Get to know me: Day 12

What's in my bag, in great detail.


First, lets start with the bag itself:

I recently switched out of a goodwill purse and into this one because I needed a change and a little more room for my amazing planner, featured later in this post. This bag is from an etsy shop called Tannei Casey and it is actually a hand-me-down from my best friend. She found the bag first and fell in love, and I did too, when she visited the first spring I was out here. Then, a year later, when she got sick of it, she sent it along to me! This is pretty typical of us and I love it!


Anyway, inside the bag you will find:

My keys with a Hunger Games keychain, my library card, gym membership, petco pals card, Hermione and Dumbledore, and a sushi key fob that I also got from Etsy. And, of course, my actual keys.

My brand new, amazing, Erin Condren planner, which will be discussed in a future post as well. {And no, I did not spend $50 on it...I'm trying to save money!}

My kindle, which is awaiting its Christmas present of a case, from my sister. {This was my birthday gift this year and I love it!}

My wallet, a Target clearance item which was only $8! Love this thing.


There was also a tube of chapstick but I couldn't get a good picture of it and I didn't feel like playing around just to take a picture of Blistex. I'm sure you understand.
There isn't much because, like I said, I just switched over to it so I haven't accumulated all the stuff I normally do.


What's in your purse?


PS The next day is your week, in great detail. I'm going to post that next Monday, and instead I'm going to do a few other posts this week. It just made sense to do a week review on a Monday, plus I wanted to give you a break from this series.


Day 01 - Introduce yourself, in great detail
Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Happy October!

This is a repost from a year ago. The ArtsyGirl Connection is doing a blog hop on breast cancer awareness, and I thought I'd link up!


This is my grandmother. She's pretty much amazing.

When I was little, I used to think all grandmothers were like her. I have three grandmothers total (my mom's parents got divorced and remarried), but since two of them didn't live close by when I was growing up, my dad's mom (Gramma) was the closest to us, and we visited often.
When I grew up I realized just how unique my grandmother really is.

This is not to say that my other grandparents aren't amazing, they are, but in different ways. Anyway, back to my Gramma. A few years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I don't remember the year, and I don't remember the circumstances, only that I was shocked that something like this could happen in my family. Isn't that always the way? Thankfully it was easily treatable, she had a few rounds of radiation, and she's been in remission for long enough to have to stop seeing her oncologist (I believe)!

Others that I've known haven't been as lucky. Mrs. S was a wonderful woman who went to my childhood church for a few years. She tutored me in math for an hour once a week (for a whopping $3 an hour, can you imagine that? I make $11 to tutor now!) Anyway, Mrs. S had moved onto a bigger church for a while before I heard through the grapevine that she had breast cancer. It went into remission, but a few years later when I babysat for her, I discovered that it was back. This time around she lost her battle with it.

October is breast cancer awareness month. Are you aware of breast cancer? Chances are the answer is yes. It's a very "popular" form of cancer, unlike the rarer forms like pancreatic cancer, for example. There is a lot of information and awareness of breast cancer and, as my husband says, all the rest have to rely on the American Cancer Society. So if everyone has heard of breast cancer, it's all over the news and Susan G. Komen is a powerful influence on breast cancer research, then how come every 69 seconds a woman dies of breast cancer? According to the CDC, 191,410 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 (the most recent year these statistics were taken). 40,820 of them died of breast cancer. For all the facts and information out there about breast cancer, shouldn't there be fewer deaths?

I didn't want to post this here to lecture you, but ladies, once a month (not around your period, your breasts are lumpier then), please check your tatas. Learn them, remember what they feel like so as soon as you notice something different, it won't be too late. Just think about it, and maybe give it a shot this month, since October is breast cancer awareness month. Next time, pay attention when Target is advertising pink merchandise, go take a shower, and feel yourself up. It could save your life.

Bloggy Secret Santa!

It is no secret that I love to be frugal, but I also love a good Secret Santa! That's why I was excited when I saw someone link up to this Bloggy Secret Santa! You should all go sign up. There's a $15 limit which is great, and I feel like I can be very creative within that limit!

Also, I'm supposed to list a few things I like:
Jewelry, Joss Whedon, Harry Potter, scarves, socks, used/thrift store things (used is always preferred!) and here's my Amazon.com wish list. When it comes to books and DVDs, I prefer used :) I also have 2 kitties who I love, so anything kitty is good too!

