Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Daniel is coming home tonight (Yay!), sorry...can't contain it.  Last year we got a Christmas tree and we are planning on going out on Friday night to get one and I am so excited.  It doesn't feel very holidayish around here yet so I lit a candle and turned on Nat King Cole to get the season going!

I love Christmas.  I love wrapping presents and getting so excited for everyone to get their gifts.  I love Christmas music (I don't think Daniel does...but he'll get used to it.)  I am excited to get into some of my Christmas piano music.  Confession to my mom...I have one of your copies of "Were you There".  (I hope not your only one!)  I just can't do a Christmas without it.  I really miss hearing my mom and her siblings sing it so I play it to give myself a little piece of home.  I am missing that song "Still, still, still" though so I will have to see if I can find it in a store or online.

I'll post a picture of my tree when I get it up. :)  Happy Holidays!  December 1 tomorrow!!  Remember when Christmas Day just wouldn't get here fast enough?  The older I get the more time flies because there is so much more to be responsible for!!

Fam...Check out Bigarade Beet Farm and post holiday memories!

Pushing the Reset Button

Hello from Seattle!  I am spending the day glued to this desk working on a paper about Maria W. Stewart, (America's First Black Woman Political Writer according to my textbook), but my view could be worse so no real complaints.

Lately I have felt caught up in a storm of trying to carve out my life until it settles like a puzzle piece into the complexity of extended family relationships, complicated ideologies and life as a woman.  But today I am pushing the reset button.  I have spent a lot of effort, time, and money trying to be the "good girlfriend", the "good sister", the "good future in-law", but I am ready to be a little selfish for awhile.  I'm just ready to spend money on clothes instead of plane tickets, and to enjoy this time in my life.  I have felt so rushed, but there is no real rush.  Today there is just a view of Seattle, a conversation with a magnificent historical character, and some room service.

P.S> This is not to say my recent efforts to spend time with family was not well spent...it's just good to recognize when it's time to slow it down.

A New Hobby

I have been troubled lately by my lack of settledness here in Portland which has become ever more apparent with Daniel away.  We have become dependent on one another (which is not a bad thing), but it has left us, me especially, with a noticeable absence of company when one of us is gone.  I wrote recently about my desire for a real friend (click here for a refresher), but I have come to the realization that there has been no effort on my part to gain the ready society of others.  Part of my solo status stems from my previous method of gaining friends by going to church.  Now I must invent a new strategy.

I want to combine my love of cooking with my love of paper crafting into a new hobby: I want to entertain.   Already I have two dinner parties and their guest lists in mind, one for Christmas and the other for the new year.  I think I have been in a rut of thinking that my life hasn't started yet, that one has to be married and/or have children to participate in the "good life".  So often Daniel and I find ourselves going over to other people's houses but we rarely (basically never) have people over to our apartment.

I am going to start with a some ideas from the current issue of Cooking Light and go from there.  I will keep you posted on my party planning schemes and maybe it will inspire you to get your party on!



Happy Turkey week!  And give Columbus and the Pilgrims a break this year...they really did mean well.

Seattle

Going to Seattle next week and I am so excited!  It's been awhile since I've been there, and i can't wait to get back.













Definitely a salmon sandwich in my near future!

Gender Mobility

I find myself thinking about motherhood a lot.  Slow down....thinking, not actualizing.  It makes me tired.  I am tired now, as I have been struggling to balance going to school and earning money, so I can't imagine trying to juggle family and a career.  It's hard to be patient, especially when there are so many girls younger than me that have started their families.  But children are expensive and I'm not ready for that bill yet.

Thinking of motherhood also make me think about mobility, about who belongs where, and who can move about without restraint.  Women are still in a bind.  All of the 'social' constraints may be gone that kept women out of the workforce, but its not really fair yet. (I mean the decent wage-earning workforce.  It should be clarified that women have a history of being medial wage-earners.)  This is not an academic research paper on gender equality.  I have a real knot-in-my-stomach about my future as a woman.  Here are some of the scenarios that run through my head.

1) My future as an actuary...Trying to study for the qualifying exams will make my bachelor's degree look like learning phonics.  It will take me years of ladder-climbing, competing with men who don't have to take maternity leave or have a human being grow inside them and then become completely dependent on their bodies, but still get to enjoy having a family.

