Friendship

It’s amazing how a friend can do so much for your soul.  Sometimes you don’t talk about anything important.  Sometimes you don’t do anything exciting.  Sometimes it’s just a phone call or an email or a card.  Sometimes it’s a lunch or a dinner or an amazing text when you need it the most.   Sometimes it’s just a few moments that remind you of how blessed and appreciated you are. I’ve learned that the most amazing friends can light up my life like nothing else.

A great friend can help you forget your troubles for awhile, make you laugh, share your happiness, calm your nerves, instill confidence you didn’t know was there, and just remind you that someone cares and is thinking about you.  They may not have all the right words, but they try.  They may not understand your decisions but they support them.  They make you laugh, sometimes until you cry, and they bring out the silly side of you that you’d never show anyone else.

I’ve been thinking about all the amazing women I’ve spent time with lately that have truly lit up my holiday season in only the way a friend can.  Whether they are near or far, old friends or new, I hold them in my heart, thank God for sending them to me and pray that I can be to them what they have been to me.

"A friend will strengthen you with her prayers, bless you with her love, and encourage you with her hope." - unknown

Resolutions

I’ve never been big on New Year’s resolutions or waiting for a new year to start something.  I think if you’re going to make a resolution to change something there’s no reason to wait for a new year or even a new week.  I was super unmotivated the past few months and unfortunately I didn’t devote much time to myself.   Somehow I found my motivation (not sure where it was hiding?) and I’ve been doing things lately that I wanted to for awhile.  They sound little, but to me they are big because I’ve put them off for so long!

I feel like 2012 is going to be amazing.  I hope/think there are some exciting changes coming soon and  I’m excited about so many things.  I’m not waiting to make changes, but I am using the new year to recommit myself to these changes.  That sounds just like the whole new year’s resolutions thing I was just complaining about huh?  Without further ado, here’s what’s on my agenda starting last week, yesterday, and right now to be continued into the new year:

· Focus on being healthy.  When I eat healthy I feel better and I look better.  When I work out I feel better and I look better.  I’ve found TONS of amazing sites on Pinterest with healthy recipes I can’t wait to try out.  An added bonus – eating healthy at home means my wallet actually gets a bit fatter.  I do want to lose weight, but my focus is just not on the weight, it’s on being healthy.  I think people get too easily sucked into “diets” that promise a quick fix, but they don’t learn anything.  I’m aiming for healthy, which in turn should lead to this but in a realistic and maintainable way.  I’ve already written out a huge list of recipes to try out after we get back from our Christmas vacay and I’ve been working on my cookbook binder which I’ll share with you soon.

· Get REALLY organized.  I’m pretty darn organized in general, but we all have those closets, rooms, drawers, etc. that are anything but.  I spend too much time sorting through papers, picking up little things laying around the house, and spending time on things that aren’t that important.  I recently took a trip to The Container Store and stocked up on some unique things to do just that.  I’ve started this on a smaller scale….a couple baskets in the entertainment center, a mini closet overhaul, and a pantry reorganization.   I’m always shocked at how much happier I am when I’m done.  I LOVE organizing and I LOVE repurposing and beautifying spaces, however I just didn’t have much time to devote to this for awhile and things have gotten a bit out of control (by my standards anyhow).   Specifically the office needs to be beautified and the file cabinet needs a major overhaul.  The “workout room” is a bit scary and is where all the “I have no idea what to do with this” boxes have accumulated.  If it’s in a box then it’s most likely not that important.  The garage just has all this stuff that needs to be sorted through, reorganized, and some things sold.  The linen closet could use some help.  Little things, but they make a huge difference.

· Spend more time being crafty.  I don’t mean crafty like scheming, but crafty as in creative!  I bought myself a cricut die-cut machine LAST black Friday and I didn’t touch it much last year.  I did use it to make cute gift tags though and it reminded me how amazing this thing is!  I have a bunch of pending projects I can’t wait to finish (or start!) and I’m excited to post them when I’m done.  For me it’s really a matter of having the materials, ideas, and sitting down to actually do them.

· Scrapbook.  This gets its own category because it’s been FOREVER since I’ve actually scrapbooked.  I haven’t done a single thing this year.  That’s just plain horrible!  But I’m going to get out my scrapbook stuff once my office is beautified and go crazy with my craftyness.  That sounds scary when I put it like that but trust me, I’ll be awesome!

