Splurges for the Ultra-Frugal

I pride myself on being very frugal. Some might say I'm obsessed with it. But I am beginning to realize that there are some things I'm going to have to resign myself to spending more money on (i.e., not always buying the cheapest version I can find) or I'll go crazy. Here's some items I'm willing to splurge on. (And, obviously, my definition of a splurge is pretty loose.)

1. Glad or Saran wrap. The generic DOES NOT work. I don't understand how they're allowed to sell that stuff. It doesn't even stick to itself.

2. Dove deodorant. Jessica introduced me to this back in high school, and I haven't switched since. It smells so good! I can't stand perfume-y or baby powder smells. Dove just smells really fresh and clean. It's worth the expense.

3. Tomatoes, all year long, even in winter when they're like $4 a pound. It's so worth it!

4. Good bras. Sorry if you're a guy reading this; I hope that's not TMI. My last bra cost $80. I have to admit I cried a little after I bought it. But, I've now resigned myself to the fact that I will spend more on my undergarments than I will ever spend on a shirt, jeans, and maybe even shoes. That's my life.

5. Disinfecting wipes (like Clorox). This is the only way I will clean with any sort of regularity. But they have to be a reputable brand. I bought the store brand once, and they are so thin. It's terrible!

6. Coffee. We're coffee snobs. (Darby more than me, but I'm coming around.) If you think you don't like coffee and all you've tried is Folgers, please try something else. We get our beans from a local roastery, but Starbucks and Seattle's Best both have really good blends.

Is it sad that almost all of my "splurges" are things you can buy at the grocery store? I mean, I really do spend money on restaurants, entertainment, and travel, just not very often. So, I have to have some little day-to-day things that make me happy. Trying to strike a balance between budget-consciousness and obsessiveness is kind of hard for me. Do any of you have that problem? I've started getting kind of panicked when I can't find any cereal I like on sale at the store. I'll just wander the aisle for 10 minutes thinking about what to do. I need help. :)

Thanks for all the salsa recipes! I made the one I had bookmarked this weekend since I already had the stuff for it. It was good, but a little too spicy for my taste. I can't wait to try all of the recipes people left in the comments.

I called Norma to get clarification on the chocolate cream pie recipe, and it worked out great! There wasn't a step missing in the recipe. It was just a case of someone who knows the recipe backward and forward writing it down for someone who has no idea how to do it. It wasn't super-detailed. :)

Darby and I had a nice, lazy Memorial Day weekend. We've been steadily collecting all 10 seasons of Friends for the past few years. We finally got the one season we had been missing (Season 8) last week. So, we've been watching pretty much non-stop. We started at Season 1 about a month ago and are now on Season 8. We'll sit down to watch "one episode" and end up watching a whole disc. We're pretty much bums.

Now, I'm watching the Jon and Kate Plus Eight season premiere and getting really ticked. There have been all these rumors about Jon having an affair. I'm not sure whether any of those are true or not. (Jon's denying it.) But, Jon has said he doesn't want to do the show anymore. Kate, of course, still wants to. I'm sure there are lots of other issues, but if she really wants to salvage their marriage like she says, then the first step would be STOP FILMING THE SHOW! I can't imagine Darby ever telling me he really didn't want to do something and me insisting that he do it. Whether she thinks his feelings are justified or not, she should respect them. Then she's all like, "Poor me. The paparazzi are following me everywhere." Gee, I wonder if they might stop if you didn't have your own T.V. show? (Why do I watch these shows that make me angry? There must be some sort of psychological study about that.) Anyway, rant over. Just had to get that out of my system.

In need of recipes

Okay, I need some help. Does anyone have a really good recipe for chocolate cream pie and/or homemade salsa?

The story behind needing a chocolate cream pie recipe is kinda funny. A friend of ours invited Darby and me over for a cookout on Memorial Day. I asked him if I could bring anything, and he said, "Yeah...a chocolate cream pie." It kind of surprised me. Usually people say, "Oh, a dessert or something." But, he knew he wanted a chocolate cream pie. I'm happy to oblige, and I've actually been looking for an excuse to make one. Norma (for those of you who know her) gave me her recipe a while ago. But when I started looking at it, it seemed to be missing a step or two. I might just use the steps of another recipe and the ingredients from Norma's, but I'm nervous. Anyone made one?

I've been going through A LOT of storebought salsa lately, and it's pretty expensive. I think I can make it for less at home, especially if I make a big batch and freeze some of it. (I'm not ready to get into canning yet. I'm afraid I might poison myself or something.) I found what looks like a good recipe online here, but any suggestions are welcome.

Summer's here!

You can't really tell by the weather, though. (It got down to 39 on Sunday night!!) It seems to be warming up some, although I had to laugh when the weatherman said that tomorrow's going to be a "scorcher." The high? 82. Ha!

Summer is absolutely my favorite time of year. Even though, I'm not in school any more, it always feels like I have so much more free time. And, I guess I do have a little more free time this summer. Starting June 1, we are switching to "summer hours" at work, which means we work 7 to 3, rather than 8 to 4:30. It'll be really nice to be done at 3, but getting to work at 7 might be rough for a while!

The best thing about summer is that Darby doesn't have homework, so I can spend my evenings with him, rather than watching dumb TLC shows. Yay! I decided that every Tuesday night this summer should be date night. Every week, we switch off who plans our date. It's so nice to have something to look forward to during the week. I mean, we spend every night together anyway, but on Tuesdays we have to actually do something besides watch TV or play Wii. :)

I have a tradition of setting goals for myself for the summer (fun goals, nothing like losing weight or anything). So, here are a few things I'd like to do before September 1:

• Go on a picnic. When I graduated from high school, Darby gave me a picnic basket full of really cute melanine dishes and plastic silverware. I love it, but sadly, I've only used it two or three times.
• Play badminton. My mom gave Darby a badminton set for his birthday last year. We played a few times after we moved here, but then our yard was covered with snow for four months, so we got out of the habit.
• Finish my wedding scrapbook. (For real this time...haha!) I am soooo close. Why is it so hard for me to do the last ten percent?
• Make homemade ice cream. I have an ice cream maker that I've used about three times. The ice cream tastes so good, but it's kind of a pain to add all the ice and salt. I really would like one of those ice cream makers that doesn't require ice (you just freeze the bowl or something), but I don't want to spend money on one unless I know I'll use it. So to prove to myself that a new one would be worth it, I have to use my lame ice cream maker several times this summer.
• Take a trip with Darby to either Nashville or St. Louis.

I'll probably add a few more to this list, but that's what I came up with off the top of my head.

3 crazy things I saw on my way to/from work today

1. On my way to work, a woman was stopped at a stop sign across from me and not going when it was her turn. There was a huge line of cars backed up behind her. As I drove by, I looked in her car to make sure she was okay. She was texting!!
   
2. On the way home, there was a car stopped in the righthand lane near a light. The cars in front of her had already gone, and she wasn't moving. I looked in, and, yep, she was texting! It wasn't the same woman, either.
3. On my way home, I saw a girl walking down the sidewalk in a T-shirt, what appeared to be her underwear, and leg warmers that came up past her knee. So her entire thigh was exposed. I almost hit the car in front of me staring at her. After I thought about it for a while, I realized that maybe she was going to dance class and was wearing her leotard. But, really, if you're going to put on leg warmers, why not just throw on some sweatpants? It looks a lot less weird.
   

We had a great time in Abilene; it was just way too short. We got in Friday night and went to Chili's for dinner. Friday was my mom's 50th birthday, so we went over to my aunt's house for a little party with all of the family that had come into town. I put together a book of letters for her from friends and family. I think it turned out really well. I am so glad I was able to be there for my mom's birthday. She is awesome!

Mom reading her book

The guy "frousins" looking tough

Hannah graduated on Saturday morning. Afterwards, we ate at Lytle Land and Cattle and then went back to Aunt Lea's house for more cake and presents. Darby and I were able to talk to our old preacher (the one who married us) for a little bit after graduation, which was great.

All of the current and former ACUers with Willie the Wildcat. Yeah, we're that cool.

Me and Darby...just because we never have pictures together. You can ignore my blindingly-white legs. That's what happens when a naturally pale person moves to Illinois and keeps her legs covered for 6 months. It's not pretty.

