Sunday, May 31, 2009

blah

I'm trying really hard to update my blog but my computer won't keep flickr open. stupid slow internet.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

cuteness

stopping in for a quick update not much time to write tonight but I'll be on tomorrow night with a full weekend update and lots of pics.

But I just had to share this:

while watching some "Office" re-runs on TV there was a commercial on for a new wedding planner show and my super cute husband pipes up and says "weddings are so two years ago". He he it was the most adorable thing ever. Ok maybe it's just me but he's so cute.

Anyway back tomorrow with a full post.


Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

Friday, May 22, 2009

weekend plans

Tonight:
we're going to a surprise birthday party

Tomorrow:
we're grocery shopping early to beat the crowd hopefully
and I talked the Mr. into checking out the local healthfood store
picking up the George Forman grill we picked out two weeks ago and a new shower curtain
going to Lowes to pick up flowers and potters for our balcony
planting flowers and setting up our balcony
and then I've got to bake a cake and make my first batch of homemade Marshmallow fondant I'm told it tastes way better than Wilton's store bought stuff.

Sunday:
Church in the morning
volunteering at the Paseo Arts Festival
cake class at 2:00PM we're making our very first fondant cake
making a delicious homemade dinner and some whole wheat banana bread


Monday:
making omelettes for breakfast
then it's lazy day maybe we'll take the dog to the park or something fun
enjoying lunch and dinner at home
I found a recipe for healthy breakfast muffins and I want to try to make a big batch so we can take them in the mornings to eat when we're rushed



Off subject but I have new blog love, well actually it's website love.

A couple weeks ago when I posted about contemplating culinary school the lovely Chelsie at "Embracing All Of It" suggested the lovely blogger Jenna at "Eat Live Run"
http://eatliverun.com/ I love her blog and read it religiously every day. I love trying out Jenna's breakfast recipes and in general love her blog.

Through Jenna I found Oh She Glows a Canadian blogger who recently quit her job to open her own Healthy bakery, she has an amazing story in her posts entitled my Road to Health. She is inspiring and always puts a quote at the end of her posts I love it. I had to share this knowing so many of you are on your own healthy quests and she is a great writer. http://ohsheglows.com/

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Thursday, May 21, 2009

baking away

vanilla bean cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese icing.

vanilla bean cupcake recipe from GroupRecipes.com

Ingredients

* 2 cups flour
* 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 vanilla bean, cut length-wise
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1 egg, at room temperature
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons baking powder


Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean together until the milk just boils. Remove from heat and let cool for about 1 hour. Then remove the vanilla bean. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the milk. Discard the remaining bean pod. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together the salt, flour and baking powder. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Alternately add the flour and milk mixture until well combined. Divide batter into about 20 lined or greased cupcake wells. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the middle cupcake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and then ice.



cinnamon cream cheese filling/icing from Wilton:

ngredients:

* 1 pkg (8 ounces) cream cheese softened
* 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 cup milk

Makes: About 1 1/2 cups.
Cinnamon Sugar Cream Cheese Filling

+ View Larger

instructions

In large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon and milk. Beat with mixer until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use. Fill cupcake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (note: I doubled this recipe because I filled my cupcakes and iced them with the same icing)


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these were a hit with my co-workers.

I love my mixer so much.

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please excuse the no make up, hair in a pony tail, yoga pants, and sunglasses I was playing outside with my dog.


Last night I was on such a high from making some awesome cupcakes tonight I'm feeling like a monumental failure.

I mis-measured some ingredients.

It's not my fault though look at the measuring cups I was trying to read. I think I've finally convinced Jeremy that I need some new ones since I'm pretty sure I've had these since college.

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Anyway hopefully my cake will still come out but we shall see :(

Oh well I still lurve my kitchenaid :D

Later Alligators.....

Mrs. A

Meet my new sous chef

I have been promoted in my home kitchen to Executive Chef and this is my new Sous Chef


.......

my brand new kitchenaid!!



Even though technically my birthday isn't for another two weeks I got my present from Jeremy early. I grinned from ear to ear and excitedly tore in to the box and he got some pretty funny pictures I'm sure. If one of them are at least decent maybe I'll post one the excitement is written all over my face.


Last night I made vanilla bean cupcakes with cinammon cream cheese icing just to test it out. I can honestly say after one double batch of cupcakes I'm in love!!

