Continual State of Becoming

2011 End of the Year Survey

2012-01-02T10:18:00.000-05:00

Well I know it's been a while since I've updated anything. But I just had to do my end of the year survey anyway. So here we go: My annual end of the year survey. 1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before? Bought a house! Sold a house. Started a (small) book club. Sent my child to preschool. 2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Day 4

2011-06-07T19:19:00.000-04:00

Favorite break-up song. Jess- Ben Folds Five "Song For the Dumped" Not even because of the subject of the song (though it was picked because it fits the category for today), but more for the raw sounding angry piano slamming. I love listening to all the chunky chords, especially in live versions. I will never be able to play like that. Matt- Cryin' by Roy Orbison. Matt is probably way

Day 3

2011-06-05T21:59:00.001-04:00

A song from your favorite movie. So my favorite movie is A Life Less Ordinary. Not many people have seen it, or even heard of it, despite the fact that it stars Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor. Actually this movie was one of those "things" that Matt and I connected over before we started dating nearly 11 years ago. We found out that we both really liked the movie and since Matt had it on DVD (

Day 2

2011-06-04T21:53:00.000-04:00

Favorite love song. Okay, I find this day a little boring and generic. And also, I don't know that I REALLY have a favorite love song. It took me a while to pick one out. There are just so many to choose from. But I'm happy with my final selection, but I bet if you asked me this again a year from now I'd have a different answer, which is something I'm trying to avoid while doing this.

Day 1

2011-06-03T09:23:00.000-04:00

The other day I came across a music related blog in which they referred to this 30 day song thing on Facebook (30 Day Song Election Spectacular) Basically you leave a comment everyday for 30 days naming a song that meets different requirements. I read through the list and instantly wanted to play. I even got Matt to play along. But instead of posting them on the Facebook page where a bunch of

How I keep a clean house

2011-04-12T08:40:00.001-04:00

Routine! Seriously, this is the only way I'm managing the household at this point. Everything is part of a routine. It's the best way to get things done. I have a fairly simple method to make sure that all the necessary chores are accomplished over the course of the week. Prior to putting our house on the market my system was simple, effective, and not very time consuming. But now that the

Pan Seared Halibut with Roasted Tomato Basil Sauce

2011-03-31T09:33:00.002-04:00

This was really good and not at all difficult to make. The sauce could also be used over pasta. Im sure I'm not the first person to ever make a roasted tomato sauce like this, but I didn't follow a recipe. Instead I changed one from a tv show... Chucks Day Off on the Cooking Channel. He made a smoked tomato-tarragon sauce and it looked really good and simple. Except I don't have a smoker, so

Finally Reading an eBook!

2011-03-30T09:25:00.004-04:00

Yay! I finally figured out how to read Library eBooks on my iPad. Ive been reading a lot lately and some people have asked me if I'm considering getting a Kindle or Nook or something like that. But I get nearly all of my books from the library for free. And as convenient as an eBook reader would be, I just can't justify spending all that money for a device, and then even more money for books.

My Sisyphean* Task

2011-03-29T21:02:00.000-04:00

I cannot begin to describe my frustration with trying to keep the house clean while we are doing showings. I didn't think it would be that bad because I tend to keep the house fairly clean in general. But not spotless... because that would drive me insane... and guess what? It is driving me insane. Trying to keep a house perfectly spotless and relatively unlived-in looking with a toddler and

Some thoughts on Moving

2011-03-21T15:56:00.002-04:00

As we prepare for a possible move (staying in the same area) I've been thinking about a lot of my previous moves and my take on moving in general. I moved a lot as a kid... a lot. Herndon VA was the 11th city I had lived in and at that time I was a sophomore in high school. My parents still live there, and I still live in the same general area (only about 30 mins away). It's crazy for me to

FL trip part 2

2011-03-07T09:04:00.001-05:00

Lizards are everywhere outside of my hotel! Fortunately, not inside, though I wouldn't be surprised if one found it's way in. Whenever I walk anywhere they all scurry into the bushes. I'm sure Dylan would be in heaven. Harmony's wedding was beautiful :) Of course, I expected no less. Picture perfect day, the weather wasn't too hot or too cold, there was a nice breeze, it was really perfect.

FL trip 2011 part 1

2011-03-07T08:58:00.001-05:00

First time on a trip all by myself. A truly introverted vacation so far. I've been gone from home for less than 12 hours and I've made my way through about 200 pages of East of Eden (look at me reading a real book for a change), listened to about 4 albums on my iPod, did about an hour of yoga, ate dinner by myself (where I knocked out a good 20 pages while waiting for food), successfully

New Music to Listen To

2011-02-16T15:38:00.000-05:00

Yay! I get so excited when I have new music to listen to. I am currently working my way through the following: Mumford and Sons: Sigh No More Amazon has been recommending this CD/Band for me for a long time. I think because I recently purchased several Avett Brothers discs and apparently these bands go hand in hand (even the people who do the Grammys think so). So after I saw their Grammy

Another Leftover Recipe

2011-02-08T10:08:00.001-05:00

On Sunday night I made Garlic Roasted Chicken and Vegetablesfor dinner. This is a delicious recipe and very simple to prepare. I've sent to several mommy friends when they've had babies and it has been well received over all. Since the meal itself is so good, I figured I'd share my favorite way to eat the leftovers (which I happen to think may be even better than the dinner). I usually make

Alone Time

2011-02-05T08:56:00.000-05:00

In March, a good friend of mine from college is getting married in Florida. I recently made the arrangements to attend the wedding, and guess what... I'm going by myself. I'd love to go with Matt but we both agreed that we didn't really want to leave Dylan for that long (especially being so far away) and it's a kid-free wedding so we couldn't bring him with us (we also had a kid-free wedding),

2011-02-04T08:18:00.000-05:00

I have always found the following confusing: how we pronounce lose and loose so differently from how we pronounce chose and choose. The more I think about it, the more confused I get and the less convinced I am that choose is even a word (seriously, look at it, it's weird). End of Friday Morning Ramdomness.

