8 tips on moving like a boss

It's hard to believe it was two years ago that we started talking about moving to California. Ugh the pain still feels so fresh!

I've been wanting to blog about this for a long time, because the results were pretty awesome.  Basically, we had one of the most pain-free experiences you could have without professional movers. Now, we did have the luxury of several months of planning, so we were able to take our time with some of these steps. But I think they could fit in any timeline.

So without much further ado, the Patented LBC System of Packing and Moving, or 8 Tips on Moving Like a Boss.

1. Take some "before" pictures.

  You want to be able to remember how it looked before you destroy it all for your new dream home.

2. GCD.

GCD stands for Goodwill Craigslist Dumpster. Clean through all your closets and storage areas. You do not want to move any more junk than you have to! Sidenote: We were prepared to take this all to the city toxic materials center when my neighbor came by and offered to take all of our leftover paint. I do not know what she did with it, and I do not care.

3. Decor-ganize.

It may seem counter-intuitive to be creating special baskets and labels for your stuff, but hear me out. Sort through all the contents of your closets and get rid of any garbage (see Step 2). Group them into logical categories and label the storage containers.

When you are ready to pack up your bathroom, you can easily stack the baskets into your moving boxes. You might need to wrap them with Saran wrap or a towel, but with any luck, they survive the trip intact and you can simply unpack them into the new closet!

 

4. THE BOOK.

This might be the most important tool you use in your move. Get a notebook with loose leaf paper and folders. Start saving important papers in the folders, and leave the paper for to-do lists and inventory (see step below). Pick a color that makes you happy. You're going to love and hate this thing.

 

5. Prioritize

Pack up your house in stages. Determine which items you will not be using any time soon, and set a timeline. On the page seen here, we started about a month before moving day and started packing things like crafts and DVDs.

The next week was slightly more important stuff like large kitchen appliances and dishes.

The last week, affectionately referred to as "Hobo Week," was when we switched to paper plates and Chinese takeout. We put our clothes in suitcases and basically camped in our own home.

 

6. Theme party!

I love a good theme. Choose a different color tape for each room in your house. I went with funky duct tape. If I did it over, I would have chosen solid colors so I could see the writing on them a bit better. You'll learn more about this in Step 7. I also would not have chosen duct tape, as it does not stick to cardboard boxes very well. Each label had to be reinforced with packing tape.

When you start packing a new box, put a piece of the THEME TAPE (!) on the side. Not the top. Put it on two sides if you want, or even all four. You want to be able to see it, even if it is in a stack with other boxes on top.

This will help you identify which boxes go to which room at a glance, without having to read any writing. It also helps you direct any movers or helpers involved. That way you can tell them things like, "All red boxes go to the kitchen," and "The yellow boxes are full of personal stuff so please rifle through it when I leave the room."

You are now ready to pack up some boxes!

7. Inventory is the mother of necessity.

Before you start boxing your things for a certain room, start a page in your book for that room.

Every time you start packing a new box, write on your THEME TAPE both a letter and a number. Record this in your book. Choose a letter that will make sense to you.

Write down each item that is being packed into the box. This is typically for your eyes only, so writing cryptic things like "2 heads" is OK. Unless you blog about it later, in which case it might seem weird. (So I have a couple styrofoam heads for my Halloween wigs. SO. WHAT.)

This inventory is the key to being able to move and unpack without losing your mind.

It's a tiny bit hard to see but this label says K25 and it's on the flowery paper I chose for the kitchen. I can tell at a glance which room it goes to, and I can look in my book to find out what is inside.

8. Get movin!

Those are the main tips I would share. As an added note, here are a few other helpful tips/reminders you might want to know:

- Duct tape does not stick to cardboard. You will need to use packing tape to close the boxes.

- U-Haul sells helpful things like tape that says, "Open First" and "Fragile." They also sell green plastic wrap that doesn't stick but is great for wrapping things like dressers to keep the drawers closed.