2) Yesterday I saw a story on the need for dentists in this country.  This is a career I have seriously considered before.  I would have the flexibility to work 3 days a week and the income to pay for childcare.  Plus, I could run my own office instead of dealing with dopey male-chauvinists as colleagues.  But it means 1 yr.+ of prerequisites, then 4 more years of school.  No problem!  I would do it in a heartbeat if I was a man.  But I am 25, and waaayyy past my family-starting age already (by my upbringing's standards), and waiting 5 years to have a baby seems crazy.

There...I have spilled my maternal guts to you.  I'm sure I will make good decisions as I start my life.  My biggest concern is that I remember that while babies are cute, eventually they become people, and I want them to have the best start possible.  I just hope I can find a career that facilitates my dualism, that both my career will make me a more fit mother, and that my motherhood will make me more fit for the workforce.

Orange Glow

Tonight as I was walking to the bus stop after a long day of class/study, I had another chance to fall in love with this city.  I am so happy that the mayor and the police decided to take back the public spaces that were occupied.  They may have thought that the city belonged to them, but it really belongs to me, and to all the other taxpayers that realize that change is possible within a working system.  We don't have to tear down the house to fix a leak.

Gift of Music

How could we exist without music?  Good music is a way to feel free from time for just a moment, and free from all the structures that we've built around time.  I say that sometimes I get lost in the sadness, when I notice the temporal nature of this thing called life.  But a rhythm, a pattern, a song, a genuine laugh, a child, and yes, of course even sometimes a beautiful calculus theory, can lift me out.  I don't hold the secret to happiness...only I think it must be cultivated and sustained.  We have to seek it out.

Philosophy aside, here are some of my "happiness songs" that are forming a base for the wedding playlist.  I think I have the folk music bug.

Also, I went on the most amazing walk today.  This picture doesn't do it justice but autumn is the most amazing time of year (except that it means winter is closer).

Guinness Beef Stew

A cooking post!  I like to only post my tried-and-true recipes on here.  This one came from Cooking Light, but I have altered it a little, so here's my version.  Plus, this stew is so soothing for a sore throat on a cold day.

Guinness Beef Stew

8 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 cups chopped onion

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried rosemary

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 lbs. beef stew meat

3/4 tsp. salt, divided

3/4 tsp. pepper, divided

2 cups Guinness stout or beef broth

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

3 cups beef broth

1 bay leaf

3 peeled, cubed Yukon gold potatoes

2 peeled, sliced carrots

2 peeled, cubed turnips

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

parsley

1. Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add 2 tsp. oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onion, thyme and rosemary; saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Warning!  Step 1 will make your kitchen smell so good it will be hard to wait for dinner.

2. Place onion in a slow-cooker.  Place flour in a shallow dish.  Sprinkle beef evenly with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.  Dredge lamb in flour, and shake off excess.











3. Return pan to medium-high heat.  Add 1 Tbsp. oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add half of beef mixture to pan; saute to brown on all sides.  Add browned beef to onion mixture.  Repeat the procedure with remaining beef and 1 Tbsp. oil.










4. Add beer (or broth) to pan to loosened browned bits.  Cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 5 minutes).












5. Add reduced beer or broth to onion and beef mixture in slow-cooker.  Stir in tomato paste, 3 cups of beef broth, and bay leaf.  Cook on high for 1 hour.











6.  Add vegetables and cook for another 3 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender.













7.  Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper, and dijon mustard.  Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.  Enjoy!

A few book reccomendations...

My Women's American history class has been very illuminating, and has especially made me grateful for the position of equality with men I hold in modern society.  Some of the books that we have read include Charlotte Temple, by Susanna Rowson.  This book has been around since the 1790's so you feel like you're getting right to the source of women's 18th century thoughts.  I also have been reading No Small Courage, by Nancy Cott, which has essentially "caught me up" on women's American history.  (Many of my classmates are History majors so I was feeling a little behind.)  Cott is extremely thorough and explores the lives of all groups: European, African and Native American.

I will say though, that I have thought about women's "progress" and I have found pieces of it to be damaging to both sexes.  Women now have the burden of child-bearing and have lost the option to stay at home and take care of their children without risking poverty.  Men tread a fine line between being expected to provide for a wife an family and being accused of male-chauvinism and patriarchy.  It seems as though a new kind of partnership with equally shared roles of providing financial stability and childcare is the only way for a modern couple to survive today's demands on family happiness.

