Man Up March

Ok everyone, this is getting ridiculous.

I think I may be the ONLY person in the world who likes snow and thinks the world should be covered in varying levels from late November through the end of March. A blizzard in April a la Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter? That's what I call beautiful.

But wait, you say. Amanda, you live in Pennsylvania. That's in the northern area of the country. You should be a happy little snow leopard every winter.

To which I say NO. And also THIS STINKS.

This is probably going to be a mostly complaining post, so if you are cozy and warm at home, snuggled under blankets with warm fuzzy socks, a mug of hot chocolate and classic Disney on the tube, watching the big, fat snowflakes fall, quit reading now. You're not fair. Especially if you're to the south of me and getting a foot OR MORE??!?!? of snow.

Here is the thing. The year before I married Ben, there were massive snow amounts up here in good old State College. So I prepared by happily buying him top of the line snow boots and polishing up mine, while making sure my snow pants continued to fit. This is gonna be great, I thought, every year I get to really experience a LOT of snow, and people won't freak out about a dusting of snow-like stuff like they do in Virginia.

Let's look at last year. We got a whopping NOT A LOT of snow.

That's ok, I told myself, these things have their off years. Next year for sure.

BUT WHERE IS IT??!?!!?

We had maybe one good snowfall of about 6 or 8 inches a few days after Christmas. ONE.

Since then it has been almost every single type of weather but good, thick, fat snow. Rain, icy rain, sleet, ice, icy snow, blowing flurries, wind, and even...sun. Gross.

There's no good way to end this except to say that I am still in a rotten mood due to my jealousy of everyone with the white stuff outside their window. If you're tired of snow, move up here to the little bubble of Central PA that every snowstorm this season seems to avoid with the fervor of a cat dodging bath day.

March, stop faffing around and bring on spring, because there is nothing left but broken promises between me and the snow for the year.

BRING IT ON SPRING. I'm more than ready for you, since snow has, once again, let me down.

~A

Fun February Friday!

Haha alliterations are super fun!

So I am a little appalled that January is over already. I feel like it flew by but in an apologetic kind of way. Sort of like "Hey guys, sorry I'm here with my terribly cold temperatures and Arctic wind gusts, I'll just get out of the way for February already." Which is pretty much fine with me. I actually feel bad for last month because it doesn't really have any fun holidays. It's just cold. Boo.

But February is here! We made it! Time to celebrate animals being yanked out of their dens to examine their shadows and time for flowers all the time because Love Is Wonderful! (Also...for those of you who aren't in a relationship, don't get down on the world and be grumpy at the rest of us...chances are SOMEone out there loves YOU!...but if you don't think this is the case go and buy yourself flowers! Flowers are ALWAYS happy!)

Some of the things I DID like about January include...

Finding THIS blog has been a fabulous waste of time. Everything she posts on here looks good, even mushrooms (WHAAAAT?! I hate mushrooms!). I feel a little guilty looking at all the delicious food photos...it feels almost wrong.

In my efforts to not pick at my fingers I decided to splurge on some fun nail polish. Nail polish is so fun! I got two colors from the NYC Ballet collection: Pirouette My Whistle and Care to Danse. The perfect colors for Valentine's Day coming up!

Burrito bowls are my new favorite food. We make rice flavored with cilantro and lime or maybe onions and tequila, and then pile it into a big bowl with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, black beans, and avocado slices. So easy, so delicious, and super tasty while not being incredibly bad for you. Plus it's National Avocado Month, yum!!

Rereading this series so I can be ready for the show to restart. MARCH 31!!!! If you read the books/follow the show, who would you be??? Also...JUST found out that the little boy who is Liam Neeson's stepson in Love Actually is playing Jojen Reed. Um and the pirate who kept losing his eye from Pirates of the Caribbean is in this season. Still my favorite version of the theme song.