- You can use THE BOOK to keep track of boxes that are going into storage. In my book, I highlighted the boxes that went to storage so now, even a year later, I can find it if I need to.

- The THEME TAPE is also useful for marking furniture or other items that don't go into boxes. Again, this helps your moving crew know which room to shove all your stuff into.

- Use toilet paper rolls to keep your jewelry from getting too tangled:

And one final thought: If you can hire movers/packers, do it. Moving sucks.

The Californians

I just remembered I have a blog. A blog that I have not touched in 18 months. Why? Well, we moved. To California. And I guess when you move to California you lose motivation to blog. Or maybe huge life changes leave little room for extras like writing about your life. Or maybe it's the high gas prices here. Anyway.

A lot of people ask me why we moved to California. It was just...time. We had sort of reached a crossroads in our lives. One option: Stay in Arizona with our comfortable jobs, maybe talk about starting a family (!), be wonderfully close to our families. Other option: Disrupt our lives mightily, spend a lot of money to move into a much smaller space, live six hours away from family. The choice was clear, right?

Actually, we needed a change. Both of our jobs, while comfortable, were at a plateau with no real potential for improvement. And while children are somewhere in our future, I knew that once we started down that path, pursuing a new career would be pretty tough.

So, childless and full of moxie, I began a job search. It took about eight months to get an offer, and another two to pack up, find a place in Long Beach and head west.

Moving to another state totally sucks. I had moved before, but just within a few ZIP codes. Renting a truck and fitting all/most of your possessions in one box is daunting. We pay for a storage space that does the job our garage used to do, and we share a two-bedroom apartment instead of a three-bedroom house.

And I love it. I. LOVE. IT. We can see the ocean from our balcony. We open the doors when we want to feel the cool ocean breeze. We go on weekend adventures to places with names like Malibu, Sonoma, Big Sur and Crystal Cove. We've been boating, parasailing, boogie-boarding and biking on the beach. We walk to concerts, festivals and restaurants. I'm in a job now that challenges me and teaches me new things all the time. T is pursuing a new and exciting career.

We upload incredible pictures on Facebook and talk about the unbelievable weather. Our Arizona friends and family find us insufferable.

While we miss our families, we do get back to the desert fairly often. I have a new appreciation for the giant Arizona sky, I miss the smell of rain and creosote, and I definitely miss the logical freeway design.

I don't know how long this chapter of our lives will last. It's certainly not perfect, but I don't regret it. Sometimes you just have to pack up your life and head to the beach.

Bread: The Final Frontier

OK not really. But I have to admit I was a little intimidated. I mean, yeast? Rising dough? Kneading? Way more complicated than my usual cookie experiment.

To get it right, I knew I had to call in the big guns, which means my mom. I have such fond memories of freshly baked bread cooling on the kitchen counter, followed by days of crispy wheat toast, warm butter and fresh strawberry jam.

So I asked if she would help me recreate this memory so I could learn the magic of her ways. And it was a good thing I did! She share so many secrets that weren't included in the recipe. Unfortunately, a lot of her expertise comes from experience, like knowing the temperature of the water, or when the dough is ready. Time and trial, my friends!

So first the recipe. We got it from the Set for Life cookbook, which was co-authored by my mom's Aunt Jane. Of course, we took our own little spin on it, partially based on my mom's experiences, and partially based on what we had in the house.

Here's the basic recipe we used:

Whole Wheat Bread

9 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground if possible)
6 cups white flour
6 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey or sugar
2 tablespoons salt

Yeast mixture:
2 rounded tablespoons dry yeast (my mom swears by SAF -- she says the other brands don't work as well)

1/2 cup to 1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar

This recipe yielded 3 large loaves and 6 miniature loaves. You could definitely minimize it for a smaller batch.
Now for the magic. We ground the wheat on the spot. The flour was actually warm from the machine. Apparently the fresher the better when it comes to wheat. We also opted for a wheat/white mix, as 100% whole wheat is pretty dense. This keeps it a little lighter.