We stayed with Darby's old roommate Nathan and his wife Jesiree. It was nice to get to visit with them some and see their precious house.

We left this morning at 11 a.m. We were so bummed that we weren't able to go to church at Westgate. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to go back and stay a little longer once I have vacation from work. I am so happy we were able to be in Texas for mom's birthday, Hannah's graduation, and Mother's Day all in one weekend. And it was great to see so much of our extended family. I can't wait until July when we see everyone again at Amy's wedding.

My first roommate

My sister is graduating from ACU tomorrow! And I will be there! I am so excited for her. I know she is going to be a fabulous teacher. I don't think anyone loves children more than Hannah.

All of this has made me nostalgic for my ACU days (not that they were that long ago!) In a lot of ways the past 2 1/2 years have flown by, but it also seems like it's been a long time since I was living with Brittany, taking exams, working the free movies for CAB.

And it feels like FOREVER ago that I was graduating high school and getting ready to go to ACU. I was so excited but quite a bit nervous. I was especially anxious to find out who my roommate was. I waited and waited and finally got the card in the mail that said I would be living in Gardner Hall with Jeanine Wilson from Tahoka, TX. I nervously dialed the phone number on the card, and it had been disconnected! I was freaking out, thinking, "Oh no! I'm not going to be able to get a hold of her and she's going to think I don't want to room with her and then she's going to find a new roommate and I'm going to have to live alone." (I feel like I've mellowed some since then, at least I hope I have.)

Well, I think my mom and I, with a little Internet research, were able to find her number online (guess where my stalker tendencies come from?) I called and left a message. When she called back, I was at work and wasn't going to be home until late, so I couldn't call her until the next day. I fretted that whole time wondering if she thought I just didn't want to talk to her. (I am sometimes amazed that I have not had a heart attack due to all my worrying.) I finally was able to talk to her, and much to my relief, she seemed very nice, smart, and normal. We exchanged pictures (it's kind of like online dating, ha!), and she was really cute with short strawberry blonde hair and freckles.

The only disappointment was that she had already gotten her bedding. I really wanted us to have matching bedding, but I thought, "Well, maybe I'll just get something that coordinates with hers." So I asked her what hers looked like, and she said, "It's a black comforter with red and black Asian-inspired throw pillows." Oh, no! That totally did not coordinate with the Crazy Daisy set I had been wanting! But, I got it anyway.

I wish I had asked Jeanine what she thought that first day when she walked into our room and saw my blindingly bright comforter, my Hello Kitty alarm clock, and my abundance of clothes. She was a little bit on the tomboy side, and had a much more "Zen" style. I'm sure she wondered what she had gotten herself into.

But, we got along pretty well. Of course, we had some of the normal roommate tension. And we didn't hang out together all the time. But, I think I got really lucky for a random drawing. Jeanine was sweet and fun; she kept the room clean; she didn't make fun of me for going to bed early; she was serious about her faith. I'm not sure what she's doing now. Last I heard she was in Mexico for a short-term mission.

You could not pay me to go back and share that little room and use a community bathroom. But, at the time, I thought it was great. Some of my fondest college memories are from freshman year, living with 200 other silly girls, thinking we were "adults." I am so happy I went to ACU. I'm sure I would have enjoyed anywhere I went, but I really liked being at a small school, having to live in the dorms, actually getting to know my professors. I won't say it was the best four years of my life; being married to Darby is definitely better. But it was for sure the most fun four years of my life.

Hope you aren't bored to tears by my reminiscing. I love having my blog because I can look back and see what was going on in my life a year or two ago. But, I didn't have a blog in high school or college, so I'm trying to record some of my memories before I lose the details.

Motivated eater

I was reading an article in SELF magazine (I got a free subscription), and I found a term that totally describes my relationship with food: motivated eater. You see, normal people will only eat bad stuff when they have it around. Motivated eaters, on the other hand, will go out at midnight in a blizzard to get some ice cream. Yep, that's me. So, it doesn't matter if motivated eaters get rid of all of their junk food. (Well, I guess it can't hurt, but it definitely doesn't solve the problem.)

Case(s) in point: I do not keep packaged dessert items in the house. But, I have been known to whip up a chocolate cake from scratch just so I can eat something sweet. A few weeks ago, I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I thought I'd be smart and freeze half of the dough so that I wasn't tempted to eat all of the cookies at once. Well, guess what happened to that dough? It got eaten, bit by bit by bit. If only cookie dough didn't thaw so quickly!

I don't remember what suggestions SELF had to remedy this problem. Should I get rid of all my flour and sugar? Move 30 miles from the nearest Dairy Queen? I think maybe the solution is to become a motivated exerciser. That's a little harder to get motivated about. :)

April showers bring May flowers (I hope!)

It rains A LOT here. At least once a week. This week, it has rained every day except yesterday. In some ways, it's nice because everything is very green, but how can you enjoy the green when it's raining all the time? Also, there aren't any wildflowers here. I miss the bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, and buttercups; here, we have dandelions. TONS of them! Our entire yard pretty much consists of dandelions and clover; I'm not joking. There are a few patches of actual grass. Darby spread some "Weed and Feed" yesterday, so we're hoping for the best. We can't pull the dandelions because we read that you have to dig them up to make sure you get the entire root. Ummm, no; if we did that, we'd have no yard. We did go out and snip all the heads off so that they don't go to seed and spread their seeds for next year. Ha! Within 12 hours, the heads had grown back. They are mocking us.
The one place we do have quite a bit of grass is in our flower beds. Go figure. It is embarrassing how awful our front yard looks. I am going to attempt to plant some things in the beds this weekend to spruce it up a little. Any gardeners out there got ideas for relatively cheap, low-maintenance, fast-growing perennials that like full sun? (On the days when it is sunny, our yard gets full sun; I'm hoping we have more sunny days soon!)

I'm happy because...

• I'm wearing flip-flops for the first time since November! (Well, not including after I had my toe surgery. That doesn't count, though, because my feet were freezing!) The high today is 81!
• This morning I got 10 Swagbucks. Have you heard of this site? You win prizes just for using them as your search engine. At first, I thought it was a scam, but then I heard about more and more people using it. So I signed up. The site is powered by Google, so the searches are actually pretty good. Sometimes, you'll do a search and get nothing, but other times you'll get one, five, or ten Swagbucks. (One is the most common, of course.) You use your bucks to get prizes. When I get 45, I'm going to get a $5 Amazon gift card. I've been doing it for about a week, and I already have 21! If you're interested, go here to sign up. If you use that link, I'll win Swagbucks when you do. (Of course, if you don't really like me, you can always just go to http://www.swagbucks.com/ and sign up without my referral)
• We're going with a couple from church to Custard Cup tonight. And, if that weren't good enough, they are picking us up in their street-legal dune buggy. How awesome is that?!
• Michael and Pam got re-hired on The Office! Okay, I know it's kind of lame to be happy about something that happened on TV, but I really liked last night's episode.
• I get to see my family in two weeks!! We're flying to Abilene for Hannah's graduation. I think this is the longest I've gone without seeing at least one member of my family (over 4 months). It's too long!

Like a train wreck

TLC has done it again. They've sucked me in with a show that is so repulsive, so extreme that it is irresistible. First it was Toddlers and Tiaras. Now, it's I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant. Has anyone seen this show? It's insane. It features women (and evidently there are a lot...I saw 12 last night alone) who didn't know they were pregnant until they delivered their babies. They interview the women and also have a dramatic re-enactment of the scene (ewww!). I'm just having a hard time believing that someone could not know they were pregnant. The first few women I saw delivered about two months early. Seven months is pretty far along, but I conceded, "Well, okay, maybe there is a slight possibility they didn't know." Then, I saw women who delivered at 38 weeks! One woman's baby weighed over 8 pounds! And one woman didn't realize she was pregnant with TWINS! You have got to be kidding me. Now, I know I've never been pregnant, but I have seen my fair share of pregnant women. I just do not understand how you could not know. Evidently, it's more common than I thought. I was just sitting on the couch going, "This is crazy! I don't believe this." Darby said, "Why don't you just watch something else?" But I couldn't. That show has some kind of hold on me. It's dangerous.

