Good Bye, Roaring Twenties!

I am officially finishing out the last days of my twenties. I'm not too sad about turning 30. I've mostly been trying to think of what I did on my twentieth birthday in 2001. I was on vacation from school (University of Florida) and I think I went to Venice Beach with Vanessa and Maike. Maybe they can remember :) I did a lot in my twenties and am proud of how much I accomplished in a very fun decade. I finished two degrees in two states, traveled a bit, made a ton of new friends had quite a few jobs, and married my best pal and moved across the country with him. (With a lot of silly antics thrown in there.) I am sure my thirties will be just as great.

We received an AWESOME surprise today: two Lou Malnati's Chicago Deep Dish Pizzas!!! We ate the sausage one for dinner; it was so good! Our friends Doug and Becky sent it to us! Such a generous gift.

We have a few guests arriving this week. Megan is flying in on Thursday night and staying until Monday and our friends Scott and Milena are driving up from visiting family in California. I am thankful I have such awesome friends that will travel across continents to spend my birthday with me. It should be a fun weekend.

Jim volunteered with Food for Lane County today at their Grass Roots garden. He was out in the chilly rain for five hours, shoveling compost. What a guy, doing manual labor for free on his day off. He seems pooped and LOVED having a pizza at the end of a hard day. He and Trooper are playing while watching James Bond (a nice man's night.)

There is talk of snow tonight. Less than an inch but the news is already freaking out about it. Even a small dusting gets everyone worked up here! I hope it snows!!

Holiday Arts and Crafts

My husband drew this portrait of Trooper for me. I mean, "Trooper!"


I painted this portrait of Trooper for him. I like his a little more.


I finished a tote bag for one of my Christmas gifts. These are pretty easy to sew and I think it turned out well.


A few people got some hand made stockings. Next year I'd like to do some more embroidery or patchwork.


And I painted this pug, Lexi, with watercolors.

And so, if you didn't get a hand made gift for Christmas, maybe your birthday is right around the corner.

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas! Please ignore my morning hair do. Opening my new Culver's shirt!



Jim LOVES his new garden gnome from his mom.


I made french toast with an orange glaze for breakfast. I'm getting hungry just looking at it!


Jim bought me this awesome succulent garden. He also bought me a wine tasting for two at Sweet Cheeks. I can't wait to use it!


These pics are out of order. This was the soup that Jim made for us on Christmas Eve. It was really good. Our Christmas dinner was awesome also, but the chipotle sweet potatoes were a bit too hot and spicy for me.


We were so spoiled by our friends and family. Although we were far from everyone, we had a full tree and full hearts.

Christmas Week

I've been really spoiled since Jim's been on vacation. He's been driving me to work so he can use the car. Then I come home and do my workout and he has dinner all ready for me. I'm sitting on the couch drinking wine and Trooper's sleeping on the chair. We are listening to my very favorite Christmas albums, the Phil Spector one. Last night Jim made a really good dish, Tyler Florence's stuffed pork chops. The prosciutto inside is a really fun little treat. I took that and some eggplant from the other night for my lunch. Tonight he's making Ina's mustard roasted fish. He goes back to school around January 18th or so, so I can't get used to this royal treatment! We bought a ham at Trader Joe's for Christmas dinner. We are having one of my coworkers over who doesn't have any family in the area. I'm also making potatoes au gratin and a new recipe, chipotle twice baked sweet potatoes. I generally love all things sweet potato, so I'm hoping these will be a hit. We went to a local store, Curious K9, and bought Trooper some frozen beef bones for Christmas. I'm so excited to give that little guy his gift! It's our first Christmas with Trooper and as a married couple. We're really going to miss our friends and family. Okay, Jim just said that my dinner is ready!

Emergency Surgery

Trooper and Chicken are BFF. Notice how much longer one leg is due to all the games of tug.

Trooper is just lucky I have been sewing. We can't afford to constantly replace the toys he destroys, so I do an "emergency surgery" to make sure they last awhile longer. He has just been so, so playful. We think he's extra happy that Jim's on vacation all day and therefore wants to play most of the day and is wearing Jim out. What a good pup.
Tonight Jim used the marinara he made in an eggplant parm bake thing from Martha Stewart. If you don't get Martha Stewart Living, you should. I came in from walking the dog the other morning and Jim was drinking his coffee and reading the January issue. That Martha is a genius!

Amanda's Ginger Snaps

I've had a few requests for this recipe. One of the keys is that I line the cookie sheet with parchment paper and use an ice cream scoop to make the cookies. I can't lie, this is mostly from Better Homes and Gardens, but I use butter instead of shortening.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp ground ginger (if you really like ginger you can add candied ginger, but I felt it was too much)
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 cup molasses
Extra sugar to roll dough in before baking

Stir together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter on low for 30 seconds. Add 2 cups of sugar and mix until combined. Scrape sides of bowl. Beat in eggs and molasses until combined. Beat in the flour mixture.

Shape dough into balls using scoop. Roll balls in the extra sugar and place on cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 for 11 minutes. Do not overcook! Cool on wire wracks. Let loved ones enjoy!

Portland

As planned, we woke up and drove to Portland. Well, we took our time getting out the door. While we were busy minding our own business and eating our oatmeal, Trooper ate the sole out of one of my work shoes in our bedroom! Bad dog! He knew I was mad and put his little head on my leg. I took him on a 40 minute walk to work out his energy before we left for the day. He's never done anything like that before. So we drove up and the sun was actually out! It took about 2 hours to get there. We first went to Powell's Books. It's three stories and sells new and used books. It was giant. I had a few books in mind to get, but Jim told me that Santa may be getting some of them. So I picked three that Santa wasn't likely to bring. One on embroidery and two used novels. Then we walked to a brewery/ pub and had lunch. I had an elk burger and sweet potato fries and a glass of wine and Jim had falafel. It was really good and just fun to eat out together. After lunch we went into the Anthropologie we'd spotted. Oh, beautiful goods. It was packed with Christmas shoppers. I tried on a few things while Jim sat on a couch playing on his iPhone. Then the frugal side of me put the clothes back and we left. It was still fun to browse. We found a Stumptown Coffee (one of our new favorite kinds of coffee) and each got a coffee (decaf for me) and headed to the car. It was a fun day but we were eager to get home to our house and puppy. A half hour into the ride the rain started again, but by the time we got home it was clear and still light, so I took Trooper for a jog to wear him out. I think we are just having curry and tofu for dinner (after the elk lunch.) Back to work tomorrow!

