Thankful Thursday

What do you think, is 3 posts in 4 days enough contrition for being a slacker lately? Or is it really that interesting to read about how I like to eat eggs now? Anyway, here I am and guess what? It's Thursday! Since I've already drained my list of quasi totally uninteresting topics, I'm going to jump right in.

1. I'm thankful for early mornings. I'm totally a morning person, and so waking up at 4:30am every Thursday for 90 minutes of yoga before work is awesome. It's silent, peaceful...and it's complete "me" time.
2. I'm thankful for Christmas music! Nothing makes me feel jolly like some good ole Bing Crosby or, dare I say, Roger Whittaker.
3. I'm thankful for free time tonight! I have a lot I need to get done at home, and finally have some time to do it. Let's see how good I can be at ignoring chores - my constant distraction!
4. I'm thankful for good food with good friends. We had a fun dinner with some friends last night and it really reminded me how grateful I am to have friends that you can just relax with and enjoy a nice meal.
5. I'm thankful for another good book - I don't know how I keep managing to find such great ones! Today I hopped on the elliptical at lunch with the kindle, and when I looked up I had burned too many calories and there was only 3 minutes left of my workout. Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini - it's a classic and it's free on kindle...so read it! There's not much that can top a really good book!

What are you thankful for?

Gaston

You know how I hate eggs? I haven't liked them since I was little, and can't even stomach the smell of them? It seems I've turned a corner. In a big way. A couple days ago I ate 7 eggs in a day just because they sounded good. I've been bringing them to work for snacks, scrambling up the whites at home for dinner and breakfast, and had to upgrade from buying the half-size carton of egg whites to the big size...and restocking it during the week! I'm like a whole new person, y'all. The other day I was eating an egg at work (stealthily, so as not to offend anyone with the smell!), and I realized how many eggs I'd had that day, and thought of that song from Beauty and the Beast where Gaston juggles all those eggs into his mouth and croons something about 4 dozen eggs making him the size of a barge. That's me. Let's at least hope I get some shiny hair and lean muscle mass out of all this, right?

Much to be Thankful For.

Nothing like missing a Thankful Thursday post on Thanksgiving to say I've been busy, right? Seriously, I thought I was in danger of boredom going into the long weekend, and lo and behold I am now even further behind on things that need to get done than I was before. How is that possible? Especially when you hear the things I've done, you'll be amazed that I burned through those 4 days off without a moment to spare. I even woke up early in the mornings so I could be productive! Oh well.

Last week I got to the point where I hadn't been to the store in way too long, and was missing a good, fresh meat to have for dinner. So I made protein fries - tofu sliced, dried, sprinkled with spices and almond meal, and roasted in the oven. Mmmm!

However, I made up for not going to the store in awhile by going probably 5 or 6 times in the first 2 days of break.

At some point, I realized I needed to clean my vacuum. I've been LOVING my Shark "pet-hair" vacuum for a year and a half now with no issues. It picks up every little piece of hair, fluff, dust, you name it. Except recently, when there's been an odd noise, and less efficiency. So I flipped it over and LOOK, just look what I found:

A creature! Okay, not really, but those are BIG scissors I left in the picture for scale, and it looked like my hair had been turned into a wig and sucked around the vacuum wheel. I think I gasped out loud when I saw it. Poor vacuum, no wonder you were sick. Also that just goes to show how much hair I shed even after carefully cleaning up after myself. Speaking of which, it was time to at least get rid of a little of my hair:

Haircut time! I bet I lost close to a pound of hair - my head feels SO much lighter now! And the best part - I can do pushups now without my hair thwacking me in the face each time. Yay!

Something I did a lot of over break was cook. I did a LOT of cooking and baking. Starting with these beautiful graham crackers:

I take a recipe I liked, modified it to make it healthier and tastier, and voila! Now I can make my own graham cracker crusts whenever I want. I also tried using these babies for a chocolate crust using 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers, 3 tbsp milk, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, and 2 tbsp agave. It was fantastic! Here's my top secret recipe (modified from Chocolate Covered Katie's graham recipe):

-1/4 cup almond meal

-1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp coconut flour (the key ingredient!)