I Love Stay Home Days

I have been sick (again!) this week, and now I am taking amoxicillin for an ear and throat infection.  I can't say it hasn't been nice to stay at home cuddled up on my couch.  I have been doing more homework than cuddling so it hasn't been completely unproductive.  I can't wait until I actually do something so my blog will stop being so lame.

Trick-or-Treat!

Smell my feet!

I got to go trick-or-treating last night with three ninjas, a power ranger and a princess.  I felt a little guilty having that much fun because I know the parent's of one ninja and power ranger were sad to have to miss it.  One's kids are only little so long!!  But I had the time of my life. (And it didn't rain!)  A blue sky never goes unappreciated around here.

Another milestone

This year is going to be full of milestones...and that's awesome.  Today I turned in my application for Spring graduation.  Although on the surface it seems like another way for the University to charge me $20 to push papers around, it truly was a big deal to me.  So much so that I did a double-fist pump on my way out the door.  Go Vikings!

Wedding "I Spy"

Came across this wedding idea today that is so adorable.  You place these "I Spy" cards on the tables (different card for each table) with disposable cameras, and let the guests try to complete the photo list.  For some reason, my wedding keeps going down in expenses the more I plan.  Let's hope it stays on this track!

I  Spy

Help our photographer by using your

camera to complete the list!

Group photo of your table

Cutest Couple (not the bride and groom)

A Picnic Basket

Bride and Groom Eating

Children Playing

The Photographer taking a picture

Bride with Bridesmaids

Bride’s Bouquet

P.S.  Do they still make disposable cameras?

Under the Weather

We finally made it to the weekend!  I have been under the weather this week and I am so excited to kick off the weekend feeling better.  I decided to celebrate tonight with a much awaited purchase.  I got my rain boots!  And not too soon either as it was quite a rainy day.



Since it has been a week of sniffles and sore throats, I don't have much to share other than my various remedies.  I have been introduced to elderberry syrup as a cold remedy, and though I can't say for sure whether that made a difference, the day after I had a dose I felt much better.  I also drank Emergen-C and Airborne on a daily basis.  And on the last day of my sickness (yesterday) my body was craving greens.  I had a whole plate of kale and it was like I couldn't get enough.

Anyway, happy Friday readers!  And I hope the changing weather hasn't had its way with you!

Happy Fall

School is in full swing and the end of this week will be halfway through Fall quarter!  I went to the university library on Saturday to study Physics, so I got a rare glimpse of an empty campus.  The fall leaves are so beautiful right now, especially since it hasn't been raining!

A Little Faith

I need a little faith right now.  My thoughts have been churning for awhile since a certain group showed up to occupy two blocks of downtown Portland.  I don't want to acknowledge their name since they are not really a group that is one in purpose, but rather a collection of individuals who have decided to inhabit the city center for various reasons.  Unfortunately, the blocks they occupy are on my bus route, so they have successfully "occupied" a space in my thoughts, and this post is to help me let them go.

The reason I say I need a little faith is because I, too, want a world that is fair, but unlike many my age, I understand that the term "fair" carries a lot of weight, and can be used in many different contexts.  Is it "fair" to say you represent 99% when you are destroying parks that the 99% will have to pay to repair?  Is it "fair" to form an opinion on economic policy without so much as picking up an econ textbook?  Is it fair to interrupt my life with your protests, and close down the streets I use every day?

Hard work is not dead in this country.  We are not the young and the doomed.  There is so much more to learn, to invent.  However, it seems as though my generation will not be happy until we have regressed to the age of cavemen.  I need faith in my world, because I only have this one opportunity.  Dear mob, please get your butt in a classroom (even a public library would do) and out of my street.

I heart PSU!

Groceries are a Bummer

Groceries are a bummer!  If you want to think of them that way.  Sometimes I do...I look at the receipt and think, that could have been a new pair of shoes or that pair of jeans I have been lusting over.

That said, I have put a lot of effort to getting the grocery bill down over the last two years, so I wanted to share my "system" with my friends and family. :)

1. I make a list of everything that I keep in my house on a regular basis divided into categories...i.e. milk, eggs, cheese in the refrigerator category, rice, pasta in the pantry category, etc.  Before I go to the store, I use my list to identify the things that I am out of.