· Save more.  Who isn’t looking for ways to save these days?  We’ve found a lot of ways to cut back whether it’s through coupons, more movies at home and less out, eating at home more, cancelling cable, or watching all those random purchases that add up.  I’ve been getting lazy with comparing grocery ads but after Christmas I’m renewing my commitment to being more frugal!  There are so many resources online that it’s just amazing.  Pinterest is giving me great ideas of projects with things I already have.  Coupon sites compile deals for me.  Foodie sites have given me tons of recipes which are much more budget friendly than eating out, not to mention that the ones I keep are usually healthy!

· Devote more time to my faith.  I’ve come a long way in the past year.  The Walk to Emmaus challenged me to start participating in my faith and taking an active role instead of a passive one.  This year I want to do more reading, studying, and devote a little of set aside time to pray.  I can use all the guidance I can get!

· Spend more QUALITY time with Mr. C.  This means more playing games, laughing, checking things off my 101 list, snuggling, watching old movies, doing puzzles, making breakfast, taking day trips, walking together, and playing with our two furballs and less time making sure the house is clean or the other million practical things that can sometimes take over our lives.

This year I’m focusing on what really matters – my health, my family, the friends that make life worthwhile, my faith, and my life being in order (as much as possible anyhow!).

What are your resolutions for now, tomorrow, or beginning the new year?

2011 Christmas #1

We’ll be spending Christmas with my family in Nebraska, so last weekend we celebrated with Mr. C’s family.  The only thing better than Christmas is TWO Christmases!!!

Saturday was baking day and although I’d love to post some pics, our photographer (Mr. C) didn’t do so well and had to be fired from his job due to not actually taking any pictures while we were baking (he did manage to take about a million picture of my beautiful table setup though).  Baking day never goes as planned.  I always have a million and a half recipes I want to make, usually half of them being things I’ve never made before.   This year I was a bit smarter and decided to not quadruple all my recipes.  I seriously made like six batches of sugar cookies last year.  It’s great when I’m mixing up the dough, but not so much when I’m cutting tons of shapes out and then trying to frost about a million cookies.   Downscaling my baking made things much more manageable this year.

I’d love to show you pics of what I baked, but I packed it up and distributed it to some lucky (I hope they feel lucky anyhow) family and friends this week in the hopes of getting it out of the house so I wouldn’t devour it all. Christmas just isn’t Christmas without baking goodies for other people.  That must be a quality I got from my grandma :)

Saturday night we had soup, the best crockpot apple cider, and opened gifts.  I love watching people open their gifts, more than I really care about mine usually.  This year I thought we did pretty wonderful at figuring out something special for each person and everyone seemed to love what we picked out for them (either they loved it or they are GREAT actors/actresses).  We followed up the gifts with a game of Scene It, the comedy edition.   My team lost (I should mention it was 2 against 3….), but it was so much fun and I actually knew some of the answers!   Christmas Eve has always been my favorite part of Christmas because it’s low-key, relaxing, and just a time to enjoy being together.  Saturday night was just that and I loved it.

Sunday was the big meal.  I have never in my life made a turkey or ham on my own.  I make meals with chicken breasts (primarily ONLY chicken breasts because it’s less yucky to touch), beef, fish, and this past year I made some pork for the first time EVER!  For our Centner Christmas I decided to make a ham.  My friend gave me a wonderful recipe for the glaze and told me to glaze it with homemade glaze in the crockpot.  It turned out so amazing and I was quite proud of myself!  We had quite a feast –  http://whatsgabycooking.com/thyme-and-honey-roasted-carrots/">thyme and honey roasted carrots,http://whatsgabycooking.com/chipotle-mashed-sweet-potatoes/">chipotle mashed sweet potatoes (a huge hit!),  twice baked potato casserole, green bean casserole, cooked cranberries, rolls, deviled eggs, and of course the ham. 

 Yum! 

It was a great weekend with wonderful food and company.  Now I’m prepping to go home and celebrate Christmas with my family!  Sooooo excited!!!!  Actually, I was supposed to be asleep tonight by 9 with laundry done, everything packed, and the house getting a light cleaning before we take off tomorrow.  It’s now 10:30 and I’m waiting for the laundry, still not packed, blogging, and so hopped up on caffeine that I’m not sure I’ll even be able to sleep.  This is another tradition, although every year I tell myself that this year will be different! Oh well!

I hope your gifts are wrapped, your goodies are baked, you’ve found some time to relax and remember what Christmas is all about, and you’re looking forward to Christmas and time with loved ones as much as I am!

