You Are What You Eat

             YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!

Lately, I have been obsessed with the thought of eating much healthier.  But not in a strictly low-fat kind of way, but in a non-processed food kind of way.  If I had all the time in the world (and no job!) I would make everything we eat from scratch.  I get such a HUGE sense of satisfaction from knowing what kind of ingrediants are going into my body.  And I love to cook and bake. 

So I have been taking baby steps in my diet.  I have switched some foods over to organic.  These are mostly eggs and milk.  I try to concentrate more on getting local produce rather than organic produce if I can.  It hasn’t been as great of an expense hike as I thought it would be.  So it has been pretty painless thus far. 

And this weekend… I venture into the world of breads!  I will let you know how it goes.  I am trying my hand at making my own tortiallas and pita breads!  They are so awful in this corner of the world so I am going to start making my own.  Oh and cookies for my small group, since I am in charge of snack.  Snickerdoodles I am thinking – soooo good. 

 

PS – Alita, bible study went great.  That is the small group I am making cookies for – they are a lovely group of girls! 

As for the rest of you, I know you are reading, I see you! : )  Feel free to comment about what else I should take on in my future culinary adventures!

Thought for Today

“The tendency to worry or control is a sign of self-reliance rather than dependence upon God.”

 

All of us could use a little reminder of that in our lives.  I worry WAY more than is healthy, and I think it is important for me to remember it is allll out of my hands.  I need a little bit more relaxation and little less control.

Amen!

Religion and Me: An Introduction

 

I have a good friend named “E”.  She is by far the closest friend I have here in my fair city at the moment.  She has invited me to join her at a bible study tonight and I am going because even though it may not be my thing (I don’t know!), I think it is important to test myself.  Even if the testing is in itty bitty baby steps.  A bible study is perhaps one of the least intimidating things you can join and the most intimidating at the same time.  On one hand, you hope these girls will be welcoming to all outsiders and strangers – after all, isn’t that the Christian way?  But then I also suffer from this deep down inferiority complex that I am not Christian enough to be called a Christian.  I want to be – I mean, I pray from time to time, and I have read the bible cover to cover.  I don’t, however, go to church enough and I certainly don’t have passages memorized like these girls do. 

I remember sitting in church with my friends last year and when our pastor said to turn to “Luke 13,” I had to turn to the index at the beginning of the bible to find it, and no one else did.  They were the good Christians, I was the fake.   They knew where the chapters of the bible were.  And I was SO paranoid that everyone in the church could tell I had to look at the beginning to find it.  In fact, one woman next to me (and I am sure she was trying to be helpful in her own way) grabbed the good book out of my hands, and turned it to the right chapter herself because I guess I was taking too long.  Um, thanks?   

Everything about Christianity has caused me to get out of my comfort zone.  For instance, I wasn’t baptized till I was right about to get married.  So there was me, the twenty something, and two babies waiting to get our foreheads wet in front of a packed house.  And then I had to parade up and down the aisle in front of everyone.  I know that these were all good Christians and you aren’t supposed to  be judged, but I thought they were anyway – thinking to themselves, “What kind of heathens was this girl raised by that she never was baptized?” 

So let’s cross our fingers that I don’t get run out as the imposter tonight.  I would very much love to find a group like this to share with, and I hope they are not hardcore bible thumpers.  That would be the worst.  Ugh.  We shall see.

It’s All Greek To Me

 

 

A sorority sister of mine had her birthday party the other day.  I didn’t go.  I wasn’t invited to go anyway.  I am amazed, as I have had more distance between College and LIFE as we know it afterwards, how fragile and insignificant the “sister” relationship is.  I know what a Sister is – my true blood sister is my best friend.  It just shocks me how many of those sisterly bonds, if they existed in the first place, just fall away.  Or there is the opposite of apathy – full-on dislike.  I am seriously considering not going to my homecoming this year just because I know there will be two of my Sorority sisters there who I very much want to avoid.  I won’t go into here what they did, but let’s just say enough to end what I thought were pretty strong relationships.