So go join up!!

Get to know me: Day 11

 Laura and I, at the last Harry Potter book release.

My sister, Laura, is my best friend. Of course I couldn't devote the best friend post to her because I knew this post was coming.
There's a five year difference between us; six grades. La, as I call my sister, entered sixth grade the year I was a senior in high school. She started going to youth group, my youth group, and I wasn't exactly thrilled. When I went away to college, of course it was sad leaving her, but we were more siblings than friends, and the goodbye wasn't as hard then, as it is these days.
When I graduated from college four years later and moved in with my parents, something changed. Suddenly my sister was interesting, and fun. Though we'd both been reading Harry Potter for six years, it was the summer that the sixth book came out, and our time became consumed with talking about predictions. When the book came out and {spoiler alert!} Dumbledore died, I couldn't talk about it for a week. La used to read to me when I was taking a nap (she has an excellent reading voice) or when we were driving some place together. I will always remember that summer; the summer Harry Potter brought us together.
La is amazing. She moved from Massachusetts to Chicago when she was 18, when most of her friends were staying close to home. Then she moved from Chicago to LA, pursuing a dream to become a TV writer. (I'm not sure what it is with us girls and moving from the East Coast to the West Coast!) Though I try to convince her every day to move to Seattle, she's giving it a go, and doing the best she can, and I admire her for that.
La will be here for Christmas, and I can't wait to spend another Christmas morning together, just like we used to.


Day 01 - Introduce yourself, in great detail

Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Food Waste Friday

It wasn't the best week for food waste. This week we wasted a bowl of a failed crock pot recipe. Sigh. It had red sauce and pork in it, but also pasta. Geoff insisted that he's put pasta in the crock pot before, but I wasn't so sure. Well...I'm still not so sure.
We both had a bowl the night we made it, but it just wasn't that good. I'm especially disappointed about this because of the pork. Well, live and learn, anyway.

The other thing we wasted was some chocolate pasta. When our families were visiting in August they bought this pasta in Seattle. It's delicious, and we had it with vanilla ice cream and a nice blackberry sauce that Geoff made. Yum!
Anyway, this pasta sat in our pantry for months, obviously, just pushed to the side. Recently it somehow got pulled to the front, and I actually looked at it a couple says ago, thinking I'd make it when we have company tonight. Unfortunately, on Tuesday morning I opened the pantry door and knocked the bag out, and the pasta fell all over the floor. The floor which, in that particular spot, isn't very clean at the moment (don't judge). Geoff tried to help by running water over it (he wasn't thinking because I was yelling at him for the pasta that I dropped) which obviously ruined it.
I think the thing that makes me the saddest is that I was finally going to use it.

Hopefully this week is better.

Get to know me: Day 10

What you wore today, in great detail

I'm writing about what I wore yesterday, again, because I like my outfit and it's just easier this way.
Yesterday (Thursday), starting from the top, I wore:
No earrings because my hair was "done" (read: I put stuff in it and it was curly and covered my ears)
A pink button down short-sleeved shirt
Grey pinstripe pants
My awesome Sketchers (these things are so comfortable!)
Socks that matched my shirt!

Well, that wasn't very exciting. I never got around to taking pictures, even though I meant to, and now I'm in my pjs.
Plus, I'm tired so, this is all you get. Check back tomorrow, hopefully I'll have something more exciting.


Day 01 - Introduce yourself, in great detail

Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Black Cat Ball

I don't do consumerism very well. Clearly, since one of my favorite blogs is The Non Consumer Advocate. I am working on trying to remember that not everyone shares my beliefs, but it is difficult, sometimes, to watch friends go to concerts regularly, or other friends outfitting their house using more money than we have in savings, or still others who can go clothes shopping whenever they want without feeling like that money would be better spent going towards groceries, savings or credit card debt. I'm working on it, though.
Usually I find myself almost disgusted with the way people throw money around. Disgusted, disturbed and, sometimes, wondering about the state of their savings account (who am I? Try not to judge me, clearly I'm crazy). However, there was one night this past weekend, where I put all of that aside and encouraged people do spend more, more MORE!

