Pretty in Pink

I've always wanted a pink bedroom.

And now I have one!

Benjamin Moore First Light

Usually when I start painting, my initial reaction is "I hate it!".

But I'm cheap, and not about to repaint, so I forge ahead and after the 2nd coat I always love it.

This time, it was love at first light (uh, sight).

I still need to prime, paint and hang the trim.  Install new blinds. And new closet doors.  One of those closet organization systems would be nice...

It'll be a while before it's "done".

I also made this recipe for Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes that I've been seeing all over Pinterest and it was GOOD!  I didn't include the chicken so it took less than 30 minutes.  (Nice!)

Ingredients

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small jar (3-4 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 lb chicken breast tenders (or not)
• salt
• paprika (just a little bit for the chicken)
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 oz pasta
• 1 tablespoon basil (if using dry basil), if using fresh basil you can add more
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (at least, add more to taste)
• 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)
• salt, to taste

Instructions

• If using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), drain the tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons of oil for sauteing.
• In a large pan, on high heat, sautee garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained) in 2 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar) for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. 
• Remove sun-dried tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil, and add chicken tenders, salted and lightly covered in paprika (for color) and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side. 
• Remove from heat.
• Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water (Note: I think this is SO gross so I didn't do it and the sauce was just fine). 
• Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water (to stop cooking).
• Slice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller bits and add them back to the skillet with chicken. 
• Add half and half and cheese to the skillet and bring to a gentle boil. 
• Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until all cheese melts and the sauce is creamy. 
• Add cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. 
• Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and at least 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
• Optional (in my book): Add about 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water because the creamy sauce will be too thick (do not add all water at once - you might need less or more of it). This will water down the thickness of the cheese sauce and make it creamier.
• Immediately, season the pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, to taste, if needed. 
• Let simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.

So Far...

I've officially been in my new job one month now and (so far) I like it...

I've booked a few weddings already, and am working with other people in the community on other events.

And I've started planning some events of my own.

In my previous position at the Chamber of Commerce, I would think "Someone in town should have a [insert the name of some event here]".

Now that someone is ME!

I've already scheduled an Indoor Garage Sale this month, and I'm working on a Women's Day Out (manicures, chair massage, wine tasting...) during March Madness, a Crafting Retreat in April, and an Outdoor Show in May.

And I'm creating a new website.

(I've been here one month!)

I was working out of the office in the restaurant next door to the event centre.  This was far from ideal (I was in the way), so we had to find a new office...

Yes, that is a closet in the laundry room of a hotel.

But now it looks like this...

making progress

It's a little bare, so over the weekend I worked on some projects I'd seen on Pinterest.

First, I took these old frames I found at Goodwill...

$2.50

$4

 I hated the gold, but liked the detail on both of the frames...

I also liked this Easy Bulletin Board Project

and these Shabby Frames.

So, with a little Heirloom White spray paint, a roll of cork, a scrap of fabric and some twine, I now have these...

much better!

I still have more to do, but I'm getting there.

New Year, New Job

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to never work a day in my life.

Actually, it was to choose a job I love, which, according to Confucius, is the same thing.

Well, I did choose a job.

On New Year's Eve I was offered a position as the General Manager of an event center in town.  My job is to attract and coordinate events (weddings, etc...).

When I was first approached about the job in early December, I said I wasn't interested.  

At all.  

I was emphatic about it.

At the time (and, to a certain degree, now) I wanted to go back to a 9-5 job.  

No more nights, weekends...  

When I'm done for the day, I'm done.

This is not that job.

But, I get to continue doing a lot of what I've been doing the last 2+ years to promote tourism, and I really like a flexible schedule (when you have a 9-5 job, you kind of HAVE to be there by 9.  I hate that!).

So, I accepted the offer.  Signed all the papers on Friday and set up a booth at a bridal expo on Saturday, with no training whatsoever.

The best part is - I get to have all the fun of planning a wedding, without actually having to get married!

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.