If someone had told me five years ago, that I wouldn’t be keeping in touch with the majority of the girls in my pledge class, I would not have believed you.  Sororities are an institution created to make friends.  I had all 90 of them as friends in college, and considered myself a true sister till the end.  Easy come, easy go I suppose. 

Now, I don’t regret the experience.  Two of my best friends are sorority sisters, and bridesmaids in my wedding.  But even then, I worry those friendships could be just as ephemeral; it’s just a matter of time perhaps.   And of course, I realize that just because a bunch of girls join the same “club” does not make them BFF, with all the same passions and interests to bind them through all  of life’s changes.  I do realize as I get older, those people who you can count on, whether they be sisters or not, you need to really appreciate and hold tight to them; even if you can count those people on one hand. 

 

On another note, I made some really good Pork Milano last night.  I got to use my new non-stick pan which made me happy.  And we got a new knife set for P’s birthday which made me even happier.  Add that and a Mad Men marathon to the mix, and I was set.  Good times.

The Weight of Glory

 

The other day, I heard some co-workers of mine discuss married people in the next office over.  Neither one of them is married, and have no immediate plans to do so in the near future.  I think because they are both women in their mid to late thirties, they will say things to make themselves feel better about their single situation.  This is mostly ire directed towards all men- they are so stupid, immature, blahblahblah.  This time the bitching was directed towards all married people.  They said they were noticing how all their married female friends had put on the dreaded 20 marriage pound weight gain, which I can only assume is similar to the “Freshman 15.”  They went on to say that this is inevitable and this will happen to all married people – first come the vows, then come the pounds!  It’s like we all move in together and then start the chorus of “Honey, pass the cake!   Slather me in French fries!  I need some ice cream after all this commitment!”    I am of course determined not to let that happen to me, not only to prove them wrong, but to keep my husband attracted to me.  I admit there are certain areas I have been more lax on in my everyday diet.  During our engagement, I would order the salad, imagining myself in my wedding dress.  Now I am more likely to just eat the freakin brownie if I want it.  But I haven’t exactly let myself go, and neither has my husband.  He likes me the way I am, and genuinely, Thank God, loves curves on a woman.  So I can eat for enjoyment.  BUT I am also aware of my mother, who did, over the years, let herself go completely.  That was baby weight that never came off.  So what are we to do – are we doomed as married woman to be hefty members of society?  It seems if the Marriage 20 doesn’t get us, then the babies surely will.  That is why I need to figure out NOW a plan of attack that works for me, and stick to it.  I am still trying to figure out the diet/workout balance.  But ultimately, I am going to do something for myself or my husband, rather than the worry about the cattiness from next door.

Everyone’s a Critic (Especially me!)

 

You want to know something that repeatedly frustrates me?  I will read a great review of a restaurant in our area.  Inevitably, because I live in the most recession proof place that ever, that typically equals someplace really freakin expensive.  I wait alllll year till I have a special occasion to go to said restaurant, and the food is just good – but not great.  And I live for great restaurants.  The price tags and reviews in this situation should equate to great food, but most often it doesn’t. 

I took my husband out for his birthday to a place downtown called BLT Steak.   I had high hopes, I had read about the chef, Laurent Tourondel, previously opening several well-received restaurants in New York City.  And I figured, hey if it is good enough for New York, it is good enough for me!  And there is nothing my man loves more than a really good piece of steak.  So it looked promising from the outset – nice mellow décor, and the menu even included a detailed diagram of a cow and where all the meat comes from!  Neat!  Not so neat – it also referred to the cow as a carcass.    Sick.  So it was time for the meal.  Our bread came – popovers that were burnt.  They did give us free pate though!  Score!  But I was the only one who ate it!  Such commoners I associate myself with!  The steak was served on steaming griddles which I liked, but my husband (who not only really likes himself a steak, but he prefers it bleeding at the same time – that’s right, alpha male!) had a rather well-done steak despite his “rare” request.  The sides are pretty small and not conducive to sharing, despite the fact they cost extra.  Eh, in this economy, we won’t be back.