Finally, I have to share what my husband messaged to me on Facebook this morning because it's hilarious (at least to me) "Ariel just walked by with your washcloth stuffed in her mouth like a dead bird. I caught her before she could stash it somewhere"

Ok. time to get my weekend on!

PUPPY BOWL ON SUNDAYYYYYYYYYYY!

Love,

A

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

Today is also National Blueberry Pancake Day. I had cereal instead and then went out, brushed off the two inches of snow accumulated on my car, and sloooooooowly drove to school. 

Then the pretty snow turned into disgusting cold rain, so I took a nap when I got home. 

Speaking of bubble wrap...doesn't it seem like sometimes a whole roll isn't enough? When I get stressed I always wish for some of the stuff so I can pop each and every bubble...one by one. I do have some in my desk drawer. Ben gave it to me so I could get my snarkyness out on something and not grump to him (he's a smart man!)

But I keep it there in my drawer to remind me that there is always someone out there in a worse situation than me that could use the bubble wrap more than me. Granted, Ben and I haven't exactly had the best weekend in the world, and it would be sooooo easy to just pull my pile out and go to town, imagining certain things to be bubbles, popping them away angrily.

However, before I chose to do that, I looked for the bright spots we had in the past few days, as small as they might seem. I got to have a delicious mug of coffee with my mom. Ben and my brother had a lively talk about Game of Thrones and where it might go this season. Ben showed me his childhood "lovey": a large and floppy brown bear named Bear-Fur. Kathryn and I talked all about room design. And we played a rousing board game where Jet magazine and Born Blond were shouted out excitedly (if you haven't played The Logo Game, you need to right now).

In the sermon we heard on Sunday, the pastor talked about road signs. In situations that might give stress, take a step back. There might be a detour waiting that has a more Godly answer than an angry response. 

I'll leave my bubble wrap in my drawer for today and instead choose to pay more attention to the good signs I see in my life. God's got a plan for it, after all. I need to choose to trust him and DETOUR! take a different path sometimes!

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.' Jeremiah 29:11

Happy Monday!

~A

No Soup for You!

It's a recipe roundup!

This week has been soup-making week and I have been enjoying ALL of them.

Soup.

Yum!

Wednesday night I whipped up a big batch of Pioneer Woman's Corn and Cheese Chowder and it was delicious! I used frozen corn so I had to let it thicken just a little more, but it turned out yummy so I count it a success!

Last night I made Smoky Bean Soup with Ham and Bacon and oh my land. I've made it before, but this time I used part of the honey baked ham we got from my family. The ham made it a tiny bit more sweet and somehow I cooked the bacon topping to perfection. It was so so wonderful. You need to make this one right now.

Tonight I'm making Cauliflower Soup, again from the Pioneer Woman. Basically she's got this arsenal of soups in her books and on her website that are fabulous. I'm excited to try something that sounds a tad healthier, although there's sour cream and butter included so we'll see how that goes.

Gotta run, I have a batch of candied pecans in the oven and judging by the heavenly aromas wafting from the kitchen I think they are done!

Love,

A

A Clean, Fresh Start - Welcome 2013!!

Hello friends! It's a whole new year, bright and clean and fresh, ready to be filled with lots of wonderful things!

Up here in the wilds of State College our pre-2013 weekend began with a plethora of snow which was enjoyed by not only the mister and me, but by my mom and sister as well! It was a lovely weekend full of snow hikes, homemade pizza, killer bunnies, batman, and a huge Sunday lunch that was inhaled by all.

Our New Year's Eve was a quiet one. We went downtown to see the ice sculptures and grab a bite to eat. It was fun to get a few appetizers and drinks instead of a whole meal - more variety made it more interesting!

Pineapple margaritas accompanied our countdown, although we watched more of the food network than any of the countdown shows - they're just not the same without Dick Clark :(

Ben heads down to Orlando to present one of his papers at a political science conference today, which means it's girl's week in! I've got the Pioneer Woman recorded on the dvr, plenty of soup recipes to cook up and store for chilly January nights ahead, and a whole batch of ideas from blogs and Pinterest about organizing our space more efficiently. Who knows? Ben may not recognize the apartment when he comes back!

