Big Shrimpin & Some Clams Y'all

Talk about an awesome weekend y'all! 

To be honest, I headed into this last weekend not being sure what to expect and feeling more exhausted than usual. Beyond all the emotional suppression between Tall D and I, work has been busy busy as I finished preparations for this week's events and finally caught up on all my grading. 

However, as seems to be fast becoming the norm, my friends seem to know what I need better than I do these days, and my buddy Z 'napped me for a long weekend of shrimping, clamming, cooking, fire pitting, and wine indulging up on Hood's Canal in Washington with his friends and fam. We were bummed not to be joined with another buddy of ours nor one of my cousins, but it seriously was a blast all the same....

And who would have thought that THIS GIRL (being me) would go shrimpin......except it totally reminded me of the type of fun things we'd do way back in high school. In fact the whole weekend left me feeling a bit more settled, a lot more relaxed, and yet connected to that ol' 16 year old version of myself in a way I haven't felt in years. The sun was out, I got my grading done, and I even snuck in a short little run alongside the busy highway. I learned a new skill, I expanded my eating choices (morrels, spicy shrimp, clam linguine, smoked salmon over salmon pate on crackers---DELISH!), I actually helped prep for cooking one night, I met some great new people, I got in some kiddie snuggle sessions, I loved on an adorable doggie, and I got to be out on one of my greatest of loves: the water. It seriously was amazing folks!

The 2nd boat in our group searching for the right spots to place their pots.

Z hauling in one of the pots...I'm pretty sure I only snagged a picture of one of our emptiest pots from the weekend. ;)

SHRIMP! Us ladies had the job of counting, bagging, and placing each person's limit on ice. (Each person only gets 80 shrimp per day and you can only have your pots in the water between 9am and 1pm.)

The view from the docks, the day we stopped for a leisurely breakfast in between putting in and pulling up pots.

Gorgeous view of the mountains, no?

Z showing me how to rake up the clams.

Me with some of our clam harvest.

The amazing view from my hotel room's balcony.  

Sunday morning I got in an early call to Mom for Mother's Day before we drove back for me to make the last half of Sunday brunch honoring Granny. It was great to spend some time with Dad's side of the extended family and it gave Granny and I a chance to finally chat about the recent changes in my life. While the conversation didn't start out like I'd hoped, in the end she was able to support and understand all the same. (Sometimes withholding the total truth of one's life in lieu of the "everything's all okay" facade can make it difficult for people to understand once the final veil of the facade is lifted....) Then per the recent norm, Tall D, housemate, my cousin, Z, another buddy and myself had our weekly Sunday evening get together, which actually took us back over to my aunt & uncles for an evening of pizzas and drinks on their amazing deck. 

All in all, the weekend was full of good food, good drinks, good people, and good times. To say that much sunshine and smiles occurred this weekend would be an understatement. Here's hoping the forecasted week of sunshine continues and that those smiles might stay in place also!

Wishing the best for you and yours!

PS Heather---you're the best for the card, thank you so much!

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes

Clothes, clothes, glorious, and at times oh so hated clothes! There seems to be lots of chatter across the blog-o-sphere about clothes at times, and I've been waiting on a photo post for a while now (cousin you should be proud it's finally arriving!). Now note: I definitely do not claim to have style savvy. I love some What Not to Wear and since my oh-so-fun days of high school have gotten much better at dressing my actual body with its perks and flaws rather than attempting to hide it.....but we all have our good days and our bad days. I do enjoy helping other people move past a dressing/shopping rut, as I do think there is something about dressing yourself well in a way that best symbolizes and fits you that can in turn impact an individual's mood and outlook. Generally speaking I love a good deal, although I also refer to the CPW principle (cost per wear) and also try to dress in more timeless pieces that will get plenty of wear.

Since conversations around clothes usually also include conversations about body image, at times its great to know what exactly those perks are and what are the areas an individual is wanting to hide. Since I've started putting on a bit more body fat recently (although ironically less actual poundage), my breasts are slightly more emphasized (which I'm not so thrilled about being that I my general work environment includes being surrounded by males 80% of the time----hub tells me to rock them however my general inclination is to layer and slouch more). However the perk to somewhat larger breasts means that my body is a bit more hour glass-ish now. Beyond the boobs (which I always try to keep the cleavage covered!), I've got great calves and small ankles.....although as you'll see with our current 30-40 degree days, they're almost always covered too!