We put the wheat flour into the Bosch with the water, oil, honey and salt. In a separate bowl, we combined the yeast, about a cup of warm water and sugar. The temperature of the water is important -- my mom runs it under her wrist until it's warm but not hot. How do you know? I guess you just know. Mix up the ingredients and let the yeast mixture sit until it begins to bubble and foam. That's how you know it's working!

Once the yeast was ready, we added to the mixer and turned it on. Gradually, we added the 6 cups white flour. Add it a slow cup at a time, watching the dough carefully. The dough is ready when it begins scraping itself off the side of the bowl, and balling up in the center. The amount of flour will vary each time, so keep an eye on it.

Turn the oven on to 150 degrees or "warm." Grease up your bread pans, and prepare a flat surface with oil. Oil up your hands and grab a portion of dough large enough to fill the pan about halfway. If you roll the dough up like a little pillow, it will look much prettier when it bakes. My sister even drizzled some honey in the middle of her loaves. Once your loaves are ready, turn off the oven! I know -- what? Yes! You're just putting the loaves in to rise. Pretty quick in a nice warm oven.

Place the loaves evenly spaced in the oven, being sure they aren't touching each other or the side of the oven. Let them rise for 20-30 minutes, or until they have doubled in bulk.

Now turn up the heat! 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. When they are done and nicely brown on top, immediately remove the pans and let the loaves cool on a rack. If you like a soft crust, mist the tops of the loaves with water while they are still hot.

Strawberry jam: We basically followed the recipe inside the Sure-Jell box. We also used Ball brand pectin, because it has info about how you can use Splenda and doesn't require heat.

Creamy Mexican Quinoa

I just made up a recipe. And guess what? It's awesome.

2 cups quinoa, freshly cooked
2 packets Laughing Cow lite swiss cheese
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar, sharp
1/4 cup corn

Chopped in whatever quantity you like:
onion
cilantro
jalapeno
avocado
red pepper
-- I did not have black beans but I wish I did! Same with tomatoes.

Stir in the cheeses and the chopped veggies until well blended. Flavor with garlic powder, lots of cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

No I did not take a picture. You'll have to use the picture in your mind.

Weekly Food Round 2

Well last week's challenge turned out pretty good. The only food I didn't end up eating was the green curry soup. Something a little off about it...maybe the tofu chunks were too big. Oh well. On to the next week!

Since the food prep was relatively successful, I am empowered to try it again. Here's what's on tap:

Cilantro jalapeno hummus. Pretty tasty, though I couldn't find the tahini at the store so I skipped it in the recipe. Hoping this will make a good savory snack with chopped veggies.

Green curry quinoa with veggies. No surprise here -- I have the green curry hanging out in my fridge so might as well. I made the sauce and added broccoli, peppers, onion and sugar snap peas. Took a little taste and it's pretty yummers, so I'm excited.

Egg Friends. These were a huge hit for myself and T. I fill half a cupcake pan with liquid egg whites and fill with tasty stuff from there (cilantro, basil, ground chicken, jalapeno, cheese, etc). Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, add cheese on top to bake for another 5. T is to be credited for the new nickname, though I think I might prefer "Egg Pals."

Enchiladas. Haven't made them yet, but got some corn tortillas, reduced fat cheese and Macayo's enchilada sauce. I'm toying with the idea of adding some pumpkin puree to give it a little more nutritional value, and I will include onion, jalapeno and ground chicken.

This week I am queen of: Making food ahead of time

I had a rare Monday off, so I decided I would try something I never have time to do: prepare meals for the WEEK.

Totally novel concept -- making food on a day you do not plan to eat it. Sounds crazy, I know. And it might just be.