Happiness

Sometimes we overlook the little things that bring us joy.  Sometimes we miss out on moments of happiness because we’re too busy to realize we’re in them.  Lucky for us, we have a couple furry creatures that remind us to slow down and enjoy the moment.

This weekend we took Coconut to a “green” (it was really brown) area of our neighborhood and let her run around.  I sat at one end of the grassy area and Mr. C sat at the other while we called Coconut’s name.  She ran back and forth between us, almost knocking us both over a couple times because she was THAT excited.  Mr. C got some great photos of her.  The look on her face is pure happiness.  With the busyness of the Christmas season, we all need to take a little time to do something simple that makes us remember what life is all about and count our blessings.  For me, ten minutes in the park with my happy puppy and smiling husband were a great reminder. 

    

Wrapping it up

I love wrapping presents.  This past week our dining room table was full of wrapping paper, tape, boxes, bows, and tags.    I have a lot of fancy sparkly gift tags I usually use but this year I was feeling extra inspired and decided to do things a little differently.

I broke out my Cricut die-cut machine and some colored cardstock to make some letters of various sizes.   I then used a black ink pad to distress the sides of the letters.  This was a bit difficult for letters like S that had a ton of curves.  I started out using the inkpad directly on the letter cutouts but it was hard to get everything and it was a bit messy.  After googling how to distress corners, I picked up a tool which had a felt pad I inked and then used on the paper.  This produced a softer, more speckled effect and allowed me to get in all the nooks and crannies of whatever letter I had printed.  Both ways have their advantages so I did a little of each and some letters had both techniques.

I then hole punched the letters and attached the first letter of a person’s name to a gift instead of using a tag.  I love the way they turned out! Here’s a couple of my favorites.

Unfortunately too many of Mr. C’s family members have names that start with the same letters so I had to write their name on the back of the letters to avoid confusion.  Next year I’m hoping to get really fancy schmancy by making my own bows from ribbon, but I’m very happy with my name tag upgrades this year!  

A Magical Time of Year

December is notorious for being a crazy busy month.  My planner sees more action this month than a couple of the other ones combined.  I LOVE this time of year.  The warm glow of the lights, the familiar music, the cheesy movies, the parties, baking, shopping, the time with family and friends,…..  Christmas has always been a magical time of year to me.  It’s by far my favorite holiday. As I’m typing I’m sitting on our couch listening to Christmas music, smelling my cinnamon Scentsy bar, and surrounded by the glow of the Christmas tree and the million other lights I have plugged in.  It doesn’t get any better than this.

If I could live in the North Pole with Santa I would be the first in line for that.  THAT’s how much I love Christmas.  With that being said, it goes without saying that I tend to get a little excited/crazy this time of year and possibly go a bit overboard.  I have so much fun decorating the house and I even managed to tone it down a bit this year but still love it.

We’ve decorated a tree or two outside before but this year we decided to go all out.  I strung the lights on the trees and bushes while Mr. C worked on the lights around the roofline.  Of course although I tested ALL the lights first, somehow the one strand I didn’t have plugged in the entire time decided to go out at the top and bottom of the tree.  It’s just lovely how that always seems to happen.   I haven’t been motivated enough to fix it at this point….I’m just hoping no one notices.  The rest of the lights look pretty darn good though if I do say so myself! 

With the outside looking good, Mr. C and I put up our gigantor tree.  We got it on sale (major sale!) one year and love it, but it’s a bit large….like 9 ft. large.  It’s okay, it represents my gigantor Christmas spirit!  Decorating it with Mr. C is one of my favorite traditions.  He says I’m “picky” about ornament placement but I consider it “strategic”!

Remember Oreo, our electrical cord obsessed?   This being his first Christmas he though it would be fun to chew the branches and see if he could digest the lights.  We doused the bottom layer of the tree in bitter apple spray and kept the ornaments up a little higher than normal.  Luckily that’s stopped him for now although he’s now decided that the tree was put up with the sole purpose of being a protective spot for him to lay and hide from Coconut after he swats at her tail.  We’ve been lucky so far in that I’ve come home to an in-tact tree everyday.  I’m just counting my blessings on that one.  I won’t mention that we can’t actually put any of the presents under the tree….

In addition to the huge tree we also have this one which looks a bit smaller every year.  This one holds our special ornaments – from our childhoods and those that represent our milestones.  Every year my mom buys me at least one to represent something that happened that year.  I LOVE going through the ornaments because they all bring back such special memories. 