Arts and Crafts Day

I ordered these from Namemaker.com! I love them.


Trooper loves his post so much, he doesn't get down when he's tired. If you're wondering why this chair is covered in blankets, it's so it doesn't get dirty from the never ending mud and dirt that gets tracked in on the never ending rainy days.


I made this at our Big Brothers Big Sisters craft day.

We've had a fun few days! Jim is relaxing and helping out a lot around the house. He's been reading for fun (imagine that!) and making me dinner, cleaning, etc. On Thursday night we went over to some friends' house. Trooper came but was a little nutty. They have a dog who is still kind of a puppy. We also set out appetizers on a coffee table. Bacon and little hot dogs were driving him crazy! But it was still fun. Last night after work we ordered a pizza. It was no Chicago pizza, but I enjoyed it. Then we went over to another friends' house to have a drink and meet their cat, who we will be checking on over the break. Everyone else is on vacation but both nights I was the party pooper who was tired from working all week! Today I got out the last of my Christmas packages. I was relieved but the postage made me realize, once again, how far away we live from friends and family. I imagined my little packages covering the entire continent to get to New York, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, etc. Then I took my Little Sister to a place called MECCA, for an arts and crafts day with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She made cards for her mom and brother. She seemed to have fun. I also gave her a framed picture of us together for Christmas, and I think she liked it. Right now I am sitting on our chair while Jim makes marinara sauce to make dinners this week. Trooper is on our couch, which sounds like it's about to break again. Our not so sturdy Ikea couch broke in April. Jim used Gorilla Glue and a clamp to repair it, but we can hear it cracking under our weight every time we sit down, and one of the areas is bending under the pressure. We have wanted a new, comfy couch for awhile and may have to break down and get one. We've had our Ikea not so comfy not long enough for Jim to stretch out on couch for three years, so maybe it's served its time. Jim is going out with some friends later but I already have my jammies on and got Funny Face from Netflix. And a bottle of wine and my doggie. What more could a gal want on a Saturday night? We're still heading to Portland tomorrow. No offense, other humans, but I'm really excited to have a full day of just Jim and I on a little adventure. I'll post pics tomorrow!

What a Nice Husband

Jim made one of our faves, pasta with with sausage and peas.

Last night Jim picked me up from work and took me home to work out while he went to the grocery store. He made dinner and bought me flowers and a chocolate bar. What a guy! We started watching Good Hair, a documentary by Chris Rock about African American hair. It's really good so far. It looks like we're actually having a few days of no rain, which is a nice relief. I am hoping to ride my bike to work tomorrow. I love riding it, but it's hard in work clothes. I get to wear jeans on Fridays so that makes it a bit easier. I only have a certain amount of nice work pants and wouldn't want them to get muddy or ruined on a rainy day. We are going to a little party tonight. A law student and his fiancee are hosting us before everyone goes away for the holidays. I am hoping I can convince Jim that Trooper should go with us. He was invited, after all. Saturday is a Big Brothers Big Sisters event at a local art studio. We'll be making Christmas crafts, which should be fun. On Sunday we are heading to Portland for the day together to go to Powell's Books and Stumptown Coffee. And get lunch somewhere. Then it's a week of work. I have to work on Christmas Eve and then Jim and I want to make Christmas cocktails together and listen to Christmas songs. And eat cookies. I can't wait!

Christmas Break (for Jim!)

Yay, Jim's done with finals! He is already awake and planning his DVD to watch today. He was home by the time I finished with my dinner last night. The dinner went well, except for a few near break downs from my Little Sister. She just needs to learn patience and sportsmanship. But the night ended well because she won a doll in a raffle.
I had a request from my very lovely friend for my meatloaf recipe. I use Ina's for mini meatloaves and make a big meatloaf. It's really yummy. I've also been searching for the cookie recipe that we love. It's in the December issue of Martha Stewart and called "One Basic Cookie Dough, 30 Kinds of Cookies." I've made three different versions of the cookies and we've loved all of them.
I've also found a fun Eugene blog, Culinaria Eugenius.

Christmas time!

Trooper Zika: The King of Chillaxin.

Last night I made a really good Sunday dinner: meatloaf, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes. I was expecting Jim to be late for dinner, but he walked in just as I'd started eating. He even watched a little 60 Minutes with me. I was exhausted from house cleaning, jogging with Trooper, etc. I started watching a documentary on Valentino (which he owns about five pugs! They even put diamond clip on earrings on them, which was hilarious) and fell asleep. Tomorrow is my family dinner and Jim's LAST final! He is heading straight to the bar afterward. We'll see if he's still there when I'm done or if he's pedaled himself home. Yay to no more finals! I keep hearing about how cold it is in Chicago. It's been raining a lot here, but oddly warm. We had the windows open on Sunday. It's making it hard to realize that it's Christmas. We might be a bit frigid when we head to Illinois, but it will be worth it! I just pulled some spice cookies out of the oven for Jim. He's pretty spoiled!

Tangled

We're in the home stretch of finals! Jim has one more, Tuesday at 1:30pm. On Friday evening we went out for sushi with another couple. It was really fun and I am glad Jim went. (I was ready to go without him!) The sushi was yummy and we went to an area of Eugene I'd never been to. Some of the rolls had pickled jalapeno on top, which was really good. On Saturday I took my Little Sister to lunch (she didn't eat any of her taco, I think she was too excited) and to see Tangled. It was really cute. She brought me a cookie (she called on Friday night to ask my favorite color and made me one with pink icing!) and a card she made. There's a Family Dinner for Big Brothers/ Big Sisters on Tuesday night. Her mom can't go, so I'm going to take her. After dinner we'll be baking cookies together. After Tangled I got some shopping done and took Jim a coffee at school. Trooper and I went over and had a movie night with our friend and her dog. We actually didn't even watch a movie but drank wine and had fun. We just finished breakfast. I bought a ham and cheese croissant. It was really yummy. I used to love, love, love getting chocolate croissants at The Cocoa Bean in Geneva. I haven't had one in Eugene yet, but I've heard there's a good bakery called The Sweet Life. One of my baking goals is to learn to make croissants. So flaky and buttery. Jim and I have plans to go to Portland next Sunday. We're going to check out Powell Book Store and get lunch together. I'm really excited!