I'll post the recipe and pictures tonight when I get home.

Later Alligators.......

Mrs. A

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

My Friend Rocks

One of my best friends is during her very first Triathlon on June 13th! I'm so excited for her.

Melinda is one of those people you just love she's such an awesome sweet person and has two of the most beautiful little girls I've ever seen. I'm so excited for her to start on this journey she's ran several 5K's this year and each one she gets better. She is one of the main reasons I started running and she will continue to be an inspiration to me to keep it up.

Good luck Melinda I'm pulling for you.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

101 in 1001 list

updated and edited never in my life did I dream that I would change my goals this much in less than a year. I guess that's the great thing about being young I can still change my mind on what I want to do with my life.

For the time being I have deleted all goals having to do with Relay For Life and replaced them with others.

My education goals have changed as have many other parts of my life I never dreamed 7 months ago that I'd be contemplating culinary school. That's the beauty in life it changes in a heartbeat.

Updated new list.



my start date was October 20, 2008 I felt our one year anniversary was a great time to begin making new goals.

Because making and preserving memories means so much:
1. get my wedding album made
2. take pictures of Jeremy and I together once a month
3. create a flickr account to upload pictures to-(Completed 10/21/2008)
4. make our honeymoon and first years scrapbook

Because Education is such a blessing:
5. complete my degree in culinary management
6. read 3 books every 3 months
7. take a class just for fun
8. join a toastmasters club
9. watch 3 documentaries

Because making a difference counts:
10. vote in presidential election (completed 11/04/08)
11. voluntter at local food bank
12. take the time to write senators about important issues
13. follow presidential coverage
14. watch at least 2 debates
15. vote in all local matters

Because being healthy is good for the heart:
16. Take Missy for walks in park once a month
17. find a doctor and have yearly check ups and take preventative health measures
18. Work on my posture
19. try to replace regular milk with Silk
20. try tilapia
21. get body fat percentage under 15%
22. go to gym twice a week
23. eliminate processed sugar from my diet
24. start eating clean
25. take a daily vitamin everyday for 6 months
26. reduce soda intake to twice a week
27. replace fatty snacks with fruits and vegetables
28. moisturize skin daily
29. wear glasses once a week to let eyes rest from contact lenses
30. wear flats twice week to work instead of my usual sky high heels
31. wear comfy shoes to work and change once there twice a week

Because money management makes sense:
32. install quicken on my laptop and use it instead of trying to write everything-done
33. Buy a home
34. invest money wisely in the stock market starting May 2009
35. for one week pay for everything in cash
36. sell old formal gowns on Pageant Resale site-done
37. take lunch from home 4 times per week

Because is friendship is the foundation for a fulfilling life:
38. find a nice place to go with friends on a regular basis-done
39. make one solid new friendship I'm actually on my way to making 2
40. have a girl's night once every other month

Because we set goals in our marriage:
41. fix up our apartment
42. travel out of the country
43. host a dinner party

Because I love my husband:
44. write a handwritten just because note to Jeremy once a month
45. pray for our marriage daily
46. take walks with Jeremy once every week
47. buy Jeremy a nice present for his birthday (completed bought him a nice watch)
48. establish a no TV hour once a week-we're not doing so hot
49. watch at least one football game per month with Jeremy

Because faith must be nourished:
50. begin a daily Bible study and keep it up for one year
51. go on a mission trip
52. become a prayer warrior
53. find a church we love
54. join the choir at our new church
55. learn 3 new contemporary worship songs for piano every 6 months.
56. read through the Bible chronologically
57. Be a witness to one lost soul

Because home cooking is better than fast food:
58. cook foods I am afraid of
59. prepare for culinary school by attempting homemade bread
60. go to a wine tasting
61. sample a new wine every 6 months
62. limit eating out to once per week
63. create a signature dessert
64. plan meals every week

Because a happy home is an organized home:
65. establish a plan for purchasing new furniture a little at a time
66. purchase a filing cabinet for home records-done January 2009
67. start a binder with ideas for our future home (complete 11/12/08)
68. make the bed every day
69. clean out vehicle every 3 months
70. create a home management binder-done March 2009
71. work on creating a craft area in apartment -plan in place May 2009
72. buy a printer-done February 2009

