Stormy weather...

Power went out. Power came on.  Power went partially out, came back on. Power went fully out again and came back on a minute later.  I went and got flashlights.  I'm ready....

Roughing It

It's 3:10 in the morning and I've been woken up by a thunderstorm.  This isn't really such a bad thing in and of itself, except for the minor detail that I'm sleeping in a tent.  Ah well.

Why I won't go into the basement...

Or...Valid argument as to why my husband has to take responsibility of they laundry.

I am now paranoid that there are spiders everywhere everytime I feel an itch.

Off to bathe in bleach, now.

I hope the image posts at the bottom....

Traveling (wo)Man.

Busy day today, in the midst of this God awful heat wave.  

Scout and I leave late tomorrow morning for a week at my parents house in Wisconsin.  They live right on a bluff that overlooks Lake Michigan, so there will be LOTS of walks on the beach, relaxation, etc.

BUT.... today makes for a busy day.  

1. Packing (for me and for the dog -- you would be amazed at how much planning is involved in packing for the dog)
2. Cleaning up the house -- I can't stand coming home to a messy house.  It doesn't have to be spotless per se, but I HATE when it looks like the house was left in a hurry.
3. Clean out the car -- This one is MOSTLY done... I just have to finish the trunk and get the dog "sheets" etc, set up in there.
4. Load the car.
5. Take out the trash -- tomorrow morning is trash day.
6. Visit my Grandma
7. Work out.
8. Water the lawn
9. Laundry
10. Bank -- Need change for the toll booths.

I am rapidly running out of time.

GAH!

Tomorrow morning I plan to go to an early AM yoga class before I leave as I have to leave by about 10am in order to hit Chicago at the exact right time so as to avoid traffic.

Final order of business:  As it is an 8-9 hour drive, I need to figure out how in the world I will get to take bathroom breaks while traveling with the dog.  She will be no problem.  It's me (and my small bladder) that suddenly concern me....  

How do you travel with pets?  Do you have any suggestions for me?

 --happy living

organizing, schmorganizing!

I have a confession to make...  I am a pack-rat.  It's true.  I keep things and then I do not get rid of them as quickly as I could.  Or... they end up in my basement with the lofty goal of having a garage sale -- which hasn't happened yet.

So now that I am unemployed, I have to clean up and clean OUT all of this crap, get organized and have a garage sale.  BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN!!!  I don't like our basement; there are spiders down there.  This means that I will leave my husband to bring up all of those boxes -- which I will then, gingerly go through, thinking of spiders the whole time.

Plan of Action: Clearing clutter in "pre-garage sale glory":

• Starting in my bedroom, with my clothes.  
• I have a lot of clothes.  A LOT!
• Tackle the guest bedrooms 
• This is where the extraneous clothes and accessories are
• Bathrooms 
• I am a product junkie, so I need to be ruthless here
• Kitchen 
• Pare down tupperware-ish stuff that I do not use
• Canned goods gone bad
• Items we just will not eat
• Get rid of paper and junk mail collections
• Get rid of Dog Items I Scout does not use (and donate to the Oakland County Pet Adoption Center)
• Living Room / Dining Room
• Not much to get rid of here, but there are some odds and ends, extra tablecloths, etc
• Family Room
• Clean off my desk 
• Get rid of paper and junk mail collections
• Get rid of books and magazines I have read
• Old candles
• Sort cords for charge-able items
• Office
• That is SOLELY my husband's disaster area mess -- so that one is on him.
• Garage
• This one is MOSTLY my husband's disaster area mess -- I will help, but this one will mainly fall on his shoulders.
• Basement
• Not ready to even go there.  Yet....

Then, I will think about the garage sale.  The one thing I do know is that whatever does not sell is going IMMEDIATELY to the Salvation Army.  It will not (I repeat NOT) go back into the house or remain in the garage.

--happy living (and wish me luck!)

a turn of events and a new me

So, last Monday morning, when I got online, I saw a meeting notice from my manager for a one-on-one that day.  Immediately, I cringed.  You see, for the past three years (literally, since I started at an unhappy company) they have been in a constant state of Work Force Reductions (WFRs) and BEST Shoring (a fancy term for off-shoring your job to China, India, Argentina, Puerto Rico, etc  i.e. countries where they can all but steal labor -- how can a US employee that already makes less than nothing compete with them paying less than $5000 a year for someone in in India).