TGIF

I put this picture in a frame and put it on my desk. It's my favorite picture and reminds me of my special guys and our perfect wedding day. (Photography by Bob Kessler)

Friday is here! I spend most of my week day dreaming about the weekend. Tonight Trooper and I have been invited to watch a movie at a gal's home. I am going to wear my jammies and hope I don't fall asleep on her couch :) Jim has his second final this morning and is about to head to school. Tomorrow he'll be studying away and I'm taking my little sister to see Tangled. It's been raining every day. It gets up in the 50s so it's warm, but wet. Sometimes it rains lightly and other times it pours hard. I haven't blogged since Tuesday morning. Tuesday evening I went out for a drink which was really fun. Wednesday and Thursday I came home, worked out, and worked on Christmas things. (I can't wait to post all of my Christmas crafts after they are given!)

Jim's First Final!

Today is Jim's first final, Torts at 1pm. We had our friends over for dinner last night. They brought their puppy. Trooper and Harvey played so much, it was great. They just chased each other around. Trooper tried to hump him a lot, of course. Trooper was so tired after! We had turkey lasagna and hopefully helped the guys forget about their final for just a little while. I made Jim eggs and chicken sausage for breakfast this morning. I don't know what single people do in law school. I assume they eat a lot of take out and live in their own dirt. After work I'm going to go to the gym and then get a drink with one of my lovely girlfriends. Jim will be back to studying, as his next final is Friday morning. Poor guy!

Christmas Cheer

Our stockings are up! I made this one for Jim and that's mine from when I was little. It's hard to see, but that's also a picture from our first Christmas together. Back in 2004. Yikes!

What's Christmas without cookies??

I couldn't wait for Jim to be done with finals to put up our tree! Usually he helps me decorate, but this year I had help from Trooper and a glass of wine.

I decided that I didn't need Jim to pick out our Christmas tree! (I did call home to confirm he'd help me carry the tree upstairs and put it in the stand. Which he did!) I picked a 6 foot one out at the Boy Scouts tree sale. I just finished decorating it. Jim's at the library and I even put the lights up by myself! I love looking at the decorations we have, even if it isn't a ton. I even put on Christmas music (my favorite album is Phil Spector's Christmas album (I think it's called a Christmas Gift For You. It's very awesome, even his creepy voice during Silent Night.)) I put more cookies in the oven. Martha Stewart has good cookie variations this month. Last night I made a small batch of thumbprints. I ate 2 and Jim ate 11, so I made 13 more, this time marble cookies. Trooper went for a jog and got a bath today, so he's sleeping soundly. He's still itching, but I did buy hypoallergenic soothing shampoo and fish oil to start putting on his food, so I'm hoping those will help. Maybe he's allergic to the Pacific Northwest. We are having a couple over for dinner tomorrow (a guy who is in Jim's section and his fiancee) to help them destress on the eve of their first final. (Is that possible?) I made Ina's lasagna today to pop in the oven tomorrow. (Kind of my go to meal!) I made pulled pork for dinner tonight. I make my own BBQ sauce and cook the pork in the Crock Pot all day. Then I put cole slaw on top of it on the sandwich. It's ridiculously good!

Saturday

Well, a lot was accomplished today. Last night I bought us burritos for dinner. Jim didn't have classes on Thursday or Friday, as they are reading (or study) days. I ordered us take out from Laughing Planet, which was really yummy. This morning Jim woke up at 6:30am, did his work out, and then went to the library until around 4pm. He took a break at dinner time and is back to studying at our kitchen table. His first exam is on Tuesday at 1:30pm. Since yesterday, we've done five loads of laundry for our house. We keep putting off buying our own washer and dryer, so we haul our clothes over to the laundry room. When I woke up this morning it was actually sunny outside! So I finished breakfast and took Trooper over to the dog park while it was nice out. He ran, chased dogs, humped dogs, etc. After lunch I took my Little Sister to the YMCA. We get in for free and she LOVED it. The Ducks game was on, so it was pretty dead. We played "racquetball" or her version, which just involved her hitting the ball a lot and declaring random scores (she won :) surprisingly.) We went in the shallow pool and then she decided it was time for racquetball again. Then basketball. She has a lot of energy and a shorter attention span. I learned two things about her: she can't tie her shoes and she's never had a granola bar. I guess I'm broadening her horizons in ways I never realized. I made shrimp etouffee for dinner and it was really good. I'm really excited to have a whole day to myself tomorrow with very little on the agenda, although I know it will fill up fast. Oh, and I just took some thumbprint cookies out of the oven! I have to keep Jim well nourished during finals!

Warm Puppy

Almost every night when I come home from work, I walk up and look up in our living room window to see a little doggie face waiting for me. Then I see him jump off the chair. If Jim's home, he runs to "woof" at Jim to tell him I'm coming. Then he grabs a slipper or a dog toy in his mouth to greet me. (He's been really into slippers lately.) In the morning when I leave, Trooper (and usually Jim) is looking out the window and waving at me (with Jim's help of course.) I know my dog is just a little Canis familiaris, but he's a lot more to me. Jim's at the library and then he has a Green Business Initiative meeting. I think this is the second time this week I've had dinner alone, but I'm not really alone with my pup. I still have a cold or something and can't wait for the weekend. I made Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken for dinner (TJ's is really a working gal's best friend.) Trooper is chewing on his bone right now and we're hoping we'll still be awake when Jim gets home (not likely!)

Funny Pup

I wish this pic wasn't so blurry! But this is my almost finished craft shelf. The sewing machine isn't going there for good.


Since I started cleaning out the closet to fill my craft shelf, Trooper has been hiding in the guest room closet. Maybe it's his den. It's a little Anne Frank, but it's cute.