After all, it was for the kitties.
Purrfect Pals, the cat shelter I volunteer with, and whom we adopted our wonderful Clarabelle from, held their annual Black Cat Ball on Saturday night. I've been working with Purrfect Pals for just over a year and a half now, but this is the first Black Cat Ball that I've attended or, should I say, volunteered at, because I'm not ready to be in that crowd during the auction yet!
Because yes, there was a live (and silent) auction. It was unlike anything I've ever seen. There were so many things donated, from bottles of wine with the Black Cat Ball label, to vacations all around the country (and in one case, the world!) There was alcohol, bid cards flying, yelling, cheering, clapping...it was wonderful. One man paid $2,000 to put his cat's face on the cover of the 2012 Purrfect Pals calendar.

Our sweet Clarabelle, working on a catnip pillow

Halfway through the night they stopped and did what is called the Friend in Need. This is where the shelter is simply asking for money (starting at $5,000, working down to $25. Anyone who wants to donate at any of those levels raised their bid card). They played a slide show of our wonderful cats and kittens and the vet working on them, along with a song. It was a little along the lines of that ASPCA commercial. (Don't click unless you want to cry!)
I wasn't the only one who teared up! Anyway, after all the bids were collected, they totaled up the Friend in Need donations: $38,000 were donated in that part of the auction alone.

I know there are so many charities out there, believe me, I do. Many of them get lost in the shuffle of the big ones, but they all deserve to be supported. Every single charity out there has suffered due to the recession, and though I can't speak for every other charity, I know that Purrfect Pals, despite facing budget cuts and a far lower income than expected, continues to give their cats the very same level of care they deserve, and which they've always had.
I wanted to remember this night, but I also wanted to remind you that Purrfect Pals, along with many many other charities are still out there. And, if you're so inclined, set aside your clothes shopping, or your saving (though please don't spend money you don't have!!) and think about helping out a kitty shelter that could really use it this year. Here is a link to their Amazon.com wish list. If all you do is donate a $7 cat bed, then you've made someone's day.
Remember the $38,000 that was raised? Most of it was donated at the $25 and $50 levels. It adds up, and it's so wonderful to see people uniting for a good cause, spending money, but selflessly, rather than selfishly.

Get to know me: Day nine

Your beliefs, in great detail

I believe in God and Jesus. I believe that you need to repent of your sins, accept Jesus into your heart in order to go to Heaven and spend eternity with Him.
But my beliefs go deeper than that. I believe that we are called to love everyone, no matter who they are and no matter what they have done, or believe themselves. I think we are called to be more than just weekly church-goers who hang out with church friends and no one else. This doesn't mean that I do this all the time, it just means I strive towards it. Whatever I do, I try to do it to the glory of God, and for his pleasure.



Day 01 - Introduce yourself, in great detail

Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Anxiety...and the bible

I've had this verse on my mind a lot recently, and it keeps popping up. I think God might have something to tell me.
First, my friend Elspeth left me a comment quoting it, and encouraging me on a previous post. Then Kelly, of Kelly's Korner fame (who, obviously, knows nothing about me) posted about this verse. Like I said, I'm pretty sure God is telling me something.

I've had this post wandering around in my mind for a while (even before Kelly posted basically what I wanted to say!) and I'm finally sitting down to write it. I was thinking about this verse in my journal, and most of what I'm about to write I also wrote there...but I'm sure I'm not the only one with anxiety, so I thought you could benefit from it too.

Anxiety is a new symptom to my depression, or maybe it's just a newly realized symptom. I used to call it paranoia...that I was paranoid about losing my job, for example, but when I explained it to my psychiatrist he said it's anxiety. Even though my depression is under control right now, I still have more bouts of anxiety than I'd like. I don't agree with Kelly's comment that it's a sin, and disobeying God because we aren't trusting in him...mostly because I can't really help it.
Anyway, this verse, one of my favorites, has helped me a lot in dealing with my anxiety lately. I'm anxious about my job, I'm anxious about my decision to go to (or, recently, not go to) school {I'll get into that in another post}. I'm anxious about how my life is playing out, and what I want to do with my life, and how to get where I really want to go.
But God tells us not to be anxious, but to pray about it, instead. We're to pray with, of course, thanksgiving (how hard is that when we're anxious??) and petition God to help. And he does, but not how we'd like. The second verse, which I feel like most people skim over, promises peace. Peace which surpasses all understanding. Peace we can't even begin to imagine.
It's important to note that God doesn't promise us an answer to our prayer (although I do believe he will answer it, when the time is right). He doesn't promise us that everything will work out just the way we want it to. Instead he promises us peace, so we can wait patiently one His timing, not ours.