Anyways, I saw that meeting notice and I knew that meant my time was up.  Fortunately, I work from home most of the time, so I was given the news while I was at home  (which has been my wish forever).  This meant that I got to assimilate the information with my husband, in private.  WIN (if that's possible in this situation)!

The funny thing is, after 3 years of seeing other people (constantly) get let go, and living with that kind of stress, I was actually surprised and happy that my number one emotion was RELIEF.  I felt like a HUGE weight had been lifted off of me and my stress level went way down!  Don't get me wrong, I am NOT HAPPY to have lost my job, that's never a good thing.  But I am happy to be unshackled by that job.  Where I work, NO ONE keeps anything (or very few things) of personal nature in the office, because everyone who works there knows that it is much easier to clean out an empty desk than a full one.

From the first day that I started at that global computer company, I had this overwhelming gut feeling that this job was an absolute mistake.  I have never worked in such a toxic environment, because make no mistake, that was a VERY TOXIC environment.  Imagine interacting daily with hundreds of people, all of whom are in constant fear of losing their job.  People throw colleagues under the bus (sometimes without even realizing it, but usually they know what they are doing) without even blinking an eye.  People are forced to adapt very quickly in that kind of dog eat dog food chain, and they become very skilled. Myself included, even though I made a concerted effort to never deliberately throw someone under the bus, I know it's happened, usually to defend myself.

Who wants to exist in that kind of an environment?

And I was there for THREE YEARS, hating it from the FIRST DAY!

Fortunately, when I started there the economy (especially in battered Detroit) was in a FAR WORSE PLACE than it has been in the past 6 months or so.  There are job postings now, whereas before there was primarily a void.

Here are the positives that I see:

• I got "WFRd" at home.
• I had very few personal effects at the office (in fact they all fit, with TONS of room left over, in a large lululemon shopper

This is what my personal belongings fit into

• I knew it was coming (for the past three years)
• I don't miss the job
• It happened on Monday, June 20, which means that I get a summer vacation.
• I already registered months ago for the Detroit Freep Marathon on Sunday, October 16.  So now I HAVE. TIME. TO. TRAIN!!!!
• SUMMER VACATION (and I fully intend to enjoy every single second of it)!
• Time to get the house TRULY organized, which has been weighing on me for about 6 months now.
• The economy is in a much better place now than it was a few months ago, so I know I will find something.
• I have time to be more discerning in my search for a new job.
• My husband is wonderful and supportive.
• So are my parents
• My 90+ grandma just moved into an assisted living facility that is only a few miles from my house, so I will have time to pop in and visit her, frequently :-D

So, there you have it -- I choose to look at this as a window opening, rather than a door closing!

--happy living

melissa, melissa, melissa -- for all that you do, this post is for you! or: ridin' the v(eg)-train

Dearest Melissa,
As requested.  :-)
       Love, 
       Kelly


*** this is a bit rambly, I'm tired and don't really feel like trying to edit too much... Feel free to judge me, but i still love you ***

So in the past several months, I've made several unplanned, highly unanticipated changes in my life. The biggest of which has probably been the fact that I stopped eating meat. That's right, I've vegged out! The funniest thing about it is that I really have not missed it. At all.

More than once I have foundthat the smell of burgers and hot dogs on the grill is enough to make my mouth water like one of Pavlov's dogs. However, I have not felt tempted by it. To me, the real test was when Hubs and I were down in the basement chilling on the aerobed watching television -- it was a hot day and the basement was cool. Chilly even. Don't judge! -- and somehow ended on Food Network and we began watching a marathon (3 episodes) of Diners Drive-ins and Dives. It was ninety minutes of barbecue ribs, pulled pork, hamburgers, etc. All foods I LOVE -- or is that loved? When we turned the television off, Hubs got all hot and bothered to grill something, but I was able to watch with detachment, I guess. While the food all looked fantastic, delicious and downright delicious, I did not WANT it. I could appreciate it. But I did not want it. That was rather empowering to me, that I could resist and it was not hard! Restaurants are, on occasion, a bit of a challenge. Not all have a good list of vegetarian cuisine; and of those that do have offerings, many just go through their menu and say, "Ooh, there's no meat in this, let's label that Veg" In other words finding things beyond salads, grilled cheese sandwiches or Garden Burgers can be hard. But it's not impossible.