Here's my trouble with making a bunch of food ahead of time: we don't really like frozen food that has been reheated. Well, one of us doesn't. And so I never make food in bulk with plans to freeze it.

However, this week's plan does not involve freezing. I actually hope to eat most of this stuff by week's end. I'm also hoping it will save me time in the mornings. Well, if I actually spent time to make my breakfast or lunch and then bring to work, this would save me time. It WILL make me more motivated to bring my own food to work, since this is already prepared and packaged.

Le menu for this week includes:

• 2 containers of green curry tofu soup. Smells really good. Hoping soup will travel well. Note: recipe calls for red curry but I chose green.
• 4 stuffed peppers with ground turkey and quinoa. I picture this as a dinner meal. Two dinners even? Note: I added taco seasoning and waited to mix in the cilantro until after the meat was cooked. Cilantro, like many fresh herbs, taste better if they are not cooked too much.
• 2 burritos made with left over turkey/quinoa mixture. (Aside: What is up with parchment paper and why can I never figure it out? I wrapped two burritos in parchment paper and tried to tape the ends. Turns out, tape does not stick to parchment paper. I ended up putting so much tape on these damn burritos it will take a sword to bust into them.)
• 6 egg mcmuffins. I made mine out of liquid egg whites with various assortments of deli ham, mozzarella cheese, basil, cilantro and ground turkey. I plan to pack these for breakfast. Note: I did not add the English muffins. I plan to toast those as I go.

Crossing my fingers that most of this will not end up in the trash in a week and a half. Optimistic that this will help us eat more of our groceries and less of the menu at Big Boy's pizza and subs. (Actual place nearby.)

Looking for best practices that help other, more organized friends out there.

Let's get decor-ganized!

I stole that from 30 Rock.

Anyway, I am on a mission. A mission to sort through junk, and toss, donate or sort everything in sight. I am starting on the guest room.

Let me tell you something about our guest room. It has had approximately three guests in it. Four, if you count the exercise bike. It's where I keep linens, grad school stuff (read: stacks of papers and notebooks I have yet to burn in a post-school ritual), sewing/craft supplies, costumes and suitcases.

It's a total mishmash -- likely the reason no one ever takes us up on our offer to house them. That, and whoever stays here has to share a bathroom with us as our master bath shower has never functioned correctly.

So I ignore it most of the time. But in the spirit of the new year, and watching the agony my sister went through in a recent move, I decided I would be proactive and get organized.

But not just organized. I want it to be cute! I want it to match! I want it to be so beautiful that I relish every chance I have to go file away a spool of thread or glitter pen! I want it to be decor-ganized!

So I spend time on Pinterest looking for ideas to copy. I see girls who have entire rooms devoted to craft organization, and they have beautiful matching tote boxes with hand-made labels hanging from the lid by a DIY piece of twine. And I feel inspired. YES! I say. I can do this!

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

WELL....turns out I suck at stuff like that. I buy cute plastic storage boxes, but only if they are on sale and I never take the time to fit them into a color scheme. I tend to reuse containers, even if they are old shoe boxes or a free purse I got from Macy's. I can't seem to care about labeling:

So my conclusion is this: Organizing is great and I feel happy when I've done it. But I am too cheap and lazy to really go the distance. (Honestly, in order to make everything match, I would have to spend hundreds of dollars. And that is just stupid.)

I'm thinking in the future I should just stick to white boxes, and then if I get really ambitious, go for some kind of color-coded label system.

Haha yeah right. Here I go again. Do you see how this happens? My dream of matching totes = totes unrealistic for me.

Morning After Christmas

It's December 26 and I'm sitting at our computer desk with a hot minty drink.

I'm not playing Christmas music anymore, because frankly I'm a little saturated with everything (yes, even you, Charlie Brown).

I'm not eating Christmas cookies for breakfast like I have for about a week. Doesn't seem right. I'm also afraid to step on the scale.