I wonder every single day why He has me in this terrible job. Every. Single. Day.

Get to know me: Day eight

A moment, in great detail

It was the first time I actually cried at an airport. I'd spent a week with Kim, one of my best friends, and I'd met Geoff, my boyfriend, for the first time. We'd all been talking online for about six months, and I couldn't believe how easily we fell into a rhythm of being together. I'd been staying at Kim's house, and saw Geoff a few times for that visit. Most of it was spent with Kim.
I was checking my bags and printing my boarding pass. I turned around and Kim just threw her arms around me, and started crying. I was shocked (Kim isn't the crying type) but even more surprising to me, were the tears that suddenly fell from my own eyes. I was leaving my friend and boyfriend, and I didn't know when I'd be back. It was touching, sweet and sad, all at once, and definitely bittersweet.
Ever since, I've always cried when I've said goodbye at an airport.

Day 01 - Introduce yourself, in great detail

Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Get to know me: Day seven

Your best friend, in great detail

(Kristin is on the left)

We met in second grade. I don't remember, but apparently I was wearing a dress with "poofy" sleeves and my mom had pinned my mittens to my coat, something I thought was "babyish". She was new in town, and I, being who I am, was willing to make friends with anyone new. Kristin and I were fast friends, but we haven't always been best friends.
In 5th grade I met another girl, who became my best friend through middle school. I ran with a different crowd between school and church youth group, and Kristin and I may never have talked again if it wasn't for Girl Scouts. We continued to see each other regularly because of Girl Scouts, and I'm grateful for that.
When I was a junior in high school I switched from playing the clarinet to the tenor saxophone in band. At that time we had sectionals on Friday afternoons with the low brass section...Kristin's section. Something happened on those Friday afternoons. We found each other again, somehow, amidst our other friends and different sections. Kristin and I started to visit Marshalls together, and Walmart, and, later, Bagel World, a wonderful bagel sandwich shop that opened up in our town.
By the time we went to college, me in Pennsylvania and her in New Hampshire, we were best friends once again. We saw each other regularly at every break and when I graduated and moved back home we saw each other every weekend.
Kristin is funny and amazingly strong, despite what she's been through in her life. She is one of the few people in this world that I feel like "gets" me, one of the few people with whom I can laugh for hours about nothing. We always look like we are having more fun than is reasonable, and I love that about us. I just love us, and I miss her every day. Kristin will never leave New England, but despite being on opposite coasts I hope our friendship will remain strong.


Day 01 - Introduce yourself, in great detail

Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Fall and our love/hate relationship

Source

I love the fall. I love that my birthday is in the fall. I love the crisp air, the fact that I can pull out sweaters again, and, of course, the gorgeous leaves. I just love fall. I especially love and miss fall in New England, because there's nothing prettier than those fall colors. Of course, I may be a little biased.

Everyone loves fall, but sometimes I really hate it.
I don't remember where I was reading this, but someone commented on the fact that fall is the worst for those of us who suffer from depression. They were absolutely correct, I realized, once I thought about it. Every morning I get up before the sun rises, and drive to work by the light of the moon. It's just barely getting lighter when I get into work at 7 am, and I sit at my desk with my back to the window, so I don't see the sun come up. At some point in the morning I will have reason to look out the window and see the sun, which is comforting. We recently moved offices and I actually have light (we're on the top floor rather than the bottom now) which has been wonderful.

And yet...it is so much more difficult to get up when it is still dark out, than when it's light, in the summer. The sun is starting to be out for fewer and fewer hours, and even though daylight saving time is coming, it's still several weeks away, and I know that even then it will still be dark when I get up as we head into November and December.

So, I struggle through the dark mornings, and the overcast days, and try to see beauty in the trees. I know that spring will come again, and then the sky will remain light even when I'm going to bed...at 9:30 pm.
But for now? For now, I both love and hate fall.

Get to know me: Day six

Your day, in great detail

Considering when I'm writing this/publishing it, I'm going to talk about yesterday, in great detail. 
I woke up, and didn't shower (gasp!) because I knew I'd be showering at the gym. I slept in and didn't roll out of bed until 5:50 which was excellent.


I made coffee, got dressed, packed my lunch, etc. and headed out to work. Geoff and I carpool most days, so he dropped me off today.


Work is pretty uneventful. When I get in I get all my paperwork together, answer the phones, talk to drivers when necessary (I try to get a lot done in the morning so I try not to bother them if I don't need to) and start the wonderful world of data entry that consumes my day.