I am old

It is a long-running joke between Darby and me that I am a grandma. (Actually, a lot of grandmas are cooler than me!) I go to bed early; I'm stuck in my ways; I don't take risks. More recently, my ambivalent attitude towards technology has added fuel to Darby's fire. I'm always complaining about "kids these days and their texting." And the other day, Darby and I heard a commercial on the radio for a vibrating mascara wand. This is how the conversation unfolded:

Me: That's stupid. Why would you need vibrating mascara?
Darby: I'm guessing it mimics the repetitive motion people use when they apply mascara.
Me: Yeah, but it's not that hard. Why do you need technology for it?
Darby: Well, if the technology's out there, don't you think they should make the improvement?
Me: No. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Darby: I can't believe you just said that, grandma.
Me: Well, it just makes me mad that scientists could be spending their time researching a cure for cancer and instead they're inventing vibrating mascara wands.
Darby: You are so old.
Me: If being old means you have some sense, then yes, I am old.
Darby: (dying laughing)

I've always thought of the "old" thing as kind of a joke. I mean, for the most part, I still feel young. But today, I realized that maybe it's not a joke. They were playing a game on the radio where the caller had to guess what a bunch of text message abbreviations mean. I was thinking, "Oh, I bet I'll know these. This will be easy. They'll say j/k, lol, stuff like that." Well, I was wrong. I only knew one of the six! Am I that out of touch? Do people even say lol anymore? Is that like saying "nifty"? I don't know what to think.

For the past month, I've been filling in as a teacher for Cradle Roll at church on Wednesday nights. I'm a regular teacher on Sunday mornings, but we never have any babies on Sundays. :(

So, I go from work where I spend all day editing reference lists that have no rhyme or reason, deliberating over the exact placement of commas, trying to locate information the author left out online, filling in 1000-line Excel spreadsheets, etc. to singing: "See the daddy bunny hop, hop, hop. See the mommy bunny hop, hop, hop. See the baby bunny hop, hop, hop. All the bunnies go hop, hop, hop."

It's marvelous. Now, don't get me wrong, caring for babies is very hard work. And I know I'd get tired of talking "baby talk" all day. But it's a lovely one-hour break. If only I could get those songs out of my head!

Is it really that bad...

• To load your washing machine so full it rattles the whole house and threatens to break loose from the wall?
• To thaw and refreeze meat, vegetables, well, practically everything two or three times?
  
• To accidentally leave your mug warmer on all day almost every day?
  
• To sometimes not recycle because you're too lazy to wash out the container?
• To eat movie theater popcorn and a Dairy Queen Blizzard for dinner?

I hope not.

Happy Easter!

I had kind of a hard week this week, and I was driving to work on Friday feeling sorry for myself. Then, I thought about how it was Good Friday, and I started thinking about the sacrifice Christ made for me on the cross and the hope I have because of his resurrection. I started feeling pretty silly for worrying about such insignificant things when I should be full of joy, peace, and hope. I'm glad we have this time of year to draw our focus back to what is truly important; I pray that we may all live our lives daily as ones who are saved by the grace of God through the power of Christ.

I want to share with you my favorite passage of Scripture about the resurrection:

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body....

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 50-57

Cooking up a storm

On Saturday night, Darby and I had our preacher and his wife over for dinner. Their daughter is our friend Katy. She came, too; her husband was working, so he couldn't come. They invite us over for dinner with their family all the time, so I was glad we could return the favor at least once.

Now, whenever we have company, I go a little crazy with the prospect of cooking for more than just two people. After deliberating for HOURS over the menu, I finally settled on poppyseed chicken, squash gratin, and homemade crescent rolls (my mother-in-law's recipe). For dessert, I knew I wanted to bake a layer cake. I usually take desserts to other people's houses, so I have to make things that can be easily transported. Layer cakes don't fit the bill. So, I decided this would be the night for a layer cake. I made a marbled lemon blueberry cake with lemon buttercream frosting.

Now, I thought I had made homemade buttercream before, but apparently I hadn't done it the "right" way. The right way involves boiling sugar and water, and gently pouring that mixture into eggs. You then beat that mixture for 20 minutes. (Thank goodness for my Kitchen-Aid!) Then, with the mixer running, you add 3 (yes, 3!) sticks of butter 2 tablespoons at a time. I added lemon juice at the end. When I tasted the frosting, it tasted pretty much like butter. So I added more sugar and some vanilla. It was still a little too buttery for my taste, but everyone else liked it. I think I'll stick to the normal butter/powdered sugar/vanilla buttercream from now on. It was a little too much work, and didn't come out very smooth. I don't think I softened the butter enough.

But, if I can brag on myself a little, my cake turned out beautiful! The layers all came out even and stacked perfectly. I forgot to get a picture before it was almost gone, but here's the remains:

Not professional quality, but pretty good for me!

My rolls turned out pretty well, but not as good as Debby's. I still need practice! It was a very fun day of cooking, and we enjoyed eating and playing games with our friends.

On Thursday, I'm cooking dinner for our college group (about 15 people). This is the largest dinner I've ever cooked, so I'm excited and nervous. I feel like this is kind of a test of whether I could even consider doing catering.

All grown up

As I was getting ready for bed the other night, I was considering skipping brushing my teeth. That's probably unthinkable to some of you, but I really don't like brushing my teeth, especially at night, when I just want to get in bed as quickly as possible. But, I went ahead and did it.

When I was younger, I used to skip brushing my teeth all the time. So I asked myself, "Why won't I let myself skip anymore?" Then I realized, "Because I'm a grown-up now." The realization was a little startling. I truly am a grown-up. It's hard to believe that, and I think the main reason is that being a grown-up is nothing like I thought it would be when I was a kid. When I was younger, these were the things I thought I would most enjoy about being an adult:

• Going to the grocery store whenever I wanted and not having to wait for mom's scheduled trip. Ha! I would love it if Mom still did my grocery shopping for me. And I have a weekly trip. If I run out of something before then, I often just do without.


• Buying whatever I wanted. Well, I guess technically I can, but I don't because I don't have the money.


• Eating out whenever I wanted. See above.


• Skipping church if I was really tired. I've never skipped on a Sunday morning and have very rarely skipped Wednesday (now, Thursday) nights.

It just seemed funny to me that most of the things I thought I would do when I was an adult (spending money, skipping church, etc.), I don't do because I am an adult. Being an adult involves a lot of doing stuff you don't want to do! (Not that I don't enjoy church; it's just that there are times when I would really like to stay home but I go anyway.) Now, don't get me wrong, I like my life, and I do plenty of things that I enjoy. Overall, I think being an adult is pretty fun. But being a kid was super fun; I don't think I appreciated that enough.

Sad Day

Update: Be sure to read the comments for a list of 10 reasons Illinois is awesome. Jenn, a native Illinoisan, is trying to set this Texas girl straight! Who knows? Maybe by the time Darby's done with school in 5 years I will have been converted. :) Thanks, Jenn! You're a good sport!

I finally bit the bullet and changed my license plates. (Well, Darby actually changed them.) I got my Illinois plates about a month ago, but for some reason the thought of giving up my Texas plates made me sad. I'm not sure why. I'm not one of those people that's super-enthusiastic about Texas. But I liked being different. Plus, there are a lot of blue Escapes around, so mine was always easy to pick out in a parking lot. And, they were kind of like my last tie to Texas. I've already changed my license, insurance, etc. I don't really like being an Illinois resident. I like living here in Champaign, but Illinois on the whole is kind of a "blah" state, don't you think? Maybe this is the obnoxious Texan in me coming out, but I think it's much cooler to be from Texas than to be from Illinois. No offense to any native Illinoisans(?) that might be reading. :)

But, eventually, the plates had to be changed to avoid getting a ticket. The nice thing is that there's no yearly inspection required in Illinois. Woo-hoo!

I took this picture in the garage, so that's why there's a weird angle. It is nice and shiny, but it's no Texas plate.

R.I.P.
Anyone got any creative ideas for displaying two very dirty license plates?

Spring is here!

We've been having wonderfully warm, sunny weather lately, and I am so excited about spring. I just heard the weatherman say there's a chance of snow this weekend, but I'm choosing to ignore that right now. I love the longer days and being able to go for walks after work. It's also really nice to be able to experience four seasons. No 90-degree days here yet!

