5 Things Making Me Happy Today

Hi internet! This has been a really good week for really no reason at all. Since I spend the majority of my time complaining I figured I should balance out my karma with some goodwill.

1. The sun is shining. It's still cold, but warmer than yesterday. The sky is a beautiful blue with no gray clouds threatening rain.

2. I work close enough to Captain Awesome that we can have lunch together. There's nothing that perks me up more than an hour with my handsome BFF. An hour of laughing and a hot sandwich is a good thing. And you should see how cute he looks in a toboggan.

3. It's almost the holidays! As stressed and cranky as I act, I really love Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am able to relax, take time off work, shop, EAT and spend time with my two families. Although we're scaling back our gifts this year due to the economy, I still can't wait to decorate.

4. I had two really fun girl's nights this week. One was a group of women who like to eat and hang out so we ate a delicious meal (with dessert) and met some new friends. Including one woman who moved from Vermont to here as a challenge to herself. She doesn't know anyone here but she wanted to shake her life up a little. Now that's bravery.
I also had a book club meeting and I had picked the book. It's always a little scary doing that since you want everyone else to like it. They did and the food was amazing. Yum, hummus and falafal.

5. Tonight I don't have plans so the Captain and I are cooking and snuggling in to catch up on the TiVo and each other's lives.

What's making you happy today?

Bragging?

It's cold here. I know some of you poor souls in the North have been cold for months and now have snow. But we just dropped below freezing and I'm not adjusted yet. That's why I live in the South. After sprinting from my car to the building, wrapped in my coat, scarf and gloves with my mug of hot chocolate, another employee and I were commenting on the cold. He turns to me and says with a straight face "Well I don't turn my heat on until January so I'm used to the cold."

I think I just stared, slack-jawed at him. Had this been someone I knew better (or really even liked at all) I would have laughed. People, I know it's a tough economic times. I know we're tightening belts and all that. But living with no heat? That's like camping to me. Why not just save money by selling your house and buy a fancy four room LL Bean tent. He explained that he just wears a lot of layers in the house and sleeps with 4 (!) blankets on his bed. And yes, he has room mates, who I guess have gone along with this "wilderness adventure" plan.

Now I understand there are truely needy people, even in my town, who can't afford heat. I understand that when choosing between comfort and eating, they choose food. But when you have a job, own a house, and have roommates to help pay 1/2 the bills, why no heat? I just can't wrap my mind around this. Also, I have made a big mental note to NEVER visit him without my parka and long johns. Weird.

Domestic Goddess

Yep, still no DC update. But listen to how house-wifey I was last night! On Sunday Captain Awesome and his dad chain sawed down 4 HUGE (and hideous) bushes around our house. They were working really hard and the piles of branches and leaves are taller than me. I was busy lounging under a blanket and eating some pretzels with Nutella. I felt kind of guilty but not enough to actually get up.

So last night I got home earlier than I expected and I decided to try and be helpful. I raked 1/2 the front yard and picked up an entire trash can full of pinecones, sticks, bark, etc. Then I made white chicken chili (from scratch) and cheddar biscuits (from a bag-love me some Bisquick) so that when the Captain got home, dinner was ready and waiting. The chili was a little spicier than I planned but it was perfect for a blustery night. We ate and watched some TV while I put some CD's on my iPod.
**Big Thank You to my baby sis who patiently answered my stupid questions like "how do I turn this thing on?". Even though she sprained her ankle and was just trying to relax.**

Yesterday, the Baking Blonde put up a recipe for Chewy Ginger Cookies with Cinnamon Chips. Two of the Captain's favorite dessert ingredients are ginger and cinnamon so I just had to try them. For some reason no grocery in my town stocks the cinnamon chips but in my usual cooking style I just threw some extra stuff in and hoped for the best. They were AWESOME and everything I wanted for a blah Monday night.

So when do I get my tiara and golden apron?

Sugar and Spice Vs Snips and Snails

Growing up in a house with 4 females and 2 males I have a very woman-centric point of view. My dad and brother were nice (or smart) enough to let us do most of the talking. As a confirmed girly-girl I was never around that many boys growing up. After marrying the Captain I am constantly surprised by all the "Guy Stuff" I was never privy to. There are rules about where to stand in the men's room. (Always leave a space and no talking-even when washing hands) There are drinking guidelines, driving rules. There is a whole noogie, dead-leg, tortoure-in-the-name-of-fun culture I was completely oblivious to. I mean, I saw boys playing pencil wars on the bus in elementary school but I never realized how serious it was. Also, I was probably too self absorbed trying to find the best seat to think about it. Every conversation I have with the Captain reveals a little more about this testoterone fueled childhood that I guess everyone else was aware of.

Of course that means he is forced to hear interested (read: boring) stories about a fight started by one friend not sharing her candy on the bus or the great "silent treatement of 87". Hearing all these stories of the psychological torture we as females put each other through, I think he's glad he got away with a punch in the arm and an Indian burn.

Hitting the Spot

Whew! The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of parties, traveling, working, eating, being with friends and enjoying myself. Sorry blog friends.

You know how sometimes you'll have a desire or craving for something but you can't always have it? As a dessert freak, sometimes I'll crave a delicious piece of chocolate cake or ice cream. I'll go out, get said sugary treat, and when I sit down to eat it, it's just not as good. (Did you like how many commas I just used?) The anticipation just can't match the real thing. I think the same applies to Senior prom, New Year's Eve and Graduation Day. You're under so much pressure to HAVE FUN that you just can't match up the movie-like image that you've created for yourself.

But sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll find an amazing pumpkin cookie receipe that satisfies your sweet tooth. Or a handsome man with champagne and a funny movie that helps cuddle the New Year in. That satisfaction keeps us going through the let downs or dry chocolate cakes in life.

Last weekend was one of my best "hitting the spot" moments. My two sisters and I went to Washington DC for my sister A's birthday. We laughed the entire car ride up, met some crazy people, tried new food and drinks, acted like tourists and then laughed some more. It was perfect. I've been feeling so disconnected ever since the move in June, it was amazing to be able to sit around with the people who I've laughed with, fought with, cried with and loved my entire life and just be me. I came home with aching legs, a suitcase full of clothes I didn't wear and memories.
Also, to dinner and a clean house, great job Captain Awesome!!!

The weekend was better than a million pieces of chocolate cake.

I have been working on a full post with pictures of us being goons and yes, eating cake, that I will someday get posted.