Interesting how the novelty and magic of Christmas just fades away. I'm glad for it. If we celebrated Christmas all year I fear it would become a chore. Looking at my Lindsay stocking made of felt and yarn would make me shrug instead of making me smile. (These are stockings my mom made several decades ago for all the family members. Each one is designed with a little doll with hair and uniquely colored dresses. I always thought mine was the best because the dress is red and white and goes perfectly with the Kelly green color of the stocking. )

While I'm glad that Christmas is gone this year, it occurred to me that I should write down a few highlights so I can look back in future years and remember a few things that might be easy to forget.

• Baking cookies has become a tradition for me. It allows me to give handmade gifts to my friends and spend a little time in the kitchen. This year, the treat boxes featured chocolate chip cookies, orange cranberry cookies, candy cane cookies, peanut butter cups and chocolate-covered marshmallows.

• I gave a duffel bag to my brother, who is commuting to San Diego for work these days. He loves it but sometimes I miss him.

• We also gave a duffel bag to T's sister, who will be spending several weeks in Mexico this spring. She is excited; her mom and boyfriend are not so much.

• We gave a new bedspread to my sister and her new husband. They were just married a few weeks ago and they are doing new couple things like buying King-sized beds and moving into a house just for the two of them. They are wildly cute and I like how newlyweddy they are.

• These newlyweds have also brought a little joy to our family in the form of a Pomeranian puppy. Pippy is tiny, fluffy and endlessly adorable. She wears little dresses and shirts that say, "Meet me under the mistletoe." Lots of entertainment for the whole family.

• I received so many gifts that I loved I almost don't know where to start. My mother-in-law made me a denim apron that ties at the waist, a crocheted scarf that is just the right color of red and a skirt with a little flower on the front. So much time spent on these gifts; I can tell they were made with love. I received a number of cooking and sewing accessories -- I guess I can report that I have some actual hobbies now. I'm excited to try out my new toys.

• T and I...well.....we got each other the same thing. And not just the same CD that we both like. But a custom-made plush toy representing a character in the book that we are writing together. We both worked on it secretly for weeks, hoping to surprise the other with such a unique and unexpected gift. But when you share a brain you tend to come up with the same ideas. I love that we now have two of these, and a story to boot.

So now our house is filled with gifts, random plates of cookies and treats, and wrapping paper shards. I plan to clean it all up today. The decorations won't come down just yet, but soon we'll be putting all this stuff in the attic. Can't wait until next year.

Good morning zebra!

I'm trying a new recipe today: Zebra Cakes. To create a zebra cake, you alternate between scoops of devil's food and vanilla cake mix to create a stripey look when it's baked. (More on that later.)

I was so excited to do this, I woke up at 7 a.m. And I didn't hit the snooze button once. In the last two hours, I have made four zebra cakes and a pan of brownies. I have also swept and vacuumed the floor. And started a load of laundry. I am a maniac.

Yesterday it was all I could do to get out of bed before 8 a.m. And that's just to get to work on time -- not even to do something honorable like work out.

Lately I've been wondering how I would do if I didn't have a job and just stayed home all the time. Optimistically, every day would be like today: shooting out of bed to achieve my goals with tornado-like enthusiasm. Realistically, that kind of fervor would last for three days. Then I would probably turn into Borezy, the lazy bore.

But I'm not at any risk of having that life for now. So I'll just be happy for the days that I get to be a little busy bee in my own house, rare though they may be.

As for the zebra cakes, I believe I made one fatal mistake. I substituted apple sauce for most of the oil in the cake mixes. As a result, the batter was a little thick, and did not spread too evenly. So maybe my zebras are a little dizzy. Or maybe I'll change the name to "Zany Cakes (which bear no resemblance to Zebra Cakes but are in fact a little crazy)".

Italy - three days later

Well, we're back. Very little Internet opportunities abroad, so I was not able to blog.

I want to spend the next hour outlining all the little details, telling you funny stories, expressing my love for this country and the best week of my life.