Because human kindness at times can feel like it's been forgotten:
73. pay for the person behind me in drive through on ten different occasions 1/10 complete.
74. replace all negative thoughts about myself with positive ones about others
75. do a random act of kindness once every month

Going green, because our planet is important:
76. buy reuseable grocery bags-done March 2009
77. begin recycling-plan in place with kitchen redo in apt.
78. unplug all appliances when not in use


Because creativity counts:
79. create a new I-Pod playlist every 3 months
80. make 5 homemade gifts for each holiday season
81. create a unique date night for Jeremy and I once every 3 months (went ice skating 11/14/08), went rock climbing 02/08/2009,

Because making others happy warms the heart:
82. cook dinner for a family and take it to them on 3 different occasions
83. offer to babysit my neices at least once a month
84. take my mom to a Thunder game-done February 2009
85. throw a party for my sister on her birthday-didn't do it
86. host a shower for someone

Because I should love what I do:
87. try to thoroughly enjoy my new job-(not happening I'm so bored)
88. don't let my job take over my life again(definitely succeeding)
89. be diligent with all tasks assigned to me at work
90. implement a no gossip policy at work

because every girl needs a few frivolous goals in her life:
91. get a massage- done 03/29/2009
92. get a facial
93. take a make up class
94. find and buy that perfect little black dress-done April 2009
95. get a passport
96. blog every day for one month(I'm never going to accomplish this)
97. give my blog a facelift(I do this a couple times a month)
98. run a 5K
99. To be determined by December 25, 2009
100.To be determined by February 14, 2010
101. once this 101 list is complete create a new one

focus shift

As Relay week inches closer and closer I am faced with the realization that in just a few short weeks my work with Relay For Life will be at an end (at least for a while). I'm happy about this to an extent because I need to to take some time and focus on things that make me happy and at peace, however I'm also conflicted I feel like I'll have so much time on my hands. So, I have decided to focus on and re-examine my 101 in 1001 goal list and recommit to some of the things I might have forgotten as well as tweak some of my goals a bit. Mostly I just want to focus on taking care of my family and my home, but I also want to put renewed energy into my health and fitness routines, cooking, and most of all growing in my faith because I have become very complacent.

I had posted not too long ago about thinking very seriously about Culinary School and you know what I'm 95% certain that's where I'm headed in a few months, my heart lies in making people happy with good food and beautiful designs. I am passionate about making beautiful food and I can't wait to perfect that art even if it might mean giving up a high paying job later on. I have prayed extensively over this and over the course of the last few weeks God has really been speaking to me and helping me realize big homes, and fancy cars aren't all there is to life and loving what you do is equally if not more important than how much money you make.
Jeremy and I are working very hard to be debt free when we buy our home and we're getting there. We have talked and believe we could afford the less profitable career for me. Plus you never know God works in mysterious ways and maybe I'll be more profitable doing something I love other than something I just tolerate doing.

I definitely want to take better care of our apartment I'm ashamed at how disgusting I've let it get but I'm working on it every night this week to get it cleaned up and ready for being fixed up and we are staying here for a while.Finding another rental place within our budget that accomodates our dog has proved to be impossible. So for now our apartment is home although we recently discovered if we sign at least a year lease we will get free reign on fixing up our apartment and if we do this I might be more comfortable with having people over. We've both decided we're not going to let our small space keep us from inviting people into our home any longer. So stay tuned there are apartment updates to come.

I also need to take better care of my husband he does so much for me and when I was on crutches he waited on me hand and foot and now I need to repay that by doing the same and taking better care of our shared space. I'm also helping him fix up his new office at work.

Not being able to run until July is just killing me. I never in a million years thought I'd miss something I'd just started as much as I do. I have decided as soon as my ankle is 100% healthy I'm going to begin training for a 5K and try to get one in this year. There's one here in the City in October that I'm contemplating running.

Also I've been on sleeping pills for 3 months now and I almost feel as though I couldn't sleep without them. I loathe the idea of requiring a pill to fall asleep at night and have vowed to do everything in my power to fight the insomnia naturally without medication and beat it. My goal is to be sleeping more than 5 hours a night without medication by October. It's a lofty goal and one I'm not 100% confident in but I've got to try I've got to give it everything I've got to be able to sleep on my own again. I don't want to be unhealthy and relying on medication at only 24. It's possible for my body to heal itself from this sickness and I'm going to do everything in my power to help.