List Time

2011-01-24T14:45:00.000-05:00

I'm an INFJ according to all the Myers-Briggs assessments Ive done. I pretty much agree with that. (introverted, intuitive, feeling, judging). I know that one test can't possibly capture my entire personality, which is fine. But knowing that I have a stronger introverted tendency, than extroverted helps me identify and explain certain behaviors I have so I think it's a valid label to that

Top Concerts

2011-01-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

I've been in a list making mood lately. Which isn't really saying much since I am pretty much always in a list making mood, but it's been even more than normal lately. Since seeing live music makes me really happy I decided to make a list of some of my favorite concerts. So here they are: 1. Jeff Tweedy in Charlottesville last month. I still can't believe that I went to this. It was

Randomness Post

2011-01-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

A few random thoughts and things going on lately: 2011 is off to a fairly uneventful start. I made a bunch of personal resolutions in late 2010 that I have been doing well with. I added one official 2011 resolution (in addition to the few personal goals I mentioned in my last post), which is to stop watching TV while Dylan is napping (at least during the week). I've only had one slip up so

End of the Year Survey 2010

2010-12-31T19:40:00.000-05:00

My annual end of the year survey. 1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before? I purged stuff in the kitchen. It was probably the only room I the house that i had never gone through before, and it is so much nicer after four rounds of decluttering. Not only are the tops of the cabinets empty, but so is the top of the fridge... AND I even have a whole shelf in one of the cabinets

My Winter Top 10

2010-12-27T20:45:00.001-05:00

I recently made a short winter playlist that I thought I'd share in case anyone out there is dying to know what music I'm listening to these days (doubt it). I don't make playlists often because i usually like to listen to one group/musician at a time. But this list includes some of my current favorite songs... whenever they happen to come on I find myself hitting the repeat button-- a few

To Santa or Not to Santa...

2010-12-19T08:49:00.000-05:00

Consider this fair warning for anyone with little kids who come into contact with Dylan in the future... We are not planning on leading Dylan to believe that Santa is real. I realize this is not the norm, but this was something that we agreed on long before we had a kid. We decided that we want to be completely honest with Dylan when it comes to Santa, I also don't want to get caught up in the

My First Recipe!

2010-12-17T08:22:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I don't typically follow recipes to a T when I make savory meals, but I do usually use them as guidelines. They help give me an idea of flavors that work together, as well as ratios of ingredients so that one ingredient doesn't overwhelm the whole meal. But this is one of the first recipes I kinda made up all on my own. Not entirely though, I watched an episode of Jamie Oliver the

Jeff Tweedy Concert

2010-12-12T10:35:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, Matt and I made a relatively quick trip down to Charlottesville for a very special concert... We saw Jeff Tweedy! I have wanted to see him on a solo tour for a few years now (really ever since we started listening to Wilco and I happened to come across an amazing review of one of his solo concerts.) Matt also got a DVD of one of his tours from a few years ago and this quickly

Thanksgiving menu

2010-12-08T09:33:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving DinnerI'm documenting our Thanksgiving dinner that we had at the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm. They actually sent us home with personalized menus, rolled up and tied with a bow, and a small part of me was super excited to add that to my paper mementos collection... But then i remembered that I'm no longer keeping a paper mementos collection, so instead I'm going to copy the menu

Hoarding and Collections

2010-11-28T09:16:00.002-05:00

Despite all my claims of being a Purger and striving for a more minimalist lifestyle, I recently learned that I am guilty of both of the above. Hoarding and a collection. How did that happen, and why wasn't I aware of it until recently? Well, here's the story... When I was in high school and middle school I started saving all kinds of paper mementos, cards from friends, notes passed around in

Great Food

2010-11-27T07:47:00.009-05:00

So in honor of our Thanksgiving Day dinner at Pawtomack Farm this year, i was intending to write a blog post about some of the best meals Matt and I have had at various restaurants over the years. While we were at dinner I asked Matt for his input on the list and it didn't take very long to realize that this post wasn't going to go the way I wanted it to.. Why not? Well, i think the first 5 or

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T08:53:00.001-05:00

This year we are breaking from tradition. Instead of spending the holiday with our extended family, we decided to do something, just the three of us. Don't get me wrong, i love our big family thanksgivings. I love cooking with my mom and sisters and chatting at the table with everyone. But Matt, Dylan, and I haven't had a holiday dedicated to just the three of us yet, so we are carving out a

Rice Leftovers

2010-11-18T09:26:00.003-05:00

Ingredients:Leftover white riceA small pat of buttera teaspoon or two of curry powderhalf a teaspoon (or so) of low sodium soy sauceDirections:Add the pat of butter to a saute pan. Turn on to medium heat. As butter melts, add leftover rice. Break up rice with a wooden spoon. As rice warms sprinkle on curry powder. Cook for a few minutes, stirring rice occasionally, but not too often so you

My Inspiration

2010-11-13T20:14:00.003-05:00