2. Never stray from the list!  (Except for specific recipes).  This also trims my waistline as extra junk food never ends up in my apartment.  I say extra because I consider microwave popcorn and a Hershey's bar as "things I keep in my house" but psychologically I know they're all I have so I eat them less often.

3. Get the Sunday paper and clip the coupons.  Ok...this one needs some justification.  Extreme Couponing has ruined doubling coupons forever because all the checkers are extra diligent now and don't allow doubling, so you won't save as much as that show might tell you.  However, by clipping coupons for only the things on my list, I save on average $5.00 every time I go to the grocery store.  I go to the store 2-3 times per week, and the weekly paper costs me $2.00 so I am saving $32.00-$52.00 each month.  I am a math nerd...I know.

4. Don't clip coupons for things that aren't on your list!  You'll just ended up buying more than you need to.  And don't get attached to your coupon.  Check the other brands to see if you are actually saving or if you have fallen into a trap to get you to buy a new product.  Sometimes I'll go to the store with 10 coupons and only use 5 because the store was running a promotion on a different brand.

5. Stock your house with stuff you'll actually like to eat.  Otherwise you'll eat out, and it may look like your grocery bill is smaller, but you're spending more on food in general.

6. My last two suggestions may not apply, but take them for what they're worth.  I use my Fred Meyer club card and I end up getting 10% back of all my purchases every three months in the form of a gift card.  I also use my Discover card only for groceries and pay it off each month so I get 5%-ish (I'm pretty sure this is a nominal rate so what I'm actually getting is much less) cash back there as well.

Phew!  So there it is.  I promise I'm not making a habit of instructional/suggestion-making posts.  I just thought I would pass on how I save all that dough!

Wedding Inspirations

I have somehow forced myself to have a weekend day today.  I have an Exam on Friday in Statistics so it makes it hard to justify no homework, but it has been so nice to have a day off.

I am in the daydreaming, guest-list making stage of my wedding planning, and I wanted to share my Inspiration Boards from Weddingwire.com.  I am definitely swaying somewhere between garden, shabby chic, and rustic.

Photos by: Captured Photography, Maggie Winters Photography, LookLoveSend.com, Sarah Whitmeyer Photography, Chris & Jenn Photos

Photos by: XOXO BRIDE, Coto Valley Country Club, CJ's Off the Square, Enchanted Florist, Cramer Photography, Emily Grace Design, LGB Studio, Andi Grant Photography

Photos by: Events by Design, Rose Garden Flowers & Gifts, Inc., Sarah Whitmeyer Photography, Advantage Bridal, Minted, Preferred Planning

Photos by: Jason+Gina Wedding Photographers, FreshIvey Photography, Sarah Whitmeyer Photography, Captured Photography, TaDa Event Coordination, The Wedding Belle

Dishrags and a To Do List

For my birthday my Mom crocheted me these beautiful dish rags.  So far they are working out great and they look adorable in my kitchen!  I think they are going to save me some money on all those dish sponges we used to go through.

I am loving my iphone.  I feel so much more connected during the day.  I could even blog from it if I wanted to...but I'm not that on the go.  I did get the blogger app though so I can check up on others on my bus ride.  My favorite thing is that I have a running to do list on it.  Everyone that knows me knows I love to write things down.  I am just about to write up a grocery list on my phone (cannot explain to you how awesome this is!...especially since I insist on rearranging my list according to the layout of the store).  However, I know I still cannot survive without at least 5 notepads floating around my house.  And yes..I do make killer homemade granola bars.

P.S. I am determined that !... should be an official form of punctuation.  It solves a lot of my transition issues.

Catching Up

Realizing I am at risk for losing my entire readership (which is probably three at most!), I am postponing my sleepy eyelids for an overdue blog post.

Since I have had the pleasure of writing, I turned 25!  And with that big quarter-century birthday, I decided it was time to grow up and wear makeup.  Daniel got me the Bare Escentuals starter kit that I have been wanting, and I wore it all weekend to my numerous birthday/engagement celebrations in Salt Lake City (Thank you all for such a good time!)  So far, I love it.  I had no makeup lines and it just brightened up my look like it's supposed to.  I especially love that the shade of eyeshadow I got is called "cupcake".  During the week while I'm at school or nannying, I still only throw on mascara and a little blush.