But frankly, I am too. effing. tired.

I thought I really had this jet lag thing beat. We had few problems when we got there -- full days and fairly restful nights. And when we got back, we were so exhausted we slept overnight and were awake the next morning. See? Beat. We sleep at night and are up during the day.

But the long arm of the law (of gravity? of the theory of relativity?) has finally caught up with us. The past few days have been somewhat of a blur....waking up at 2:45 a.m. one morning (went back to sleep), and waking up at 4 a.m. the next (did not go back to sleep).

And now we are so tired we are watching the clock until we feel we are allowed to go to bed. You see, we don't want to go to bed too early for fear of waking up too early again. Make sense? Oh and also, we both slept from about 6 to 8 p.m. tonight. Little nap to tide us over.

So....Italy was beyond my wildest dreams. Swimming in the Mediterranean made me want to be a better person. It was that beautiful. But right now, so is the Bed of Sleep and Dreams. So I'm not in a good state to judge.

Italy - the night before

It's the night before we leave for Italy. Conan's on. Beverly's meowing at the door. Things are pretty typical.

We packed up our fancy new backpacks tonight. We totally look like real backpackers. Surprisingly roomy, those things! Can't wait to heave those around the Mediterranean.

For some reason, I feel nervous about this trip. We've traveled before: New York, Boston, Chicago, Key West. Just not to a foreign country. I honestly don't know what to expect. Maybe I don't have enough imagination, but the only thing I think of when I think of Italy is the shape of the boot.

We are preparing for the worst. If you only looked at our packs, you might think we were traveling to a remote jungle. We have a first aid kit, extra garbage bag, toilet paper, spork, flushable wet wipes, disposable tooth brushes, and a little roll of duct tape. Seriously, if we get caught unawares on this trip, it will be because we did not pack for a zombie attack.

I know I'm being paranoid. I'm sure we will learn our own travel tricks and can probably leave the global phone at home next time. I just want everything to go well, avoid spending thousands of dollars on fancy amenities like flip flops.

I was asked which monument or museum I look forward to most. My response: Uhh, does food count? Honestly, I can't wait for all the cheese, pasta and gelato I can stomach. Then I suppose I'll go get me some Sistine or David or somefink.

I will try to blog as we go...no promises. I am happy we are going. Trips just seem a little unreal until I'm actually on the plane. With my all-weather poncho at the ready.

You're so vanity

There's not a lot I can remodel, repaint or replace in my house. The kitchen cabinets are not worth the time, and the master bathroom requires a professional. And possibly some professional grade explosives.

So I do what I can. And this past week, I repainted the bathroom vanity in the guest bath. Step by step for those who like that kind of thing. If you don't, skip ahead to the photo:

1. Take everything apart. Knobs, hinges, etc.
2. Sand lightly. Fill in any unwanted holes with wood filler.
3. Prime with oil-based primer. One coat will do ya.
4. Paint. You can use a combo of roller and brush, but I learned that the folks at Young House Love were right: skip the foam roller and go with a cotton or fabric roller. Foam rollers = bubbles.
   
   4a. I chose Dark Granite by Olympic. Don't let the patronizing paint guy at Lowe's talk you out of this color. Specifically his words were, "Now, are you looking for BLACK or ALMOST BLACK?" in a "do you know your colors, little girl?" kind of way. He also pointed out to me that I had picked the wrong paint to tint. I would put money on the bet that he is single.
   
   4b. I ended up with kitchen/bathroom acrylic latex, semi gloss, base 5. I also ended up with an entire freaking gallon of it, thanks to the advice of the aforementioned patronizer. You will probably need only a quart.
5. Wait 48 hours. Visit often to admire your nearly finished project. Do not let the doors dry while sitting on the bathroom rug. Trust me.
6. Add adorable, overpriced knobs. I recommend Anthropologie.
7. Attach hinges. I bought new ones. Then I bought more new ones that were actually the right kind.