Ironically documenting what I wore for a week only further reminded me that I pretty much have a standard "uniform" that I wear on a regular basis---although I suppose this makes it easier to get ready in the morning! You'll also see why hub gets tired of the cardigan, because if I could wear a cardigan over a tank every SINGLE day....I completely would! The irony of documenting what I wore also taught me a) I should wear more jewelry/accessorize even when I think I have added something b) Iphone shots don't provide detail and c) I'm pretty sure I'll never move beyond the fact that I hate fixing my hair--brushing just became standardized in the last few weeks even!

So without further ado:

This picture is from last week actually, but I love a good wrap dress---talk about comfortable over a pair of thick tights and a cami!

Dress: Target clearance, Heeled Mary Janes: Nine West outlet purchase 5+ years ago

And here begins the cardi over a tank demonstration with my other standard go-to choice: heeled knee-high boots ;)

MONDAY

Blue ruffled chiffon tank: Target clearance (& resized by mom), Black cardigan: Target 5+ years ago, Gray & white pinstripe dress pants: Target, Black suede boots: JC Penney sale last year

TUESDAY 

Brown tweed pants: Macy's (& a gift from mom), Red tunic: Penneys clearance (& altered by mom), Boyfriend cardigan: Target, not pictured brown suede boots: JC Penney 5+ years ago

Was Going to Wear WEDNESDAY 

Went I with: WEDNESDAY 

Black pencil skirt: JC Penney, Turquoise ruffled cardi: Target clearance, Black ruffled button-up: Target (& resized by mom), Gray ruffled boots: Outlet boot shop, Gray ruffled tunic above: Target clearance

THURSDAY 

Same black pencil skirt, Shirt: Penney's, Boots: Penney's (this year)

CASUAL FRIDAY

(aka no clients/students) and also known this month as my favorite outfit..... ;)

Skinny Jeans: sigh.....Wal-mart (Louisiana), Same recent Penney's black boots, striped sweater: Target clearance

So this also tells me......most my wardrobe is from a) Target b) Penney's c) outlets d) thrift shops. I tend to keep a lot of pieces for quite a while and there are some pieces that I have my mother take in for me dependent on where I am in weight/size fluctuations (for the last five years I've pretty much stayed between a 6-8, but closer to my undergrad I was more a 8-12). The nice thing about running a seam down the side is that it's also able to be removed if absolutely necessary. While I don't buy clothes from the most environmentally friendly of places, I also hardly ever throw clothes away (unrepairable holes and major stains aside)---I use them for long periods of time, pass on to friends/family, or donate them to various thrift stores. I suppose I'm more budget conscious than anything, as out of everything pictured only three items were over $30 and generally I won't buy something unless I love it, its completely comfortable, and I can really see how I would wear it. The other irony of this week's choices: I apparently wanted solids mixed either with red or blue. ;)

So did this post teach us anything? Probably not really, but it was fun all the same and it also helped me to choose a few combinations that I haven't intermingled quite as much---variation makes me happy! ;)

Hope you all had a great week of inspiration!

Holiday Zoolights

A few pictures from last night's Holiday Zoolights for you all to enjoy! Definitely not something I'll need to go to each year, but was a great experience overall. It's so incredible to see what people can come up with and it was GREAT to spend some much needed quality time with my brother and sister-in-law!

A Standard Saturday

A run in the morning, followed by some time in the yard raking up more leaves and putting the final raised bed to "rest."

 The chickens are well-guarded when they're out pecking around.

 If you look very closely up at the top of this picture, you can see the first bunch of geese heading south for the winter.

And the morning of physical work, followed by a meal of my mixed squash stew made yesterday, and then a couple hours of prep work.....and a nap time for Major (you can tell he's male based on his desire to lay right next to the remotes.....). ;)

This evening I'm joining my brother and sister-in-law for dinner and then to see the Zoo Lights---so stoked! I've been looking into going since I heard it advertised on the radio a few weeks ago---here's hoping it's as grand as I imagine! :)

Hope you all are having a wonderful productive, yet fulfilling Saturday yourselves!

Thanksgiving in Pictures

 This year I made cranberry sauce using a recipe from one of my best high school gals---it turned out fab and will definitely be contributed again.

 Hub was kind enough to hook up our DVD player last evening so I also got to huddle down under my new super soft & comfy winter blanket and watch one of my favorite Christmas movies: The Family Stone. While hub and I are unsure if we'll have kids, this movie always makes me wish for a big house of crazy functional dysfunction someday!

 Hub contributed pumpkin cheesecakes and a deep-fried turkey. In this photo he's prepping the turkey and the dogs are oh so hopeful that he'll accidently drop it on the floor!

 Hub's joke this morning was whether or not it'd be cruel to take the turkey out to show the chickens.....

