dogs, humped dogs, etc. After lunch I took my Little Sister to the YMCA. We get in for free and she LOVED it. The Ducks game was on, so it was pretty dead. We played "racquetball" or her version, which just involved her hitting the ball a lot and declaring random scores (she won :) surprisingly.) We went in the shallow pool and then she decided it was time for racquetball again. Then basketball. She has a lot of energy and a shorter attention span. I learned two things about her: she can't tie her shoes and she's never had a granola bar. I guess I'm broadening her horizons in ways I never realized. I made shrimp etouffee for dinner and it was really good. I'm really excited to have a whole day to myself tomorrow with very little on the agenda, although I know it will fill up fast. Oh, and I just took some thumbprint cookies out of the oven! I have to keep Jim well nourished during finals!

Warm Puppy

Almost every night when I come home from work, I walk up and look up in our living room window to see a little doggie face waiting for me. Then I see him jump off the chair. If Jim's home, he runs to "woof" at Jim to tell him I'm coming. Then he grabs a slipper or a dog toy in his mouth to greet me. (He's been really into slippers lately.) In the morning when I leave, Trooper (and usually Jim) is looking out the window and waving at me (with Jim's help of course.) I know my dog is just a little Canis familiaris, but he's a lot more to me. Jim's at the library and then he has a Green Business Initiative meeting. I think this is the second time this week I've had dinner alone, but I'm not really alone with my pup. I still have a cold or something and can't wait for the weekend. I made Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken for dinner (TJ's is really a working gal's best friend.) Trooper is chewing on his bone right now and we're hoping we'll still be awake when Jim gets home (not likely!)

Funny Pup

I wish this pic wasn't so blurry! But this is my almost finished craft shelf. The sewing machine isn't going there for good.


Since I started cleaning out the closet to fill my craft shelf, Trooper has been hiding in the guest room closet. Maybe it's his den. It's a little Anne Frank, but it's cute.

It's been rainy, rainy, rainy here. I only rode my bike to work on Monday due to the cold rainy days. I've also felt a bit sick, maybe a cold or something. Last night I watched Glee (while Jim studied at school until 10pm or so) and then fell asleep on the couch. But I still felt crappy today. Since it's been rainy Trooper hasn't been able to go to the dog park, so he's been super playful inside. I woke up early today to do a yoga video and left the boys sleeping in bed. After awhile I heard "squeak, squeak." It was Trooper playing with his toy pre 6am. Then tonight he ran out with my slipper in his mouth trying to get either of us to play. What a nut! There was a Big Brothers Big Sisters social at a bar tonight but I felt a tad too sick to socialize. Tomorrow night is Grey's Anatomy with the gals but I may stay home and veg again. Blah!