As far as cooking goes my husband made a comment about cooking healthier so I'm really trying. I've decided I want to try my hand at homemade bread, and homemade granola so I'll be posting about those adventures soon.

Finally I have been so complacent in my faith only just barely getting in my prayer time of an evening I haven't been doing so well on the morning thing. I'm sick over this I need God and I need to continually grow in faith to keep going and I've totally let Him slide away in the busyness that is life.
Starting in July because I'm weird and like to start all new routines at the same time I'm going to start a short Bible study in my down time between getting off work and picking up my husband I usually have about a 15 minute wait on him since I get off at 5 and he gets off at 5:30 so that's the perfect time to fit in some prayer and studying.


So this is my focus shift it's sort of like I've been focusing only on others and it's time to take the opportunity to focus only on me and my family for a bit. Is that selfish? Maybe a little but if it's what is necessary to me being at peace then so be it. I'm not giving up my life altogether just cutting back for a while.

Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

Monday, May 11, 2009

slight change of plans

I went grocery shopping on my lunch by myself. Anyone who knows me IRL knows that this was a huge feat as I don't like going anywhere by myself.

Anyway so now we don't have to grocery shop tonight, we are doing the other chores on our list but on our way home we're going to stop by Bed Bath & Beyond to look for Jeremy some magnetic hooks to hang things up in his new office and to price George Forman grills we've been wanting one for a while so not this coming weekend but the next one we budgeted money to purchase one so we're pricing tonight.

weekly planning and goals

It's been a while since I posted about my goals so I decided it was time.

My week isn't super busy but it feels like it mostly I'm at the point I'm ready to be done with all things Relay For Life for a while and we're not there yet anyway I have a few meetings and a lot of house work to catch up on.

Monday:
Grocery shopping and putting away clean clothes from the laundro-mat, cooking at home

Tuesday: cleaning up master bedroom, and bathroom.

Wednesday: vacuuming and cleaning out hall closets.

Thursday: Bank Night for our Relay event

Friday: begin organizing craft supplies for new area

Saturday: volunteering at a triathlon event, and then taking the Symphony Show House Tour, afterwards I'm hoping I can talk Jeremy into stopping by this new cupcake place that just opened downtown.

Sunday: Church in the morning, then I start course 3 of my cake decorating classes I'm super excited to work with fondant for the first time.

Goals for the week:

make sure I get in at least my nightly prayer time
get the apartment spic and span
mail off last flyers for Relay For Life
bake some cupcakes for Friday at work
prepare lunch and outfits the night before so we're not rushing in the mornings
purchase some new cheap ballet flats to replace my old ones that are looking pretty crummy
start the planning stages for RFL bake sale on May 30th.
cook at home at least 4 times

Saturday, May 9, 2009

what a great day!!

This morning I woke up early went to the zoo for the annual "Ostrich Egg Breakfast" had a great omelet and half a huge waffle, walked around the zoo, saw lions, apes, meerkats, owls, bats and much more, saw the sea lion show, came home and took a long nap, went and got Jeremy's hair cut, got our wedding rings, inspected, and went to see "Star Trek" which by the way was awesome and I'm not just saying that because my crush Zachary Quinto (better known as Sylar from "Heroes") was in it, and yes I know that it's weird to have a crush on someone who plays a psycho killer but just like my hubby those eyes are to die for.

So you could say we had a busy day but it was very nice now on to the house work and prep for Mother's Day and the week ahead.


PS: Don't worry Mr.A is aware of my small obsession and doesn't mind he knows he'll always be my man.

Later Alligators......

Love,
Mrs. A

Thursday, May 7, 2009

hilarious

my husband told me of a fun little tool on google that I decided to try.

Here's the thing translate a sentence into Japanese and then translate it back into English using the google language tool.

It's SO FUNNY!!

For Example:

here's my blog title translated.

冒険ミセスAの生活の中で
クロニクルの日常をクレイジー/まぬけに赤い頭の生活

and back again:

Mrs. A life of adventure

Daily crazy / life is recorded in the red-headed klutz


now how in the world did they know I was a klutz?

I have been entertaining myself for going on 30 minutes now. Try it you will laugh I promise.