 One of the three beautiful tables decorated at my aunts. Always a wonderful time together with immediate and extended family! Life has been so crazy that I haven't even seen much of my aunts/cousins that live less than a mile away, so it was so great to have time to catch up with many of the family.

And I also got to spend some focused time with one of my nephews---don't get to see them as frequently as I'd like....and most the time I love my job as "aunt." :)

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and it always passes so quick! Here's hoping each of you had a wonderful holiday surrounded by family, friends, gratitude, and lots of love!!

Some Moments & Things of Late

I absolutely adore my comfy sweater dresses and a pair of knee-high boots. Sweater dresses are so easy to throw on allowing me steal a few extra minutes of shut eye in the morning AND they seriously feel like I'm wearing pjs to work!

Our high school football team was up here playing last weekend. CHILLY game, but it was a lot of fun watching them play and sitting with some of our hometown friends closer to our own turf. They lost in the last 6 seconds of the play off game which was a bummer, but it was a great experience over all. I even agreed to snuggle down to an additional evening of watching football with hub over the weekend---I'm pretty sure he marked the day on the calendar.

The chickies are incredibly gorgeous ladies--they never really had an awkward ugly stage and instead developed straight into the beautiful feather pattern that currently bear. They also have a beautiful "coo" and a pretty funny warbling noise that sounds a little like a turkey! :)

Poor lil Roxi had her annual shots on Saturday. We took her to Luv My Pet at Petco just like we did with Anna this summer and it went great. Roxi has a tendency to get a tough gal complex when she's on leash, but she actually behaved really well. Looks like she has a bad tooth though that we'll probably have to have extracted soon....

Hub spent an afternoon raking up the entire backyard of leaves.....we woke up the next day to what you see in the above picture covering the back corner of the yard. I'm pretty sure the cherry tree was laughing at him....

Other things of late:

Hub has developed a new found passion for all things flavored pumpkin----we officially have local Umpqua pumpkin pie ice cream in the freezer and then pumpkin spice creamer in the fridge.

I let the cat out of the bag to my gal Heather, but if you're looking for cute cardigans for this fall or as a layering piece anytime of year....look no farther than Target. I have historically had a love affair with the cardigan (which hub despises) and Target has been one of my go-to resources for years. They run large though, so buy smaller.

Hub and I made a Costco run yesterday, which we continue to love. This run was primarily for juice and dog food (although we will probably be switching to large 50 pound bags of "farm dog feed" from our local feed store, as we like the idea of supporting small business and the bag here is paper aka recyclable), but I also snagged the coziest, softest blanket to curl up in during this cold winter......and I finally purchased organic chicken stock so I can hopefully get on to soup and/or chili making....although I've been having hankerings for homemade mac & cheese lately too. You read that right...I actually am wanting to make something again!

I just agreed to switch my teaching schedule slightly in the spring, which gives me one additional credit but also will include lecturing for four straight hours. I'm excited at the idea of moving my twice a week class to once a week, but will be interested to see how that format works for the subject. I'm really enjoying teaching however....

I've been throwing around the idea of studying to become a massage therapist, although I can't decide if I am intrigued for real reasons or if I'm just ready for a completely new direction and challenge. It's a lot of money and a decent amount of time for a potential whim.....must investigate more indepth where these thoughts are coming from, but so far the pros are that it's also part-time, potentially flexible, involves touch & healing, and further connects to my interests in health care.

What have each of you been up to or thinking about lately?!



The Weekend Post

Are you getting used to these weekend only posts? ;) I definitely have lots to say but just not as much time to write about it all. Luckily I took Friday entirely off of work since I'd already worked over my hours for the week and it made for a great three day weekend, although there's been grading of exams and prepping for this next week still going on. Hub's been in our hometown attending our high school's football game and going hunting for deer with his best friend. Beyond grading/prepping, there's been lots of enjoyment going on between the critters and I though! One of my favorite gals came over Friday evening until late, the dogs and I finally ran twice last week, and all around we've been enjoying fall. Here are some more fabulous things from this special season:

Two of my favorite indulgences of fall: hard apple cider and pumpkin beer. I've also taken a hankering to red table wines--especially the one by Middle Sister which my mom (who ironically doesn't drink alcohol) turned me on to....although it's definitely a bit more north of my typical wine price range....

Major's been spending nights cuddling up between hub and I during the week. Usually we don't let the cats sleep with us, but he's been so still (and cold!) that we've let him just hang out curled up in bed while we sleep.

The leaves are changing colors everywhere and its completely gorgeous!