I should clarify, I am not vegan -- I really do not want to make that kind of a commitment. In other words, I still eat eggs and dairy (which certainly makes it much easier), and I also let myself have fish & seafood -- this makes travel a LOT easier. Not to mention that there is NO WAY I could give up sushi.  I love it so.

Furthermore, I should add that there was no motivation behind my shift to vegetarianism.  In fact, it was so anticlimactic that I am unable to even pinpoint when it happened.  It just did.  I know it was right around my three year wedding anniversary (March 7, if you were wondering), but that is the best I can do.  It just happened.  I'm not committed for life to this (I'm leaving myself that out as it takes the pressure off of me) but I am curious how long I can ride the V(eg)-Train.

Another change which I have made -- this one had a bit more conscious of a decision -- I switched from salon shampoos and conditioners to natural, organic ones. It took about two or three weeks before my hair stopped feeling like a straw-like, knotted mess when I washed it, but my hair has acclimated, and is shiny, full and silky.  If you are wondering, I use Desert Essence Shampoo (right here) and Conditioner (and here) in Italian Red Grape.  I bought mine at Whole Foods.  The fragrance is AMAZING and lasts for days -- I wash my hair every other day, and I can still smell it on my hair.

Last but not least... this one has been slowly growing for the past two years!  When it comes to household cleaning, I have switched from harsh cleaning chemicals, to more kid and pet friendly, green variety.  Having Scout has been very eye opening, and was the biggest catalyst for this evolution. She is such a curious dog that every time I would go to clean, I would constantly worry that she would lick at something or worse, so it became important to me to find things that I would not be as paranoid about.  Not to mention the fact that we are planning to have kids, why not be ahead of the curve.  As it is, I already hate cleaning and scouring, so when I felt like I had to constantly put effort into keeping the dog away to clean it became an even bigger chore.  Now, I am much less worried when she shadows me.

I use a couple of brands for cleaning products. The first one I love because they are actually pretty reasonable and they are effective in cleaning (obviously important) is Naturally It's Clean by Enzyme Fresh Home which you can buy at Alice.com (I love ALICE!  You always get free shipping, there are frequent coupons for products and the mark-up is nominal over a grocery store -- and you more than make up for it with the FREE SHIPPING!).  The best perk of using these products is that they are made and produced right here in the Metro Detroit area in Bloomfield Hills.  WINNING!

The other products I use are made by Shaklee -- who have been making GREEN cleaning products since the 1956.  Their Basic H2 is not only extremely long lasting -- you use a few drops to a tablespoon depending on your instant need, so a small 16oz bottle can last for a couple of years, easily!  Further, it's unscented, so I add a drop or two of the essential oil of my choice for fragrance (currently lime).  I love it!

What have you done to green / healthify (yep, made that word up) or otherwise spruce up your day to day routines?  Tell me in the comments.

PS:  Melissa, you are required to leave a comment.  Consider it my reward for posting ;-)

--happy living

where it's at!

This is where I was at with the house last summer....  Lots of changes!

a view from the top (of the stairs, that is)

living room.  this pic is probably the closest photo representation of the blue that i have.  Other pics look like it's "electric blue"  I don't LOVE this color, and do want to repaint it... but I'm not there yet.

another view of the living room.  plus, say hello to Audrey!

my argyle wall masterpiece.  I am SO proud of how this turned out and it was (surprisingly) very easy to do!

see what i mean, electric blue!

kitchen

kitchen: view II

family room.  This no longer looks like this.  There is now a big wall dividing the room right at the back of the loveseat now (the house originally had a wall as well.  Now that smaller area is an office. 

which we already used as such!

family room area

and now, up the stairs.

large guest room (front of house)

another view

and another.

small guest room (rear of house)

blue room

blue room

ahhh, my sanctuary!

--happy living

mexiquinoa (a cinco de mayo delight)

Happy Cinco de Mayo and Happy Birthday to my dear friend Maggie!!!!


So really, there is nothing special about this dish.  However, because I have recently stopped eating meat, instead of rice I use quinoa, which is a source of complete protein.


If you want a really nice breakdown on quinoa, what it is and why it's wonderful, you can read Emily's post over at the Daily Garnish (read here) 


Ingredients for MexiQuinoa (Yields 4 - 5 servings)

• 1¼ c. Quinoa
• 1 can of Black Beans
• 1 can of Pinto Beans
• 1 fire roasted red pepper (diced)
• ½ onion (diced and sautéed)
• Salsa (whatever your preference)
• 1 to 2 tbsp Sour cream
• ⅛ - ¼ c. shredded cheese (depending on cheesy preference)
• Tortilla chips

So first off, I rinse boil 2 cups of water.  While I'm waiting for it to boil, I rinse off the quinoa in the sink.
Once the water boils, I dump the quinoa in.  Stir occassionally.  Like rice, it will absorb all of the water moreover, when the little tails sprout, it's done.  


