10. Paczi!
9. Milwaukee Admirals
8. Sprecher's Cream Soda
7. Oak Leaf Trail
6. Oscar's Pub & Grill
5. Sendik's
4. Beer Gardens
3. Collectivo Coffee on the Lake
2. Art Museum
1. Beautiful Lake Michigan
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Top Ten Things I Love About Wisconsin
Well it seems appropriate that after nearly a year in the Badger State I identify and share with all of my amazing friends and family my ten favorite things (so far) about Wisconsin! At first moving here was a very difficult change as it was so different from everything I knew growing up in Colorado. However now I feel truly at home in Wisconsin. (Though Colorado will ALWAYS be my home state.)
10. Paczi!
9. Milwaukee Admirals
8. Sprecher's Cream Soda
7. Oak Leaf Trail
6. Oscar's Pub & Grill
5. Sendik's
4. Beer Gardens
3. Collectivo Coffee on the Lake
2. Art Museum
1. Beautiful Lake Michigan
10. Paczi!
9. Milwaukee Admirals
8. Sprecher's Cream Soda
7. Oak Leaf Trail
6. Oscar's Pub & Grill
5. Sendik's
4. Beer Gardens
3. Collectivo Coffee on the Lake
2. Art Museum
1. Beautiful Lake Michigan
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Top 10 Things I Love About Colorado
Since being in our new city for the last three weeks, I figured it might be a good idea to post my list of top ten things I love most about the Centennial State, Colorado.
10. Denver REI Store
9. 93.3 The Point
8. Loveland Ski Area
7. Creepy DIA Horse
6. Pepsi Center
5. Easy Street Wheat
4. Big City Burrito
3. Beau Jo's Pizza
2. Red Rocks Ampitheatre
1. The Beautiful Colorado Mountains!
10. Denver REI Store
9. 93.3 The Point
8. Loveland Ski Area
7. Creepy DIA Horse
6. Pepsi Center
5. Easy Street Wheat
4. Big City Burrito
3. Beau Jo's Pizza
2. Red Rocks Ampitheatre
1. The Beautiful Colorado Mountains!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Yay for Jobs!
It has been a few weeks now since my last post, but that time has been well spent getting us all settled into our new home and becoming familiar with the city (which I absolutely love!). I am also happy to say that I have had a few job interviews this past week and just accepted a position this afternoon at my new University's library. While I am much more of a task oriented individual and enjoy getting lost in the stacks, I was happy to accept a position at circulation, assisting patrons. Many of my former Borders cohorts may remember the *joys* which we experienced in customer service at the bookstore which has in turn made me quite cynical regarding customer service jobs. However, this circulation position will allow me the opportunity to transfer to different departments within the library to get a feel for its inner workings and seeing as how academic libraries are my preference in the library world career-wise, I am pretty enthusiastic about the opportunity to work there. In other news, still working cafe at the bookstore....
Since being here, Pete has been putting his epic cooking skills to use, keeping my belly full and my taste buds happy! One of our first nights here we enjoyed steak fajitas on the patio and a few mornings later had some delicious breakfast burritos on our patio table. Yum!
As per our "division of labor" at the house, since Pete does all of the cooking, a task which I abhor, I am in charge of cleaning, laundry and baking. I enjoy keeping things clean so that's easy enough and I LOVE to bake. Last night I decided to make a loaf of pumpkin bread with sliced almonds. It turned out very well and is particularly moist however next time I might try and find a recipe for a sort of icing....we'll see.
Spiced Pumpkin Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) melted and cooled unsalted butter
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger together in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth in a medium bowl.
4. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not over-mix).
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
6. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving.
And finally, we are babysitting a kitten named Casey for the next month or so. The house we live in was converted into an upper apartment and a ground level apartment. Well the guy who lives above us just adopted a kitten a few weeks ago but his work sent him out of the state for a month and he asked us to watch Casey while he's gone. She is about two months old and like most kittens, she loves to play and cuddle. Pete and I are not really cat people as we both love big dogs, but we're actually quite enjoying the cuteness and company she provides.
Since being here, Pete has been putting his epic cooking skills to use, keeping my belly full and my taste buds happy! One of our first nights here we enjoyed steak fajitas on the patio and a few mornings later had some delicious breakfast burritos on our patio table. Yum!
 |
| Breakfast Burrito |
A few nights ago Pete whipped up some from scratch pizza dough which gave us enough dough for three pizza crusts! The first of which he made a delicious BBQ chicken pizza; the second was cheese, pepperoni, and black olives; and the third crust we can keep in the refrigerator for up to a week for a dinner this weekend. The pizza dough recipe was super simple and tastes wonderful.
Basic Pizza Dough
4 1/4 cups flour (plus extra for the counter)
1 envelope instant or rapid-rise yeast
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups warm water
1. Mix 4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and the salt in a stand-up mixer to combine using the dough hook. While mixing add oil, then water until a ball forms (30-40 seconds).
