A Few Last Vacation Pictures

After a blissful week in paradise (aka Nashvegas), we're back in Bowling Green. I've been struggling with that a lot lately. Rather than bore you with my inner struggle, how about we talk food!
This is a picture of the three of us at our second cooking class - Tuscan Dinner Party. We learned a lot in that class because the chef focused more on teaching us techniques than on just allowing us to follow the recipes. We cooked and cooked and then... We ate.

There were two other ladies taking the class with us, both were business owners and best friends for over 20 years. We had risotto, seared chicken (which I ate because we paid good money for that class and food!), tomato soup and dessert... The best not-chocolate-dessert ever.

That, my friends, is a baked pear with lovely sauces made of all kinds of things - but mostly sugar and cream - topped with brown sugar and cookie crumbs! It was DIVINE!

In the end, we had a lot of fun on our last few nights! I unclogged a toilet. We don't even know if it was clogged, but it wasn't flushing right and I took care of that business! Since it was my first time, I had Boogie take a picture of me. For one last hoorah, Mom and I made it to the pool for an hour Friday afternoon. It was such beautiful therapy time!

I'm back to my vegetarian ways, back in my Bowling Green home and starting my To Do Before School List.

Vacation Day's 2, 3, 4 and 5

Today was our first day of cooking class! But before I dive into that, I'll briefly recap the past three days...

1. We went to Oasis Worship Center Sunday morning and spent a lovely few hours at the pool, chillaxing. Pastor Danny did a message on something he does best - worship. It was a fantastic way to begin the week!2. We watched my favorite movie of all time that evening - Mr. and Mrs. Smith.


3. Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, The Bondinator woke up hungry. She was in a bit of a rush and pulled half of an Everything bagel out of the freezer. Placing the bagel on a cookie sheet, she flitted off to put on makeup. Remembering her breakfast, she ordered her sister to put the bagel in the oven on broil. Poor Boogie did as she was told, shut the oven door, and left the bagel to roast.
Or toast.
Or warm up.
Or whatever.
About five minutes later, just as The Bondinator rose to rescue the now-burning bagel, a sound like a gunshot went off. In one freaky moment, the glass inside the oven door shattered.

And we wept.

Not really, but I almost cried. We think it must have overheated. The Chef at our cooking class told us that most ovens have a heat sensor that shuts the oven down when the broiler overheats. He also said that the glass ought to have been able to withstand temperatures even hotter than the 500 that the broiler reached. The glass must have been defective. Warranty should cover the damages... I hope...

4. We had no time to worry about the glass incident. We had things to do! After quickly finishing makeup and hair, we went to see a friend in the hospital. She is 12 and is in the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital recovering from surgery. We enjoyed visiting with these old friends before we picked up a newer friend for lunch. The whole day was spent talking, eating and laying by the pool. It was delicious!

And then....

5. Once upon a time, Mom and I decided to leave the condo at 9PM and run some errands before bed. We were in a rush to reach Borders before it closed at 10, so with haste we put on our shoes and jackets. Suddenly, as we rushed out the door, Mom thought "I'll be passing the trash chute, I might as well take the bag out!" She casually dragged the bag down the hall. It was late and I followed, whispering, "Mom, stop it! Pick it up! The bag might break!" She merely giggled and hurried along. I turned my back for just a moment, and when I glanced up, glass shards from the morning's event were spilling trailing out of the bag and down the hall. "Mom!" I hissed, not wanting to wake the neighbors. She looked and gasped and tried to lift the bag but by now the damage was done and more glass spilled out into a large pile outside the trash room. We managed to get the bag into the room and down the chute, but not without emptying most of the glass onto the floor in the hall and trash room. Laughing too hard to say very much, I stumbled back down the hall to our condo. Boogie was on the couch, about to start some homework. "Come here! Come on! We need you!" I cried as I grabbed the broom and dust pan. We were in such a rush to reach Borders by 10, we left poor Boogie to clean up our mess. We were laughing so hard, the men on the elevator thought we were drunk.

6. Tuesday morning dawned bright and early. Boogie met up with Mr. President (her boyfriend) and went on an all-day-date with him. Mom and I made our way out to do some much-needed shopping. By the end of the day, I'd spent over $50 on skin and hair care. I also ordered these adorable boots from SperryTopsider.com. It was an offer I couldn't refuse!

