1.31.2012

Obsessed with food

Yep, that's me!


I have another blog (that admittedly I've seriously neglected) called Discover Dinner dedicated to (good & healthy) recipes, ideas for dinner, menu planning, pantry staples, basically FOOD. Food Network, Cooking Channel, Iron Chef, Diners Drive-ins & Dives - I can't stop watching. Cooking for others is a passion of mine. (And I'm pretty good at it too!)


My TOTAL dream job!




BUT I'VE GOT TO STOP!


I'm what you would call a yo-yo dieter. My weight fluxuiates like nobody's business and last week I had to buy new pants.


NEW PANTS!
If only these *were* my new pants!




Maybe I should mention, the reason I had to buy new pants is that the ones I was wearing to work that day were too tight for my comfort. (NEW PANTS!) I feel the opposite of that Progresso Soup commercial where the women are all calling in and saying they fit into their skinny jeans. (I just realized, seriously, that maybe I should try that Progresso Soup diet!)


I see a new workout regimen in my future. Especially if I'm going to continue to be obsessed with food to this level.


Beer jelly - from www.onescrewloose.com SO YUMMY!
Did I mention I went to ZestFest yesterday? Welcome to my new obsession(s)! 

Are you feeling alright?

As a matter of fact, I am not. But I will be.


This morning, around 2, I experienced my 2nd night of "unpleasantness" that everyone has experienced at some point. Suffice to say, not only was it miserably disgusting it was also exhausting. I didn't sleep a wink! So I stayed home today. Which is code for - slept, spent a lot of time running to the bathroom & working from my phone / iPad. Have I mentioned I hate love technology (nothing like working on the can).


Since I quit trying to drink and gave up the thought of eating anything I'm feeling much better! I spent the rest of my day on the sofa catching up on Grey's Anatomy & Gossip Girl (yes, I'm 33 & love GG - no judgment!). Bleu kept me company on the other sofa...






Although I've spent most of the day running between the bathroom, sofa & bedroom - I feel like I've been strangely productive. All without a laptop, a little dehydration, no food & a happy sleepy sweet pup!

1.18.2012

Dragon, Virgo, Bikers... Really?!

Today has been one of ^those^ days (not *those* days - which are worse). It was an eyebrow raising day hence the ^. 

A friend / co-worker invited me to her birthday party this weekend. She and her husband are really nice and funny and I really enjoy hanging out with them. 

We're talking about the agenda for the day of the party and it goes a little something like this:
Birthday Girl: We're going to meet at the biker bar around noon, have a few drinks and go for a ride.
Me: That sounds cool, but I don't have any one to ride with.
BG: That's okay, there's plenty of single bikers that will be there. Maybe one of them will give you a ride.
Me: (silently thinking) you want me to go drink and then get on a motorcycle with someone I don't know after they've been drinking?... What are y'all doing after the ride?
BG: We're going to meet at the house and have some food & drinks.
Me: Maybe I'll just meet y'all at the house.

Later on at lunch I get an earful about it being Lunar New Year and we're changing to the Year of the Dragon, which I find extremely fascinating (really I do!). A co-worker is taking off Friday - Monday because it is her year to cook for their group of families they celebrate with. She and I have a very good relationship. All she wants is for me to get married and have lots of babies. And I adore her for it. She won't give up. Here's a portion of our conversation about Lunar New Year...
Year of the *REALLY COOL* Dragon
MH: It's Lunar New Year this weekend. We are starting the Year of the Dragon.
Me: WOW! That's really cool. It sounds all fierce!
MH: The Year of the Dragon is a great romance year for Virgos.

Me (a Virgo): Really!?! That's encouraging. I really need to get out there and snag me a dragon! What happens if I don't make it happen this year and I'm still single at the end of the year?
MH: ... ...

I guess I really WILL be going to that party this weekend. Better get cracking!

1.17.2012

Duh, Pinning...

It's what I'm doing now!
Are you obsessed yet? With Pinterest, I mean...


What is Pinterst, you ask? 


Pinterest (pronounced to rhyme with interest) is a vision board-styled social photo sharing website and app where users can create and manage theme-based image collections. (Thanks, Wikipedia)


Oh, & did I mention I'm obsessed?


I have 36 Boards, and (currently) a little over 3200 pins. 


Why couldn't I find something more productive to do, like writing on this blog or my Green Event planning blog? Because, as with all new toys, the shiny hasn't worn off yet. 


As some of you may know - I pride myself on being somewhat of a *foodie* and Pinterest has allowed me to go pretty much batshit crazy finding recipes. Even using ingredients I hate. It is official, if it's pretty and I'm hungry, I'll pin anything!


But the BEST board I have has got to be my "HaHa" board. It's like everything I've ever said, or thought, or was to slow to think of was captured, assigned a photo and a funky font and posted to Pinterest! 


Pinterest isn't all humor and recipes - there are a lot of cool DIY crafts, wedding & event ideas, home decor ideas, fashion, vacation spots and all the photos of Bradley Cooper & Ryan Gosling you could ever want to see (fairly clothed, of course). 


If you aren't on it yet, I highly recommend it. While you're there, give me a follow and laugh, craft and dream along with me as I become an even more sarcastic (fatter) foodie with great crafty aspirations. 


It may, or may not be considered the dark side - but it sure is fun!

1.16.2012

Bitter Sweet

I've alluded to a horrible thing that happened last year (while also actually talking about all of the other death) I haven't been ready to talk about the really horrible thing - but I guess today's the day.