Later....

Mrs. A

Almost to 24

As the calendar turns to May I find myself realizing I am less than a month a way from being 24. I know, I know I'm a young'un. But seriously I'm having a little trouble turning 24 it means I've only got one year to 25 and there's so many things I want to accomplish before I turn 25. I realize that is not old by any stretch of the imagination but to me it just feels unbelievable that I'm rounding the corner to my mid-late 20's I'm no longer a young 20 something I'm a middle 20 something and soon I'll be a late 20's something. My priorities in life are changing and things that I used to really care about I just don't anymore. So in honor of my one month to my 24th birthday mark, here's 5 things I've learned over the last 23 years and 5 things I'm still working on.

1. people are going to disappoint you, you just have to accept it move on and still try to see the good in all of it.

2. God's plans are so much bigger than you ever imagined

3. life is full of setbacks it's what you do when faced with those setbacks that molds your character

4. people are more concerned with themselves than anything else in the entire world

5. once you find people in life worth hanging on to don't let go you'll regret it


things I'm still learning

1. to focus on things that make me a complete person and not just what I "think" is right

2. that not everyone fits a specific mold and it's ok to be different

3. that first impressions are not always correct because a lot of people put up walls until they feel they can trust you

4. that making the best out of less than ideal situations is an art that when accomplished can be really beautiful

5. that everyone feels inferior to someone else no matter how confident they may seem

Sometimes I stop and sit back and really think about where my life has taken me and I am amazed at the twists and turns I have taken to wind up where I am today. Had I not left school I wouldn't have met my wonderful, amazing husband, and I probably wouldn't be contemplating a culinary career, I know I wouldn't have met some of the most amazing people that are in my life, I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be even if it there are moments I have a hard time understanding that.


Does anybody else have a hard time with birthdays occassionally or am I just weird?

Monday, May 4, 2009

me.......in a nutshell

This is me:

Just a kid playing dress up in the grown up world, and feeling as if I'll never fully understand life and I've just got to accept that, a hopeless romantic hopelessly in love with my wonderful husband and secretly desiring to always be the wife who always brags on her man, a frustrated 20 something contemplating what to do with my life, a free spirit who is so confused by faith and religion it's not even funny, a wanna-be runner trying to teach myself some discipline through the sport, a lover of all types of music who adores the fact that music can express things words cannot, a baker who adores making people happy with beautiful cakes, a blogger putting my life into words, a daughter holding on to my mom with tightly clinched fists, a volunteer with a soft heart and passion to find a cure, an annoying little sister trying not to be so annoying, an aunt and believe it or not a great aunt, an advocate of prayer and it's amazing power to change lives, an avid reader,an insomniac fighting with sleep every night, a wife doing my best to make a home for my little family, and mostly a girl learning what it takes to be a woman

I was asked to give a brief description of myself recently...

For the record this isn't what I turned in but I decided to really try to describe myself, and I think this is pretty accurate.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

cakes, cakes and more cakes

Oy vey what a busy weekend I got a taste I think of what it would be like to own a bakery. I had agreed to do some sheet cakes for a friend's adorable twin girls b-day cake. It has a been a long weekend of baking but the end reaction of my friend jumping up and down when she saw the cakes and my cake for my final of Wilton course two turning out beatifully, It was worth it.

Also I got to meet Edward Fryes from The Food Network's cake challenge at a demonstration he did on how to create a boot cake it was so cool. I leave you with a few quotes I heard at the demonstrations that I liked and of course pictures :)

"cake decorating is the only job you'll ever do in which you can eat your mistakes"

"where else in life are people going to jump up and down, clap their hands and generally act like fools for you doing work?"

Here's pics.


This is me and Edward Fryes and that very heavy boot.

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My strawberry short cake character mounted on top of a 1/2 sheet cake.

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the 2nd of the 1/2 sheet cakes for the twin's b-day party.

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and finally my Wilton Course 2 Final cake.

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close up of the basket weave on the side of my cake this was very difficult for me to do I think I practiced it about 100 times before I felt confident putting it on my cake.

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I can't wait to get started on Course 3 on May 17th. In the meantime I've got to get to work on a few small Mother's Day cakes.



Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

PS I don't know why my pics are all crooked but if you click on the links it takes you to my flicker page where they aren't.