And once again, I have spent two weeks on a painting project and I am vowing never to do one again. But I do love it, so I'll probably be back in a month.

Magnolia Experiments

Thanks to a lovely gift from my bud Sarah B., I have been experimenting with recipes from the Magnolia Bakery. This book is AMAZING. Everything tastes better, from chocolate chip cookies to buttercream frosting.

After a few successful tries with the more traditional outings, I mustered up the courage to try a few new things. For instance, the cookies below. In the book, these are called Chocolate Covered Logs. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of the name. So I renamed them Lindsayfingers. And boy are they delicious! The cookies are kind of a shortbread with orange zest, dipped in chocolate and rolled in hazelnuts. Never made anything like them before, but they were DELISH!



Another recent experiment were mini Key Lime pies. I used the Magnolia recipe for Lime Tart and added it to these Nabisco/Keebler/whatever mini graham cracker crusts. I added a generous glob of homemade whipped cream and brought them to a pool party. They were a huge hit! Only mistake I made was adding the whipped cream before the pies were cool (so it all melted and got messy, but I added more when it cooled off and no one was the wiser ;).


As I get more courageous, I'll keep you posted on the other experiments. Absolutely recommend the cook book for an average baker who is looking to add some OO! to your cOOkie sheet.

Groovy Curtains 1 and 2

When we first moved into our house, we discovered a few, uh, peculiarities left by the previous owner. These included a bathtub on a pedestal (read slipping/falling hazard), a few duct tape interventions and these:


Notice the sheen on the pure poly curtains. On one hand, it's way more disco than I prefer. On the other hand, it makes it harder to see all the oil stains.

So I finally picked out a new fabric and replaced those suckas. I also discovered the Ikea fabric corner, which is separated by color, has funky patterns and totally satisfies my need for organized and limited options (no offense to you SAS-lovers out there; I just can't handle pawing through mounds of fabrics to find what I want!).

I dragged out my little Hello Kitty sewing machine and busted these out in an afternoon:

I'm pretty proud of them. I only stitched up ONE opening, and the seams aren't straight (stop looking at my seams, you Neurotic Nelly!) so overall, pretty sweet.

And I get to cross off an item that has been on my to-do list since we moved in, 2 1/2 years ago. Yay!

Harry Potter treats

Over the summer we got to watch the final Harry Potter movie with our two nephews. To commemorate the occasion, and prove to the boys that their aunt is a hopeless nerd, I made some Harry Potter theme treats.

Pumpkin Pasties:


Assembled with pre-made pie crust (thank you Marie Callender's) and a number of fillings, but mostly pumpkin (made with canned pumpkin and evaporated milk and stuff). Later we added cinnamon apples, fresh apricot, Snickers, Nutella, and ham and cheese. We went a little crazy with the fillings.

I also made these Black Bottom cupcakes (from the Magnolia cookbook) and added chocolate licorice to fashion some Cauldron Cakes:


They were both cute and delicious.

I'm not sure the cuteness really resonated with my super cool nephews, but hey, it made me inordinately happy. Riddikulus!

Losin' It

This time I'm not losing my mind...I'm losing my body!

One of my goals for post-school life was to lose weight. I am about a month out of school and happy to report I've lost about 8 pounds. I'm way excited, but the battle has just begun.

So I thought I would post some of the things that have worked for me. These tips are not meant as a how-to for anyone else...actually it's really just for me so I have something to look at later. Like when I'm thinking of going out for pizza at 11 p.m. and I need a little inspiration.

Eating

• I try to keep track of what I eat. I do much better when I write it down. Makes it more obvious when I cheat or tell myself "well you didn't really eat much today," when it turns out I did!


• Plants. We buy way more fruits and veggies now, and try to add a little something to every meal. I also bring Pink Lady apples to work as a wonderful, crisp snack. Quite filling, too.


