End of December 2014

On Friday I delivered the last of the donations for our community giving tree, and now have a lull until I either find another job or have to start preparing for next year's events (hopefully the former).

I do love this job, but I'm getting excited about the future - meeting new people and doing something different.

Over the weekend, I relaxed - finished one book (The Meadow, by James Galvin) and started another (A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan).

Although one book takes place in the mountains along the border of Wyoming and Colorado, and the other is set in urban New York and California, the books are very similar - both move back and forth in time to tell the inter-related stories of several people.

And they're both really good!

Sometimes I feel like I can't do anything fun while the house is such a mess, but this weekend I decided that the fact that my bedroom looks like this...

so I have to sleep here...

doesn't mean I can't use the kitchen, so I made this recipe for Creamy Crockpot Potato Soup.  (I left out the bacon until the end, though, because soggy bacon is so gross.)

I also made this No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread and it really couldn't be easier!  I was shocked!  I'll try adding in some flavors next time - cheese, rosemary, jalepeno...

To get in the holiday spirit, I watched Love Actually, #2 of my holiday movie trilogy that started last week with The Holiday.  Tonight I will finish with The Family Stone, before spending Christmas Eve with family (SO thankful I don't have to fly anywhere!) and then having dinner with friends on Christmas Day.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Biting the Bullet

It's been a while.

Life has been changing really quickly around here lately.

First, the job...
I LOVE(D) my job!  I couldn't wait to go to work every day.  I worked days, nights, weekends, holidays, didn't make any money and didn't care!  It was a great feeling!!

Did you notice all that was past tense?

Yeah, those days are over.

I'm a big "go with the flow" kinda girl.

Recently, some little thing happened but I wasn't even fazed.

Then a little-bit-bigger thing happened, but I thought "I can get over that".

Then something really big happened but I decided to take the weekend to calm down and think rationally.

Then something truly awful happened and I said (out loud, by myself) "Alright already!".

So I'm looking for a new job.

I've had a few interviews already and more scheduled, including one (gasp!) in corporate, which I swore I would never go back to (desperate times, right?).

Then, the house...
When I bought this house, it was ok - not really a "fixer-upper", it just wasn't living up to it's potential.

I've been slowly working on little projects here and there (very little, very here and there).

Then something snapped.

I'm just tired of living in a construction zone, so I set aside some money, got a contractor friend over and told him to keep going until I run out of money or projects, whichever comes first (money).

Right now I'm working on the kitchen, master bedroom and bathroom.

I really need to find a job.

Bacon Cheeseburger Chowder

It may have been 70 degrees outside today (it's almost November!), but...

it's almost November.

Soup season!

And this is a really good one...

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T flour
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
1 lb potatoes, peeled & chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 T beef bouillon granules
12 oz Velveeta
bacon, cooked & crumbled

Directions
In a large pot, cook beef, onion & pepper
Drain
Add garlic, cook 1 minute
Stir in flour until blended
Gradually stir in milk
Add potatoes, water & bouillon
Bring to a boil
Reduce heat
Simmer covered 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender
Add cheese
Stir until melted
Sprinkle servings with bacon

Originally printed in Taste of Home magazine, November 2014.

Life in a Jar

Every once in a while, I go through a stage where I just can't get into a book.  I have stacks and stacks and stacks (and stacks, and...) of books, so I'll pick one up, read a page (sentence?) and know that nope, that's not going to do it.

Then I revert to my list of books I want to read, dig one of those out and no, none of them will work either.

That's when being in a book club comes in handy.  Those books I HAVE to read (many times I wish I didn't, but that's another story).

Recently, I was in one of those stages, but a friend lent me a book, and I'm one of those people who feels obligated to read a book that someone loans me.

I am so glad I did.

The book Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project is the story of a woman named Irena Sendler, a Catholic woman living in Poland during WW2.

We've all heard of Oskar Schindler (Schindler's List), who is credited with saving 1,200 Jews during the war.

Irena Sendler saved over 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto, but most people had never heard of her (including me) until a group of teenage girls in Kansas came across her story and brought it to light.

The book is incredibly well written and captures both the best and the worst of humanity.  It's easy to read, but also really, really hard to read.

The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman that was made into the movie The Pianist (Single-Sided Version) was also set in the Warsaw Ghetto during the war.  If you haven't seen the movie, DO!

And, read Life in a Jar.  You'll be glad you did.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Good advice.

(And, not just for construction.)

I was recently given a bench, with a perfectly nice cushion...

The cushion, though...