For Christmas, Darby got me an herb garden starter kit because he knew I had been wanting to grow some herbs. I planted some seeds a couple of weeks ago, and they are looking really good! Pretty soon I will have fresh parsley, basil, marjoram, chives, and savory! Thyme was the only one that didn't sprout. I have more seeds, though, so I am going to start some more after this batch is done. I feel like a little kid again. It's amazing to see how a plant can grow from such a tiny, tiny seed. Our Creator is incredible!

The parsley is growing the fastest!

You can't tell from these pictures, but I have a very classy set-up. The tray sits on one of our kitchen chairs in front of the door that leads to our patio. Hey, it works!

Chicago

Okay, I'm giving myself a C+ on picture-taking. I took several on Saturday but none on Sunday. Baby steps, right? Part of the problem is that Darby and I spend a lot of time eating on vacation. I really don't like taking out my camera in a restaurant. And most of the places we ate were super busy, so it's not like I could ask the server to take our picture. But, anyway, here's our trip with a few pictures. I'll go for the A (or maybe a B) next time.

We rode the Amtrak from Bloomington on Saturday morning. There is a train that leaves from Champaign, but the times weren't good. Plus, we're always willing to make the 45-minute drive to Bloomington because they have a Krispy Kreme! And the hot and fresh sign was on. Yummy!! There is nothing better than a warm Krispy Kreme glazed donut. I could have ended our trip right there. :)

We got to Chicago and walked about 1/2 a mile to our hotel, the Palmer House Hilton. I got a great deal on the room, and the hotel was super-swanky. Our room was really colorful and modern-looking. We had two double beds instead of a king, but we don't mind being close. Haha...TMI, right? Our room was directly above the El train tracks, so it was little noisy, but we were so tired at the end of the day that it didn't bother us.

We went to lunch at Yolk, a breakfast and lunch place. We had the BEST omelettes and pancakes. Then, we took a bus to Navy Pier, which is like a mini carnival/amusement park on the water. We rode the ferris wheel. (Please ignore how horrible I look. I'm really bad at taking a picture of myself and looking like a normal person.)


Here's me looking slightly better.


There was a beautiful view of Lake Michigan and the skyline.

There was also a really cool FREE stained glass museum. It was kind of random and didn't fit in with the surroundings, but the windows were beautiful.

We rode the free trolley back to our hotel, took a nap, then walked to dinner at Lou Malnati's, a famous Chicago pizza place. It was good, but I'm not sure it was worth the hour wait and slow service. After dinner, we rode the El to Green Mill, a jazz club. Darby really wanted to see some live jazz. The band was really good, especially the vibraphone player, but it was incredibly crowded and hot. We didn't stay very long. Plus, we were a little scared to ride the El back to the hotel late at night. (We're not cityfolk.)

Sumday we slept in a little, then got coffee at Intelligentsia, which is like a more pretentious Starbucks (if you can believe it!) Then we walked up Michigan Avenue and ate lunch at Foodlife, a really awesome mall food court. (It sounds like an oxymoron, but the food was actually really good!) They give you a card as you go in, and you just go to the different stations and swipe your card. Then you pay on the way out. I had fettuccine alfredo and a hot fudge sundae. Doesn't get much healthier than that!

From there, we walked up the shoreline (a long way!) to Lincoln Park. There is a free zoo there. Darby and I LOVE zoos, so we had a lot of fun. We thanked our lucky stars that we didn't have a stroller to push around. Seriously, how do people do it? I really am not going to want to go anywhere with a stroller. It's hard enough for me to maneuver myself without bumping into anyone. I plan on using one of those babyslings, but what am I going to do when I have toddlers? I guess never leave the house.

We walked about a half mile to the El and rode back to our hotel. We still had a little time before we had to catch our train, so we sat and read at Barnes and Noble. It was great to rest our feet for a while. Then, it was back to the Amtrak station and home again!

It was a great trip! We had beautfiul weather...a little chilly (in the 40s and 50s) but very sunny. We about wore our legs out walking. I pretended that we burned enough calories to make up for all of the food we ate. Darby and I just love traveling together. And really, who wouldn't love traveling with this handsome guy?

I just heard about a site, http://www.flipswap.com/, where you can sell your old (working) cell phones for cash or gift cards. I entered the information for mine and Darby's old phones (both pretty basic phones), and we're getting an $11 Amazon gift card. Not bad, considering we were just going to recycle them. If you have old phones laying around, check it out. You can print out a free shipping label, so all you have to pay for is the box (and I figure most people have extra boxes anyway). And, just a tip: If you don't know your cell phone's model number, look underneath the battery. There should be a little card with that information.

Darby and I are off to the Windy City (Chicago, not Abilene) this weekend for a little Spring Break trip. I am going to try to take more than 2 pictures this time. I get embarrassed pulling my camera out and acting all touristy. Also, people are not as friendly about taking pictures for you up here as they are in Texas. But I hate that Darby and I have hardly any pictures of us together (besides our wedding, which was almost 2 years ago...that's crazy in and of itself!). So hopefully on Monday, I will have a picture-filled post. Don't hold your breath, though.

My Current Addictions

1. Jon & Kate Plus Eight - I don't like how Kate treats Jon, but the kids are just soo cute! Especially the boys. This show makes me want to have triplet boys. (Haha...just kidding, God!) Plus, it's on like five hundred times per week, so anytime I want a fix, I can get one. Next week a new show is premiering...Table for 12. That family has two sets of twins and a set of sextuplets. Take that, Jon and Kate!
2. Custard Cup snowstorms - They are like blizzards but 10 times better. Custard Cup is a local place that's open from March to November. It re-opened last Friday, and Darby and I have already been three times. Yeah...it's that good.
3. Lists - Have you noticed that most of my blog posts have been lists recently? Not really sure why. I've just always like organizing stuff.
4. Yoplait Strawberry Shortcake yogurt - This is the only yogurt that actually tastes like what it is imitating. I mean, I like other flavors, but they're no substitution for the real thing, despite what the commercials might say. But I might actually eat the strawberry shortcake yogurt for dessert (if Custard Cup is closed, that is!).

Living Large on a Little: Part One

Not to get too personal, but those of you who know my annual salary know that it is very small! I am so thankful to have a job I enjoy (and, in this economy, any job at all!), but unfortunately, my passions are never going to make me a lot of money. And while I do hope to have a little more someday (especially when we add kids to the mix), I think Darby and I do a good job of stretching our dollars. We are able to live in a nice house, have cable TV and Internet, go out to eat occasionally, and take fairly frequent small vacations. A lot of this is due to the generosity of our parents. We graduated from ACU with no debt to repay, and both of us had cars that were given to us by our parents. We are so grateful for that and recognize that a lot of young married couples aren't able to have such a stable financial beginning. But, we also work really hard to stay financially secure. I know that a lot of my readers are young and "poor," also, so I thought some tips might be helpful. These strategies work for us, but take them with a grain of salt. I'm no financial expert, just a girl who loves to save a buck (or 20 cents five times) :)

The biggest area I've worked on saving money in is groceries. Groceries are a major expense for us because we eat almost all of our meals at home. We go out to eat (including fast food) maybe twice a month, and we get at least one free meal per week at church activities. The rest of the time, we eat at home or bring food from home for lunch. Also, baking is my hobby, so I spend more than the normal person on baking items. Here are a few things we do to save money on food.