A really horrible thing happened last year, it was devastating to me, my co-workers and our community. We lost two wonderful young women to a senseless act of domestic violence. Trini Do and Michelle Ta are sisters, I worked with them (almost daily) for nearly 4 years. Trini had two wonderful children and a psychotic husband, while Michelle had recently gotten married and hadn't started a family yet. 


At her son's 11th birthday party, Trini, Michelle, their mother, father, sister, two brothers and sister-in-law were shot by Trini's husband in front of their children, friends and extended family before he took his own life. There were five earth-shattering fatailities that day. I was watching television that Saturday night when the news came on and a story about a shooting was the breaking news of the evening - I switched the channel. I didn't want to know about it. (at this point I had no idea it was anyone I knew). I went to bed.


Sunday morning, I look at Facebook before I get out of bed (because that's what all women in my demographic do, right?!) and see several stories posted about the shooting, but I don't click on one. I just have no desire to know any of the details about the tragedy. After managing to miss tv, facebook, radio and basically all media for the morning, I decide to clean the kitchen. At 11 a.m. my phone rings and I run into the bedroom to get it. It's my co-worker and friend Renee. She's upset. The conversation when something like this:


Me: Hello
Renee: Sit down
Me. I don't want to sit down
Renee: Sit down (sniffles)
Me: Okay, you're freaking me out. Stop telling me to sit down. I'm sitting down.
Renee: Trini & Michelle are dead.
Me: WHAT?!?! 
Renee: It happened last night at a skating rink in Grand Prairie.
Me: WHAT?!?
Renee: Trini's husband shot everyone
Me: WHAT?!?! You're joking. This isn't real.
Renee: I don't joke about death
Me: WHAT?!?! This is real?
Renee: Cory (Renee's husband): Renee can't talk anymore...
Me: HOLY SHIT! THIS ISN'T REAL
Cory: Yes it is. I'm so sorry.
Me: Oh My God!!!


Michelle & Trini
I lay on my bed sobbing pretty well uncontrollably and the dog comes in to comfort me - except he doesn't know what to do so he just lays there and looks at me. I try to get myself together. I make phone calls. I have a drink. I feel numb.


Monday, we go to work. All I do the entire day is cry. 
Tuesday, we go to work. All I do the entire day is cry.
Wednesday, we go to work and then the funeral. Have you ever been to an all day 5 person funeral? All I do the entire day is cry.
Thursday, we go to work. There aren't anymore tears left.
Friday, we go to work. Big Boss is there and we have to have the "splitting of the job duties" conversation because the world can't stop just because we can't make it through the day without tears.


I volunteer for all of the non-financial duties that Trini had. In hind-sight a lot of those duties should've been mine to begin with - but we're all so busy. 


For 5 months, my co-workers and I pull double duty until we can get just one person in to pick up some of the slack. We still cry, but those days are fewer and further between. People have moved into their offices although we still call them Trini & Michelle's offices. 


The somewhat "sweet" part comes on February 1st when my employer is going to do something unprecedented. They are awarding a pay supplement to the handful of us that picked up the slack these last 5-6 months. We get a "bonus". I'm actually going to be paid for all the extra work. I may even be able to get a car...


This is huge!


While one side of me is beyond ecstatic that I am getting a fairly substantial windfall and that I'm actually going to be able to do something with it - the other side hates where the money is coming from and would gladly give it back and then some to have my friends back at their desks, cooking smelly food and finding crazy cheap deals on everything you can imagine. 


I can't believe it's taken this long for me to write about this. I realized yesterday, that I hadn't stood at the stove and cleaned it since that day. Of course, that's what I was doing when I got the call, so it seems a little like tempting fate to do it again. (Yes, I'm on medication for the crazy...) But I guess by being able to tell the story in writing, I'm moving to the next step. 


Trini & Michelle - I miss you fun & funny ladies! I know heaven got (at least) two more angels than it bargained for last year.

1.15.2012

Spring Wedding Idea

Spring Wedding Idea


Emilio Pucci wool sheath dress
$1,985 - mytheresa.com


House of Harlow 1960 red handbag
$195 - stefanibags.com


Tarina tarantino jewelry
$100 - tarinatarantino.com


Dot jewelry
$75 - spottedmoth.com


Dorothy Perkins navy jewelry
$11 - dorothyperkins.com


Mango retro shades
£20 - mango.com



Nails In In The Red
£5 - topshop.com

1.03.2012

A delve into 2012

Since it's the third day of the new year, can I still call it a delve? Oh well, I'm going to (I take vocabulary liberties when/where I can). 

So far, 2012 hasn't been... anything. Not good, not bad, just blah. Now, before you remind me that we're just now delving in, I'm very hopeful that this year will / is my YEAR. I spent yesterday (at work) and had a decent day - then I splurged on a crazy deluxe pedicure with hot rocks, a manicure and a painfully relaxing eyebrow wax.

This year (for me at least) is supposed to be about getting things done BUT I must admit, yesterday after work I only got 2 out of 3 things done. This might seem like a success, especially considering the thing I omitted was a trip to Walmart, but now I just have to do it tonight. After I work out. Yes... I'm going to fight the crowds and get back in the swing of working out and I'm going to stick with it (a note to self for later).

Seems like I spent so much time gearing up for the New Year and planning out what I wanted to do that my motivation is waning. 

I'm open to suggestions on how you keep self-motivated. Although this hasn't really been a problem for me in the past - it looks like the only way 2012 is going to be my bitch is if I get my fatass back in a motivated gear. 

Are you planning on owning 2012? How are you going to do it?