An Unusual Thursday

Thursday was an interesting day for me.

First I lost my brain cells and decided to click on this article on MSN about "The 10 Things Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You About Pregnancy" or something like that.  I was very bored and figured I might learn something while I passed the time.  The article started out bad and just got worse.   I knew I should stop reading but it was like a crime scene...I wanted to look away but I just couldn't.  The farther I read the worse it got.  You'd think when I got to the point where it went into detail about hemmrohoids I would have stopped.  Apparently I'm unstoppable.  Then I got to the part about leaking and all these horrible things that happen during childbirth. It was the most terrifying thing of my week and I probably should mention that earlier this week I watched a shark feeding frenzy and I'm very terrified of sharks.  This article was like 100 times worse than that shark feeding frenzy.  I wish there was a pill to erase all of this horrible knowledge that's now engrained in my brain.

I got home that evening and noticed the weeds in our front yard were getting out of control.  Not pulling your weeds in a neighborhood with a HOA is like playing Russian Roulette.  Eventually you're going to lose and you'll either get one of those annoying letters in the mail telling you to evict those weeds ASAP or an even more annoying bill.  Neither of those options sounded great so I figured I'd be proactive about the situation this time.  I changed into my jeans, grabbed my gloves and a trash bag, and started pulling the weeds..  There were a TON of weeds along the rock/sidewalk border.  Yes, we have rocks in the front yard...what I always dreamed of :)    I crouched down by the sidewalk, facing the house, and begun pulling the stubborn weeds.  I started to notice a lot of cars driving by, but then I'm not outside that much so I figured that always happens.  Then I noticed a couple cars drove by a few times.  Our street is pretty short so that seemed a little weird because they barely had time to get around the block and come back. I thought maybe they were dropping someone off?  Someone who actually got out of the car right away perhaps?  As I was comtemplating this that's about when I realized that the entire time I was bent over pulling those weeds I was clearly flashing my bright blue thong.  How classy is that?  Perhaps the passer byers were taking photos to upload to some website the equivalent to the people of wal-mart. 

During my weed pulling experience I saw a little bunny in the front yard.  Rabbits are EVERYWHERE in Nebraska but in Arizona they seem to either be really good hiders or much more scarce.  I always get super excited when I see them and during dinner I was telling Mr. C. about the super cute bunny after I finished telling him the story of  how I flashed our neighbors/innocent passer-byers.

 

Me: OMG I saw the CUTEST bunny in the yard.  I even got a picture of him!  Do you want to see???  Nevermind, that's a dumb question - of course you do, here it is!

Mr. C.: Wow, you were really close to him.

Me: Yeah it was like from here (I guesture) to there (guesture again).  He was so cute and OMG I just remembered that I saw another one when I was leaving work.  2 in one day, how crazy is that?  Actually the one at work was a JACKRABBIT and he had these HUGE ears, like HUUUUGE and.....

Mr. C: (his eyes light up he practically yells) I SAW A WOLF TODAY!!! (this was in the middle of my riveting bunny story)

Me:  REALLY?

Mr. C: YEAH!

Me: Well that kinda made my rabbit story sound super lame now.

Mr. C: (laughs) Yeah...it kinda did, sorry about that.   But I saw a WOLF!  So yeah, my co-worker and I saw this wolf during lunch today! 

Me: Where? Just walking around?

Mr. C: Yeah, he was in the parking lot. (Pause)  Well, it had a collar on it but we're sure it was a wolf!

Me: Mr. C, I believe you saw a dog.

Mr. C: No really, I'll find you a picture. 

He then pulls up a photo from google of a howling wolf.  I rolled my eyes and verified his story with his co-worker via text.  They both are SURE they saw a wolf. 

Maybe you had to be there, but there's nothing like a wolf story to make a rabbit seem just plain lame.

I can't wait for dinner tonight.  Maybe I'll get to hear about the polar bear that was in the parking lot during lunch today.

You haven't seen WHAT?!?

Mr. C is shocked – SHOCKED – at how many movies I haven’t seen.  It’s this ongoing joke (not really a joke though!) that I’ve missed all the movies that a person shouldn’t miss out on.  I was talking to a friend recently who suggested that the list of movies I have seen would be shorter than the ones I hadn’t seen!  Making this even worse is the fact that my parents owned a movie rental store when I was younger so I’m not sure what happened.  I think my parent focused too much about getting outside and helping with yard work and all that taking pride in your work and responsibility stuff.  Well guess what, I hate yard work now, so it backfired!   Well that was a little off topic…..