1. Track every penny. I started a spreadsheet to track the price of groceries. Every time I buy something, I log it, along with the date, price, and store. (I've been doing this for a few months, so now I usually just log new items or note a new low or high price.) I bring this information to the store with me. If an item's price is significantly more expensive than the lowest price I've ever paid for it, I don't buy it.
2. Buy only on sale. I look at my store's circular every Sunday when it comes out (it's online!) and plan our meals for the week based on what's on sale. When staples (like flour, sugar, canned tomatoes, chicken broth) go on sale, I stock up. As you can imagine, this process takes a lot of time, but it is so worth it. It's amazing how much price fluctuates on grocery items. I never really paid attention before I started tracking it.
3. Plan your meals for a week or more at a time. This way, you don't end up with a bunch of ingredients that go bad before you can use them. If we have one dish with mushrooms, you can bet we'll have one or two more before the week's over. Also, having meals planned out helps me avoid the temptation to just go out to eat.
4. Shop around, in moderation. I rarely buy groceries at Wal-Mart. They just don't have good sales. I go to this really dinky store to buy our milk because it is $1.50/gallon cheaper than my regular store! When I'm a stay-at-home mom, I plan to look at circulars for several different stores and shop around even more, but now I don't have quite enough time.
5. If possible, make it yourself. I'm not a health nut, but packaged, processed foods are waaayyy more expensive than whole foods. I used to bring canned soup for lunch most days, but at $1.25 or so a can, it was kind of expensive for something that's not very filling anyway. Now, I try to just make large dinners and bring the leftovers to work. It's cheaper per serving and tastier, too. We used to end up throwing some of our leftovers away, anyway. I've just started experimenting with cooking my own beans. I always used to buy canned beans, but they are also fairly expensive per serving. Then, I found out you can cook beans in the crock-pot very easily. Soak dried beans overnight. Drain. Put in crockpot and pour in enough water to cover. Cook on low 5–8 hours. I have a big crockpot and can do two small bags of beans at once. I freeze them in smaller containers. I probably made about 8 cans worth for $3. 8 cans would cost $4 if they were having a really good sale and $6.50 if they were regular price. As soon as I get the bean routine down, I'm going to start making my own chicken stock. It might not seem like a lot, but those little savings add up.

Using these strategies, I've brought our grocery spending from $300-400/month down to around $200/month. It's time-consuming but really rewarding. I love seeing the little box at the top of the receipt that says, "You saved $____ today." Makes my week. :)

Book Reviews

Another in a series of "I don't really have anything in my life to write about" posts. I've really gotten into memoirs lately. I think this might be connected to my obsession with blogs. Memoirs are like "smart blogs." Those of you who know me, know I enjoy reading the blogs of not only friends, but also friends of friends or people I don't even know at all. Well, memoir is an even more socially-sanctioned way to be nosy and peer into other peoples' lives. Here are a few that I've enjoyed lately:


All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg
This is the memoir of a man who grew up dirt-poor in the rural Deep South. He went on to write for the New York Times and won the Pulitzer Prize, despite not having a college education. The book is really a testament to the woman who raised him and his two brothers so well, in spite of her abusive, alcoholic husband and extreme poverty. Overall, it is very sad, but there are a lot of moments of humor. Bragg's writing style is very approachable; he's maintained his Southern idioms, and the way he retains his "momma's" speech patterns and accent in dialogue is hilarious.

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
This is the memoir of a New York Times restaurant critic. (Hmmm...I guess I really like reading about people who work for the New York Times). She has to go to great lengths to disguise herself when she goes to review a restaurant. If the restaurant staff recognizes her, they won't give her the same service as everyone else. It's crazy how serious restaurant reviews are in New York City. Reichl is very witty, and it's so fun to live vicariously through her. I mean, who wouldn't want to get paid to eat at fancy restaurants?

My Life in France by Julia Child (with Alex Prud'homme)
Even though I love cooking, I didn't know much about Julia Child before reading this book. She didn't learn how to cook until she was almost 40! That makes what she acoomplished so much more incredible. It was fascinating to read about all of the work that went into publishing her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. We take it for granted now that there are tons of cookbooks and online resources that provide extremely detailed step-by-step instructions for making just about anything. But, at the time, Child's cookbook was pretty much the most comprehensive cookbook ever written. She was the first person to publish how to make mayonnaise, for example. It can be a little dry in places, but if you enjoy cooking (or Europe), you'll probably enjoy it.

You can see where my passion lies...food! If I'm not making and eating it, then I want to read about it.

Anyone read anything good recently? Leave me a comment with your recommendations. They don't have to be about food. :)

Why I'm not ready to be a parent

Darby and I are getting to the stage of our relationship where people start asking when we're going to have kids. I feel like we're still really young. Plus, it seems that the fact that Darby still has 5+ years of school ahead of him might deter some people. But, no. Once you've been married over a year, even if you are still closer to 20 than 30, the questions start.

And, actually, although I don't like to admit it, sometimes I think it would be really fun to have a child soon. I love babies. And many of my friends and/or acquaintances from high school and college have had kids or are pregnant. (Thank you, facebook, for providing this information!) At this point, I wouldn't totally freak out if I got pregnant, which I think is a good thing. However, I recognize that financially that would NOT be a good decision. And Darby actually wants to be around for his child's infancy, not studying for tests. Plus, I really like our life right now. We eat dinner in front of the TV; we sleep in on Saturdays; we take long naps on Sundays. I don't really want to give that up. But sometimes when I'm around babies, I just forget all of that. There are times when I wonder how I can wait the 5 or 6 more years that we've always planned on waiting. Well, recently, I've found that motivation...teenagers.

You see, babies don't stay babies forever. Seems obvious, right? But whenever I think of myself as a parent, I see myself with a little baby or maybe a toddler. I never really imagine beyond their first day of school. However, a few weeks ago, when we were watching Good Will Hunting, I was telling Darby that I had wanted to see it when it first came out, but my parents wouldn't let me because it was rated R (although, I think it has a much more positive message than a lot of PG-13 movies, which my parents were also very selective about). Now, my parents were reeallly strict about what TV and movies we watched, a policy that I loathed growing up and which I still don't totally agree with. So I was talking with Darby about what we would do with our kids. And I know in my mind that I want them to learn to make their own decisions about those kinds of things. But what if they make the wrong decision? And will I really be able to hold my tongue if my teenagers go see the "wrong kind" of R-rated movie? It's so easy to parent hypothetically. (And, just for the record, I think my parents did a great job with me. I might not make every decision they made, but I certainly don't think their decisions or logic were wrong...just different from mine.) This discussion scared me quite a bit. I can't parent a teenager! And I know you grow into it, but even in 13 years, I still don't see myself being ready. Ahh! It's so scary!

Then, this morning, I'm driving along and I hear Taylor Swift's new song, "Love Story." Here is a sample of the lyrics:

And I said, "Romeo save me - I've been feeling so alone.
I keep waiting for you but you never come.
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think-"

He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said,
"Marry me, Juliet - you'll never have to be alone.
I love you and that's all I really know.
I talked to your dad - go pick out a white dress;
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"

For the record, Taylor Swift is 19 (barely), and her target audience is much younger. There's nothing "wrong" with this song, per se. But I think it has one of the most harmful messages for young girls: (1) that your life starts when you get married; (2) that a good reason to get married is so you won't "be alone"; and (3) that getting married when you are a teenager is romantic (In the song, the girl still lives with her parents, and they originally forbid her from seeing this boy, so I assume she is a child.) So I imagine myself trying to talk to my teenage daughter about the fallacies of this song. Then, she asks, "When did you and Dad start dating." "Umm, when we were 16." "When did you know you loved him?" "16, also." "When did you first talk about getting married?" "Uh, yeah, 16...But, it was different!! We were stupid! We broke up twice and when we got back together, we were older and wiser! We waited until I was done with college to actually get married!" Yeah, I know that logic's not going to fly. And the funny thing is, the same thing happened with my parents. They were married at 19 and 20, but they told us not to do that. I would ask, "So do you regret getting married?" And of course, they didn't, but they still wanted something different for us. Oh, how I understand now! I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. And hopefully, you won't get the chance to tell me, "I told you so," when I'm dealing with my own teenagers for a long, long time. I'm scared!

Recent recipes

I feel kinda boring lately. Darby and I are really trying harder to stick to our budget, so we haven't been going out much. I haven't been bored, but the stuff we've been doing isn't really blog-worthy. Plus, I never remember to take pictures. Posts always seem so much more fun when they have accompanying pictures.

One fun thing we did this weekend was go over to a couple from church's house for dinner. Jenn and Jamie are a lot of fun, and they have an adorable two-year-old, Sean. Jamie cooked steak and potatoes, and it was delicious! It was nice to get to know another couple from church a little better. We love our church so much!

One thing I have been doing a lot of lately is cooking and baking. Here are some of the more recent recipes I've tried. I get most of my recipes from food blogs (although I have my share of cookbooks and cooking magazines, as well). I'll link to each recipe. At least those websites have pictures! :)

Cinnabun Cake
This was so good! It really does taste just like a cinnamon roll, but it's so much easier to make. Plus, it's great for dessert or breakfast.