It's been rainy, rainy, rainy here. I only rode my bike to work on Monday due to the cold rainy days. I've also felt a bit sick, maybe a cold or something. Last night I watched Glee (while Jim studied at school until 10pm or so) and then fell asleep on the couch. But I still felt crappy today. Since it's been rainy Trooper hasn't been able to go to the dog park, so he's been super playful inside. I woke up early today to do a yoga video and left the boys sleeping in bed. After awhile I heard "squeak, squeak." It was Trooper playing with his toy pre 6am. Then tonight he ran out with my slipper in his mouth trying to get either of us to play. What a nut! There was a Big Brothers Big Sisters social at a bar tonight but I felt a tad too sick to socialize. Tomorrow night is Grey's Anatomy with the gals but I may stay home and veg again. Blah!

Try this Lasagna!

Tonight I made Giada's Asparagus and Pancetta lasagna. It's a favorite around here. I prepped some of it yesterday and put it together today. So yummy! I am still working on organizing the guest room. Organizing my craft area made me pull out a box of Christmas decorations and that made me want to decorate for the holidays! As long as the room is in order at the end of December that's all that matters. I feel like I'm getting a bit sick. My throat hurts and I'm run down. I guess biking to work today may not have helped. Hopefully the lasagna will make me feel better!

Nutcracker Lite

Today I took my Little Sister to see a shortened version of the Nutcracker. It was at a theater in Springfield. It was a ballet school with teeny girls to girls on point. It was really cute. My LS said she'd never been to a ballet before! I think she liked it. She liked their costumes too. After, she wanted to get her public library card (her mom filled out the form for us.) Due to where she lives, she couldn't get a library card. Her area doesn't have a public library to use due to tax reasons! She was so upset she wouldn't even talk for a few minutes. After we got in the car I convinced her to look at books at Borders and she perked up, so our day ended on a higher note. I roasted us a chicken for dinner and we ate the remnants of Jim's Turkey Day stuffing. Trooper seems to be missing Sheila today. I think he really loved having her here. Jim put together a shelf for me and I bought totes and organizing cubes to put in it. My goal is to organize my crafting area. I worked a bit on it before dinner and left the rest of the chaos for tomorrow. My craft supplies had been in our guest room closet so I had to dig through boxes to retrieve supplies. The hope is that they will all be more accessible and organized now. Hopefully! I'll continue to work on it tomorrow as I have a tired pup on my feet right now.

Where does the time go?

Is that the big question of adulthood? Where does the time go? When I taught classes, I had a lot of holes in my day where I'd get to do little tasks. Although I ended up grading papers and other stuff on the weekends, I had time during the week to run errands or other things. So now I'm adjusting to what every other adult does in the world! By the time I work out, walk the doggie, do laundry, and get groceries, I think, where did my day go? What do people with kids do? Yikes! Jim studied at school all day. I even took him a coffee to help the studying along. I think his last day of regular classes is on Wednesday and then it's finals time! I think he's done around Dec 14 or so. Jim made us a Giada recipe for dinner: pasta with sausage and white beans. It was so good! Then we went to see Harry Potter!! It was really good. We were sneaky and took Gingersnaps in a tupperware container in my purse. Jim just took Sheila back home (her owner gets in tonight.) I was sad to see her go. I teared up a little. She's a good girl. I just won't miss Trooper being an a-hole to her.

Thankful for a Feast

I am only posting this pic (from Tuesday night) to show you the life that Trooper is used to. A life where he is the alpha dog. That's why he's been trying to dominate Sheila. He won't let her chew on his bone, sit on the couch, have us pet her, etc, etc. Instead he just wants to hump her. A lot.


After I ran my Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning (which my results aren't even online; not sure why my chip didn't work!) We were cooking and the doggies were taking their job of sleeping very seriously. (Please ignore the clutter.)


What's Thanksgiving without green bean casserole? This is Trader Joe's recipe, with Portobello mushroom soup (and no MSG!)


I made Brussell Sprouts with shallots. I forgot to take a pic of Jim's wonderful stuffing!


I also made everyone a bag of Gingersnaps. Yum!


Jim made this fabulous cheese tray. Sorry ladies, he's taken.


Just some of the awesome dishes we had. Those sweet potatoes were amazing. Oh, and there's some of Jim's stuffing! We are thankful for all of the things we have in life, including our good friends, family, each other, and Trooper Zika.

Sheila and Trooper

Doggies

We are so happy to be dog sitting an adorable girl, Sheila. Her owner is a law student. She said we could just stop over and let her out and feed her, but I couldn't imagine a doggie being alone all night. So she came over here! She's older and bigger than Trooper. He has a bit of only child syndrome, so this should be good for him. She mostly sleeps and wags her tail. She laid down to eat her dinner! Right now she's snoring. Jim made one of his stuffings (the one that will go in the bird in the a.m.) and I'm about to make my cookies and pumpkin bars. I'm pretty excited to not have to work tomorrow. I have my Turkey Trot at 9am and we are heading over to start cooking around noon. Dinner is planned for around 2 or 3pm. If we get home at a decent hour I want to watch Little Women. I watched it last Thanksgiving when Jim went to see his CASA kid and I'd like to continue that tradition. I'll be taking my Little Sister to a shortened version of The Nutcracker on Sunday, which should be fun. Okay, I have to get to my baking! (I've got a bottle of wine to help me along.)

First Snow

During the night it snowed! I love the first snow. We woke up at 5:45 to work out and it was so pretty and quiet out. We didn't even get an inch. Trooper loved the snow too! He wanted to play all day. When I walked him this morning he was playing with the frozen leaves and eating snow. The drive to work was slippery because they don't salt here. People were driving 10 mph. The Eugene schools were closed! The snow was mostly melted by the time I left work. After work we bought our Thanksgiving supplies. We are taking a cheese plate, brussel sprouts, green bean casserole, stuffing, a cheese plate, and pumpkin bars. Yum!! One more day of work until the big Turkey Day!