I spent an afternoon mowing the lawn, reseeding some grass, raking pine needles, and putting one of our raised beds "to bed," so the chickens had the opportunity to finally free range. The dogs love following them around the yard, but man were those ladies difficult to catch this go around ;) Took me 15 minutes of chasing them before I finally had both of them back in their home!

Hub and I headed downtown to one of our funky favorite breakfast diners on Friday. It was neat to enjoy some delish breakfast together and led to a conversation about how we both, at times, wish we lived closer in. Even though we live 8 miles from my work, it takes 30-45 minutes of driving in order for me to get there and it's an hour commute for hub to get to campus downtown using public transportation. We love our rental and usually don't mind the 'burbs, but if we end up staying longer than I'm envisioning in the Portland area (it's definitely where the jobs are and hub could potentially have a grad program to go to after his undergrad degree.....) then we will probably want to re-evaluate where we are living in relation to my job and to downtown.

When hub and I got married as quickly as we did, we didn't really have the finances nor time to really think about rings. At the time I bought a simple white gold band that I wore and then added another ring about a year ago that symbolized my family when I was gifted a family ring with a unique stone from Granny. In my mind I always assumed that someday I'd get a different ring and after watching Blood Diamond (& getting into sustainability/simplicity), I've been against the idea of buying a new ring/diamond for myself. Hub and I hit some rough spatches this summer and one thing that came out of it all was my realizing how much I want us to have at least a few of the more "traditional" things, ie rings, dishes, etc that we didn't really do due to our chosen marriage route. While hub doesn't want to wear a ring (don't ask....), I've had it in mind to find a more traditional ring for myself. Yesterday I took my baby cousin (who actually just got engaged to her high school boyfriend who is training for the Army) to one of my favorite areas downtown. After looking at a couple other cutesy stores, we went into Gilt, which is a vintage and estate jewelry store. There were two rings that I equally liked but the one I chose felt more like a lifetime ring and I have to say....I LOVE IT! I love that it already has history (it's from the 1950s) and I love the swirl. While I usually try not to be too attached to things..it seriously makes me happy every time I've looked at it in the last two days......

The bedroom still isn't done but I thought I'd finally at least post a picture, as I don't know that we'll decide what we want on the walls anytime soon. I love how cozy it is and that it's a mix of new, organic, and old. The paint is low-VOC and is sort of a taupe color. The bed itself is the Sumatra II from Pottery Barn and the low footboard is perfect so hub's long legs can hang over still, the new mattresses from BedCo continue to be amazing, and we purchased the bedside tables for $20 a piece from our local Bimart. The lamps are ones I've had for years now that I got for $6 at Goodwill. The four panels of curtains are some I got on clearance at the evil store (Wal-Mart) and they were in our living room in Louisiana. Hub doesn't like extra decorative pillows so we only have regular pillows and we almost always have two down comforters. The patterned duvet is organic cotton from West Elm. Since we haven't really turned the heat on yet, I've got one regular sheet and one flannel fitted sheet on the bed currently ;)

I hate to admit that I haven't really cooked or baked in.....months. Yesterday morning I made banana french toast, and then this morning I made baked oatmeal using a recipe sent out by Two Frog Home via her newsletter.

Her Recipe is this:

Baked Apple Oatmeal

• 2 Cups Oatmeal
• 1 Cup Peeled, Cored, and Chopped Apples
• 1/3 Cup Chopped Nuts
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 3/4 Cup Milk or Milk Alternative
• 1/3 Cup Sesame Seeds
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

--Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" Pie Plate
--Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing until thoroughly combined and well moistened.
--Pour and spread into prepared pie plate. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, the oatmeal will have puffed and be browned on the edge.
--Serve with extra milk/milk

I substituted dried cranberries and dried cherries for the apples, flaxseed for the sesame seeds, and I used shelled sunflower seeds for the nuts. It was a bit drier than other varieties I've tried but I liked that this version doesn't use eggs, and I ate it with organic vanilla yogurt so it was great!

 

The dogs have been pretty cooped up in the house and yard the last few weeks since we've been so busy so this weekend not only did I make sure to run them, but they got to go on several car rides. We drove the back farm roads looking for farms that would have decorative gourds this afternoon and then made a couple other errands the last two days. They always LOVE IT!

And I'm stoked because today I got to indulge in one of my favorite fall looks. :) Ballet slippers, beat up old jeans, tank, hoodie, and my poofy down vest.

LOVING FALL and hoping you are too!

Foggy Fall Falls Fast

It's fall! Being that it's Oregon we've had quite a few days of showers already and quite a few days starting at 50 degrees with 80s reached by afternoon. The type of weather that makes dressing in layers necessary, evening fires desired, and cuddly down comforters on beds a must have.