I read something a few days ago about not having New Year's resolutions, but instead, intentions. So in no particular order, my intentions for this year include...

1. Eating right and staying healthy. Using even more fresh produce in cooking and especially snacking. And eat bigger breakfasts full of protein!
2. Listening to my body instead of looking at the scale. Our scale only stresses me out anyways.
3. Paint my nails! (so I don't pick them when I get nervous)
4. Exercise in a fun way more than just once or twice a week. Maybe as part of a morning routine?
5. Sleep. More.
6. Channel surf less. Actually, watch tv less. (this is a lofty goal)
7. Take time to smell the coffee (and not just pour it blindly into my mug each morning)

As Anne Shirley says, tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it. I'm looking forward to enjoying each morning as a wonderful, bright start. Hooray for 2013!

Love,

~A

continue the joy

At this point, I know, a lot of people have shared their opinion, but I feel like I need to get mine out there too because there is so much to be said. It still seems incredible that my life has continued as it normally does, sitting here sipping my coffee. But out there parents and brothers and sisters are laying their loved ones to rest forever. It breaks my heart.

This is an unspeakable tragedy, that is obvious. In our day and age of technology and ever-increasingly paranoid security, we left our most precious innocents without protection. It makes me so so sad, but I also have all these angry angry feelings as well. How could this have happened? How? It reminds me that my little world of loved ones is not safe, not really. I suppose that it could always be worse...and I am incredibly and daily grateful for the blessing of safety, but still.

It makes me wonder where Christmas is this year. On tv this morning a pastor being interviewed said that this week in Advent the candle of Joy was lit. As Christians we should realize that we are able to possess joy, even when happiness is the last thing on our minds. Joy comes from God, and it cannot be taken away, even in the darkest of times.

In the weeks and months to come, I wish much joy to the families and the community in Connecticut. Joy in remembering the good times they had with loved ones lost. Joy for the teachers that protected their students at the ultimate cost. And joy that those who suffered are in a better place.

Jesus was the great joy, as it is said in Luke 2:10 "And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." God gave up his only son...for the entire world. Jesus brought with him joy, abounding and unending. Although the times are dark now, I hope He can be the light for those who need it.

It seems somewhat silly to go on preparing for Christmas, but when reflecting about that, is it? Perhaps Christmas is even more necessary this year. In a shattered and terror-filled world, we need stability. And the coming of a baby, an innocent like those who lost their lives, may be exactly what brings back the joy.

My deepest desire this Christmas season is that Jesus will bring with him a little extra this year. A little extra joy, a little extra healing, even a little cooperation for legislators to work together to fix our nation. In realizing the joy that is Jesus, my hope is that others will continue to reach out and reflect His light to others in need. In this way we can begin to bring about healing that is deeply needed in our country.

In the midst of everything...before we continue on with our lives, stop and think. Jesus is the greatest present we can ever receive. He is a gift that is on it's way to us, one that brings hope, love, joy, and peace.

 I will continue to prepare for Christmas, perhaps a little more urgently this year. Because our world needs it. Our world needs it desperately.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Lots of love, 

~A

This Girl...

My baby girl is too cute. I can't get enough of how tightly she curls herself up when she naps. It's like she is a snail. She's my little schnecken. 

Ben has late classes this semester. Which means I come home to a cold house and a tightly wrapped little kitten tucked into corners and crannies of the couch. 

So I scoop her up and settle back down onto the couch and sometimes we sleep, sometimes we watch something (probably on Food Network) but most times we just tell each other about our day. She is a great listener too!

There is nothing like a sleepy, warm, cuddly cat on your lap. Especially when she starts purring :)

:)

:D

:D :D :D 

Happy snuggling!

~A