Speaking of my fabulous weekend in SLC!...Not to overshadow how amazing it was to see every member of my family, and enjoy D's parents meeting my fam, I still have to say I get so tickled about seeing my nieces and nephews.  I got my nieces a new book to celebrate their new twin brothers, and made the mistake of giving a 3-year-old and a 2-year-old lip gloss.  I'm pretty sure they have eaten all of it by now.



Daniel and I also took our parents on another visit to our wedding venue (His parents' first time, our second).  Here are a few pictures I took of the house and the surrounding yard.  It's getting harder and harder not to think about the wedding!

In other news, this is the dress I am thinking of wearing to my best friend's wedding. (I love saying that!  You only get to say it once.)  I am so excited for her.  I got to spend a little time with her and her fiancee over the weekend and I can't wait until her wedding.



Lastly...drumroll please, I got an iphone4!!  I left my phone charger in SLC, and needed one in a pinch as I was on nanny duty.  As is always the case, it was a better deal to renew my plan and get the discounted upgrade, then it was to spend any more money on my ghetto phone.  I also couldn't resist decking it out in faux burberry.

Missing My Blog

Feeling badly that blogging has taken a backseat over the past few days.  But so have workout videos, piano, and even some homework.  I am in nanny mode right now and it is still new so I am learning to balance everything...can't wait for Thursday to have some "me" time.

Pocahontas

I am taking an American Women's History class at PSU and after spending all last week talking about what we were going to talk about this term, today we finally dove into the material, starting with Pocahontas.

I learned a few things about Pocahontas today.

1. The Disney movie is a gross misrepresentation of historical facts.

2. Chief Powhattan was trying to adopt John Smith as part of a greater plan to incorporate the Europeans into their tribe.  His perceved "torture" was a male initiation rite.  It was not strange for Pocahontas to intervene since in Powhattan society, it was under the women's jurisdiction to decide the fate of captives.

3. Pocahontas is a tribal nickname meaning "mischievous one".  She had other names...Matoaka meaning "White Feather", and Amonute meaning "Beloved Woman".

4. Powhattan means "People of the Dream Vision" and Pocahontas had shown that she had visionary gifts.  To her, her marriage to John Rolf and her baptism were part of fulfilling her destiny, since she had dreamed that she would do great things for her people.

5. The Europeans thought the Native Americans were savages, while the Natives viewed the Europeans as newcomers to be incorporated (until Europeans started killing them with disease and warfare).  Marriage of Native women to European men was a way of legitimizing and initiating the incorporation.

I am a little angry that Disney fed me such trash.  Because I thought I already knew about Pocahontas, I might have missed out on learning about a very dynamic person, one who has a much more complex life then what's "just around the riverbend".

An Early Birthday Present

Rule #1: Take your boyfriend shopping with you during your birthday week...you just might end up with a blazer.

I got my first blazer today!...which makes me feel mature, not old, but like I've finally earned the right to wear one.  I found it at a bargain price at a vintage store on Hawthorne and I couldn't pass up a perfect fitting sports-jacket.

Bill Cunningham has declared the sports-jacket "A Fall Staple", and who would dare argue with Bill?

My Walk Home

In case you aren't convinced by now about how much I love living in Portland, this post is to show you how beautiful my daily scenery is.

Don't get me wrong, my hometown Salt Lake City is gorgeous!...on a much grander scale.




But Portland is beautiful on a smaller and more diverse scale.  There are so many things to appreciate here.  So today...since the weather was so beautiful and clear, I walked the 45 minutes home from school instead of taking the bus and I took pictures along the way.

Here are some of the things I see on my way home from Portland State.

Meet Portlandia.  Yes, way before the TV show, came the second-largest copper statue in the U.S. (next to the Statue of Liberty of course).

My neighborhood and downtown are separated by the Willamette River, so I get to travel across the historic Hawthorne Bridge nearly every day.  It is so accessible for buses, cars, pedestrians and bicycles.

See Mt. Hood above?

Looking back towards downtown...

This is not a traveling circus...this is a whole lot on Hawthorne full of food carts.  It's called Cartopia, and is home to Whiffie's Fried Pies which is rumored to be the best cart in Portland.

Along SE Hawthorne, their are many unique shops and restaurants like these.

But I don't always like to walk on Hawthorne because of the traffic, so I duck into my neighborhood where there are lots of cute houses and many more cute squirrels! I don't know how I got this one to pose for me!

I hope you enjoyed my walk!