August 2010
1 post
I am moving - blog sites that is
So I finally decided to take some advice and move to a site that had more natural traffic and more widgets for me to play with. You can now find me online at http://twicecookedhalfbaked.wordpress.com/. I have really loved getting to know blogging and am thankful for Tumblr providing me the safe space to do that.
July 2010
5 posts
Canning
I nearly forgot that I spent this last week canning like mad! My mom and sister came up from Portland, OR and we spent 3 days canning. We made 3 kinds of pickles, spicy beans, balsalmic garlic, preserved lemons and lemon curd. It was exhausting work, but fun. I am thrilled to see my selves so stocked :)
Summertime
So to start off this post, I will simply say, those tree socks are totally stupid! I have to go out and pick up apples covered with socks off the lawn every day. Normally I would just toss the apples onto the compost pile, but now I have to remove their support hose. What a huge waste of time! I can only hope that the other tree I did, the Asian pear, was worth it. It seems to be holding up. ...
June 2010
4 posts
Even my tree needs support hose
I recently spent a full weekend putting these little tree socks (they are actually maggot barriers) on 3 of my fruit trees. I had to laugh at myself as I nearly lost my balance from the top of a ladder while trying to gently get these little buggers onto the fruit. It was a ridiculous exercise. I just hope it actually works. I had a neighbor come by just last week and ask me what kind of...
Moving, or something like that
So I have been toying with moving to a new blog. A fresh start. Something less banal than this one turned out to be. When I started, I was afraid to stick anything “out there”, including my neck. Since January, when I was unceremoniously SHOVED off the corporate ladder, my life has changed significantly - Thank God! I am not sure that I ever thought the things that came with my...
Maybe it is time to jump...for me, that is →
April 2010
4 posts
Still happy
So even though all the grand ideas I have had aren’t exactly new ideas, I can’t tell you how happy I have been since losing my job. Sure, I can’t afford to wax and now have a respectable mustache, but that’s not the point. I am actually sane. I am rested. My day is my own and my kids are happy to see me - go figure! Life is beautiful :)
My new life is great, but I am still a day late...
So, as usual, I am late to the game. After so many years of wishing I didn’t have an office job, but working 60+ hours in an office, I am sort-of pursuing what I really want to do - farm. I know, most people look at me and laugh with a big giant WTF? behind it. I am really pursuing the urban homesteading thing. I wanted to do it years ago, but was so affraid of leaving a job that paid...
March 2010
3 posts
Does bliss only come with ignorance?
So I am now waffling between bliss and worry, as I stress over what I should be doing about a job. I spend time looking for work, but haven’t really put my heart into it. I am certain that I won’t be able to convince an employer that I want the job they are offering, as right now I really don’t. My spouse and I have discussed taking a trip since we have the time, which we...
A new found religion
So my life made a radical left turn about 6 weeks ago when I lost my job. I came to work one day and they called me into a meeting with my boss and HR and said simply “This isn’t working out.” I sat quietly while they ran through all the HR paperwork and stuff while this whole thing unfolded. Secretly, inside, I was ready to jump up from my chair and shout “Hurray! I am...
December 2009
3 posts
My life as a malcontent
So my mantra isn’t really working. No matter how much I tell myself that I am happy, I simply am not. I have a job I hate and I can’t seem to bring myself to keep doing it. I keep the “sucking it up” philosophy close at hand, but I am afraid that I have just simply burned myself out. I saw this quote and am trying this new mantra on for size:
“Wealth consists not...
It's good to be a winner
A couple weeks back, both my boys went through their first belt promotion in tae kwon do. I was so proud of them. They put in a lot of hard work and it paid off. They were on top of the world for about a week and now they are talking about moving up yet again. It is great to see them have goals and work so hard to achieve them. I am very proud of them.
October 2009
6 posts
I'm happy. I'm happy. I'm happy.
My new mantra. I needed one badly. My job sucks so badly and there have been some real trials this last year. I spent a good deal of my time cursing under my breath (or loudly at times!) and felt that I had to do something about my attitude. If I can’t make other things change, I can at least change myself. So now I try to tell myself that at least I can choose to be happy, regardless...
Well, hello, Mrs. Robinson
OK, so it was literally 6:30am and raining and I was standing at the bus stop in what would be termed very dim light coming from the street lights. I ducked under the bus shelter and sat on the bench. Shortly thereafter a young man arrives and asks me if I had seen the #9. I made a comment about the lovely weather and the darkness of the hour. He then asked me if I was going to Central. I...