At 11:30 I went to lunch. I had leftover macaroni and cheese, pop chips and a coke. And also grapes. I had to be a little healthy! When I finished eating, I knitted until my 45 minutes were up (saddest part of my day).
After lunch I printed off a couple applications for interviews who were coming in, and when they arrived I set them up with the application. At 1:00 my manager came in.


The afternoon was uneventful, and Geoff picked me up at 4:00 (usually it's 3:45 but he was running late). We headed to the gym where I did the elliptical and the bike, then showered. Then we went to La Mesa (youth group) at church!


I love Wednesdays because I get to see my high school girls small group, but also because it's free dinner! Tonight was chicken, salad and mashed potatoes and it was excellent.
After youth group Geoff and I went to Target to get his prescription, a wedding card for a friend and Frankenberry and Booberry cereals. We forgot my contact solution! :(


When we got home it was pretty late (for us) so I had a bowl of Frankenberry, and we got ready for bed. I wrote this post, then I read until I was sleepy.


And that's my day! All in all, uneventful, really. Sorry to bore you.

Day 01 - Introduce yourself, in great detail

Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Get to know me: Day 5

Your definition of love, in great detail

Love...is indescribable. There is no way to explain the depth of my feelings for the people I love, nor to explain the different types of love I feel for them. I will try, though.

Love is sometimes physical attraction, like in the case of my husband. It means I hurt when they hurt, I worry when they worry. When my sister calls me in tears, I always end up crying as well, not because I'm upset about whatever it upsetting her, but because she herself is upset.

In the same way, I feel happiness when the people I love do. Love means that I rejoice with them as hard as I cry at their sadness. Love means I would do anything for the ones I love. Anything.

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know your name is safe in their mouth."

Day 01 - Introduce yourself, in great detail

Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Bedside table transformation!

So do you remember the table I was working on that I (finally) sold on Craigslist? Well, apparently I'm just a sucker for punishment, because I decided about a month ago that I needed to refinish my own bedside table.
Yeah. If I thought that table was a pain to sand, I had another thing coming.

About halfway through sanding, Geoff's mom told me that this table is at least 75 years old (no pressure to keep it nice or anything). It was Geoff's when it was a child, and it was his grandmother's before that.

Not only did I not consider the fact that there are actual curves on this thing, but that stain has to be at least 75 years old as well. I used a stripper to get most of the stain off, then sanded the rest. It took a very long time...

...but I think the results were worth the work.
I chose this stain color because I thought it would best match the rest of the furniture in our bedroom. As you can see, it's not prefect...the wood has very distinctive coloring, but I like that. It gives it character, and knowing how old the piece is makes it all the more interesting to me.

Here it is in its new home! I think I did pretty well matching the furniture. The biggest issue with the original stain, aside from the fact that it just needed to be redone, is that it was so dark it blended in with the back wall.

Hermione likes it too.

I also added a couple crystal knobs, to give it a little more bling. That and there was no way I was going to be able to sand the tiny knobs that were on it before.

I love it and, honestly, I can't stop looking at it! What do you think?

Get to know me: Day four

What you ate today, in great detail

I'm doing what I ate yesterday, because this way I can post it today. Did that make sense? Maybe not, but that's OK.

Anyway, when I got up, I had a cup of coffee, because coffee is delicious. We usually get coffee on Sunday mornings at Starbucks on our way to church, but I wanted to be lazy this particular morning (plus, we save money).

For lunch I had a turkey sandwich with cheddar cheese, a coke and pop chips (which, by the way, are amazing).
A little after lunch I wanted something sweet, so I made some hot chocolate. Then I took a nap. This isn't food related, but worth noting all the less.

When I woke up from my nap, I had a bowl of cereal. This wasn't really necessary, but Geoff was having one, and I wanted one too.

For dinner we had hamburgers! And also Popchips and I had a Sprite.

OK, so not my best eating day, but I've had worse Sundays.

Day 01 - Introduce yourself, in great detail
Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Get to know me: Day 3

 Your parents, in great detail

This is my whole family, because I was too lazy to search for a picture of just my parents.