Biking in the Rain

This morning it was not raining so I decided to start riding my bike to work. I am going to aim for riding at least once a week. It's only 2 miles away and takes me about 15 minutes. On my way there a woman passed me on her bike! (I've actually had a man jog past me while riding.) It's a little extra exercise (those of you who know me are probably thinking, really? do you need to exercise more?) and it will save us a little gas. Well, while I was at work the rain started. I rode home in the dark (don't worry, I have lights and only ride in safe areas) and the cold, cold rain. As I approached our house, Jim came from the other direction to escort me home. He has rain pants, which I really need. My pants were soaked through! After I took Trooper out (in his new raincoat!) I jumped in my jammies and poured a glass of wine. I'm making spaghetti carbonera for dinner (such a good cold weather food!) They are calling for an inch of snow during the night. Schools to the east of us have already called off school for tomorrow. Maybe they should spend a winter in Northern Illinois :) Jim's driving me to work tomorrow so that he can take the car and do our Thanksgiving shopping. Having Thursday off is really motivating me through the week. And our potential Harry Potter date!

Pork Chops Marsala

Jim is currently in the kitchen prepping pork chops marsala and creamy polenta for dinner. I'm pretty excited. I just took ginger snaps out of the oven. Jim loves spicy desserts that aren't too sweet and LOVES ginger snaps. I made the Better Homes and Gardens recipe. I liked Ina's, but the candied ginger chunks were a bit too much for me.
Saturday was a very busy day. Jim worked on his memo at home until 15 minutes before it was due. I had to work from 8am to noon. I rushed from work to pick up my little sister for BBBS bowling. After bowling we went to the park. She has fun doing kid things like swinging and playing on the jungle gym. (Which I played on as well. I'm very sore today. I fell twice. Parents were staring but it was for a good cause.) In the car she asked me if I had a boyfriend. I said, actually, I have a husband. To which she responded, do you like him? (I guess that is a legitimate question.) I said, I love him more than anything. She's a funny kid. After I dropped her off I ventured to Trader Joe's (which was a nut house, but I wanted to get shopping out of the way.) Then I came home and took Trooper on a jog. We came home at 4:45 and Jim had just submitted his memo.
We went to Toshi's Ramen for dinner, which was awesome. You order at the counter and they bring your food to you. We had potstickers and we both ordered different types of ramen. Oh my gosh, it hit the spot! I had been so cold all day (probably from playing in the park). The noodles and broth were so good and they even put a pad of butter on top which melted into the soup. Yum! After dinner we met some friends for a drink. Jim was turned away from one bar due to his expired license. We went and had a few drinks at another. I was so tired but it was fun.
Jim took the WHOLE day off from law school work! Today we've been catching up on household things (four loads of laundry and still going), shopping, and getting the fenders put on my bike. We went to the campus gym (yesterday Jim saw a naked baby in our apt's fitness center; the mom said to him, the baby peed herself and I really had to get this workout in. Then the baby tried to play with the free weights, a tort waiting to happen as Jim said.) We're looking forward to a nice evening together.
I signed up for a 4 mile Turkey Trot on Thursday morning! Looking forward to trotting pre-turkey.

New Job

Jim's step mom, Judy, sent Trooper this new rain jacket!!

I've officially been offered my temp job as a full time permanent position. We are both happy to have a reliable income and benefits for both of us. I'm already daydreaming about the massage I'll be treating myself to on my birthday :) (I'm sure that my readers can tell that I don't blog too much (or at all!) about my job. I prefer to keep work at work!)
Jim's at school studying until late tonight. Trooper and I are even going to take him his dinner (just veggie burgers and sweet potato fries.) And he doesn't know it yet but I bought him some beer for when he gets home. Yep, I'm a great wife.
Last night I went to Territorial for a wine tasting. We really just bought a bottle of wine rather than flights. It was relaxing and one wonderful friend and I looked through old Bon Appetits and discussed our Thanksgiving meal. We're really excited to be cooking it together! Jim stayed home and wrote and studied.
Tomorrow morning I have to work until noon and then will be going bowling with my little sister. Jim and I are actually planning on going on a date tomorrow night! We are going to go out to dinner (a rare occasion these days!) which is my treat (I'm the breadwinner here!) to celebrate the new job and Jim finishing his memo (assuming he gets it in by 5pm tomorrow.)
And we are officially going to Illinois from January 6- 10! Get ready!

Hump Day

Trooper seems to be so much better. He has only itched a few times since I got home from work. Last night he slept all over my half of the bed and I curled up in a tiny ball to let him sleep. Whatever my doggie wants, my doggie gets. I hope this medicine works! He had fun watching me (and so did Jim!) do the Jillian Barberie yoga workout on the Comcast OnDemand. (Which is really kind of tough!) I made tilapia, risotto, and TJ's version of green bean casserole for dinner. Tomorrow night I think I am going to a wine tasting. I think my friend and I are going to plan out our Thanksgiving menu while there, which should be fun.

Back to the Vet

Last night I saw On the Rhine at WOW Hall. It was a neat place. It was kind of like a church. And my kind of crowd! Lots of older folks with some kids sprinkled in. Loudon Wainwright's daughter opened for them. The lead singer has a beautiful voice and they live in Ohio (birth place of baby Amanda.) I enjoyed hanging out with Mahala too.
This morning was a bit stressful in our house. After 2 days of Benadryl, Trooper was still itching all night. Our car tags and Jim's license expired in October. To register our car here we have to do extra paper work since the bank owns it. This involves a lot of steps that my lovely husband has been taking care of. He can not get his license because his passport expired and he does not have a birth certificate (but his mom ordered us a new one today!) And with one car, I needed a ride to work (too wet to bike) so he could get to the DMV and vet. All this with Jim's memo due on Saturday. Whew!
Luckily, the vet thinks Trooper just has allergies that may have become infected due to too much itching and licking. So he gave him steroids and antibiotics. Hopefully that will help!
We are staying in Eugene for both Thanksgiving and Christmas due to our finances. It looks like we'll be having a bit of a Thanksgiving potluck with some other law school couples and I'll be working the next day. Any of my readers are welcome to come visit! We are thinking we are heading to Illinois after Jan 3 but before Jan 18. Otherwise, it will be a long while before we travel again!
Okay, I must get to making pizza and finishing laundry (I'm still catching up on laundry from two weeks ago!) Ciao!