S'more Cookie Bars
This is what I brought for dessert when we went to Jenn and Jamie's house. They are really rich and good. They taste just like a s'more, but they're a lot less messy to eat.

Rosemary Chicken with Zucchini
I made this when our friend Aubrey came over for dinner. She's been on a low-calorie diet since the beginning of the year and is doing really well. I didn't want to mess her up, so I decided to cook something super-healthy. This was kind of a change for me, since I tend to gravitate to recipes that include pasta, bread, cheese, or all three! This dish was actually very flavorful, though. I'd make it again, even if we didn't have a health nut eating with us. :)

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
This was soooo good! Darby loved it. And I'm always on the lookout for Crock Pot recipes. Although, it's hilarious when I make them because they're always ready when I get home from work at 4:45. So we just go ahead and eat! We're getting old. One change I made to this recipe: Instead of topping with cheese at the end, I stirred about 4 oz. of Velveeta into the soup during the last 20 minutes of cooking because I had Velveeta on hand.

Hope you enjoy!

There oughta be a law against...

• popping popcorn at work if you're not intending to share with everyone
• claiming that chewing gum will satisfy your craving for potato chips or chocolate (Do you hear me, Extra? That's false advertising if I ever saw it.)
• taking your baby to the movies, with the one possible exception being those special kids' showings they do on weekday mornings
• having two weeks in a row of reruns during the normal television season (The Office...grrr)

What about you? Any laws you'd like to see? I'm sure President Obama will consider these just as soon as he gets done reducing the national debt, fixing the economy, and pulling the troops out of Iraq. :) Yes we can!

Things I Just Can't Seem to Remember

• Which is baking soda and which is baking powder. This has caused some problems. It is very difficult to scoop either one out of a pile of flour.
• The phone number of the radio station I listen to every morning. You'd think after hearing it at least a couple of times a day, I'd remember it when it came time to call in to win Jason Mraz tickets this morning. But, no. :(
• Any song on the piano. Eight years of lessons and a few more years of playing on my own and still the only song I know from memory is "Heart and Soul." Impressive.
• Which colors are primary colors. This sounds silly, but I'm always wondering, "Do blue and yellow make green? Or do yellow and green make blue? Or is it something else entirely?" This has come up on more than one occasion when I've baby-sat kids and we've done a painting project.
• How to do CPR. I've done the certification once and seen it demonstrated at least 10 times, but I'm embarrassed to say I have no idea how many breaths and how many pulses. I just pray that if I'm ever in a situation where someone needs CPR, there will be someone else to do it. Probably when I have kids, I'll carry a little card in my pocket at all times that tells me what to do.

Overall, I have a great memory. I remember all of my teachers' names from Kindergarten on. I remember my family and friends' birthdays. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've forgotten a doctor's appointment, homework assignment, or deadline. It's just funny to me the things we remember and the things we don't.

Marriage Advice from Robin Williams

Darby and I watched Good Will Hunting last night. It was the first time I'd seen it, and I highly recommend it. My favorite character was Robin Williams' character, Sean, a counselor whose wife recently passed away from cancer. He's recruited to counsel Will (Matt Damon), a math genius with a troubled past.

One day, Will asks Sean if he ever regrets having married his wife. Sean gets offended, thinking that Will is implying that he regrets marrying her because she died. Will quickly clarifies by asking Sean how he knew his wife was "the one." Sean tells the story of seeing his future wife for the first time in a bar while he was waiting for Game 6 of the World Series to begin. He had a ticket to the game, but he let his friends go without him because he "had to see about a girl." Will cannot believe that Sean would miss the World Series for a girl. Sean's response goes like this:
"No, I'm not kiddin' you, Will. That's why I'm not talkin' right now about some girl I saw at a bar twenty years ago and how I always regretted not going over and talking to her. I don't regret the 18 years I was married to Nancy. I don't regret the six years I had to give up counseling when she got sick. And I don't regret the last years when she got really sick. And I sure as hell don't regret missin' the damn game."

One time, Will tells Sean that he hasn't called a girl he really likes back because he thinks she's perfect now and he doesn't want to ruin it. Sean tells him a story about his wife:
Sean: My wife used to fart when she was nervous. She had all sorts of wonderful little idiosyncrasies. She used to fart in her sleep. I thought I’d share that with you. One night it was so loud it woke the dog up. She woke up and went ‘ah was that you?’ And I didn’t have the heart to tell her. Oh!
Will (laughing): She woke herself up?
Sean (laughing and crying): But Will, she’s been dead for 2 years, and that's the stuff I remember: wonderful stuff you know? Little things like that. Those are the things I miss the most. The little idiosyncrasies that only I know about: that's what made her my wife. Oh she had the goods on me too, she knew all my little peccadilloes. People call these things imperfections, but they're not. Ah, that's the good stuff....You're not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you've met, she's not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you're perfect for each other.

Wow! It's so refreshing to see a healthy, devoted marriage portrayed in a movie. That's what it's all about: loving each other in good times and bad and appreciating the other person's little quirks. Although I hope that Darby and I don't have to go through something as difficult as Sean and his wife, I know that if we did, he'd stand by me and support me, and wouldn't regret any of it. I'd do the same for him. It's wonderful to know a love like that. And if I ever met an untimely death, I know Darby would enjoy sharing my sleeptalking stories with everyone. :)

Can I gripe?

For just a minute?

I HATE the healthcare system in this country. It is expensive, difficult to navigate, and sloooww. While I was unemployed, I had the cheapest insurance I could find that would still provide semi-decent coverage (although not maternity care, which would have been a disaster had I accidentally gotten pregnant). It cost me $150/month and still did not cover the lab work that I was required to get as part of my physical to substitute teach. What?? I've told so many people that it's like you pay for health insurance just to have the privilege to go to the doctor and pay him/her.

Last month, I called to schedule my yearly exam with an ob-gyn. The earliest I could get in was mid-March. That would be fine, except my birth control prescription is up in Feburary. I called the doctor I had seen for my physical in September (she's a family practice doctor and a gynecologist) to see if she could write me a one-month prescription just to tide me over. (I can't go in to see her because she's not on my new insurance that I have now through work.) Over a day after explaining my whole situation to her nurse, I finally got a "no" response. Here's how the conversation went:
---Dr. _____ says she can't write you the prescription because you need to come in for your yearly exam.
---Uh, yeah, that's the problem. I can't get into see this new doctor for another month.
---Well, Dr. ____ says if you won't come in to see her, she can't write you the prescription.
---Sure, I get that, but the thing is, I can't come in because she's not on my insurance any more.
---Well, then she can't help you.
---What do you suggest I do?
---Call the doctor who originally wrote you the prescription (in Texas).
---Okay, I just thought it would be better to have the doctor who's seen me most recently and actually lives in this state write it.
---Nope. She can't unless you make an appointment with her.
---(Big sigh) Thanks. Bye.

Really? It's not like I'm asking for some kind of prescription sedative or narcotic! Come on people...help a sister out!

Similar situations to this have played out so many times. If you ever move, it is so hard to get in to see a doctor. You have to wait until they have a special "new patient" appointment. So if you wait until you're sick, you're out of luck. But if you go just to "get established," you still have to pay your co-pay (which can be fairly high) for basically nothing.

The sad thing is, I'm one of the lucky people. I actually have health insurance. What about people who don't? If you don't have insurance through your job, it's extremely expensive to get it on your own. I can see how a lot of families simply can't afford it. It's ridiculous. And I'm not trying to bash doctors or even health insurance companies. The whole system is just a huge mess. Is there any solution? The only one I can think of is to marry a doctor, and, alas, it's too late for me. :)

UPDATE: (Friday morning) After a tearful call to the doctor's office in Abilene (in which the somewhat rude receptionist informed me that the doctor could not extend my prescription unless I made an appointment to see him...okay, sure, I'll drive 15 hours!), I called the new doctor I am going to see in March. Her extremely friendly nurse took care of me, and I should have my prescription tomorrow. Crisis averted! I am so thankful for kind receptionists and nurses. In my experience, they seem to be so rare. I know they have stressful jobs, but it's really hard when you're already stressed out, and they treat you like you're an idiot. (Well, okay, maybe her perception of me was somewhat colored by the fact that I almost immediately started crying. I know it shouldn't have been that big of deal, but I just couldn't hold it together.) My doctor in Abilene was SOO great, and I know if I could have just talked to him, he would have done everything he could to help me. Unfortunately, his receptionist didn't seem to share his compassion. Anyway, my rant is now officially over. Next time, I will be back to posting about love, food, and other happy things.