So that’s what I’ve been up to instead of posting on here.   I hope you’re enjoying this time of year as much as I am.  I’ve been getting a bit crafty with my gift wrapping but that’s for the next post :)

Black Friday Love

I’m sorry I’m a bit late in my Black Friday post, but it’s been an extra busy week! I got some understanding/inspirational/thankful/loving/all-around-good feedback from the previous post and I’m still happy with my decision to post and that I FINALLY wrote something. The previous few posts had been written ones I had “banked” but never posted, so the last post was truly the last writing I’ve done for much too long. I’m getting back into writing though (FINALLY!) and should be posting like mad soon. Or just regularly maybe?
I LOVE Black Friday. One year Mr. C and I decided to stop at Target quick for a Christmas tree and luggage set before taking off for California on Black Friday. Our quick trip wasn’t really that quick as you can probably imagine. That was our first Black Friday and we’ve been going ever since (having learned much from that first one). I used to go out the day after Christmas because everything holiday related is 50% off and you really can’t beat that. I’d make a list and strategize where I was going once the doors opened. Mr. C would get the cart and I’d take off to load my arms up with stuff until he got there. It was the best. But then Black Friday happened….and it was even better.
I love how excited people get and the ridiculousness of it all. Of course I also love the deals! We’ve never bought anything huge like a TV or the things you hear people break out in riots over. Usually we’re looking for movies and maybe a couple gifts. This year we bought flannel sheets (which I’m loving because that means I don’t have to crawl into a cold bed), a throw I’d been eying, a couple kitchen products that were uber cheap, a flash drive, and some gifts I of course can’t mention on here! Nothing big though, and it wouldn’t have been the end of the world if we didn’t get it on sale. We missed out on an external hard drive because we just couldn’t bear to wait in the long line at Best Buy.

This year was a bit weird due to stores opening at midnight.  It actually worked better for us because once I'm asleep it's not too fun to wake me up at 3am so I can go shop.  NOTHING sounds too important to me at 3am once I'm snuggled in my bed.  It was a big magical though to see the huge crowds out and about, shopping as if it was a Saturday afternoon when in fact it was 2am.
Following tradition, we waited in the Target line. I LOVE target. I love the atmosphere when everyone is waiting in line, joking around and keeping each other company. We heard multiple horror stories of the scene at Walmart hours earlier and how the cops were called. THAT is the part of Black Friday I do not like, or understand.

When the doors opened everyone was fairly calm. When I was stuck on one side of never-ending carts and Mr. C was on the other (think of it as being on opposite cliffs with a huge drop in the middle), a nice man stopped, smiled, and let me sneak through. This is the kind of Black Friday shopping I enjoy. It’s a bit crazy, but people are still decent. They don’t push each other down or pepper spray anyone, and everyone talks to complete strangers while waiting in line to pay.
After Target stop #1 we went to IHOP for the best breakfast ever. My extreme hunger may be what caused me to think it was SO amazing, but seriously it was great. We hit another Target (stop #2 out of 7 stops in 2 days in case you were wondering…we have bad memories and had to keep returning for like one thing every time or trying a different location), Best Buy, and then rested up before heading out later. It was a very odd feeling day but so much fun! I hope you got everything you were looking for without encountering any pepper spray!

More than the Winter Blues

I debated posting this for quite awhile.  It's a lot to share, and I wasn't sure if it was more than I was comfortable sharing.  It's something in general I don't even discuss with my friends - it's just not something you really want to bring up or discuss.  However, in the end I felt it was important.  I was told by someone that this post puts words to a feeling they could never describe and that's what the deciding factor was for me.  I've always been better writing words than saying them and although I haven't shared what I've written with many verbally, I'm sharing it now.  If this makes a difference for just one person - either by feeling that someone else understands or just makes someone more mindful of what someone else may be going through, then it's worth posting.

Depression.


That's just a sad looking word.  I even tried changing the font to a pretty, curly font and it still looked sad.  If the shoe fits though....

Depression is something that affects so many people.  I’m not talking about momentary sadness here.  What I’m talking about is something much deeper, something that makes someone feel hopeless, angry, and careless. It often goes undetected, even by the person affected.  When you’re in something it’s hard to get perspective, it’s hard to see what’s really going on.  It creeps up gradually until you don’t know how you got to this point.  You don’t confide in anyone because you don’t really know what the problem is or how to describe it or bring it up, maybe you’re embarrassed, or perhaps you just don’t want to talk about it.  Either way, it’s a horrible thing.

