i feel like a new mom

It is snowing here today. And Beaulah, our new puppy, loves the cold white stuff on the ground. I think it distracts her from the cold, cold air. Having a new puppy parallels having a new baby. She's all I think about. When did she last poop? Why isn't she eating more? What am I teaching her? Its all similar to parenting except its much more expedited because by the time she's 9 months old she'll enter dog puberty. She is learning very quickly. She already knows how to sit on command! I am very proud of her.

My only beef with having a new pup is that it doesn't come with "maternity leave". There's lots of fatigue and exhaustion with both a new baby and new pup. I'm constantly watching her every move and correcting her. These first two weeks would be a lot easier if I was unemployed. But I am thankful for my job... don't get me wrong. My j-o-b allows me to take trips to Petsmart. I took Beaulah for the first time last night to pick out a new toy. She picked a Kong Squiggle. She loved being there and she was really calm. I love being her "mommy".

julia child night

So usually our experimental dinner nights inspire a photo, but not last night. You know how food is first said to be "eaten with your eyes"? Well this dish looked like it had been eaten by a whole lot more than eyes (once or twice maybe) before we even touched it. But it tasted delicious! In the end I suppose that's the most important thing. Last night Jacob had the wonderful idea to make Julia Child recipes for dinner and watch the movie as we enjoy the fruits of our labor. We were ambitious. We picked "Julia Child's Puree of Rice and Turnips With Herbs and Garlic" and "Julia Child's Ragout of Chicken Thighs 'a la Nicoise". It's important to add "Julia Child's" to the beginning. We started the night at 6 with a trip to Ingles to pick up a few ingredients, and then to his apartment to start slicing, dicing, simmering, browning, melting, reducing, thickening, tasting and finally eating shortly after nine. We anticipated it being a late dinner so we ate bruschetta on yummy toasted bread throughout the cooking process to carry us through. The Rice and Turnip puree was really interesting. It was sort of like mashed potatoes, but with a very distinct flavor and almost with the texture of grits. And the chicken... oh the chicken. Jacob did a fantastic job with this dish. It was juicy and full of flavor. The part that wasn't aesthetically pleasing was the yummy sauce for the chicken. As dinner prep went on and on, we started the movie at eight and listened as we cooked. It was inspirational. Julia Child said to make dinner the event and last night that's just what we did. What a blessing to enjoy such a yummy hobby. Bon appetite!

the gift

The hammock swing project is complete! Ha-lle-lu-jah! I took matters into my own hands. Yesterday I recruited the assistance of Mike Signorini, our assistant food service manager and my neighbor, to help me drill a hole in the top beam of the swing structure. Right after work he brought over a ladder, drill and drill bit. Three items plus five minutes and the project was complete. As soon as the parts were assembled, I lowered myself into the fabric swing. I misjudged the span of the fabric. The result was me spinning 360 degrees with the hammock in the clutches of my fists as the swing flipped over itself. It was a whirlwind! In a matter of seconds I was laying on my back in the mud. I'm still not really sure what caused this precisely, but Mike thought it was hilarious. I'm okay, no worries though my shoulder is pretty sore today. I came home right after work today to enjoy the swing once again. It was awesome. I had music from my computer, a book, water and wheat thins. The weather was cool, crisp and breezy. It was the perfect fall day. Occasionally a leaf from the backyard would fly up and stick to the rope strands of the swing. Every time this happened I was startled because I thought it was some sort of rodent or bird attacking me. But every time it was only a leaf.

It occurred to me while I was hanging in the hammock swing that I was in fact hanging there. I thought of how much trust I had at some point decided, subconsciously of course, to put in this structure. I looked at the tethered rope, carabiner, bolt/screw thingy and wooden structure. All of it working together allowed me to hang there without a care in the world. I also thought about how this had cost me nothing and I'll probably have it my whole life. I hope I do. The whole thing was a gift from people that I love. Thank you all for making this possible... you know who you are...

my feet hurt

I went to a concert last night which required me to stand on a concrete floor for 3 hours. The concert was terrific and I wasn't concerned about the amount of standing until about 12:30 pm today because I had been standing at work for another 5 hours. Now my feet, ankles and calf muscles ache. On a positive note, I made lots of delicious goodies for private school kids today including lemon bars, chocolate chip cookies, french toast bread, hamburger buns, focaccia bread and biscuits. It was a busy day and now I'm sitting at home with my feet up watching NCIS with Michele. I'm feeling slightly better by the minute...

sweet treat

Yummy, right? Cinnamon pecan pancakes. Fancy sour cream sauce. Fresh fruit. Warm maple syrup (not pictured). Caramelized fruit in a reduction sauce. Delicious chicken sausages (also not pictured). Jacob made me breakfast yesterday! It was an awesome treat and he created all of it without looking at a single recipe. What a man! Techie, musician, wood craftsman, chef, mechanic, decorator and connoisseur of many things. I'm a lucky woman!

Bigfoot

Its okay. No need to adjust your screen resolution or glasses prescription. Take a close look. Just what is this picture of? Some sort of optical illusion? Okay, okay I'll tell you. Its my tiny, delicate foot in Jacob's large and in charge flip flop. My foot is swallowed by his shoe like a child's in a "normal" size adult shoe. Half of my foot fills the toe section of this shoe. It amazes me every time I slip it on my foot. That's one big foot... well technically two big feet.

Update: it is raining outside again and our road is flooding. I went to the dentist this morning to have two cavities filled, I got drenched in the process and now my face has been numb since 9 am preventing me from eating anything. On the upside, I'm off work today and am home watching Gilmore Girls. Copper Boom!

sports opera

I love the fall. I love the weather. I love dressing for fall weather. I love pumpkins and seasonal foods. I love the smells associated with the fall: cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, roasted turkey and baked apple. I love fall foliage and fall festivals. Its a wonderful time of year. I suppose another reason to love the fall is college football. I'm not an avid football fan meaning that I haven't memorized any team rosters. But I do enjoy the spirit of college football. I like the idea of family and friends gathering on Saturdays to cheer on their teams and either grieve or rejoice with them. And I also enjoy the sounds of football. There's something familiar and comforting about the sound of college football playing lightly on the television on a Saturday afternoon.

People love football. I'm amazed by how much people know about athletes both in their professional and personal lives. I have thought for years that the world of sports is very much the equivalent to soap operas for sports fans. When I was a little girl, my mom and her mom would talk about soap stars as if they were their friends and as if the events on the show were actual reality. Hearing people talk about athletes and sports teams often feels similar to that. Sometimes I wish I knew more about the sports opera. As I type this I am watching "First Take" on ESPN. I'm challenging myself to follow college football more closely this fall. I have cable and internet this year so I have more advantages than the last couple of years. I can do it and I am excited about it. My roots make me a Tennessee Volunteer fan, but this weekend I have been invited to a Georgia Bulldog game and I think I'm going to go. This is a break through. The Bulldogs aren't playing the Vols so I think its okay that I cheer for the Dawgs. GO DAWGS!?