2. Allow the dough to sit for about 2 minutes, then mix for about 30 more seconds.
3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until you have a smooth and round ball (5 minutes). Add remaining 1/4 cup of flour to prevent dough from sticking to the kneading surface.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1 to 1/2 hours).
 | |
| Pete's BBQ Chicken Pizza |
Spiced Pumpkin Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) melted and cooled unsalted butter
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger together in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth in a medium bowl.
4. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not over-mix).
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
6. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving.
 |
| Delicious with a cup of coffee for breakfast |
And finally, we are babysitting a kitten named Casey for the next month or so. The house we live in was converted into an upper apartment and a ground level apartment. Well the guy who lives above us just adopted a kitten a few weeks ago but his work sent him out of the state for a month and he asked us to watch Casey while he's gone. She is about two months old and like most kittens, she loves to play and cuddle. Pete and I are not really cat people as we both love big dogs, but we're actually quite enjoying the cuteness and company she provides.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Home is Where the Heart Is!
After months of preparation we have finally arrived in our new city! Since I was accepted by one of the universities in this city for my dual masters degree we made the decision in April to move away from our home state and have a bit of a new adventure!
The morning we left started out very smoothly as we had all of our belongings ready to load once the moving trailer arrived at the house. We quickly and efficiently managed to get everything loaded in about an hour and a half. However, by the time we were at the end of the trailer we realized that we would have to choose to leave a few items behind. A vacuum, carpet cleaner, several paintings, laundry baskets, fan, and 4 pairs of my shoes were sacrificed for the cause. We made our final walk through the house, got gas, took out our snacks and headed out on our cross country drive. It was a smooth trip. The highlight for me was being passed on the highway by a group of about 9 Hell's Angel's motorcyclists. After reading about them in Tom Wolfe's "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" when I was about 11 I guess I had assumed they weren't around anymore. Clearly my naivete got the better of me this time around.
Upon arriving in our new city after about a day and a half of driving we were welcomed with heavy rain... just what we didn't want to see for moving our furniture across the muddy lawn and into the freshly cleaned house. However, we figured out an efficient moving strategy to avoid tracking dirt around and were delighted around dusk to see fireflies!!! I did not realize that fireflies would be a component of our new home; I was expecting dinosaur sized mosquitoes! There is apparently a nice sized family of racoons living in the huge mulberry tree in our neighbors yard... a momma and her three or four babies. The raccoon poop I found under the tree yesterday afternoon was comparable to that of a Great Pyrenees.... That must be why my landlord left a large 'pooper-scooper' in the shed next to the gardening supplies.
After finally unpacking all of our boxes, putting everything in their proper places, and cleaning up our straggling cardboard nuggets which were left everywhere, we set out on an adventure throughout the city to find thrift stores with furniture for sale. We scored an awesome little table for our kitchen for only $45 but are still struggling to find a patio set for under $80 and a chair for a relatively similar price that is not in poor condition.... that is proving to be a bit onerous. Our landlord has been generous enough to let us borrow her couch as long as we need it but unfortunately it is quite used as well.
I have been toying with the idea of fashioning a slip cover for the couch and if it was to work out well I could potentially make a matching one for whatever nightmarish chair we could find for a good price but that would take a lot of sewing skill; something that as of now I do not possess. Honey Bear Lane has an awesome tutorial for such a task, so I'll see how it goes. First however we need to get the materials to sand down and paint our coffee table and side table and then find a solution for our kitchen table which is black. The chairs that go with it are a beautiful stained wood, very good quality and I would like if the table matched them but I'm not sure if we could find matching stain.
Tomorrow though we have to take the car to get checked and then drop off job applications. I don't start my job at the local bookstore until Friday so that gives me some time to start these projects, keep searching for cheap patio furniture, and look for a second job and/or scholarships. I can't wait to get started on the furniture projects. Once we get started I will be sure to post some photos!
The morning we left started out very smoothly as we had all of our belongings ready to load once the moving trailer arrived at the house. We quickly and efficiently managed to get everything loaded in about an hour and a half. However, by the time we were at the end of the trailer we realized that we would have to choose to leave a few items behind. A vacuum, carpet cleaner, several paintings, laundry baskets, fan, and 4 pairs of my shoes were sacrificed for the cause. We made our final walk through the house, got gas, took out our snacks and headed out on our cross country drive. It was a smooth trip. The highlight for me was being passed on the highway by a group of about 9 Hell's Angel's motorcyclists. After reading about them in Tom Wolfe's "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" when I was about 11 I guess I had assumed they weren't around anymore. Clearly my naivete got the better of me this time around.
Upon arriving in our new city after about a day and a half of driving we were welcomed with heavy rain... just what we didn't want to see for moving our furniture across the muddy lawn and into the freshly cleaned house. However, we figured out an efficient moving strategy to avoid tracking dirt around and were delighted around dusk to see fireflies!!! I did not realize that fireflies would be a component of our new home; I was expecting dinosaur sized mosquitoes! There is apparently a nice sized family of racoons living in the huge mulberry tree in our neighbors yard... a momma and her three or four babies. The raccoon poop I found under the tree yesterday afternoon was comparable to that of a Great Pyrenees.... That must be why my landlord left a large 'pooper-scooper' in the shed next to the gardening supplies.
