HEATWAVE!

I think God is blessing me today, as it is 45 degrees on this mid-winters day. That's our German Shepherd, "Puppy" looking outside. I have a bunch of windows open and we have turned off our heat! With weather like this it makes me yearn for spring, only a few more months to go until then. *smirk*

I was musing on how much I enjoy the outdoors, nature is such a wonderful gift and I don't appreciate it enough. Sunlight has a very large effect on my mood too, I think it's very important to get sun while its out. I realized I might have a vitamin D deficiency, which could account for my foul mood since the dead of winter hit. Even if you just stand in a window for a few minutes, it can be very beneficial.

Our little family is going to go for a nature walk on the WV Panhandle trail later this afternoon, I'm looking forward to getting some excercise, breathing some fresh air, and soaking in some much needed sunlight! :D

A new year

Well, its 2010. I can't believe I remember the past decade so vividly, being 23 and all. I'm sure my older peers will laugh at me for talking about it with such wonder; glad to give someone a chuckle.

So this year, I have resolved to actually get started on some hobbies. Benedict doesn't take up my ENTIRE day, he is actually pretty low maintenance. I've actually gotten wicked excited to start our container gardening full force this year! I was a timid gardener last summer, so I'm going to plant what I want and hope for a moderate harvest when the time comes.

I plan to plant as follows: Impatiens (shade flowers, 5 types), lavender, begonias, dill, chives, sage, cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme, Italian parsley, marjoram, rosemary, sweet cherry tomatoes, 2 types of heirloom tomatoes, red peppers, jalapeños, snap peas, green beans, summer squash, radishes, pansies, and nasturtiums.

All of these will be planted in different containers all over our little rental property. I don't expect everything to thrive, but I am hoping for a lovely "garden" this spring to fall growing season. I'll be posting my progress as the year continues.

Have a Blessed and Holy New Year!

A little Jane Austen please...

I must say, my appreciation for Jane Austens works has grown immensely in the last year or two. I've realized how much my heart yearns for good, wholesome, and noble forms of entertainment, which in this day and age is very hard to find. I so enjoy the purity of her love stories, the strong female leads, and the nobility of the men. These stories remind me of the truely good things in this world, they really do.

Food, Glorious Foooood!

I'm sure this might come off to some as "food worship," but I give myself permission.

I love food. I like to fancy myself a "foodie". One of my favorite pastimes when I get home from work is looking at my cook books, imagining myself in a ADORABLE apron, mixing and baking all kinds of fancy confections. Since it is the New Year, and for some reason it inspires one to make some sort of fresh new change in ones life, Sean and I have decided we would like to incorporate more "whole foods" into our diet. I had forgotten how much I loved fresh veggies and fruits when I was in the bad habit of cooking our dinner from a can or frozen food bag. I had also forgotten how much I enjoy cooking fabulous meals for Sean and I. Am I any good at it? Well, Im no Emeril, but I can hold my own methinks. I would love to be able to devote more time to cooking, but there are only so many hours in a day, ya know?
My Mom, the wise woman she is, bought me for Christmas, a lovely book called "29 Minute Meals" by Pampered Chef. I was muoy pleased with this one. It is full with delicious meals that I can make in under a half hour, which for me, very appealing due to my 45 hour work week.

Anyway, wish me luck on this venture into KitchenLand.

8-5 Mon-Fri

I have a job now. I work as a secretary at Nelson's Woodcraft. They sell neat Catholic stuff. Basically, I answer phones, process orders, ship ALL the products, and charge credit cards and whatnot. Its a full day, it flies by more often than not. The work enviroment is usually laid back, I can wear flip flops to work. It's great fun.

Beer and Cake

Actually, I don't really like beer, I just thought it sounded better than booze and cake, or wine and cake. Liquor and cake doesn't have a nice ring either.
Anyway, here's a big piece of cake for me, because today is my 21st birthday. Cheers!

Stuff 'n' such...

What a crazy week it has been, and its not even halfway through! Crazy as in major socialization. I'm so glad that I'm finally getting to know the awesome families out here in Steubie. I have discovered that I have awesome neighbors, the Welkers(sp?) Wicked nice family. They have 7 children, which is cool when I feel like this neighborhood is waaay too quiet. I'm sad though, because our other neighbors are moving away, the Starks. I love their girls. :(
Anyway, this week is also busy because Fr Paul Dumais is here for the conference this weekend at the Fran, Defending the Faith. We're going to dinner at the Rylands(the family he stayed with when he went to school here) to see him and also 3 ladies from Maine who are staying at our house for the weekend. Really cool. And, apparently I have the honor of cooking dinner for Nick and his house guest, Dave Armstrong! Hes a famous apologist, so I'm kind of nervous about making him a meal. I hope he likes chicken.

Oh, and this has nothing to do with socializing, but it needs to be mentioned.

I have four tomatoe plants now. FRESH VEGETABLES ROCK!