7. We also ordered all our school books on Amazon.com. Don't ask how much school books for two college students and a high-schooler cost. It's an unholy number.

8. Oh! My new watch finally arrived! I am so happy!


9. Wednesday we went to cooking class. We made three Thai dishes, all while learning about Thai food and special cooking techniques. At the end of class, we'd finished cooking and it was time to eat. We ate and ate and ate. Rather than make a fuss about the vegetarian thing, I had some of the shrimp and beef included in the dishes. There wasn't much meat and I was able to avoid most of it. It was also organic so I wasn't worried about the health factor. Over all, the three-hour experience was well worth the price and we learned a lot about Thai food! We took home both our leftovers and some wonderful recipes. I can't wait to try cooking again! Tomorrow's class is Tuscan Dinner Party.



10. Church again tonight! Looking forward to spending time with God, worshiping, and learning about the body of Christ.

Vacation Day 1: Shopping

So, this is what we did Saturday. We basically spent the whole day at the mall. Oh, and I had a cupcake for lunch, half a Panini for snack, and Sweet Cece's for dinner. I call it the new "sugar & bread vacation diet." I told Mom that I can't keep eating like this. It's wreaking havoc on my system. I lay awake in bed until almost 1AM before the sugar/caffeine rush abated enough for me to sleep.

This is Mom and Boogie, enjoying their Panera treats. Their straws matched their shirts.


I really wanted to buy these Jonas-Brothers-style-Tortoise-shell glasses. But Mom wouldn't let me. She said they made me look dorky. I don't know what she was talking about.

Stores Visited:
Sephora
Victoria's Secret
Lacoste
Brooks Brothers
Claire's
Banana Republic
Buckle
Ann Taylor Loft
Macy's

Restaurants Visited:
Panera
Sweet Cece's


All in all, I'd say it was a great start to a great week!

It's Girls Week! Partay!

It's Girls Week! Dad and the Cool Guy have gone on a Boyscout trip for - count 'em - 10 days.

10 blissful days of girl time.

10 days by the pool.

10 days of shopping, eating, etc.

10 days of estrogen.

Save me.


But really, here's what we're doing this week:

• We're going to take two cooking classes at the Viking Store in Franklin, TN. Thai Cooking and Tuscan Dinner Party. I can't wait!
• We're shopping. Today, we hit up Green Hills. We might make a trip to Hermitage to pick up a dresser.
• We're setting up the condo for Boogie and I to live in this school year. We need things like a dresser, some way to store shoes, some cork board for jewelry and schedule stuff... Things like that.
• We're doing lots of church stuff. We went to an old church last night to hear Mary Frances Vallaro speak and it was powerful. God moved in a major way and really told us things we needed to hear before we start the year. This will be my best year, yet! I just know it. We're going to Oasis Worship Center this week, as well.
  
• We're seeing old friends. We've laid out Monday as a day to have some of our oldest buddies over.
• We're going to try and spend at least one hour at the pool each day. This could be our last chance to get tan!
• We're eating. The destinations include: Hot Diggity Dogs, Sweet Cece's, Burger Up (a favorite), and possibly Sambuca. We're also cooking a lot.

Now, I think it's about time for a second cup of java before we head to the mall!

Another Baking Adventure

Once again, we went on a baking adventure. This time, however, I took pictures not only after the event, but during the fun, as well!Step One: Make Cupcakes.

I made plain 'ole chocolate vegan cupcakes. Boogie helped me a lot. We topped them with buttercream frosting slightly flavored with coffee. I wish there were more coffee flavor in the frosting, but they taste fantastic regardless!



Step Two: Make Frosting.
The vegan buttercream frosting is made by creaming together Earth Balance Buttery Spread and Vegan Shortening - both of which I purchased at Whole Foods in Nashville. Then you add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and soymilk until you have the right consistency. We substituted coffee for soymilk today.




Step Three: Ice the Cupcakes

I bought a set of disposable pastry bags at Hobby Lobby. I also bought one pastry tip and the little gadget that holds it on (I can't remember what it's called...). The piping is great fun! You can see what a great time Boogie is having! Haha
Step Four: Spread icing on little sister's face while she has her hands full.