In Harry Potter there are these things called dementors.  The dementors float around, ghostlike, and are used as guards at a prison.  These dementors suck the happiness out of their victims.  The victim stops fighting, stops caring, and just exists.  In the movie their eyes look empty, lonely, and oh so sad.  To me, that is depression.  It’s a lack of happiness, a lack of wanting to be productive or even move, a lack of wanting to get up every morning, a lack of desire for anything.

According to some websites, depression may affect as many as 10% of the population.  Research shows that big life changes can trigger it, and genetics may play a role.

It’s something I’ve battled since I was in junior high.  It seems to come on every year, and once I finally realized that what I was experiencing was major depression and not just me feeling down, I felt like I wasn’t crazy, the world wasn’t going to end, and there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  That was a few years ago.  Even now it creeps up on me without warning.  It doesn’t seem gradual although I know that it is.  I get to a point where one day I’m feeling so miserable, so hopeless that I finally realize what’s going on and that’s what gets me through.  This horrible thing snuck up on me again recently.  This year it’s been a lot harder than I remember.  It’s usually like a truck hitting me but this year it’s been like a semi, or maybe even a train of semis.

I still go to work, smile, and say good morning, I still talk to my friends, I still ask my husband how his day was, but I’m not me.  Inside I’m sad, empty, and cold.  I put on a happy face until I can’t anymore.  I try to avoid conflict and wish that people would just cut me some slack for not being my happy self 24/7.   I wish this, but I don’t tell them.  I can’t talk about it because I don’t want to start crying.  I know they won’t understand and there’s no point in trying.  If they haven't been here then there's no way for them to really understand.  I’m not looking for more judgment, just some understanding without me having to ask for it.  I don’t reach out to my friends because I just can’t; I don’t finish my projects at home, I can't write for my blog, I don’t cook even though I love to.  The couch and I are now BFFs.  I use all my energy at work, and when I get home I just want to sit down and watch TV until I go to bed and struggle to fall asleep.  I wake up after tossing and turning and feel like I haven’t slept in days, but I get up and do it all over again.  This is when it’s at its worst.

Then somehow I realize what’s going on.  I talk to someone I trust, someone I love, someone who I know will be supportive.  Just having someone know my struggles, someone to care makes a big difference.  I work on little things.  Cleaning the floors, finishing a craft project, making dinner.  The little things are big things though.  I start to realize that the feeling of hopelessness is getting smaller.  It’s still large, but instead of being a bubble covering my whole life, it’s now a big bubble with some holes.  These holes begin to tear open until eventually the bubble collapses.  And, as suddenly as it seemed to come on, it’s finally gone.  I’m me again and I no longer need the couch to be my BFF.

Although you may not always be able to see something wrong, remember that everyone around you has their own struggles, their own pains.  They may not wish to talk about them, they may not even be able to pinpoint them, but they are there, just like yours are there.  Maybe cut them some slack, listen to them, or just smile at them, because you never know when you will be the one needing someone to listen, smile, or just give you the benefit of the doubt.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has never been a favorite holiday of mine.  It’s a lot of sitting around, cooking, eating, and then feeling stuffed.  As someone who has tried to focus on eating healthy and not overeating, this conflicts with what I feel like I should be doing!  However, over the years I’ve found myself appreciating this holiday more and more though.   I haven’t spent thanksgiving with my NE family since I moved to Arizona eight years ago.  I find myself missing them more around the holidays, but I also appreciate the wonderful family I now have here.  I really am grateful to have two wonderful families.

There’s a lot I don’t have and there are things I’d change in my life.  This is true of everyone.  But I do have a lot, and I have so many things to be thankful for.  This is true of everyone.   What we do have greatly outweighs what we don’t have.  Unfortunately, sometimes we get so wrapped up in thinking about what we don’t have that we fail to realize what we do have.

This thanksgiving I’m thankful for so many things.  I know I don’t always thank God enough for my blessings, but I really am so very blessed.

I’m thankful I have a home, a bed to keep me warm at night in the winter and cool in the summer, a kitchen where I can cook for my family, and a place to get away from the outside world.  There are many people who don’t have this.

I’m thankful that we can go out to eat sometimes and that there is food in my pantry and fridge.  Sometimes I say “there’s nothing to eat!” when nothing looks good, but I am thankful that there are options.  There are so many people in the world that don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

I’m thankful for my family.  They love me, support me, and I know they will always be there for me.  I’m thankful for my family miles away, and Mr. C’s family here who has also become my family.  It’s hard to imagine life without them. 