It's just not my style.  I like things a little more girly.

So, I decided to make a pillow sham for it, using this video...

So I measured the cushion, and finally found the perfect fabric (on sale!).

I cut it out on Saturday and realized that I forgot to take into consideration that there are actually two sides to a cushion.

Luckily (knowing how I am), when I bought the fabric, I rounded up generously (like I said, it was on sale, and I know how I am).

And, since it's an envelope style sham, so can only be put on one way, nobody will ever know the bottom is pieced together!

ta da!

Also on Saturday, I tried a new crock pot recipe.  I am an incredible crock pot cook and this recipe for Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken from Cozycakes Cottage was no exception. This recipe requires slightly more work than I like (you have to make rice!), but it was well worth the almost no effort whatsoever that it takes to make rice.

On Sunday, I had to work.  But, as usual, my job was sitting around talking to people and (not quite as usual) hanging out with newborn baby birds.

SO CUTE!

Dubuque, Des Moines & In-between

Each year, the Voices Gallery in Dubuque, Iowa holds a month-long art exhibit and cultural event in the historic Millwork District.

On Saturday night, I attended a reading by Michael Perry, who wrote (among other things) a book called Truck: A Love Story (P.S.) that was HILARIOUS (for the most part).

New York City?  No, Dubuque.

The next day, I had to drive to Des Moines, for a press conference with the governor (yes, that sounds weird to me too).

I decided to take the scenic route.  

Literally.

The Grant Wood Scenic Byway takes me about halfway to Des Moines from the town where I live.

scenic

The Antioch School Grant Wood attended from 1897 - 1901

At the end of the byway, I took the "2-lane" (as opposed to the "4-lane") to Mt. Vernon, a small town between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (two other small towns).

Recently, a conversation broke out on Facebook about how cute Mt. Vernon is (it is!) and how cool the coffee shop Fuel is (it is!!).

I had to check it out for myself (such is the power of social media!), and since I was driving in that direction anyway...

I've never heard of a chanchito, but these were super cute!  They're supposed to bring good luck so I probably should've gotten one but I didn't.

Not-so-bright, but super-early the next morning...

View of the sunrise over the Iowa State Capitol from my hotel room

Hopefully the only time I'm INSIDE the Iowa Supreme Court

Council Hill

Summer is (finally!) over (unofficially), so this past weekend I was able to get out to see one of my favorite local bands.

The Matriarchs is (are?) an all-girl bluegrass band.  I hired them to play at our annual art festival in August and they were SO FUN!

The band was playing at Council Hill Station, an old train station/post office/general store/woolen mill built in the 1850's that now has barn dances and over 90 different kinds of beer.

On our way there, my friend told me about the Ably House, an old, abandoned house where several people had been murdered back in the 1800's.

We immediately started to look for it!

We drove down a long, one-lane road...

through a tunnel...

and then...

EEK!  That's it!

There was a fence (electrified!) and a gate.

We walked around to the back...

the path to the back gate

past the side of the house.

A little electrified fence won't stop me (it doesn't hurt THAT bad.), so I climbed over the back gate, and walked slowly past the side of the house.  As soon as I turned to go onto the front porch, I heard a sound.

A truck!  Driving down the lane right towards us!

Needless to say, I ran.

Then, nothing.  Nobody.  No truck...

Turns out, it was a couple of teenagers who came to the bridge at the edge of the property to fish.

But still.

Scary.

After that excitement, we decided to drive into Galena, a super cute, super touristy little town on the way home.

We wandered around for a little while, laughing about the irony of two adults being chased away by teenagers (isn't it supposed to be the other way around?), then headed into an ice cream shop where it's not scary at all.

GAH!

Hail to the Red, White & Blue (and, Beauty & the Beach)!

So, I'm a day late.

And I'm totally cheating by using my July Goodwill Hunting find for both July and August.

But it's so perfect!

I actually saw this red, white & blue bag months ago and grabbed it.  It could be one of those gift-with-purchase bags but I don't care!

I love it!

I'm not sure what the material is, but it feels like it'd be waterproof, and when I saw it, I immediately thought it'd be a perfect beach bag.

Not that I have time to go to the beach, but I am going to try to do something fun before this summer is over.

And when I do, I'm taking this bag!

This will probably be the last official "Goodwill Hunting" installment (but definitely NOT the last time I post one of my great thrift store finds!).

Summer Lovin'

Summer is my busiest time of year, so while everyone else is relaxing and going on vacation, I'm working 7 days a week.  

Literally.