While the quinoa is cooking, I dice and sauté the onion and once that starts to cook down, I add the fire roasted red pepper


I open the can of black and pinto beans and rinse them off.


Once the quinoa is done cooking, I add the beans to the grain. As those are incorporated, I add the onion and pepper mixture.  Then I add the salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese and mix it all together.  


The brilliance of the recipe is that it really does not require a lot of cheese or sour cream before it becomes deliciously creamy... 


Add to a bowl, and scoop with tortilla chips and enjoy!


--happy living

My Response to "Parents don't dress your girls like tramps"

Both the CNN article AND Katy's post.

While this post is a little off topic from my usual posts, I read, posted and commented on this LZ Granderson/CNN article, Parents don't ress your girls like tramps," earlier today. 

When Katy Widrick wrote her opinion over at her blog I had to write a lengthy/personal reply. Further, I wanted to share my thoughts here, as well.

Katy made the point that

This is representative of a further issue -- in my opinion, that issue is largely the fact that parents are increasingly absent.  However, I can only partially agree with your point about parents letting their kids have some freedom in their choices... but I only partially agree with you.   It's one thing to let your daughter wear your high heels and lipstick, it's another when they start parading around in your or their (I have no doubt that will eventually happen) lingerie.

Parents MUST to play a role in GUIDING their children's choices.  Because I don't care how "free" a spirit your kid is... No little girl needs to be running around have naked and dressed like a sex symbol.  That is SOLELY on the parents.  Shame on companies like Abercrombie for marketing the merchandise, but even more shame goes to the parents for saying, "Yeah, that's a GREAT IDEA" 

I think LZ Granderson made a HUGELY valid point which is that PARENTS are the one buying these items for their kids.  And from first-hand experience, pushing and or encouraging it.  Case in point: My (then) 7 year old niece Annie and her mom. 

I can't begin to tell you how disgusted I was when my sister-in-law bought some kiddie bras for my niece (who at the time was seven).  My SIL, Shelly bought them NOT because my niece asked or begged for them, not because Annie NEEDED them (she didn't).  Shelly bought them because SHELLY thought that they were funny and cute.   While I love my SIL, to me, that is just plain inappropriate.  And I have friends who would/will/have bought similar items for their little girls, for the same reason.

These parents make up the demographic that companies like Abercrombie, etc are trying to "reach" with these items.  I have never yet met a kid that chose outfits that are purely sexual because that's how they want to dress.  TV & media have A LOT of influence but it comes from even closer.  What are those kids learning at home.

Back to my niece Annie (who is now 11).  Annie has had some pretty serious body image issues since she was about 8 years old.  It was about this time when she (who IS beautiful and also a little toothpick)started comparing herself to other kids, real and on TV, and saying that she wasn’t pretty, or skinny, or she was too fat, she needed to lose weight.  This is the girl who understands the sexual undertone to Katy Perry’s “I kissed a girl” and sings it that way in order to get attention. This, btw, is something that still leaves me appalled.

The question isn’t what are we letting our KIDS do.  The real question is what are we encouraging our kids to do?

And the future right now is beginning to look pretty grim.

--happy living

Simply Delish - Vegan Muffin(tops)

Every once in awhile I stumble upon a recipe that I have to try right then and there.  Even more rare is when that happens and I actually have all of the proper ingredients (or acceptable substitutes) so that I actually do make them.  Emily provided just one of those recipes with her vegan Blueberry Banana Whole Wheat Muffin recipe over at her blog, the Daily Garnish.

Unable to resist the promise of muffin-y goodness, I got to work.  The only problem...?  I didn't take any pictures until I made a second batch, anyways...

oh. my. yumness! 

Emily's recipe calls for the following ingredients (my modifications will be noted in parentheses and in blue)

Chili Time

I saw this post the other day, and was eager to try it.  So on Sunday, I finally did.