Valentine's Day

Darby and I had a wonderful Valentine's Day. On Saturday, I made us a yummy dinner and served it on our china. We had prosciutto and fontina stuffed chicken, roasted potatoes with artichokes and feta, and homemade bread. The chicken was very good. For the recipe, click here. (I used a whole egg to dip it in, not just the white, and omitted the Dijon mustard.) You bread it with Saltine cracker crumbs and pan-fry it. I've never tried cracker crumbs as a breading before, and I really liked how much flavor they gave the chicken. I forgot to take a picture of dessert, but we had Dark Chocolate Soup with Cinnamon-Toasted Pound Cake Croutons. It was as rich as it sounds, and delicious! It was a little difficult for me to prepare dinner with my bad toe, but I did okay. I would chop a few things, then go lay down, stuff the chicken, then go lay down, etc. It took a while, but it was worth it.




Darby got me a very sweet card and a mini-box of Lindor truffles (my fave). I felt bad because I didn't have a card for him on Saturday morning. I had been intending to get one when I did my grocery shopping on Friday, but I ended up not going because of my foot. I normally make my own cards, but I have this tradition where I always buy Darby the same type of card for every occasion (one that folds out multiple times, has cartoons of animals dressed as humans, and rhymes). Anyway, he said he didn't care, but we went to the store on Saturday and I found a card that met the criteria. I would hate to break with tradition. :)

Our gift to each other was tickets to see Lord of the Dance on Monday night. Darby really likes Irish dancing, and we noticed back in December that Lord of the Dance was coming to the U of I in February, so we've been eagerly anticipating the show. It was really cool! Definitely one of my favorite dance shows ever. I like how the dancing is very skillful and athletic without being overtly sexual (for the most part--there was one dance in which the women stripped off their dresses and finished the dance in basically underwear...I could have done without that).

All in all, it was a great Valentine's Day. Darby and I have really gotten away from buying each other gifts, except at Christmas; instead, we spend the money to go out or go on a trip. For us, it's a lot better use of our money, and it saves us the stress of finding the "perfect" gift. Plus, it helps out in our quest to stay uncluttered. It's a win-win situation (or win-win-win, as Michael Scott would say).

Who I Love: My True Love Edition

Why I Love:

Darby!

1. He tells me how much he appreciates me every day. He is always thanking me for little things, like cooking dinner, picking him up from school, doing laundry, etc. I never feel underappreciated.
2. He is a great friend, not only to me, but to all of his friends. He's better at keeping in touch with his college friends than I am!
3. He watches HGTV and TLC with me and will even admit that he enjoys some of the shows.
4. He makes it a point to be home in time for dinner every night, even when he's really busy at school. It is so nice to know that we will at least have that 30 minutes to an hour together every evening.
   
5. He encourages me when I'm doing my workout videos at home. He sits on the couch on his computer, and says, "Wow! You're really strong. I'm really proud of you." It helps me keep going. (That kind of makes him seem like a louse. He can't do the videos with me because we only have one ball and one set of weights.)
   
6. I asked for an espresso maker for Christmas, and I have yet to learn how to use it. He always makes lattes for us, and they are soo good! I offer to learn how to use it, so I can make a drink for him, but he always refuses.
   
7. He is a perfect travel companion. We both love to stay in nice hotels, enjoy local food, go to museums, and walk everywhere when we travel. I love that we can turn even a short weekend trip into something really special.
8. He tries to go to bed at the same time as me, even though I go to bed early. If he has to stay up, he tucks me in first.

Obviously, there are many more reasons why I love Darby, but I tried to list things I haven't necessarily talked about before on this blog. We don't have a perfect marriage by any means, and we do have our differences and arguments. But the good far, far outweighs any bad, so I choose to focus on that. I can honestly say that our relationship keeps getting better. I can't wait to see how we will grow in the years to come,

In sickness and in health

Well, I'm at home again. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. with horrible pain in my toe. When I got up, I couldn't put any weight on my foot. I took some extra-strength Tylenol, and propped my foot up with the hopes of controlling the pain enough to go to work. By the time 8 a.m. came around, I still wasn't able to put any weight on it, so I had to call in. I would have been fine once I got to work and could sit down, but there was no way I could shower, get ready, and drive 20 mins. It ended up being really good that I stayed home because around 10 a.m. I started feeling incredibly nauseous, and it's just now gone away. I think I took too much Tylenol. I usually take Advil, but the doctor told me I could only take Tylenol. Evidently, it does NOT agree with my stomach. I am feeling a little better now and was able to take a bath, brush my teeth, and change clothes. Woo-hoo!

I'm really hoping I feel better tomorrow. I have big plans to cook a fancy meal for Valentine's Day. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stand long enough to cook it, though. I might have to rely on my sous-chef a little more than usual. Speaking of my sous-chef, not feeling well has reminded me again of how much he takes care of me. This morning, he carried me from the bed to the couch, so I wouldn't have to walk on my foot. Right now, he's at the store buying me Sprite and mac and cheese. He's good to me every day, but I just love how he takes care of me when I'm sick.

I really enjoy Valentine's Day, but I'm glad Darby and I don't need a special occasion to show our love for one another. Every day is Valentine's Day when you're married to such a wonderful guy. (Awwww....sappy, right?) Tune in tomorrow for the conclusion to my love series, focusing on the one I love most of all. :)

Who I Love: In-Law Edition

Sorry I missed a day on my "week of love." Turns out posting every day is a little ambitious, even for me. But I'm at home today after having a mole removed from my toe. The doctor ordered me to lay down all day with my foot elevated. Sigh...it's a tough life. :)

I've talked before about how lucky I am to have the in-laws I have. I know a lot of people have tension with their in-laws, but that is so not the case with me. Here's a few reasons why.

Why I Love:

Debby!

1. She is crazy-talented, and we benefit from that talent. She has made us three sets of curtains and two sets of throw pillows. For the latest round of curtains, I didn't have to do a thing. She found some fabric, e-mailed me a picture for approval, went to stores in Dallas to find enough of that fabric, made everything, and shipped it to me. For FREE!
   
2. She is very thoughtful and always picks out great gifts.
   
3. She's a great cook. She claims not to be but every dinner I've ever had at her house has been delicious. She gave me a recipe book with some of her favorite recipes in it, and I've enjoyed making them.
   
4. She was a big help getting ready for the wedding. She was willing to do anything I asked, but she wasn't pushy about being involved and didn't give unsolicited opinions about decorations, etc. I've seen enough wedding shows to know that many mothers-in-law are not so unobtrusive.
   
5. She's a great hostess. Staying at their house is like staying at a bed and breakfast (seriously). Every room is perfectly decorated; there's travel-sized toiletries by the sink; there's coffee served every morning and dessert or hot chocolate every night.
   
6. She's fun to spend "girl time" with, whether that's shopping or going out to eat at cutesy places.
7. I'm always doing laundry at their house, and, not only does she not mind, she's been known to finish it for me while I'm gone. I've come back on multiple occasions to find piles of clothes neatly folded on the bed. It's awesome!
   

Why I Love:

John!

1. He likes to watch Dr. Phil. When I'm at their house, I get to watch, too!
2. He is funny in a very dry way. When Darby and I were dating, this used to unnerve me. I never knew whether he was kidding or not. But now that I know him a little better, I "get" his humor and it makes me laugh.
   
3. He is very laid-back. I don't think I've ever seen him get angry or upset. I could stand to be more like that.
   
4. He's affectionate. Some dads don't show affection to their sons, but John will kiss Darby on the cheek, and he always says, "Love you, boy."
5. He serves others in a lot of ways, but he's never showy about it. He is a great example to me of doing what's right because it's right, not to be praised for it.
   