Muchaca

Right now we have beef simmering on the stove top to make Muchaca (sort of shredded beef that we'll use to make tacos.) I made it a bit differently (is that the adverb form of different?) than the recipe. I'm using a different cut of meat as there was no skirt steak at Albertson's. Actually, when I asked the butcher, he was a bit of a meat snob and said skirt steak is "too fatty and no one buys it." So I bought other steaks of some sort. I also did not marinade the steak for 8 hours. I've also got an apple bread in the oven. It's the same recipe as zucchini bread but with shredded apples instead. It seemed autumnal. Jim is in our room studying away (finals are only a month away!) We gave Trooper a benadryl to help him get some itching relief. Poor pup! He's passed out in his crate right now. This afternoon I timed myself on my bike to see how long it would take to get to work. It's only 2 miles away. I'm hoping I can ride my bike once a week or so to save on gas and get some extra exercise. It only took me 15 minutes. Jim put my bell and lights on for me (since it's almost pitch black by the time I leave work at 5pm.) Next he'll just have to put on my fenders. Tomorrow after work I'm going to see a band called On the Rhine with a friend. It may be a late night (for me at least!) so I hope to blog again on Tuesday.

Little Sister Day!

Today was my first day out with my LS. We had a really good first outing. We went to a raptor exhibit that was really neat. Then we walked around a park. It's really fun to have a little friend who likes to pretend she's an animal or throw leaves and sticks in the river. Then we went to the library. She wanted to hang out even longer but I reminded her we'd have time together next week. I hope she had a good time. We're having a little pizza and football party at our apartment. I think we're having 10 people over or so. Should be a good Saturday!

November

It looks like there was a frost in the night. Trooper and I just took our morning walk and it was chilly! Trooper is still itching on and off. Poor dog. We may take him back to the vet. Jim's feeling a bit better. Tonight I am meeting my little sister! I'm excited and nervous. I already have ideas of things to do if she'd like to hang out this weekend. I've also invited a few girls (maybe just one) over to watch Grey's Anatomy (hope we don't bother Jim!) tonight.

Just the Three of Us

We are back to being three. I was at work all day and poor Jim got sick! He wasn't feeling well when I left and biked home at lunch and stayed on the couch where I found him at 5pm. Poor guy! I made him some chicken noodle soup for dinner. I get to meet my little sister on Thursday evening! I'm so excited. We are meeting at the office downtown. I've been looking into free things to do around Eugene. I even found a program at the library where kids can read books to dogs! (I want to read books to dogs!) We are also happy because our wonderful friends in Seattle have agreed to dog sit for Trooper when we go to Illinois in January. Trooper will get to hang out with Debbie, Lyndsey, and Unckie Jojo. Now we'll just keep workin for the weekend!

Last night with our Visitors

We are going to miss Karen and Dave! Trooper is laying between them on the couch right now, so cozy. He LOVES having them here! So do we. They drove up to Corvallis today to see a friend while we were at work/ school. We just finished a nice lasagna dinner. We're bummed to see them go!

Winery Fun

Today we went to King Estate winery. It's a really nice winery that has a really tasty restaurant. It's such a great treat! We ordered flights of wine and had a late lunch. I had a cheeseburger that was SO good. We took the tour of the winery. On the way home we showed Karen and Dave our favorite store here, Market of Choice. I just made a lasagna for tomorrow night and we're going to have a pizza for dinner tonight. I have to watch 60 Minutes!

Fun Filled Weekend

We've been having a great time with Karen and Dave. On Friday after work, we took Trooper to the dog park and walked around by the river. We went out to eat at Cornucopia, which was really good. On Saturday morning, Karen and I went to the Saturday Market. The weather was great and we had fun looking at all the booths. I bought myself a cool shirt and we loaded up on produce, flowers, and pie. We came home and at sammies and then loaded up to drive to the coast. We even took Trooper! We drove to Florence and explored some sand dunes (pics to come) and drove north a bit to a lookout where we were able to see a herd of sea lions swimming! It rained a bit during the drive but we all had a nice time. Jim made one of my favorite things for dinner (chicken picata!) and I cooked the swiss chard and mushrooms we bought at the market. We drank wine and played Scrabble. This morning Karen helped us give Trooper a bath with T-Gel, blow dry him, and put Noxema on his skin. He looks handsome and hopefully will feel less itchy. Jim's at school and when he's done we are heading to the wineries. I only wish it wasn't Sunday already! Luckily they don't fly out until Tuesday morning.

Family Visit

Karen and Dave made it safely! They arrived around 8pm last night. I made pasta with smashed peas and sausage for their arrival. I have to work today (boo!) but am looking forward to hanging out with them all weekend.

We Love our Doggie

We love Trooper so much. Right now he's sleeping on our bed. Jim went to find him and said, "You should come look at him!" He was just sleeping, but still darn cute. Most of my readers know that Trooper came to me at a very important time. Just about one month before our wedding (which was stressing me out a bit to plan) and a few months before a major move. He's been my constant companion since we came to Eugene and has always given me someone to talk to and hang out with. We love that pup!
After work I took Trooper to the dog park with a friend and her dog. Trooper wasn't in too much of a playing mood until her pup got him running a bit. Then we walked our dogs on the path until it got dark (which is so much earlier and about to get MUCH earlier). It's been really helpful to have made some girlfriends here to talk to.
When I was finishing my walk, Jim called to say the can of salmon we bought was weird (it still had skin and bones in it). So I ran to Trader Joe's and bought a frozen pizza and ravioli that I sauteed in olive oil. Now Jim's back to work and I'm hoping to get in a little sewing before I fall asleep.
Tomorrow is back to work and then cleaning in preparation for Karen and Dave's arrival! Yay!

Little Sister

I am so happy about my little sister match! I met with my case manager today. I won't be blogging too many details about my little sister for privacy reasons. I will say she's 10 years old and is really excited to be getting a Big Sister. We are aiming to meet with the family sometime next week. I think we're going to be a good match and she sounds like she could needs a Big Sister. I also think she's going to LOVE Trooper.
Troop seems to be feeling better. I woke up to him sleeping in the guest room. His itching and scratching has decreased quite a bit. He's been sleeping a lot. He's probably tired after a week of itching!
I had a beer with a friend after my mentor meeting. I have been lucky to meet some really cool people since we've arrived. It helps a lot!