Don’t Drink the Water – The Vodka is Much Better!

Since a reprieve from the work week is about to start (Hallelujah!), my thoughts naturally start to wander to drinking. 

I was quite the fish back in the day, and imbibed frequently with friends.  There was even a time in college when I went out everyday for two weeks straight – that makes me want to curl up and die to just think about that now.    Sigh, I was so hardcore.  So now that I am respectable adult, I drink far less.  I have abstained from drinking for the most part during the work week entirely!!  Well, occasionally we go crazy and have  a glass of wine.    Don’t judge.  I have also noticed as I have gotten older, that my tolerence to sugary drinks has gone waaaay downhill.  I could maybe have one margarita and then I have to say no more because I am a lot more likely to have an upset tummy than a buzz going on. 

So the weekends are when we indulge a little bit more, but sadly I still have to watch the calorie  and sugar intake.  So my new best friend  has become club soda.  By itself, it is nasty but if you mix it halfs with some mixer like tonic or juice, it is super tasty and small ass friendly!  Now, that is something I can be happy about on a Friday!

Get Caught Reading!

Something I looooove to do is read.  I could do it for hours on end, and I enjoy reading fictional works.  I had enough non-fiction and intellectually heavy reading in grad school, thankyouverymuch.  Now that I do the nine-to-five thing, I have the free time afterwards to indulge in a little light reading.  Thus, I have ripped through several books this summer and I have to say there wasn’t really a bad one in the bunch, well maybe one. (I will say that the husband and I couldn’t be more different in this department – his idea of a good time is to read some 1000 page tome on military strategy as a tool of foreign relations – blah!) 

Here is what I have read this summer thus far and my short thoughts on the books.  I use www.goodreads.com to keep track of what I have read:

   The Reader by Bernhard Schlink.  Translated into English.

I was compelled to pick up this book after seeing it was nominated for a best picture Oscar – I have yet to see the movie itself, but then I hate seeing movies before I have had a chance to read the book first – so then I have free rein to be super critical of the movie.  It is choppy at parts, can be slow, and super simplistic sentences can get annoying sometimes but on the whole it was a good read.  It was the definition of a Coug-Cub relationship before that term was created.  Emotionally, it is rather stirring.

  Girls in Trucks by Kate Crouch. 

This was a much darker read that I was anticipating.  Drugs, depression, sexual desperation and abuse – it’s all here.   I thought it would be a nice light summery beach read about a Southern debutante – ah well, it was still enjoyable and a fast read.  You kind of want to punch the main character girl for being a bit whiny.

  The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall.

This book was cute and it was interesting to read about daily life in Botswana – not a place you hear about everyday.  That’s about all I got… it was cute.

  My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme

I was compelled to read this because I love Julia Child, and I wanted to read it before I saw “Julie and Julia,” because my odd need to read books before I see the movie.  HUGE fan of Julie Powell, as well.  I found her to be a down-to-earth and hysterical Texan girl, (like myself, well, the Texan part) and she was my inspiration to begin blogging to escape my boring work life.  Anyhoo, the book was interesting – could get stale at certain parts – but it really made me want to move to France.  Good food and better healthcare – sign me up!  I found it funny JC would yell “Cock!” at certain times when she was frustrated.  She cracks me up. 

 The Shack by William P. Young

I was interested in this book because of all the buzz around it in the Christian community.  I thought it was AWESOME and very though-provoking, and could talk for hours about it.  Seriously, I won’t even try here because I won’t be able to stop writing.  Very good. 

  How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young.

This book was funny, and provides an interesting insight into the world of media and society.  TY was a rather idiotic fellow with some of the stuff he chronicles in this book – he tries desperately to bed women and be a stud in the NYC scene – but he is no looker and a geek underneath it all.  So that makes for some amusing stories. 