Anyhow, I realized it might be time to do something about my sheltered movie life and I’m asking for your help.  I’d like each of my blog readers to host a movie night for me, complete with all the popcorn I can eat, and endless soda.  And a very comfy chair.  And a blanket.  And a dark viewing room with a large TV.  Ok, not really, although if you were up for that then please let me know and I’ll hurry on over!

Here’s where you really come in.  I’m asking for your help in filling in the blanks.  If there’s some movie that is simply amazing/timeless, please let me know!  One of my 101 in 101 things was to watch a movie for each letter of the alphabet.  I’m sure I’ve done that by now with new movies, but I’ve decided to make a list of “must see” movies and will spread them out over the next year or so.  

For the record, I have seen almost all Disney movies, and some older stuff like Happy Gilmore, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Breakfast Club, Tommy Boy, Sleepless in Seattle, Pretty Woman, Ghost, etc.  They can be comedies, dramas, romantic movies, but nothing scary!  I’m pretty up to date on any movies that came out within the past 10-15 years so it’s mostly the “classics/must-sees” that I’m missing.

Also, I’m not stuck on the movies listed so if you see one that is just plain horrible, please let me know!  I watched Blade Runner for a class once and it was HORRIBLE.  Worst. Movie. EVER.  I’d like to avoid that at all costs.

Please leave a comment with your suggestions at the bottom of the post or on “In the Centner of it All’s” Facebook page.   For those of you who are email subscribers, you may access the actual post at www.mrscentner.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for your help!!!

A – A Fish Called Wanda?

B - Brave heart?

C – Casablanca

D – Dumb and Dumber (Yes, I know it's HORRIBLE I haven't seen this...)

E

F – Fight Club

G – Gone with the Wind & Godfather

H

I – It’s a Wonderful Life

J - Jaws

K

L – Lord of the Rings

M – Mommy Dearest?

N

O

P

Q

R

S – Sixteen Candles & Star Wars

T – Trains, Planes, and Automobiles

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Strawberry, Apple, & Walnut Salad

I’ve always been a believer that the dressing makes the salad.  Mr. C used to tell me that he didn’t like salads that much.  I’m pretty sure he said that because he was sick of me making the SAME salad over and over again.  I’d put the same veggies in and used the same bottled dressing.  It was unoriginal and never had that fresh taste I was always searching for.  Does this sound familiar? 

That was before I discovered this wonderful combination for a salad and a simple dressing that has become my go-to dressing for most salads.

Salad Ingredients:

Lettuce – I like the baby spring mix but you can use anything

Strawberries

Green apple

Walnuts

Salt and Pepper

Dressing:

Olive Oil (I use light tasting but anything works)

Balsamic Vinegar (you want a good quality one.  I use Rachel Ray’s brand which I really like)

Sugar or sweet fruit juice (pineapple, etc.)

(The recipe is also listed at the end of this post for easier viewing/printing)

This is my favorite combo, but of course you can switch out the strawberries for raspberries or add mango and the green apple for a red  apple, grapes,or a pear.  Anything works!  You can also add some feta cheese or blue cheese (sounds odd but tastes great) if you have some.

Wash your lettuce and dry thoroughly.  I've heard some icky stuff about that bagged lettuce so I make sure I always wash mine.  I invested in a salad spinner that I use ALL the time.   If you find yourself making lots of salads you might want to consider this.

Place the lettuce in a large serving bowl and salt and pepper it.  You just want a little to give it flavoring so don’t go crazy.  I should also mention that I don’t really measure the lettuce.  My measuring consists of a handful for each person or so which ends up being pretty close to a cup.  I usually try to make enough that I can use all of the green apple so it doesn’t go bad.  It’s great for lunch the next day – just make sure you take out what you want to eat the next day BEFORE you toss with dressing, otherwise it will be wilty the next day.  Why is spellcheck saying that wilty isn’t a word? 

Wash and slice your strawberries.  I like mine a bit larger in the salad but anything goes. Throw these in the bowl.  I tend to put a lot of fruit in the salad but you can adjust as needed.  No measurements for that - just go with your gut!

Slice your apple into chunks.  I use an apple corer/slicer and then just slice the slices into chunks.  Do you think I used the word “slice” enough?  Make sure you eat a slice too just because that's only right :)  Throw the rest in the bowl.

I like the walnuts a bit smaller so I just crumble them in my hand  and toss them in the bowl.  Don’t mind my weird looking hand that’s in desperate need of a polish update.