Baby Princess
My little girl (who I call baby princess in the mornings when she wakes up) is the sweetest thing. Yesterday, when I got home from work, she said to me “How was your day? What did you do today?” In the sweetest, most interested voice ever. I really needed that.
Food is my life, and other musings
I have discovered that blogging is a lot like my New Year’s resolutions - I was doing OK for a bit, and then not so much.
So anyway, figured I should try to do some catch up here.
After we returned from vacation, my father-in-law got very sick, and ultimately passed away. We live a full-day’s travel by flight away, so this was very stressful for my husband. He flew out ahead of...
August 2009
4 posts
Do I need a New Life?
So I just got back from a much needed vacation. There were still lots of good times, but some mishaps though. The kids had a great time at the beach and Disneyland. My spouse cooked like a madman the whole time. We swore everything he made had bacon in it! I actually got to do a lot of nothing for a change. It was nice overall (minus the complaining).
Unfortunately, now I get to go back to...
Reality Check
So I get that I am not a culinary genius, but I still like the idea of trying out for the Food Network Star. I told my oldest son, who is 9, my idea and he said “Dad is a better cook than you. No offense.” I had to laugh. Maybe that will be my schtick - a woman who can’t cook with a cooking show. LOL!
Calling in life?
Work has been really hard. This week has been brutal. I work in a very aggressive environment and it can take its toll. I have been questioning myself since I started this job nearly 2 years ago. Lately, I spend a lot of time fantasizing about winning the Food Network Star title. I know this is just an escape and coping mechanism, but I honestly think that I need to do something else with my...
July 2009
13 posts
Seeing spots
I was in a meeting today and was staring at my hands while tuning everyone out. In my deep concentration on my hands I noticed that there was a blemish on my thumb knuckle area and when I looked closer I realized that I had faint spots all over both my hands. I literally have age spots. WTF!? I just turned 40. This really bites…
Projects
OK, so I have been trying to connect with this woman in my neighborhood to scrapbook for nearly a year now - not kidding. I have gone so far as to get books, sorted some pictures, picked out stickers, etc. The scheduling issues aside, I am just overwhelmed by this project. I literally have about 5 years of pictures to catch up on. I am not even sure where to start. So this weekend, I thought I...
Kids Race
So both my husband and I used to run. Key term here is “used to”. Anyway, in trying to get our kids into a healthy lifestyle mode, we do what we can to keep them active and outside a lot. As a kid, no one in my family ever exercised or even went anywhere that required a lot of activity, but I want my kids to have healthier habits than I did. They recently signed up for the Seattle Kid’s...
Vacation
So it looks like after much debate, we are going to take a road trip. Now that it has been decided, I am so excited, I can’t stand it. We will drive from Seattle to Portland to get my sister, then to Santa Barbara, with likely a night in Medford or somewhere close to that. I am now thinking in terms of what do I have to wear to the beach. It is so nice to think of something other than...
Sleep
I know that it is summer and that everyone is “schedule free” except for me, but the kids are clearly sleeping late, because I can’t get them to settle down before 10:30. Last night it was 11:30! I have to get up at 5am if I want to get a run in, but on 5 hours of sleep I can barely remember my own name, much less run anywhere. I am really starting to look old… and fat. ...
Seriously
OK, so my day started off behind schedule as I overslept. I blame it on having strep throat and having been mostly unconscious for the past few days. But when I got to work, the elevator I got in made some seriously bad clanking noises all the way up to my office on the 6th floor. Sadly, the same elevator was the only one that would come everytime I needed one - the WHOLE day. The worst part of...
... and all I got was this stupid t-shirt
So I currently have probably one of the worst jobs I have ever had. I work 50-60 hours a week, easily. I am always spread too thin between the hideous job and my personal life. I was thinking about all the time and energy that goes into this job and it occurred to me that I don’t get a lot for my troubles. Then I realized the other day that I had gotten a company logo t-shirt when I...
March 2009
2 posts
Kitty
Miss B: “Mom, watch me. Watch me!:
Me: (looking seriously into her eyes) “I’m watching.”
Miss B: (very straight faced, intense) “Starting over. Bling!” (Face changes to delight. Drops to hands and knees) “Meow!”
Me: (scratching her under the chin) “Hi, Kitty.”
Miss B spends most of her time as a cat these days. We do the above skit...
Man, life is hard sometimes...
I have been having quite the time with work and family lately. Feel like I am getting it from all sides. I wish I could just catch a break with one or the other. My sister did an exercise on Google that someone had told her about and I thought it was just too funny. You enter your name and needs in the search string. For me, the first posting was “Stephanie needs some help…” ...
February 2009
1 post