Ahh, my parents. My mom is always right. I don't normally see that until after the fact, but it's true. We fight when we are together in the same house, but the day I move out I miss her. We go from talking daily to weekly, depending on our moods and our schedules. She can come across strong, and takes some getting used to, but she's my mom, and I love her. Growing up she was my Girl Scout leader, and though I didn't appreciate it at the time, I am so glad that we had those years together. Don't tell her how much I really miss seeing her face.

My dad loves to talk. He's an engineer, and a typical one in every way. He loves explaining things, and he is the one I call when I need something to be explained, whether it is a broken camera or how to select a song on a record. We share a common fascination with license plates, and even though I can rarely get off the phone in less than 15 minutes with him, I do love our conversations. He came out to help us move last year, and it was so fun.


Day 01 - Describe yourself, in great detail
Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

52 Letter project

I'm deviating from the 30 Day project I'm doing just to change things up for you and me both!

Are you working on writing one letter a week? How are you doing? Me? I'm doing alright. I typically write letters to my friend Lydia, but I've been trying hard to find different people to write to. Since I last updated about this project, I wrote a few letters. I asked friends on Twitter who would like a letter, and had a few responses. So I wrote to The Non Consumer Advocate, whom I admire for her, well, non consumerism! I can't remember exactly, but I think I wrote a letter to my friend Elizabeth, too.

I picked up a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth for $.25 at the thrift store and sent it to Geoff's aunt and cousin, both of whom I know will enjoy it. They got an old postcard along with this book, which was from Geoff's grandmother's collection. The package was mailed in a reused envelope, so I do believe this was a very green package! That makes me happy.

I also wrote a thank you letter to Geoff's aunt, for a birthday present she sent me. It was a set of cards with a girl pulling a wagon full of books, and reading one, too! There are also cats following her. I thought it was wonderful, and it was from an ALA conference, which meant the proceeds benefited libraries. This made me happy too. I wrote the thank you note on one of the cards, of course.

Unless I'm mistaken, I believe those are all the letters I wrote (aside from my regular letters to Lydia, my pen pal). I know I'm not keeping up with writing 52 this year, but that's OK. I don't mind that I'm not perfect, and the truth is I'm writing, and that's what really counts.

How are you doing?

Get to know me: Day 2

Your first love, in great detail


I'm lucky in that my first love is my only love...Geoff, my husband. We met almost 6 years ago through a mutual friend, became friends first, and then started dating. I'm not sure either of us knew what we were getting into, because at the time I was in Massachusetts and he was in Idaho! Thankfully, it worked out in the end, obviously!

The night I told Geoff I loved him we had been up all night talking. I don't remember what I was thinking at the time, I just remember telling him "I think I love you!" Thankfully, he said the same thing ("I think I love you too!")

It was a long four years of dating (long distance) before we got engaged. We dealt with cancer, epilepsy, two deaths in the family, graduation from college, graduation from graduate school, ongoing depression and numerous fights. But in the end it was worth it all, because our relationship came out stronger in the end.

Day 01 - Describe yourself, in great detail
Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Calzones! Cheap and delicious

When I was in high school we used to buy raw pizza dough and make calzones after church. It's one of the memories I really treasure from my high school years. One of the best things about calzones (which my America's Test Kitchen book described as "half a pizza folded over on itself") is that you can customize them any way you want!
I love plain old cheese, without sauce in it (though this time I added broccoli, to make it a little healthier. Geoff enjoys sausage, pepperoni, things of that nature that I usually turn my nose up. This is the best of both worlds for us!

Start with a basic pizza dough. I'd write that all out, but it really isn't difficult to find in any good cookbook, so I won't bother with that.
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes (another excellent thing about this recipe is that you don't have to wait for the dough to rise! So if you forgot to start this at 5 pm, like me, you don't have to wait until 8 to eat!)

Divide the dough into two equal parts (I halved the dough recipe, so if you don't do that you'll want to quarter the dough so your calzones aren't huge). On half the piece of dough put your ingredients. Fold over, seal the edges (this is really important to prevent leakage!) and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Mine is on the left. You'll notice it's much prettier than Geoff's.

They may look funny, but they were delicious!

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday and This Chick Cooks!

Get to know me: day one

My friend Elspeth recently started this series, which I started last year and, apparently, only got 9 days into. Oops. Anyway, seeing Elspeth's responses was interesting, and I was inspired to try again. Some I may copy from the first few days, but the rest will be new. I encourage you to try this yourself, and definitely check out Elspeth's, because it's very interesting and enlightening. These posts will be regular, but probably interspersed with menu plans and food waste Fridays and things like that.