6. He makes a mean breakfast. When we're visiting, he'll make us bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches or French toast. he passed on his French toast making ability to Darby, so I reap the benefits even when we're not at their house.
7. He helped Darby and me move to Illinois, and he didn't turn around and go home when he saw me freaking out and crying the night before we left. :)
   

And the most important reason I love both of them: They did a great job raising Darby. He would not be the man I love if it weren't for them. I will forever be grateful to them for raising such a wonderful son and then willingly sharing him with me.

Who I Love: Parent Edition

These lists don't even begin to describe how awesome my parents are and how much they have done for me. The older I get, the more I appreciate the many large and small ways they showed and continue to show their love for me, Hannah, and Matt. I'm sure when I have kids of my own, I'll realize even more ways they blessed me. But here's just a taste of the many reasons I love them:

Why I Love...

Mom!

1. No matter how old (and big) I get, she always lets me sit in her lap while she rubs my back.
2. Like me, she always uses correct punctuation in text messages, even if that means it takes her 30 minutes to write one.
3. She will drop everything to be there for her kids. My sophomore year in college, I was really stressed out about school, work, etc. I was about to go on a Spring Break Campaign and happened to mention to her that I had no idea when I was going to do my laundry. She drove to Abilene (in a tornado!) and did my laundry for me.
4. She will do things she really doesn't want to do (fly on an airplane, ride cable cars at Disneyworld) if it means her kids will get to do it.
5. I know I can call her for sympathy, even if it's just a small problem. She understands that sometimes I just want to whine.
6. She's going to be an awesome grandma, but she doesn't pressure me to have kids. After seeing the way some people's moms act, I really appreciate that.
7. She cares (and cared) for all of my grandparents like they were her own parents, even if they were her in-laws or stepparents. I don't think anyone could have given me a better example of the selfless love God wants us to show to others.
8. She was really supportive when she found out Darby and I were moving to Illinois. I know she misses us, but she doesn't make me feel guilty for living far away, and I know that she is truly happy for us.

Why I Love...

Dad!

1. He is very generous. Last year, I asked for money for new tires for Christmas. A few days later, I got an e-mail from him saying he had transferred the money to my account just because, not as a Christmas gift.
2. Like me, he likes to argue (or, as I prefer to call it "have discussions"). We can disagree without being angry at each other.
3. He uses his vacation and/or weekends to do things like help me and Darby move. My junior year, he drove out to Abilene one Saturday to help me paint my room.
4. He inspired my love for reading. I never felt pressured by him to read, but I sure saw him doing it a lot. (He even reads while he brushes his teeth! I'm not that obsessed, but maybe someday.)
5. He is, in general, a serious person, but he can be crazy, especially when he's wrestling with Matt. He has a really good sense of humor; he's one of those people who's effortlessly funny without being over-the-top.
   
6. He gives me good advice about finances, career, school, etc. He is very wise, and I trust his judgment. I also appreciate that he doesn't expect me to do exactly what he says all the time. He gives me guidance, but lets me make my own decisions.
7. He knows a lot about the Bible and is continually studying to learn more. I really enjoyed having him as a Bible Quiz/Bible Bowl coach in junior high and high school.
8. When I called my mom to tell her Darby and I wouldn't be coming home for Thanksgiving, he's the one who called back less than an hour later to see if they could come up here. Now, I don't know exactly what happened, but what I imagine is that my mom hung up the phone really disappointed, and dad came to the rescue with a great solution. If it was mom's idea, well, I still appreciate dad for driving up here! :)
   

Who I Love: Sibling Edition

I have always loved Valentine's Day, mainly because I like pink and hearts. But I also think it gets a bad rap for being only about overly-commercialized sappy, romantic love. I think it's a great reminder to think about all of the love we experience in our lives, whether that's romantic love, familial love, platonic love, or Christian love. This week, I'm going to post every day about some of the many people I love in my life and why.

Why I Love...

Hannah!

1. She doesn't make me feel weird for skipping a shower. In fact, she actually makes me feel better since I NEVER skip more than one day. :)
2. She likes shopping as much as I do and is always up for a post-holiday spree.
3. She is hilarious. She doesn't update her blog enough, but when she does, I usually laugh out loud.
4. She gets excited about little things like me. When I'm with her, I feel more fun.
   
5. She's a great sister-in-law to Darby. Although it took her a little while to warm up to him when we were teenagers, she now makes him feel like a true part of the family.
   
6. She's honest. If I ask her if an outfit looks bad, she will tell me if she thinks it does.
7. She loves to sing and is really good at it. She and I once spent an entire vacation perfecting a duet of "Never Gonna Get It." On the way to Mexico one year, she, Krista, and I went though an entire Spanish hymnal. I am not so talented, so if it weren't for her, I would probably not sing so much.
8. She has a heart for children. I know she will be a great mom and aunt someday.

Why I Love:

Matt!

1. He lets me call him "Matty," "Tatty," "Fatty," etc. without getting embarrassed.
2. Whenever I come home, he gives me a really big bear hug.
3. He is very deep spiritually. Even though he's my younger brother, I have a lot to learn from him.
   
4. He loves books and Starbucks as much as I do.
5. On every gift at Christmas, he puts a tag that reads something like this: "To: My ugly, retarded sister with a mustache From: Your perfect angel brother." (Except they're a lot funnier than that!)
6. He is very generous. When Darby and I got married, he gave us a $100 Barnes and Noble gift card and one of the most thoughtful cards we got from anyone.
7. He encourages me to eat more sweets when I'm home. One of his best lines: "Kayla, you're an Anderson. Eat like one!"
8. He's never been like a lot of guys and "too cool" for his family. Even when he was in high school, he enjoyed spending time with us and talking with us (unless he was just acting; he IS a really good actor...hmmm).
   

Quite a coincidence

I meant to share this story when it happened a few weeks ago, but I forgot until now.

About three weeks ago, on a Friday, Darby took our car to get some minor repairs done. We chose the shop because it was close to our house, cheap, and they could do the work in one day (really important to us now that we only have one car). So we got the car back Friday afternoon, and everything seemed fine. We're driving on the Interstate Friday night, and I notice that the cruise control isn't working. It will turn on, but when you press "set acceleration," it doesn't regulate the speed. Now, I use cruise control every day on my way to and from work, so I knew it had to have stopped working sometime between Thursday evening and Friday night. Hmmm...

Darby called the shop on Saturday morning and (very diplomatically) asked if it was possible that the mechanic could have inadvertently jostled some wires when he was doing work. The mechanic got on the phone and said that he wasn't working anywhere near the box that controls the cruise control, so it had to be "just a coincidence." But we could bring it in and he would give us an estimate on what it would cost to fix it. Ummm...no thanks.

Thankfully that seems to be the only thing wrong, and it's not like the car is undriveable or anything. Our friend, who's a mechanic, is going to fix it for us at a discount. (We didn't ask him to do the work in the first place because we knew he wouldn't charge us fairly, and we didn't want to take advantage of him.) I know we could have probably made a big stink to the first shop and gotten it fixed for free, but I'm thankful that I don't have a husband who's willing to get mean and angry about small things. Life's too short. And I guess there is the small possibility that it really is "just a coincidence." :)

I'm not a grandma!

For the past three nights, I have stayed up past 1 a.m. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've stayed up past 1 a.m. in the past two years. And now...three nights in a row?? I'm crazy! What could possibly cause this normal twenty-something behavior? Three words: Jon and Katy. We went with them to Nashville this weekend to visit Katy's sister. It's about a 6-hour drive. We were supposed to leave Friday at 5 p.m. Jon ended up having to work late, so we left at 7. We didn't even get to Nashville til 1 a.m. Okay, I did sleep for like an hour and a half in the car, but still. Then I actually woke up at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Saturday night we went to see Katy's sister's roommate's band play. The show lasted until 12:30. I couldn't believe I actually made it. I did sleep in until about 9 on Sunday, but usually I like to get a good 8-10 hours on the weekends, plus naps. Last night we made the trip home. It took over 8 hours after we made the "quick" detour to Missouri to eat at Lambert's, and I only slept about 1 hour. We got home about 9:15, but then, of course, we had to watch the one-hour Office episode after the Super Bowl. After that, Darby and I were having so much fun talking about the weekend that we didn't fall asleep until about 1. I am so tired right now, and I have huge bags under my eyes. But at least I can say that, on occasion, I am still fun. Tonight it's back to grandma schedule...I plan to be in bed about 9!