Busy Gal

After work I had over a girl I've been working with for her birthday. I cooked her chicken parm and cheesy orzo. Jim had a dinner at school that involved boring things like tax and estates laws. We had a nice dinner and wine. Trooper loved having the company. Tomorrow after work is my Big Brothers Big Sisters meeting!! I started the application in August and am very ready to be a mentor. I think I'm having a drink with a friend after that which will be nice. Before we know it it will be the weekend! Jim's busy studying as usual and I'm getting ready to watch tv. Good night!

Sunday

Turkey meatballs with pasta! Yum! It's a Giada recipe (listed in the kids section of her cookbook, but we love it.) I couldn't find orecchiette anywhere and replaced ground chicken with ground sausage. Still good!


Ina's banana bread. Enough said.


Trooper has been a good doggie about getting in his crate! (It's taken a LOT of treats.) He gets in somewhat willingly about 75% of the time when we are leaving. He also lays in there while I cook. (Probably hoping for more treats.)

Last night I made turkey meatballs and relaxed at home. Jim came home from watching the football game and we watched a little of The September Issue, a documentary about the Vogue editor that The Devil Wears Prada is supposedly based on. So far it's interesting (even with Jim's old man commentary on the fashion industry :) .) Today was a lot of getting ready for Monday. Cleaning, shopping, etc. I took Trooper on a jog. He's still so itchy! We've been giving him antihistamines which seem to make him a bit lethargic. Today we bought lotion to put on him. His rash looks less pink, but he's still itching and seems to have a few scabs because of that. I hear him itching all night, poor pup. If he's not better by Tuesday we are going to call the vet again. In addition to the jog we took him on a long walk, hoping he'll be too tired to itch in the night. I made two pie crusts and Jim is making us quiche right now. The bacon smells so good! Back to work and school tomorrow!

Wedding Blog

The farm where we got married has made a blog to show off their weddings. Here's a link to what they posted about ours: http://checkyourheels.blogspot.com/2010/10/amanda-james.html
It was fun to go back and remember our perfect wedding day!

I'm Back, Readers!

I know, I've been a slacker about blogging lately! Sorry readers! Our days have been busy. On Thursday night we went to our friends' house to eat chili. After dinner the girls went to watch Grey's Anatomy and the boys went for a drink at the Beer Stein (or it may be spelled Bier Stein. Or something like that.) Friday night we went for a drink with some another couple. We are quite the social butterflies, I guess! This morning I went to the Saturday Market. Only two more weeks of it for the season! I think it starts back up in April. Then I went on a long run. It has been drizzly today but not too bad. Then I started my weekend cleaning and laundry frenzy. This afternoon I met a friend at a doggie costume party (see pics above!) It was fun but a bit chaotic. (As Jim said, you thought a bunch of dogs in costumes would be calm?) Trooper liked the attention but was scared by two french bulldogs that were dressed as flying monkeys. I don't blame him; flying monkeys are scary! There's a big football game on this evening but I'm in the mood for sweat pants and a glass of wine. Jim took some Cheez-Its and beer and went to watch it at a friend's house. Right now I have a banana bread in the oven and NPR on the radio and it's quite a relaxing scene. I am hoping it won't rain all day tomorrow so we can take a fall walk. We're getting excited for Jim's mom and Dave to come visit us next weekend. We have lots of fun things planned! Okay, I have to get to those sweats and that wine. I shall try to write more tomorrow, blog readers!

Rainy Days

Today was supposed to be a break in the rain, and it was for awhile, but then more rain came. Trooper and I had a play date with a girl I met and her puppy. At 4:30pm it was pouring rain. We still kept our plans, because it seems like in Eugene you just have to get out and do stuff in the rain. Luckily the rain let up so we walked around on the paths. We didn't go in the dog park since it was really muddy. The pups seemed to get along until the other doggie gave me kisses. Then Trooper barked. He doesn't like any other dog kissing his mom. Trooper seems to be feeling better. He's still itching but not as much. We've been giving him his medicine so hopefully his skin will clear up soon. Not too much else going on here. I made eggplant punjab with chickpeas over rice for dinner with TJ's garlic naan. Pretty delicious on a cold damp evening. Jim's gone into our bedroom to study. Almost the weekend!

Rocky Horror

I forgot to write that Jim has never watched Rocky Horror Picture Show in its entirety. (It was a Rocky Horror Glee tonight.) What did he do as a teenager? (Aside from planning trips to Reykjavik.) Has he never Time Warped!?!

Itchy Puppy

Trooper has been itching like crazy. He hasn't slept through the night and has woken us up at 5am a few times. This morning Jim was playing with Troop and noticed he had a rash on his neck and underarms. Poor pup was all red! So he called the vet and we made a 5pm appt. Luckily my job is really nice and let me leave early. We took him to the vet and he thought it was a food allergy. So we bought some antihistamines and new food. I was worried about him all day. I can't imagine what parents must feel like. But eventually kids can tell you what's wrong, whereas a doggie can't. The vet and vet techs loved Trooper, of course.
In other news, Big Brothers Big Sisters called me today and think they have found a youth for me! I'm really excited! Because of my work schedule, I can't meet with them until next Tuesday evening. They didn't give me any info over the phone.
Tomorrow evening I have plans to go on a doggie walk with a girl I met whose fiance is in law school after work. I think she's also going with me to the Howl-o-ween party on Saturday (a doggie costume party!). Sunday is a mushroom festival at Mt. Pigsah Arboretum. Let's hope it's not raining too hard!

Rainy Day

Tonight I decided against going to the running club. It's been raining cats and dogs on and off. I didn't feel like running in the cold and rainy evening. So I went to the fitness room at our complex and settled for the elliptical and Office reruns. On the days when I don't work out in the morning with Jim, I wake up at the same time and take Trooper for a long walk before work. This morning we made it out between showers. I made Ina's potato leek soup tonight with grilled ham and cheese. Yum! A good cold rainy night dinner. We've been watching Jeopardy while we eat and Jim usually wins. (Wait til I play him in Scrabble.) Then he's back to work! I've been sewing (but I'm stuck on some tote bag straps) and starting a painting. It's suddenly hit me how soon Christmas is and I'm not too far along on my Christmas crafting! Too many crafts, too little time!

