Prior to the snow arriving our nephew arrived for a visit as well. It has been great a great time!
Cue crazy Aunt Amber running from door to door asking for two eggs.
First house...No answer
Second house...Same result
Third house...Same result
At this point I'm beginning to think I'm going to be badly beaten by two three year olds, two four year olds and a 10 year old plus their parents. Uh oh!
Finally, at the fourth house some nice kids gave me some eggs on a promise that I would bring them a couple of brownies once they were done. Those kids are the reason I am still here today and for that I am grateful.
Success is SWEET!
While driving in to work this morning (to which I arrived on time by the way) I was taking in the sunrise. It really was beautiful this morning!
Then it dawned on me......
7 months ago today was MG's birthday. To be honest, it seems like a life time ago and yesterday all at the same time.
The pain is definitely not as fresh nor as painful as it once was. This occurred to me one day recently while driving to work and while I did not realize it at the time I really have turned a corner in this whole process of grieving.
This is a good thing. I'm totally fine with never going back there ever again. There were some bad days in those first six months. Hormones + Grieving is like a ticket to you know where......
To be honest, I have no idea what happened because in my opinion I think I should still be very much in that painful place at this point but I'm just not.
It seems like the pain left about the same time my grandfather did. To me that makes no logical sense. In my mind, logic says when he left the pain should have doubled. Emotionally it seems the opposite occurred.
This whole post is not to say it does not take my breath that both her and my grandfather are gone at times. It does. This morning was a perfect example. It takes me a minute to cruise back to reality once I realize one of these milestones.
Today alone it has happened twice but I'm still standing. I'm standing much taller and stronger than I'd thought I'd be at this point. Hopefully MG is proud of her Mommy today :)
And that observation is going to have to be my next post.
A while back an acquaintance of mine posted her Bucket List on her blog. While I have had that post in the back of my mind since reading it along with seeing the movie (very good btw) I have not really acted on those thoughts until recently.
My Bucket List is not nearly as adventurous as hers however mine is at least getting started. The camera and computer purchases were part of that Bucket List. As I have said before, while I have no intentions of ever jumping into to the world of professional photography I really do enjoy taking pictures.
It seems I lean more towards capturing scenery such as the cows on my drive home or Tonka. The only times I find myself taking pictures of people are when our nieces and nephews are around. At least one (maybe two) of them LOVE the camera. It is hilarious!
So without further adieu, a few weeks ago I got an email from a photographer that I simply admire about a workshop in February. The whole purpose of the workshop is for people to learn how to use their cameras. The timing could not have been better and I'm stoked about taking photographs along side someone who captures such beautiful images.
The workshop can't get here soon enough! It is going to be a great day!
In search of 1 laptop container. Not sure yet if I want a bag, sleeve, or other. Bonus if it is purple and gold and/or monogrammed.
I've just started looking but I thought I would see what ideas others may have :)
This is my new BFF. I've been sharing a laptop with my husband for more than a few years now. At one point, I had a Toshiba laptop but I decided to give it to a family member with the intention of buying a new one. That was a few years ago and well it just hasn't been a priority until now :)
Soooo without further adieu my new laptop! One of my delays in getting a new one over the years has been making a decision on which laptop I wanted. Too many choices. Although many people tried to bring me over to the dark side I decided at this point it was not in the cards for me to join the Apple cult.
After much research along with talking to the very knowledgeable guy at Best Buy I came home with this Sony VAIO. So far I LOVE IT!
Windows 7 is really streamlined from XP in my opinion. I have no idea how it compares to Vista because that was yet another reason I held off on getting a laptop. The reviews on Vista were none too good so I held off until 7 was launched a few months ago.
Also, even though I'm never planning on doing photography in a professional capacity I still elected to get Photoshop because I've wanted it for quite some time. I do take a lot of pictures of family, friends, and random scenery along the journey called life so I'm really excited to learn how to use it.
Off to continue playing with my new friend now :).jpg)
with good reason. I'm in the market for a new laptop. So far the Mac fans have been loud and proud.
I'm still on the fence but hoping to make a decision really soon because my new camera isn't doing me much good without a computer.
Sooo I've posed this question a few places but if you have strong recommendations for my new computer let me know :)
Because I'm going to eat it all! I just had to share this recipe. It is from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that I think my grandmother gave me as I was walking out the door for college.
I don't think I cracked that thing open until a couple of years ago though so I'm still working through it but I've found some good recipes in it as of late.
We made this recipe for my family on Tuesday and I'm making it again tomorrow. Yum!
Here is the recipe:
1-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cubed, or beef stew meat
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 14-ounce cans beef broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cups chopped, peeled tomato (2 large) or one 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1-1/2 cups cubed, peeled potatoes (2 medium)
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 cup sliced carrot (2 medium)
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
Directions
1. In a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven brown meat, half at a time, in hot oil; drain fat. Return all meat to Dutch oven. Stir in beef broth, oregano, marjoram, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Discard bay leaves. If necessary, skim fat .
2. Stir in tomato, corn, potato, green beans, carrot, celery, and onion. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 25 minutes more or until vegetables are tender.
Tonight I set out on one of my first runs since the 10k race I ran back in October. I'd run a few times since then but it just seemed like the wheels fell off after that race.
I had intended to take it a little easier after the race because I had really pushed it to get ready for it being that Megan Grace was born at the end of June. The race was about 3 months later if my memory serves me correctly. Then my grandfather passed away in November and the holidays followed soon after.
It is now January. Wow. So back to the grind I go. I'm pretty sure I ran a whole mile tonight and it was HARD. It will get better with time and persistance but right now I just feel out.of.shape.
This too shall pass.....
Broadway
Hard Rock
Cool building downtown
The temperature at 7 am on Saturday as we left for Memphis. It was cold!
Guy in a purple gorilla suit. At least he was warm.........
The scoreboard as I choose to remember it :)
Until I have time to sort through my pictures from our trip to Nashville/Memphis for NYE and the ECU bowl game (and no I don't want to talk about it just in case you were wondering).
I've been making this chili for a few months now. It has been one of my favorite finds from my Southern Living cookbook circa 2007.
Meaty Black Bean Chili
Prep: 10 min., Cook: 20 min.
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
3 (15-oz.) cans black beans
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 pound ground round
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14-oz.) can low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
2 (14.5-oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes with jalapeños
Toppings: sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, lime wedges, sliced jalapeño peppers, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, corn chips
Preparation
1. Rinse and drain 2 cans black beans. (Do not drain third can.)
2. Sauté chopped onion and ground round in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Stir in chili powder and next 3 ingredients; sauté 1 minute. Stir in drained and undrained beans, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Serve chili with desired toppings.
This stuff is good! I throw in a few extra jalapenos for good measure and I'm all set. Enjoy!