I’m thankful for my friends – they may be close or far, we may talk often or sporadically, but they are always there.   True friends are simply amazing and I’ve learned that they are very rare.

I’m thankful for my dog, Coconut.  She greets me every day with a wagging tail and a sloppy kiss.  She doesn’t judge me and understands when I just need some company.  I’m thankful for Oreo, my cat.  He also runs to the door (we think he doesn’t understand he’s a cat) to meet me.  He’s not as easygoing as Coconut, but he keeps us entertained and he’s completed our family for now.  They teach me about unconditional love and that’s a great thing.

I’m thankful for my husband.  I’m thankful that he’s a good man, someone I trust completely.  He listens to me ramble on.  He catches spiders for me because although I’m terrified I don’t want them to be killed.  He fills up my gas tank when I don’t want to go out at night.  He leaves me sweet reminders on my phone.  He drives me crazy at least once a day, but he’s worth it and I’m so thankful for him.

I’m thankful that I live in a country where I can blog about whatever I want without living in fear.  I can work outside the home or stay home if I choose.   I can publically attend any church of my choice.  I have so many rights I take for granted but people around the world, women around the world, don’t have these. 

This thanksgiving weekend I thought about my blessings, thanked God for all he has given me, and enjoyed some wonderful times with my family and friends.  I hope your thanksgiving was just as wonderful!

Happy Birthday Mr. C!

Mr. C is a year older today. He’s changed so much since I met him eight years ago. I’d love to post a picture but I don’t think he’d appreciate that! Let me just tell you that his hair was a bit longer, his clothes were a lot baggier, and somehow he was a bit geekier!


His gray hairs are beginning to make an appearance, but I like them. They have a sparkle about them that matches his personality.

He’s put on a couple pounds since I first met him (who hasn’t?? – and to clarify I really mean like 2 pounds) because he’s been talking to me while I’m in the kitchen, helping to taste test cookies or pies and eating the M & M's meant for cookie decorations.

He doesn’t play video games as much as he did when we first met. Instead he spends his time playing with Coconut or Oreo, taking walks with me, playing go fish or backgammon or sorry “just one more time”, watching movies snuggled up on the couch, traveling, or happily spending time doing whatever thing I’ve roped him into doing.

He’s no longer an undergrad student but was the first to graduate in his family and has a career I’m proud of. It’s hard, time consuming, and not always the easiest job, but he’s making a difference and he loves it.

At the same time, he’s still the goofy guy I fell in love with. He downloads fart apps, calls to tell me crazy things (like how he learned to turkey call, and then demonstrated it for me), and he makes me laugh a lot. Sometimes I’m just laughing at him, but it’s still laughing so it counts.

He’s still geeky, but I think he hides it better. Or, maybe I just don’t notice as much because he’s pulled me over to his side. Either way, it’s a quality in him I wouldn’t trade for anything.

He’s still the guy who would do anything for me. He’s still the nice guy I met eight years ago. He’s the one who reaches for my hand even though the car is right outside the door. He’s the guy whose one-dimple smile makes me so happy. He’s my best friend, my partner in life forever. He’s my wonderful Mr. C.

Happy Birthday Mr. C! I celebrate today because I celebrate you, everything you have been, you are, and you will become.

Garlic bread, caesar salad, and some ramblings

I grew up watching my grandmother make delicious meals and bake the best deserts ever.  EVER.  Even her toast was amazing.  Seriously, I’ve tried to replicate it but it’s just not the same.  I’m told I’m probably not slathering on the butter enough, but it’s still not the same.   I can still remember the way she’d cut the toast, the plates she always used, and I can almost taste it.  My mouth is now watering.  I couldn’t eat lemon meringue pie for years because it just wasn’t the same.  My grandmother loved to cook for other people and this was one of the ways she showed her love.  Over the years I’ve begun to realize that I’ve inherited this same trait.  I love feeding people.  When I make cookies and Mr. C doesn’t dive right in I feel like he’s rejecting me.  Yes, I do know this sounds horrible and portrays the idea that I’m trying to fatten my husband up, but I’m not!  To me, cooking/baking something from scratch takes something special, and it’s an act of love.  Cheesy yes, but I’m a bit cheesy today.

There’s something about making something from scratch that’s a little magical to me.  Anyone can buy a box, mix in the eggs and water, throw it in the oven, and call it a cake.  But when you make something from scratch, you know what you’re feeding your family, you have more control over the outcome, you understand the process and you’re putting a bit of yourself into it.  Not literally of course.