Day 1: Describe yourself, in great detail

My name is Megg, I'm (relatively) newly married, (relatively) newly living in the Pacific Northwest, library schooled, and working as an office assistant/dispatcher. I'm adjusting to life with the love of my life, life across the country and 3 timezones away from my family and every day is a new challenge. I'm loving learning to be a wife and running my own household.

I'm trying to find a job as a librarian, but since that isn't happening at the moment, I'm working in an unsatisfactory job which helps pay the bills. I'm trying to learn how to live more frugally, trying to learn to cook meals regularly and save money! It isn't always easy, but I love it.

I grew up in Boston, met and dated my husband long distance for 4 years before we were able to get married. We married on Jan. 2 last year. I'm trying to decide if now is the right time to go back to school, quit my job, and attempt to be a teacher. So far God is confusing me with many different decisions.


Day 01 - Describe yourself, in great detail
Day 02 – Your first love, in great detail
Day 03 – Your parents, in great detail
Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Music, part 2

If I love the instrumentals in music, my sister loves the lyrics. It's my sister who pointed out the lyrics in one of my favorite (spoken word) songs. It's my sister who always points out the lyrics to amazing songs, causing me to actually listen closely to the words.
It was my sister who pointed out the words to this song, so long ago when we were first listening to Switchfoot.
I try not to be overly religious on my blog, for many reasons. Recently, however, I rediscovered Switchfoot, and remembered why I used to listen to their CD over and over again. Listening to this song again, Redemption, I remembered why I loved this particular song.


Four A.M. two hours to go
I'm wearing out a lonely glow.
I miss you more than I could know.
Here I am, here I am,
won't you get me?

I've got my hands on redemption's side
Whose scars are bigger than these doubts of mine.
I'll fit all of these monstrosities inside
and I'll come alive.

With my fist down at your feet
I was running out of mysteries
Insecure and incomplete, here I am, here I am,
won't you get me?

My fears have worn me out
My fears have worn me out
My fears have worn me, worn me.

I think, too often, I forget that He is bigger than my doubts. Bigger than these fears of mine, the ones that run through my head over and over. Fears that come from depression, but also from dealing with everyday life. We all have them. Money, work, relationships, His timing vs. my timing. As I sat in my car the other night, listening to this song, I was reminded of this, and reminded that His scars are bigger than my fears. Always.

Not Alone

I'm not an overly emotional 13 year old girl (at least not anymore).

What do you think of, when you hear that someone is writing about their depression? Exactly that; the over emotional teen who thinks no one understands her and no one knows the pain she goes through. Writing out her worries and concerns to the internet, because no one else cares.

When I write about my depression, it isn't because I believe no one understands me, or because no one knows the pain I go through. That is not why I do it. I write simply because it makes me feel good, and in some small way I want to be able to help someone.

This is an excerpt from my story, one of 37 presented in this book, Not Alone. I haven't read it yet, but from the reviews I have read, it is amazing. I encourage you to read this book if you struggle with depression, or if you know someone who does struggle with depression. It won't make you depressed, but it will help you understand, or realize that you aren't alone.

I love the subtitle of this book: Stories of Living with Depression. It's always going to be there, depression. I'm always closely followed by this foe, but it doesn't mean I can't continue to live. It doesn't mean I can't live with depression. That's what this book is about. People living with depression every day. And they're all amazing for it.

This post is linked up with the amazing person who was behind this book, Alise Wright.

October goals

I love October. Not nearly as much as September, since it's my birthday month, but I do love October and fall. I know I'm not alone in this, because plenty of other bloggers have been commenting on the same thing! So, what are my goals for this month?

1. Cook at least 4 times a week. This could be tough, since I haven't been cooking hardly at all lately.

2. Register for whatever tests I need to take to get into school, and complete my application. I'm not sure if this is a lofty goal or not, and it won't be fully complete until I take the WEST-E and WEST-B in November, but we will see.

3. Finish sanding and staining my bedside table. This turned out to be a much bigger task than I thought it would be.

4. Donate at least 2 boxes of stuff to Goodwill. I do love a good purge.

5. Make at least $100 babysitting and/or on Ebay and Craigslist. I set this goal at $100 because I have 2 babysitting jobs next week and should get $60 total so setting it for $50 doesn't seem fair :)

I think that's plenty for this month! 

Are you setting goals? What are your goals?