Day 10

            It's my 32nd birthday!  So I'm not doing a damn thing!  

Day 9

We are meeting at my Mom's house tonight to see my Uncle Paul, visiting from out of town, and to celebrate my birthday!  Mom is making quite a bit, so I offered to bring "Festive Cranberry Salad."  It's wonderful!  Lesson learned though . . . do NOT use sugar-free jello!  The salad never set properly, so it was more like a soup.

http://pinterest.com/pin/19562579602079371/

Day 8

Well, we are officially moving.  It won't be happening for about a month, but I've decided to make a dedicated effort to purge the crap out of the attic.  There is so much up there!  It's basically a 300 square foot storage unit.  And most of it I have not needed, used, or even thought of for the past year.  What does that tell you?  Considering we live on a major thoroughfare in Des Moines, I thought a yard sale would be a good way to sell what we can before we donate.  Or we may just end up donating it all . . . sales can be such a hassle.  The following post provided some inspiration for my purge.

http://pinterest.com/pin/51932201922597739/

Day 7

Tonight I had a craving for Mom's salmon patties, so I tried to make my own.  I used the very basic recipe she told me and I found on Pinterest (below), but substituted the cracker crumbs for bread crumbs.  Bad idea.  Next time I'll definitely take the time to crush saltines.

http://pinterest.com/pin/206954545347087150/

I did make an interesting sauce for the side though . . . mayo, italian dressing, and dill.

Day 6

Tried a wonderful recipe tonight . . . white chicken enchiladas with green chile sauce.  I've seen it posted a few times by different people on Pinterest, so it seemed popular.  The prep was easy and the construction was even easier.  They taste wonderful . . . especially with a nice glass of sangria!  Will definitely be saving this recipe.

http://pinterest.com/pin/19562579601660347/

They are supposed to look like this . . .

Apparently my photography skills need some refinement.  And my presentation skills.  But they were tasty, and that is all that matters in this house!

Day 5

I am almost 32 years old.  I am a college professor.  And my mom took me "back to school" clothes shopping today.

Made me feel 13 years old again.

It was awesome.

I'm so excited for the first day of school!

Thanks, Mom!







. . . now I just need a Trapper-Keeper.

Day 4

Well, time got away from me yesterday and I failed to make a post.  Damn.  I will tell you I was looking at pins, though - trying to get paint and decor ideas for our new place.  I'm not a fan of the colors chosen by the previous owner . . . gray living room, burgundy bathroom, and a mocha kitchen.  Not my style . . . I'm thinking white living room, aqua blue bathroom, and buttercream yellow in the kitchen. The following pins provided color inspiration.

http://pinterest.com/pin/19562579602025324/

http://pinterest.com/pin/19562579601936015/

Day 3

I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but I start thinking about my puppy's health and she got sick.  I mean vomiting and diarrhea . . . all night!  The vet didn't find anything suspicious on examination, and put little Lola on a "bland" diet of chicken and rice.  Honestly, I'm afraid she's going to get accustomed to the good stuff and won't eat dog food anymore!

So I needed to cook chicken . . . and why not check Pinterest for the answers?  I found the following post discussing the differences between boiling and poaching.

http://pinterest.com/pin/114630752985610590/

I have to admit, the poaching method did come out with much juicier chicken.  I've boiled chicken breasts before for salads, and the meat seems to dry out terribly.  For Lola I just poached in water - no fluff or flavor.  Maybe bland chicken won't be too tempting.

Scratch that.  She just finished her bowl and is snooping for more.  Sigh.  She's hooked.