My grandmother was one of those annoying people who when you’d ask how they made something, would respond that she just “threw in” a little of this and a little of that.  She just “threw” things together to make amazing food.  I don’t think she used recipes much and unfortunately for us, she didn’t write them all too often.

Over the past few years I’ve found myself loving being in the kitchen more and more.  I own more cookbooks than any one person really needs, but I love them.  I’ve been using my cookbooks like crazy, cooking at least one new thing per week lately.  But, I find that all recipes need a bit of tweaking.  I like to say that I “fix” them.  It’s not that they aren’t good; I just like my version better!  I love cookbooks because they give me a base, an idea to start with that I probably wouldn’t have come up with on my own.  And, over the course of the past few years I’ve found that I’m one of those annoying people, the one who when you ask, says I’d be happy to give you my recipe but that’s not how I really make it because I “throw” in a little of this and a little of that.  I think we all know where I got that from.

I’m always in search of the perfect salad dressing and while I appreciate store-bought dressings because of the ease and longevity, there’s still nothing like homemade.  One night when Mr. C was working late I cooked us up a pretty darn good Italian meal.  I was extra inspired that night and made one of the best Caesar salads I’ve had in awhile.

You get two for one in this recipe post, because a few days prior to making the amazing salad, I made garlic bread for the first time ever.  Yes, ever.   My mom was big on not eating too many starchy things in the same meal, so pasta and bread don’t really go together at the dinner table for me. 

Buttery Garlic Bread

1 stick butter, softened

¼ - ½ C. Italian parsley, chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

French Loaf

You should be warned that I like it garlicky, so dial back the garlic if you’re not a huge fan.

Cut the loaf in half.  Mix the butter, Italian parsley, and garlic together in a bowl.  I threw my butter in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up and melt it just a bit. 

Spread the buttery mixture evenly over the loaves.  Wrap each loaf half in foil and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  The longer you bake it, the crispier it gets.

Adapted from 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know by Cindi Leive.

A few nights later I got home and felt inspired.  I had found a Caesar dressing recipe I planned to make.  First though, I wanted croutons.  I opened the fridge and found the garlic bread leftovers.  I had never made croutons before but it sounded pretty darn easy, which it was.  I preheated the oven to 375 and cut the bread into squares.  I spread them out over a baking sheet and baked for about 10 minutes, checking on them about every 3 minutes after that until I was satisfied with the crunchyness. 

Then I whipped up this Caesar dressing, adapted from Everyday Food by none other than Martha Stewart.

Easy Caesar Dressing

1 lemon, juiced

Scant ½ c. mayo

½ c. shredded Parmesan cheese  

2 cloves garlic

Lots of pepper (when you think you’ve got enough, add a bit more and that’ll be equal to my “lots”)

Ok here comes the hard part.  Ready?  You get all your ingredients, throw them in the blender, and blend until you’re satisfied with the consistency.  Difficult huh?  Actually, the most difficult part was fitting my spatula in between the blender blades. 

Then you just assemble with the rest of your salad –

Toss your washed lettuce (I usually use baby romaine or spring mix) in the dressing.  Top with croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese, and lots of freshly grated pepper.  Delicious!  If you make this please let me know what you think!

Blue Man Group, #55

It’s been awhile but yes, I am still alive! This weekend I felt like I was run over by the cold and sinus truck. I’ve been battling a sinus infection for the past few days and am finally back to normal! Luckily I had Mr. C to take care of me and pick me up my fav restaurant soups (that’s the only way I get soup around here when the cook – i.e. me- is under the weather).


Before I got sick we spent our Saturday celebrating Mr. C’s early birthday. He’s always wanted to see the Blue Man Group so for his b-day we got him two tickets. Lucky for me he took me along with him! His b-day isn’t for another week but I actually gave him the tickets awhile ago. Since opening tickets doesn’t involve much, I found this “blue man” pencil holder at target and decided to wrap that up for a clue. I made a big deal about it and when he opened it he thought that the pencil holder was his big gift. He tried to act like he thought it was amazing while concealing his confusion at the same time. After asking him about a million times to describe what he was holding, he finally got that it was a “blue person”. Still didn’t click. Didn’t work out quite as planned, he finally got it, found the tickets buried in the gift bag and then I spotted the genuine look of excitement I had been waiting for.