Now for the dressing.  Are you paying attention?  Here’s where it gets serious.  You mix together equal parts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Then you add in a little sugar or fruit juice.  I mostly use sugar because it’s easy and I’m typically trying to make the dressing while I attempt to not burn whatever is on the stove.  I don’t have a set amount of sugar/juice, but if I use ½ c. olive oil and ½ c. balsamic vinegar then I’ll typically use something like 1 tsp. sugar.  Wisk this all together and taste by dipping a piece of lettuce in.  The sugar or juice helps balance the balsamic vinegar and makes the dressing well rounded….just like it went to college.  Well-rounded….get it?  Nevermind.  If you're not much of balsamic vinegar person you can use half as much balsamic vinegar as you did oil (ex. 1/2 c. oil and 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar) and that tastes pretty good as well.

Wisk the dressing until combined.  Toss lettuce mixture with dressing and serve.  You don’t need much dressing so I just add a tablespoon at a time until I’m satisfied.

The dressing lasts up to a week in the fridge.  Keep in mind that the olive oil will solidify in the fridge so you need to take it out about 30 minutes before you plan to use it.

That’s it! 

Strawberry, Apple, & Walnut Green Salad

Salad Ingredients

Lettuce (spring mix recommended)

Strawberries, sliced

Green apple, cored and chopped into large chunks

Walnuts

Salt  & Pepper

Dressing

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Sugar or sweet fruit juice such as pineapple or orange

1.     Wash and dry lettuce.  Place in large serving bowl.  Lightly salt and pepper lettuce and toss to mix.

2.     Slice strawberries into bite sized pieces.  Core and slice green apple.  Add desired amount of fruit to lettuce.

3.     Crumble walnuts (or leave whole) and add to salad

4.     In a small bowl combine equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Wisk together.  Add sugar or fruit juice by ½ t. at a time to taste, whisking each time sugar or juice is added. 

    

Some Old and Some New

I don’t know about you, but I think this weekend went way too fast! 

Saturday was my shopping day and I made out like a bandit!  Mr. C, my mother-in-law (MIL), and I started our day off at Sweet Salvage.  Sweet Salvage is this amazing hidden treasure in Phoenix.   They are open for four days a month and have unique antique-y type things.   I say antique-y type because they seem to have some new stuff too.  There’s a different theme every month which makes it more exciting and means the merchandise is always changing.  The location is set up in such a way that makes me think of an I-SPY book – everywhere you look there’s something intriguing that catches your eye.  This month’s theme was urban renewal.  They had old lawnmowers, silver trays, old letters, beautiful chandeliers, and this amazing piece I ended up buying.

My grandma has something very similar to this inside her front door.  It’s filled with small cutout pictures and random little items that you’d never notice anywhere else.  The helpful Sweet Salvagers explained to us that the item had actually been a drawer for an old printing press.  Each little cubby was designed to hold individual letters.  I have a thing for writing and literature and all that so that little tidbit of info made me want the printer’s drawer even more.  Mr. C argued that it wouldn’t fit anywhere in our house because our home is contemporary and the style of that was…well, old.  I of course told him that I could MAKE a place for it!  Lucky for me, my MIL chimed in here and started talking about how fun it would be to find things to fill up all those little cubbies.   It only took a minute of that to convince me!  Mr. C wasn’t thrilled but reluctantly carried it up front so we could pay a bargain $32 for it!  I have some placement ideas and although I can tell he’s not convinced yet, I’ll work on him :)

We stopped for lunch at America’s Taco Shop which had the most amazing carne asada and an orange Fanta.  AMAZING!  My friend told me about this place but it took years for me to try it.  If you live in Phoenix I greatly suggest checking this place out!   I failed to snap a picture because I was dying of hunger at the time, but I did get a picture at our next location.

IKEA!

Just to clarify, Mr. C and my MIL are NOT holding hands, although it does appear that way….  My MIL had never been to IKEA before and we told her she was in for a treat.  I can’t remember the last time I was there, maybe 4 years ago?    I don’t think it’s the place to buy everything because at some point you have to look at quality vs. price, but I still think you can get some amazing things there.  I especially love the vignettes that area always inspiring.  I went to IKEA specifically to find a picture frame for this amazing print I ordered to be the center of our new kitchen gallery wall (stay tuned!) and came out with this:

That apple corer was $2.99!  Where else are you going to find an apple corer WITH a “lid” for $2.99????  I’ll tell you – nowhere!  Obviously I had fun, and I’m very happy with my purchases.

Those silver tins and the bar next to them are going to get a special place in the kitchen one of these weekends…more on that soon though….

I hope you enjoyed your weekend as well!

Wrapping It Up

By now you should know a few things about me, including:

-          I love Christmas

-          I love making things pretty

-          I love organizing

Based on those first two things alone it should be no surprise that I have A LOT of wrapping paper, bows, and tags.  I REALLY, REALLY also enjoy wrapping gifts.   These things are what led to this mess of items:

Around Christmas I realized that my current setup of wrapping stuff just wasn’t working so I moved it to our extra bedroom and just created a mess that I figured I’d deal with later.  I ended up falling in love with a gift wrap cart from the Container Store, however it was almost $200!  Even on sale it was way out of my budget, especially for a gift wrapping cart! 