After finally unpacking all of our boxes, putting everything in their proper places, and cleaning up our straggling cardboard nuggets which were left everywhere, we set out on an adventure throughout the city to find thrift stores with furniture for sale. We scored an awesome little table for our kitchen for only $45 but are still struggling to find a patio set for under $80 and a chair for a relatively similar price that is not in poor condition.... that is proving to be a bit onerous. Our landlord has been generous enough to let us borrow her couch as long as we need it but unfortunately it is quite used as well.
I have been toying with the idea of fashioning a slip cover for the couch and if it was to work out well I could potentially make a matching one for whatever nightmarish chair we could find for a good price but that would take a lot of sewing skill; something that as of now I do not possess. Honey Bear Lane has an awesome tutorial for such a task, so I'll see how it goes. First however we need to get the materials to sand down and paint our coffee table and side table and then find a solution for our kitchen table which is black. The chairs that go with it are a beautiful stained wood, very good quality and I would like if the table matched them but I'm not sure if we could find matching stain.
Tomorrow though we have to take the car to get checked and then drop off job applications. I don't start my job at the local bookstore until Friday so that gives me some time to start these projects, keep searching for cheap patio furniture, and look for a second job and/or scholarships. I can't wait to get started on the furniture projects. Once we get started I will be sure to post some photos!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Ch-ch-ch-changes!
Today was my last day at both of my jobs. I had been working at a library and a bookstore (do you notice a pattern?) for several years. My fiance and I are about to move to a different city for school and just an overall new adventure as we've both lived in our current state our whole lives. Leaving my jobs was pretty sad because of the great people I met and got to know while there, but at the same time I really am quite anxious to just get moved and settled in our new home.
However, as I'm sure many of you know, there is a certain amount of stress involved with moving. While yes, it is for the most part exciting unless you're being forced against your will to move, like a child whose parents have made the decision to relocate and the kid doesn't want to leave his or her friends, it also involves a lot of work. I have been forced to manage my time in a way that I must get everything done that I need to have done before we leave town.
Unfortunately, I have never been the sort of person to handle stress particularly well. My body reacts in two very distinctly opposite ways regarding high levels of stress. Either I become so anxious that I can't sleep at night because I am unable to stop thinking about everything I need to do and I work like a crazy woman to get everything done or I become so overwhelmed that I hit shut down mode...... today I was in the latter frame of mind, aka horribly unproductive.
However, tonight as I wind down from my last shifts at my jobs I am feeling like I will now have a little extra free time to tackle the things that need to get done; one thing at a time. I still have five days before we leave so I know that it will all work out and be done, but for now I should probably just close my eyes and get a good sleep so tomorrow I can have a productive day. With the help of some very strong coffee.
However, as I'm sure many of you know, there is a certain amount of stress involved with moving. While yes, it is for the most part exciting unless you're being forced against your will to move, like a child whose parents have made the decision to relocate and the kid doesn't want to leave his or her friends, it also involves a lot of work. I have been forced to manage my time in a way that I must get everything done that I need to have done before we leave town.
Unfortunately, I have never been the sort of person to handle stress particularly well. My body reacts in two very distinctly opposite ways regarding high levels of stress. Either I become so anxious that I can't sleep at night because I am unable to stop thinking about everything I need to do and I work like a crazy woman to get everything done or I become so overwhelmed that I hit shut down mode...... today I was in the latter frame of mind, aka horribly unproductive.
However, tonight as I wind down from my last shifts at my jobs I am feeling like I will now have a little extra free time to tackle the things that need to get done; one thing at a time. I still have five days before we leave so I know that it will all work out and be done, but for now I should probably just close my eyes and get a good sleep so tomorrow I can have a productive day. With the help of some very strong coffee.
Hello? Is Anyone Out There?
I find myself realizing that somehow, for some unknown reason, I have created a blog. Despite my technological ignorance beyond Facebook, YouTube, and the almighty IMDB, I apparently stumbled my way into this situation. Call it a desire to chronicle thoughts and experiences, a sort of therapeutic journaling that coincidentally will be accessible to the entire internet community, or an outlet for a 25 year old woman to have a designated spot to dedicate to her love of writing that will touch on all of her diverse interests and experiences and inadvertently inspire her readers.
But, lets be real. As glorious as that all sounds, I'm really just attempting to break into the internet community beyond Facebook and my newly created Twitter account (still trying to figure it out....) to form a foundation for my writing career, and I figured that this would be the most logical way to do it.
If anyone out there is reading this, thank you and come back again soon.
But, lets be real. As glorious as that all sounds, I'm really just attempting to break into the internet community beyond Facebook and my newly created Twitter account (still trying to figure it out....) to form a foundation for my writing career, and I figured that this would be the most logical way to do it.
If anyone out there is reading this, thank you and come back again soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)