This weekend we headed to Tempe for a quick lunch before the show. It’s odd driving around ASU because so many things have changed since I was there and I’m reminded that it wasn’t just yesterday when I was working in the computer commons until 3am, having lunch in the M.U., and sleeping…er, I mean studying…in the library. It’s hard to believe it’s been four years. Geesh, I’m getting old. See how I just got off topic there? I did that the WHOLE time we were in Tempe. I wonder how I don’t drive Mr. C totally nuts sometimes. Getting back on track now though….. We went to Five Guys burgers for the first time ever. We must have not looked as confused as I thought because no one asked us if it was our first time (we get asked that a lot…to places we’ve been to frequently…so I assume that either everyone is super helpful or we always look confused). That meant that we assumed we knew what we were doing and both ordered cheeseburgers - not little cheeseburgers - and a large fry instead of a small to split. The cheeseburgers came with two patties which is more red meat than I typically eat in a month, and the fries were HUGE. I think we threw half of them away. Next time we try somewhere new I might ask for some clarification instead of just ordering. Other than that, the food was great and they give you FREE peanuts! I’m a big fan of free.


After lunch we headed to the theatre. I’m not sure what my expectations were, but they were most definitely exceeded. The show was amazing. If you haven’t been to see the amazing Blue Men, I very much recommend it. I’ve heard the Vegas show is a bit messier and crazier, but I couldn’t imagine anything better than what we saw. The best part for both of us was the “dance party” that occurred in the end, complete with lights, music, and huge inflatable balls that changed colors being passed through the crowds. It was so much fun! Mr. C loved it as well which was pretty important since it was his b-day gift! And, I finally get to check something else off my 101 list! It’s been awhile since that list has seen any action!


By popular demand, I’ll be posting a recipe for you tomorrow. Two posts in a row! I’ll be on a roll then ;)

I'm going crazy! In a good way!

Hello, my name is Mrs. Centner and I'm a pinterest addict.  Actually, I've become a pinterest/recipe blog/organizational blog/interenet-in-general addict.

I don’t even have time to blog myself because I’m too busy discovering all these other amazing blogs!  Perhaps I shouldn’t tell you this because you’ll start doing the same and then I’ll just be writing to myself online!  Ok, so before you read this post keep in mind that you like…no, LOVE my blog (I’m just assuming here….) and I REALLY appreciate you being a loyal reader so don’t forget about me once you start checking out the other blog fishies in the sea.  Okay?  Nothing like guilt, right? 

At times I get a bit overwhelmed by all the amazingness that’s online - the blogs, the FREE recipes, the craft ideas, the millions of funny YouTube videos.  It’s just crazy.  I’ll find a site and think, “how did I ever live without this?  It’s a goldmine!”  Then I’ll find a couple more of these and that’s when the overwhelming feeling hits.  I feel like I’m missing out on so much good stuff online.  Think of all the sites I don’t know about!  Think about all the recipes (FREE ones!) I’ve never tried!   Think of all the blogs that are amazing but I’m not reading yet!  Crazyness I tell you!!! 

A few months ago I signed up for pinterest.  What is pinterest you ask?  Well, half of you ask, and the other half are probably thinking “oh yeah, I totally knew about that like forever ago”.  If you’re in that last half category then WHY THE HECK didn’t you tell me about this awesome site?  Anyhow, back to pinterest.  Basically you have different “boards” (think of a bulletin board) and you “pin” what you like on there.  You can follow people and see what they pin, or you can just look at everything which I’m assuming is the most popular or most recent or has some criteria like that because it’s not every single pin ever pinned.

I finally created my account last week although I got the confirmation email months ago.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  This site is crazy.  It’s addicting.  It’s showing me all of this awesome stuff in internetland that I didn’t know existed.  And, it’s making me feel overwhelmed!  I currently have about 30 wreaths to make.  I’m a bit worried about where I’m going to PUT all these wreaths.  I don’t know about you but I don’t have 30 doors.  I don’t know if I even know 30 people to give these to!  So, if you haven’t already, you need to stop whatever you are doing and go to pinterest and SIGN UP RIGHT NOW!  You’ll actually have to request an invite and THEN you can start pinning like crazy.  Before you go, I would like to apologize in advance for all the productive time you’ll most likely lose after you start pinning because you may not be able to pull yourself away from your computer.  BUT, it’s helping me to use my time to wisely make crafts, organize, bake, try out new dishes on Mr. C, and find some awesome Christmas gifts for myself.  Oops, I mean other people.  Happy pinning!