  The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Gah, I had such high hopes for this book.  It won a Pulitzer and I loved “All the Pretty Horses.”  Alas, it was so terrible – I forced myself to keep reading because it was so easy to read – very very simple sentences and dialogue.  But so freakin depressing and boring, you want to kill yourself before the apolocalypse comes and does the job for you.

Space: The First Frontier

As the hubby and I got married very recently, we got some fairly, shall we say, “interesting” wedding presents.  There was the heirloom silver spoon that that came from someone else’s family, the god-awful platter shaped like a demented oyster, and the tenth food mill from the registry (do people just ignore that thing??)  Anyways, part of the fun is figuring out where the heck everything is going to go when you live in a 900 square foot house.  I know I have said that before but it bears repeating – 900 FREAKIN SQUARE FEET.  So, one of the challenges has become keeping our home looking nice while figuring out where to shove all this stuff.  Not to mention, home décor on a serious budget is no easy task.  There are parts of the walls still to be painted.  So a huge amount of our money cannot go to organizational equipment.  I do love the Container Store – oh man, I think they could even help my closet out and I mean my closet is tiny.  I have to switch out seasonal clothes twice a year to fit anything in there.  So what else has your favorite intrepid couple down to clear out space? 

-          We put on those bed extenders that go underneath the legs of your bed, in order to have a whole new world of space under there.  I keep my purses (too many, I admit) under there in cute cloth covered bins. 

-          Simplify, simplify, simplify.  Anything that I could even remotely do without, I sent to my in-laws place in Pennsylvania.  If I didn’t need it now, I wasn’t going to need in the foreseeable future – I hope.   That meant, as much as it pained me, things like my wedding dress and many photo albums.  We cannot afford sentimentality in these desperate times!

-          We moved shelving around in the cabinets and fridge just to get a couple more inches of precious space.   Hello, where else are we going to have more space for beer???

-          Mount things.  My husband quite handily constructed a wood platform to hang our TV on, and did things like mount our hose, etc.  Believe me, he is no Tim the Tool Man Taylor, so if he can do it, anyone can.  (Does anyone else miss Home Improvement?  No?  Oh well)  

-          Keep thing neat – I honestly thing as long as you are consistent about putting things back in its place, your home naturally looks more orderly, and therefore seems to have more space than it does. 

-          Any other suggestions?

Cleaning House

I am a clean person.  Well, maybe not so much clean, as a tidy person.   I like things in their proper places where they look aesthetically pleasing and I am not about to trip and fall over them (I am klutzy as well).  However, no matter what I do, there are certain things I cannot get my husband to put away.  I can cajole, beg, plead, and still his laptop will be left out with a treacherous wire left dangling.  And I think it is part of his male DNA composition to be against making the bed. 

The frustrating thing about this is that I would just clean up after him.  However, one very good piece of advice my very wise mother-in-law gave to me is that I shouldn’t pick up after him.  Why?  Because supposedly he will get used to it, expect it, and then you are doing it for the rest of your life.  You know how men are. 

So what do I do?  I have recently resigned myself to picking up after him half the time, and the other half to reminding him to pick it up.  None of this he does out of spite, but men are such forgetful beings!  And then I fear I am turning into someone I swore I would never be!  THE NAG. 

He has to deal with my inconveniences too.  I mean, my hair sheds like there is no tomorrow, and it is constantly all over the bathroom.  (Sorry honey!)  So that can’t be fun for him. 

Seeing as we have only be married for going on two months now, I am hoping these differences will be ironed out as we grow used to living with each other.  And it has helped big time since we have had a cleaning service come to the house every other week – some things are just worth spending extra money on.  Besides I work full-time, who has the leftover energy to clean the house?   Having whooping 900 square feet of living space helps as well.  Yes, be very very jealous.