After working 60+ hours last week between covering gaps in staffing in the center, teaching my fall classes, and handling the admin, lesson prepping, and email responses that new jobs and terms requires, I am more than looking forward to two things. The first thing that I'm looking forward to is the end of week three of the term, which is when I'll have the center staffed by students, the term will have regulated, and Fall 2011 will be much more routine. The second thing I'm looking forward to is Christmas, when Fall 2011 will be completed and there will be a week or so of vacation hopefully, beyond the usual happy celebrations of course!

Lots of good things have been happening as of late:

The House:
A few weeks back I painted two rooms in the house. I'd intended to write a whole post on how awesome it was to add color and to cover up the horrible off ivory paint in some of our rooms, but obviously I ran out of time. I actually got a good deal on paint by using our Chinook Book coupon for low-VOC paint, and the upgrades they've made to the new low-VOC paint has paid off because I didn't have any real issues with coverage and the smell was very minimal. Hub and I made a great painting team. He taped which I hate, and then I painted the whole thing, which he hates doing. We both helped clean-up and we borrowed most the painting supplies from my aunt & uncle, so all we shelled out was for the paint and a drop cloth.

The finished dining area in green.

The other big news with the house is that we got our new bed & mattress. Ironically hub kept telling me that it didn't matter what our master looked like cause we just have our eyes closed while we're in there. Well, well, now that we've got new paint and a comfortable bed and mattress....guess who is starting to spend more time lounging in there? That's right folks! We still want to add some art work and when it's all said and done I'll post pictures. (Plus I've got two more rooms and the entry I'd like to tackle with fresh coats of paint too!)

The Chicks:
So far they're continuing to grow and thrive. Hub upgraded their perch a few inches, we've swapped the heat lamp for a regular bulb and lowered it back down, they demolished the first pear placed in their home last night, and their beautiful feathers are filling in. They've gotten to wear they want an adventure each day and they enjoy the moments we put them in the raised beds to root around. The other day hub called them from the sliding glass door and they amazingly came right in to him! I've had a few concerns about potential health issues, but so far they seem to keep making it alright. Not sure these pictures will do their feathers justice, but the one is starting to look just like the original picture I'd found on the internet:

And Weddings:
My gal's wedding was yesterday and while rained forced the wedding & reception to both be held indoors, it was a beautiful affair and the venue was perfect. Everything went off fairly well--no major fiascoes. The ceremony went smoothly, food was tasty, the wine was delicious, laughter and love flowed, mingling occurred, and now two of my favorites are off enjoying a week to relax and relish in their love! I have to give two thumbs up to my gal who not only looked beautiful but who kept it simple, relaxed the week before because it was all already organized, and who rolled with the punches the day of. A more beautiful and simply elegant bride one rarely gets the chance to enjoy these days!

And then this next weekend we'll hit up one more wedding and help one of my favorite MPH gals celebrate the official joining of her love to her man!

Other News:

Hub started his official entry back into college on Monday of this last week, which means it's busy, busy for both of us around here. He's taking a legit full load of classes and seems to be enjoying most of them after week one. (In fact, I'm slightly jealous---he's taking a sign language class!) Add onto his courses the regular volunteering he started this summer (he's part of a program that matches new veterans with older and/or disabled veterans who need transportation services across town to medical and shopping appointments, etc), and he's definitely got quite a bit on his plate.

Given that both our schedules are a bit crazy and we're dealing with transportation to get places etc, we headed to Costco this last week to try to stock up on food, including things that would be quick, simple, yet still fairly healthy to make in the evenings when we get home or when we're on the go.

I've got lots of great "plans" for the yard, and I'm hopeful we'll get the bigger items done in the next month. We have the Asian pear that we need to get planted still and a few other gardening plans to help prep for next summer. The most recent gardening section of the paper, helped me develop some additional items we need to accomplish (mulching, planting, etc), but with our current schedules and rain I feel just lucky when we even get an hour out in the yard. Today we were able to do some raking up of pine needles, hub cut down the rest of the old diseased apple, and we picked the pumpkins and cleared out more of the raised beds. We stacked the wood from the tree in the shed to cure for the next year, and hub chopped and brought in the rest of our old wood for fires this week. And we'll have to hope that the rest will get done as it can. ;)

Having distracted myself enough today, I'm off to eat some pizza and finally finish my planning for class tomorrow, and to light the living room's candles and stoke the fire. Hope you each are relishing your moments and enjoying the changing season into fall! Layer up, burrow down, but let your autumn heart swell and continue to give!