Step Five: Eat Icing (Watch out with this one, because your sister might seek revenge while your hands are full of icing and the camera.)

I love that I snapped a picture with her finger on my face...
See? She got me!

P.S. Did I mention I'm a Phi Mu? Well, now you know.



This is happiness.

This is summer.

This is me with icing on my face.

And my Disney hat on.

I love this.








Wish you were here to eat them with us! Have a great night, folks!

This Dirty Room... Beware: Graphic Content!

I'm going to show you something that few eyes have ever beheld. Something embarrassing and wrong. Something disgusting and obscene. Something crazy.

Just, do me a favor... Don't share these with too many other people. I don't want my reputation totally ruined. See, this is my room. I've never been a very tidy person, but I'm usually pretty organized and neat. I'm usually not this filthy. But it's gotten so bad this summer, I've actually found it pretty hilarious. Yesterday, I decided to clean up the whole mess. Here are the "before" pictures.

Prepare yourself as best you can.
Grab a cookie and glass of milk.
Wrap yourself up in a blanket.
Hug a pillow.
Whatever you typically do when scary things happen.




The Clothes Pile. Yes, it is dirty clothes AND clean, all mixed together. Horrid, isn't it?


The closet. I haven't been able to close the doors for weeks. The box is stuff to donate. Note the recipe books and notebook on the floor. Also, my beloved Sperry's.


This is where I sleep. The books don't ever move off the bed. I just sleep next to them. Creepy, isn't it?

Finally, the bookshelf. Not as bad as it looks, and yes, those index cards are more recipes. I don't know where Eclipse is at this moment.

Time for some "after" pictures:















There. Isn't that better?! Nothing like a clean room to help you sleep peacefully at night!







Now, you may go on with your life, knowing that, as bad as your messy room may be, you are not the worst and certainly not alone.

Slow Loris, Almost Barefoot Running, Country Boys

1. I got up to go for a run this morning. I was dressed and about to walk out the door at 8AM sharp, only it felt like 90 already and like the humidity was at about 180%. (Here's the actual forecast). So, I came back inside.

2. For a few minutes, I was tempted to scrap the workout plans entirely.

3. Then I figured I'd go ahead and do some Pilates, since it was an indoor sport and I was already up.

4. I haven't done Pilates in weeks, and I was feelin' it this morning. This is a good thing, since it means my core has quite a ways to go and I will make progress. If you think an exercise routine done on the floor must be easy - (hey, I get it... I mean, you are laying down) - you should try it. It's not easy, and you'll be introduced to muscles you didn't know you had.

5. As a reward, I fixed myself a cup of coffee... Coconut coffee with Vanilla Almond Milk.

6. Last night we watched Walk the Line. Country music has never appealed to me, but Walk the Line tempts me to buy a few country CD's and listen to them while drinking a beer on the back porch (just kidding, I would never). It's a fantastic, intense movie meant to be watched with your full attention. Based on a true story, Walk the Line features a Franklin, TN native - Reese Witherspoon. Reese sings in this movie, which is quite a treat! Oh, and they talk about Nashville, the Ryman and other places that are so familiar to me. I loved that bit.

7. I later joked with Mom about how we should watch a movie about Kentucky next, just so we keep it even between our two home states. Seabiscuit or something...

8. All this talk of horses and country music has me tempted to buy cowboy boots. This longing goes through ups and downs. Sometimes, I see myself in skinny jeans with shiny boots and a cute top marching down Music Row. Then I picture a man in a plaid shirt and a hat walking next to me - just to complete the picture - and I freak out and grab the nearest Brooks Brothers magazine to bring me back to my first love.

9. Not that cowboys are bad, I just like boys who read a lot. And boys who can talk business and politics. And who read. And who have iPhones.

10. I have a list about boys that is more detailed than that in #9, but it's too long to post at the moment. Some day, however, I will likely post it.

11. As a parting note, I give you this quote from Mom this morning, "Something I've learned about being happy is that you have to make the effort to surround yourself with what makes you happy. Other people usually won't do that for you, and it's important."

12. This makes me happy: Slow Loris Being Tickled

12.1 And this makes me happy: (That was my birthday).

12.2 This makes me happy, too: Eat More of This