I've taken one day off in the last month (and even then I was getting phone calls and answering emails).

With that schedule, the last thing I need to worry about is what I'm going to wear in the morning.

So I went on a shopping spree! 

I don't have any pictures, but it doesn't matter.  They'd be boring.  

I stocked up on the basics - black capris (3 pairs!), a black skirt, a tan skirt, red shorts from JCrew (ok, those aren't really "basic", but they are so cute, and I can't resist JCrew)...

Life is now much easier in the morning, and at $4 each, it's well worth it!

I also found this cute Kensie shirt that is also not basic but I couldn't resist either.

I love the lime green!

Check out Lemons & Chambray to see what Winavie found for summer.  (I am seriously jealous of that tote bag).

Next month:  Hail to the Red, White & Blue!

Cinco de Mayo

Yes, I know it's Ocho de Junio.

But, I had planned to make this recipe for Cinco de Mayo.  I actually made it last weekend, but am just now getting around to posting the recipe.

Do you notice a trend?

I also finished knitting a scarf today.

Yes, a scarf.

Yes, I know it's June.

Anyway, this was muy bueno and totally worth the wait.

Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Bowls


Ingredients
1½ lbs. chicken breasts
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
½ Tbsp cumin
½ Tbsp minced garlic
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp salt
cracked pepper to taste
2 cups dry rice (or not!)
8 oz. shredded cheddar
½ bunch cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker with ¼ cup of water. 
2. Stir, making sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Near the end of the cooking time, cook rice according to the package directions.
5. Stir chicken mixture with a fork to shred the chicken.
6. Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Personally, I thought the rice was ok, but I also think this would be great on tortillas, or even tortilla chips.

May Flowers

After a long, cold, snowy winter, it's finally spring!

Technically.

I do not consider 53 and overcast "spring".

But we've had a few nice days and I've been out in the yard, pulling lots of weeds and planting a few flowers.

I didn't actually plant them myself, of course.  

One nice thing about a small town is someone is always splitting the plants in their gardens and giving away what they no longer have room for.  (excuse the grammar)  

And if they're really nice, they'll come down and plant them in your garden for you...

really nice!

also really nice!

But spring (the warm, sunny version) will be here eventually.

And now I have the cutest hat to wear when it is!

I love hats

The same day, at the same Goodwill, I also found a framed print of this photo by Ansel Adams...

Source - with info about the picture

It's borderline sacrilegious to say this, but I'm not a big fan of Ansel Adams.  But for some reason I love this picture.  

(It could be the hats.)

If you're wondering what that has to do with May Flowers, the answer is "not much".

But, that woman is Georgia O'Keefe and she is rather famous for painting flowers (among other things).

Winavie discovered that she actually didn't find May Flowers this month, but that's ok because what she did find is REALLY CUTE!

Next month - Summer Lovin'!

April Showers

Rules are made to be broken.

I've been searching for a tan trench coat for (about) ever.

A few weeks ago, I was in Goodwill and saw one!  It was so cute!

But it was from Old Navy.  I sort of have a rule about not buying Old Navy (or Target) at Goodwill.  Their clothing is relatively inexpensive (read: cheap) to begin with, and if it's already been worn...

But this was really cute.

I wavered.

But, it was dirty, so I put it back and turned around, my rule remaining firmly unbroken.

And then...

I saw another tan trench, hanging on the bar outside the fitting room.  I walked over and...

Old Navy.

BUT!

It still had the original tag on it!  It was brand new!  And my size!

And super cute!

(My rule has been amended.)

Check out the super cute little book Winavie at Lemons & Chambray found to use in her super cute little garden.  (I'm so jealous!)

Next later this month:  May Flowers (probably!)

My New Favorite Toy

Wagner Power Products 503008 HT 1000 1,200-watt Heat Gun!

When I bought this house, there was a little semi-circle of linoleum inside the front door...

I don't know why this is so blurry

Last year, I pulled up the linoleum when I ripped out the carpet, leaving this...

I don't even know what.

That was seven months ago.

Seven!

I was given this heat gun for Christmas, and finally got it out this weekend for another (not interesting at all) project.  Then I wondered if it would do anything to this... stuff.

It did!

Whatever it was, it was hard as a rock.  But after I heated it up I could scrape it right off.

And now...

hardwood floors!

Yes, the floors need to be refinished, but this is another huge improvement that didn't cost (me) a penny!

Next up, the kitchen...

sigh...

In case you were wondering...
No, I'm not being compensated by Wagner in any way for this endorsement.

(unfortunately!)