Party On!

On Saturday morning I made raspberry muffins from scratch. On Sunday I made challah french toast. (We like to eat.)


Trooper's going to be a Mad Man for Halloween.


Party on Wayne! Party on Garth!

I am taking a break from cleaning to update my blog. The weekend has flown by again and I haven't posted since Thursday. On Friday evening we went to a potluck dinner at a law student's house. Jim made chicken wings with curry butter to take. They were great! We took Trooper, and he was fine until another dog showed up. All he wanted to do was hump the other dog. So finally I took him home since he was making a scene. On Saturday I spent most of the day running around preparing for the Halloween party at the law school. We were Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World. Jim was a sober volunteer at the party. It was in a gym on campus and felt slightly like a high school dance with kegs of beer. Today it's back to business. Jim's at the library studying and I'm cleaning and making food for tomorrow evening. Tonight we're having a fish and chips night. If it doesn't rain too hard tomorrow I plan on going to the Eugene Running Club again. Still working at the mall through the temp agency. I'm waiting to hear from Big Brothers Big Sisters on a youth match. Hopefully they will find me one soon!
I also want to remember my dear doggie friend, Pumpkin, who passed away yesterday. She was the best pug girl and I loved cuddling with her. She belonged to Jim Sr and Judy, my in-laws. She lived to be 16! We will miss you, Pumpkin! Such a sweetheart.

Checklist for a Cozy Home

1. Pumpkin spice candle.
2. Cute doggie. Even if he's not cuddling with me, just knowing he's here makes it cozy.
3. Warm dinner. I made a bag of frozen fried rice and frozen egg rolls from Trader Joe's. TJ's is truly the best for ready made foods.
4. Glass of wine.
5. Nice husband.
6. Comfy jammies.
7. Warm blankies and soft pillows to fall asleep while watching tv.

Blog Post 100!

Sleepy puppy!

I have now posted 100 blog posts! Woohoo!
I wish everyone could witness how cute our doggie looks right now. After work I jogged him over to the dog park. I made eggplant sammies for dinner. Trader Joe's sells frozen breaded eggplant. I cook it, put it on buns, and cover it with marinara and cheese. It's so good! I also made home made pizza puffs for a snack. Jim was fond of them, of course!
It's been getting cold here at night, sometimes down in the 30s. We haven't turned the heat on yet. We don't have a furnace but instead have electric wall heaters. I have already pulled out my flannel jammies and sweat shirts. I made myself a cup of Sleepytime tea and thought how much I love the smell and taste of Sleepytime (and the bear that is on the package.) I was thinking how comforting the flavor is. Kind of an old friend. Like the Paul Simon's voice of the tea world.
We are starting to plan our trip to Illinois in January. It looks like Megan will be coming to Eugene for New Years Eve AND my birthday (yay!!). So if she comes then we're looking at heading to Illinois a few days after Jan. 2. I'm really looking forward to returning to my beloved Midwest. My only concern is where we'll leave Trooper. It will also be nice for Jim to get a long break from school. Even if it's cold and frozen I'm sure Illinois will wonderful.
Jim's working hard on a paper/ memo due Friday morning. There's a Thursday night football game tomorrow and I'm hoping it won't get too loud around here. I'm looking forward to another nice weekend with my husband and dog.

Happy Birthday, Megan!

Today is the birthday of one of my very favorite friends, Megan. This is the tote bag I sewed for her. I made the same one last spring for my mother in law. I hope they both love it. I used a pattern from a library book I checked out back in Geneva.

Running Club

Last night after work I finally went to the Eugene Running Club! Trooper and Jim dropped me off. There were around 25 people there. I even saw someone I knew from Big Brothers Big Sisters. I jogged with two different women who were really nice. Then I had a veggie lasagna waiting in the fridge to be put in the oven, which was awesome. And pumpkin bars for dessert and Big Love on DVD. Pretty nice way to spend a Monday evening. Trooper woke us up at 5am this morning. He's never tried to wake us up, even on the weekends he sleeps in with us. He was pawing at both of us. Jim took him out. I said maybe he had a bad dream. We got him to lay back down until 6am when we woke up to go workout. He was a little playful this morning. I am planning to take him over to the dog park after work.

Autumn Days

This is one of the eggplants I used in my recipe (see below.) There are such pretty veggies at the market.


Trooper even got his paws wet at Mount Pigsah Arboretum. Jim's drinking coffee from the Wandering Goat.


I thought this tree trunk was cool. We all climbed over it.


It's tough being an adventurous puppy.



Jim made roast beef and we watched 60 Minutes and Big Love.

We had a very busy weekend. Yesterday I went to the market and stocked up on veggies and pasties. Then I met up with a girl I've been working with and we took our dogs to a dog park and went to lunch. I came home and cleaned and cooked and we had a couple over for dinner. I made penne with eggplant puree and Italian sausage. So good! It was a really fun dinner. When we woke up today I made bacon and eggs (fresh from the Saturday market!) and we loaded up the doggie and drove to Mt. Pigsah Arboretum. The leaves in town are changing but they weren't quite yet at the Arboretum. We walked around and explored. Trooper was in full hunting mode! He was sniffing and tracking something. (Maybe a cougar?) We were laughing so hard. As usual, he had a good time. When we came home Jim went to school and I was in task mode. Oil change, shopping, cooking, laundry, etc. I felt very productive. I made a veggie lasagna for tomorrow night. I am hoping to finally go the Eugene Running Club after work, so it will be ready in the fridge for dinner. I gave Trooper a bath; he was a dirty puppy! While I worked out Jim made a roast beef (so good!) and I'd made cheesy potatoes, carrots, and pumpkin bars for dessert. We had a really good autumn feast. Next weekend looks busy too. We are going to a potluck on Friday (dogs are invited!) and some Halloween function at the law school on Saturday. Tomorrow I am back at work at the mall office. Another nice weekend wraps up.