I was determined to organize my gift wrapping goodies though so I decided to make my own cart.  I headed to Target and picked myself up a 5 drawer storage cart for less than $20.  And guess what?  It comes with castors so once I added those it was officially considered a cart, just like that $200 one (just go with this…)!

I sorted through my bows and ended up trashing a bunch that were either super smushed or had been used far too many times.  I took the gift tags out of their bulky package and put them in sandwich size ziplock bags.  I no longer have to deal with the plastic containers that were designed just to make it difficult to access the tags while also expelling a ridiculous amont of glitter on my hands.  Woohoo for small victories!  I love that everything is together.  Before I had too many boxes and they were piles on the top shelf of the hall closet in such a way that when I’d take one down they would all fall on me.  Or they’d all fall on Mr. C since I could usually convince him to get the stuff down for me :)  I also love that the bows are now in a see-through container as opposed to the huge paper box I had before.

As you can tell I’m persevering with my house organization overhaul.  I guess I caught the spring cleaning bug!  Have you organized a problem spot of your house?  Thank you so much!

March Madness

Hello?  I’m not sure if you remember me?   I used to blog here but I’ve been a horrible blogger lately.  I’ve been falling apart (physically, not emotionally or mentally) and all over the place with organizing, crafting, cooking, doing some fun things around phoenix as well as spending some quality time on the couch with Mr. C and the TV.  I have a bunch of posts in store for you – something crafty, a bit of organization, something that actually required a trip to Home Depot, and a foodie post to name a few.  I’m sorry to say that the main reason I haven’t posted these amazing sounding posts is because I needed to actually plug in the camera, load the photos, and then put them into the blog post.  I know there’s a word for why I haven’t done that….  Oh, it’s lazy.  Anyhow I have really missed posting and am renewing my blogging vows today to post regularly (If you didn’t know about blogging vows, they are very serious).

To tide you over until I can get those photos uploaded later this week, today I’m sharing what I’ve been mad about in March (mad as in crazy in love with, not mad/upset of course!) AND you even get pictures!

Wicked!  I’ve never been to a musical before but I’ve always wanted to go to Wicked!  We bought our tickets months ago when I heard Wicked was coming to town and one Wednesday night we drove out to Tempe for the show.  It was amazing!  I hear the book is better but I never read it so I REALLY didn’t know what to expect.  For those of you who may not know, the show is sort of a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” and explains how the Wicked Witch came to be “wicked” as well as the back story behind the Good Witch, Tinman, Lion, and Scarecrow.  “The Wizard of Oz” has always held a special place in my heart and Wicked fit right in there next to it.  I definitely recommend it and for the record I’m not usually one for people bursting into song.  Mr. C didn’t even fall asleep!  This was also #56 on my 101 list so woohoo for crossing things off lists!

Jen Lancaster.  For those of you who haven’t heard of her, Jen Lancaster is an amazing author and one of my favorites.  I found her first book in a bookstore one day and took a picture to remind myself to download it.  Months later I finally did and couldn’t put it down.  She’s sarcastic, hilarious, easy to relate to, and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks (in a good way).  If you’re looking for a good read I highly recommend, Bitter is the New Black.   Not to spoil it for you, but Jen started a blog as an outlet for her frustrations/boredom and that eventually led to her book deals and where she is now.  It’s so inspiring to hear about “normal” people who have become so successful.  Her book and blog actually pushed me to start my own blog.

What does this have to do with March?  Well, Jen’s newest book was released in paperback and lucky for me and a bunch of other excited phoenix readers, Jen came to Phoenix for a book signing.  She was in person just what I would have imagined.  She made us laugh during the Q & A session, read a passage from her new book due out May 1^st , and happily chatted with us even as she signed her name a million times and smiled for all the pictures.  I proudly walked away with a couple signed books and a photo of us.  I’ve now preordered the next book and am eagerly awaiting its arrival in my mailbox! 

I’m not the biggest fan of springtime because spring means that summer is coming and summer in AZ is what I imagine Hell to feel like.  Seriously, I think it’s that bad.  While everyone else is enjoying Spring I’m usually clinging to the last bit of winter – wearing scarfs and shoes while Mr. C is in a t-shirt and sandals and I become upset when my weather app shows anything above 75 degrees.  This spring however I am enjoying the blooming flowers, the sounds of the birds in the morning, waking up to a room glowing with the morning light, and the bright colors.  I still know that summer is coming and I’m dreading it, but for now I’ll enjoy spring and all that has to offer.

What are you mad about in March?