• Pasta. I basically don't eat pasta anymore. Sad but true. (Don't worry, I plan on breaking this little rule when we visit Italy.)


• Less. This is a follow up to keeping track of what I eat. I find that I can eat less and still be full and happy.


• Plan. I do so much better when I pack a lunch for work or plan out some meals for dinner. The worst situation I find myself in is starving and unprepared.

Working

• We joined a gym. It helps us to exercise together.


• Spin. I have a spin bike at home to use when the gym is inconvenient.


• Heart rate. I bought a heart rate moniter. This thing is a game-changer! It's amazing the number of times I have been completely out of breath, sure I was ready to pass out, and my heart rate was at a piddly 150. It also helps me realize when I should probably stop (180).


• Time. 30 minutes is a joke. I honestly think I have to work out at least 45 minutes a pop to see results. Right now it's all about cardio and sweat (sorry to be offensive, but yes, sweating buckets is part of the plan). I'm hoping once I reach my goal I can focus more on muscle building/toning, but not there yet!

General

• If you want to splurge, splurge. We all have birthdays. And in my case, it's usually a birth-week. Just don't use it as an excuse to fall off the wagon.


• Take your time. If you just ate but are still feeling hungry, give it the Tummy Ten. Or Tummy Twenty if ten seems short.


• Be aware of boredom. If the gym gets boring, take an interesting class. I took Zumba, where I realized I suck at Zumba. But I might take it again.

Now for anyone who feels compelled to say something nice like tell me I am on the verge of an eating disorder, save it. I want to be healthier and look better. If in a few months I start telling you about my new friend "Anna" or giving advice on how to make yourself throw up, we'll talk.

It's all happening again

School is just days away from being over. I only have a few assignments left, and the stress level is at a minimum.

So what do I do? The same thing I did right after my wedding. I find ways to fill the stress gap. This morning I woke up early to worry about my parents' anniversary party today. And I sprinkled that anxiety with a dash of stress about an upcoming event at work.

Neither of these issues are inherently nerve-wracking for me. But it's the next best thing so my mind automatically clutches on to it.

I suppose that part will die down as it did two years ago. Until I find my next big life-changing crisis. :)

Totally Bitchin' Chicken

I stole this from a Weight Watchers recipe book, but did it way lazier than they wanted me to:

- Cook 2 chicken breasts on the stove in light olive oil, garlic salt and pepper
- add cut up veggies such as red and green bell peppers and onions
- in a separate dish, mix up 1/2 cup of light sour cream, 1tsp garam masala and 1tsp cumin.

When the veggies are nearly done, pour the creamy mixture into the pan until all pieces are evenly coated. Add cumin to taste.

T and I just ate this without any rice, but I bet some brown rice or quinoa would have been pretty good, too. Oh, and the recipe actually called for fresh mint and a dash of honey, yadda yadda yadda.

This was delicious and totally bitchin just the way it is!

It's May Day!

No, that isn't a cry for help. That is a celebratory greeting that means, in short, "Thank goodness April is over because I was ready to collapse!"

April was all things sad and tired: work + school = 7 days a week with no break.

May is all things bright and wonderful: anniversary dinner, housewarming party for our friends, graduation, graduation parties, and a trip to California!

I told myself I just had to get through April and everything would be OK. Well we are about 10 hours into May and I feel like I just barely made it. But I did make it.

No I'm not out of the woods yet. The next few weeks will be very busy, and I still have a class to finish in the month of June before I'm a fully fledged couch potato again.

But I'll be smiling all the way!

Overwhelmed

Seems like I can't take 20 minutes for myself these days.

Can't wait until May 13th: Graduation and the start of a two-week break from school.

Hope I can make it til then.

Between work and school I have exactly one weekend day to myself in the next MONTH. And that's Easter Sunday. Which will be busy.

Meanwhile my stress eating is giving me a lovely spare tire and fat arms.

Sigh.