I modified Teri (over at A Foodie Stays Fit)'s Famous Vegetarian 3-Bean Chili recipe. Let me just tell you... She nailed it.  It. Is. Good!  Really good.  She was not kidding when she said that there was just one step, "throw it all in a pot." The most time-consuming part of the process was opening all of the cans of beans and tomatoes. I topped it with some guacamole and a blend of plain yogurt and sour cream. I was very pleased that mine turned out as thick as if there were meat in it, not watery like most veggie chili.

Nom! Nom! Nom! 

f is for flu but b is for birthday.

So, I have been sick as a dog since Monday afternoon.  'Sick is a dog' is actually a rather silly analogy as my dog is generally healthy as a horse, but... (See, a sure sign I'm sick.  Dumb jokes)

friday +/-

So, this has been an interesting week, to say the least. Despite the negatives that I list, I can claim absolutely that the positives SIGNIFICANTLY outweighed the negatives.  That said, I usually start with the negatives so that I can end on a positive note... but for this week only, I am going to flip that around.  Be warned... this is probably going to get a bit ramble-y in spots.

So...  Let's get started, shall we?

walking in a winter wonderland

First off:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BABY!!!  WE HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR THREE YEARS, TOGETHER FOR NEARLY SEVEN YEARS, 
AND THROUGH IT ALL, I AM STILL  MADLY.  IN.  LOVE.
WITH YOU!

The past weekend was amazing for my husband and myself.  We celebrated our third wedding anniversary on Monday -- I can't believe that it's been three years, already! -- and we spend the weekend driving southwest of Pittsburgh to Seven Springs Mountain Resort for a weekend of snowboarding. And the past weekend was epic for me!

Ryan and I just learned this winter.  Well, Ryan grew up on a skateboard, so it was a really smooth transition for him.  Both of us skied growing up and wanted to get back on the slopes, but also wanted a more cost effective way to do it.  So... it just so happened that last August, Ryan stopped at a HUGE Dick's Sporting Goods in Novi that we normally never go to as it is an hour drive from our house.  While he was there, he saw these beginner decks that were on sale for $50 each, which is really an insanely low price.  That said, he bought a new 5150 snowboard deck for each of us.  Below are the pictures that Ryan messaged me when he told me his plan.

ABCs of Me

Everyone always says that "Oh, I don't usually do these, but this one looked fun, so here I go..." Well... Count me in that bucket.  I really don't usually fill these things out, but this one was easy enough without getting too overly personal.  So...

love is in the air!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I hope your days are all filled with love and sunshine!  (Not practical, I'm sure--but I can hope, right?)

My husband had an amazing series of surprises planned for me when I got home from work.  I love him with all my heart.  I can honestly claim that I am truly blessed to have found my soul-mate in him!  A claim I do not make lightly.

--happy living

friday +/-

negatives:

• The hubby was stuck in training on Monday and Tuesday while we were in Houston.  And Tuesday was a very long day for him.
• Mom almost got run off the road by a semi-truck in a dangerous spot on i-94 in Milwaukee.  She wasn't hurt and neither was her car, but she was definitely shaken and it delayed her arrival to our house.  Meaning, we didn't get to spend as much time with her.  But--she's safe!
• Hubs and I had to leave the Scout-dog for 5 days.  I'll admit it--I missed her!

positives:

• I got to go to Houston, Texas this week and see the sun and experience some warmer temperatures.  Much needed!
• Hubs and I were able to rent a car on Sunday and drive down to the Gulf of Mexico/Galveston, Texas.
• We enjoyed several amazing meals whilst traveling.
• I walked approximately 5 miles per day while we were there, and it was very enjoyable.
• Got to give my Kindle a fantastic workout while we were there.
• Enjoyed the gorgeous weather.
• Came home to my puppy!
• Came home to my house that my mom had (beautifully) cleaned for our homecoming.  I LOVE coming home to a clean house, so it was wonderful!

All in all it's been another grand week!!!

...i missed this girl!

--happy living

everything's bigger in texas!

Seriously, it is!  I have been MIA the past several days as my hubby and I have been holed up in this mystical land of the south--specifically Houston.  I have to say a few things have surprised me.

our view of the houston skyline from the hotel.  the toyota center is where the houston rockets play.

it's a marshmallow world!

Well, the blizzard came and left.  It did not leave as much snow as predicted (and unfortunately, it never does), but it still left a beautiful coat of snow.

Ryan, Scout and I all teamed up and cleaned out the driveway. Ryan used the snowblower, I took the shovel and played cleanup, and Scout was really just an observant (and faithfully diligent) project manager.

i've got my eyes on you!