-1/4 cup brown rice flour

-1/4 cup corn flour or more coconute flour and almond meal

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking soda

-1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt

-4-5 tbsp xylitol

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-2 tbsp agave or maple syrup

-1/4 cup melted coconut oil

-2 tbsp water

Mix dry ingredients together, then combine with wet in large bowl and mix thoroughly. Grease a cookie sheet, and dump the dough onto it. Press into corners until dough is about 1/4 inch thick (depending on how thick you want your graham crackers!). Press thoroughly until smooth, then pop into a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Let cool, then cut into shapes and enjoy!


On Thursday, Milo and I watched the Thanksgiving Day parade while I did some chores. He was immovable! So I left the parade on for him while I went to pick up Nolan from his overnight shift at Stanford.

Nolan slept most of the day until we headed over to one of his attending's for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a veritable feast, complete with champagne-roasted turkey, homemade pickled beets, apple crumble...mmm! It was awesome. And so fun to see some of those he works with outside of a professional setting! After some wine, the conversation settled on zombies for a good hour. Speaking of which: did you know the CDC has a website dedicated to zombie preparedness? I'm not joking - look it up! :)

Yesterday I learned how to make wreaths with some girlfriends, and except for my still-stinging hands from all the wily needles, I'm pleased with my result! Okay - it's a bit wild looking, but it's my first one! I even incorporated some of my burlap into it (I'm drowning in burlap at home because of all my crafts!). I even put it on our front door already:

Last night was Nolan's second night on-call, which on this rotation means 30 hours straight at the hospital. Brutal! He has 7 total to do during these 4 weeks, and so far I've either dropped him off or picked him up for each one, and stopped by with his favourite cup of fancy coffee (Philz, of course!) and a treat. My goal is to do this for each one...because you've gotta have something to make a 30-hour shift more enjoyable! Last night he even had a few minutes to hang out, so we sat outside the hospital while he enjoyed his coffee and little treat. I'll take any chance I get to hang with him! 



He doesn't even look that tired...right?



 And finally, last night, right before I put up the tree, I ALMOST finished our family stockings! Here is how they look right now (if a little wrinkly still):   

Milo's looks a little funky, but he doesn't care so what the heck.

I love the way they turned out! They're fully lined and ready to go...and my fingers are sore! They just need the names added now. I'm thinking of just adding our first letter (A, N) and hanging it by twine on there somewhere. We'll see what I feel up to! Nolan said he really liked the "Tiny Tim" feel they have. I wouldn't think that is a good thing, but who knows?

All in all, a great weekend, though I wish I'd had more time to check other things off of my list! I guess it's time for my list, huh?

1. I'm thankful for my incredible, hilarious, compassionate, uber-smart and ruggedly handsome husband. He's the best partner-in-crime I could ever ask for, and without him I'd be just half an orange (points for you if you know the reference!).

2. I'm thankful for our home. Even though we're just renting, it feels like home, and has been everything we could ask for...repairs and all.

3. I'm thankful for our friends and family who have been such a huge support system as we navigate residency this year. What a huge blessing!

4. I'm thankful for our jobs. So many are unemployed, that it feels almost wicked to not only have jobs, but ones we enjoy! I was actually looking forward to coming to work today - yeah!

5. I'm thankful for, above all, God and his mercy and love. It just never gets old! We're so blessed that He's provided us a great church, a great marriage group, and a desire to know Him. I may be intensely private about this most of the time, but I want you to know how important (He's everything!) God is in my life.

What are you thankful for?

verb-ing

Ok guys, I wanted to wait to blog again until I had a picture of our new Christmas stockings, but alas! I'm only mostly done with Nolan's. Mine and Milo's (yes, I made one for my cat) are just two sad sacks (hah - arrested development, anyone?) right now. Boo. But that's what a few days off is good for, right? So no pictures yet. Maybe tomorrow?

I get to take off a bit early from work today, and Nolan is working his first overnight shift on this rotation (7am today until 11am tomorrow, ouch!), so I made a point of not making plans tonight and having a night in alone! It feels like it's been so long! So far my agenda is:

5pm - Walk to the grocery store. Possibly buy "sample size" (read: white trash) mini-bottle of cheap red wine for dinner. Possibly. I can't bear to open a whole bottle just to take one glass!
5:30pm - Last workout of the day
6pm - Dinner...and a bath?
7pm - Start making dessert and veg on the couch. You know I can't NOT have dessert!
8pm - See if Nolan wants a visitor who will bring him a coffee and little treat :)
9pm - Think about working on stockings, choose not to, and watch an episode of something instead. Or read. I'm in the middle of "Scaramouche" right now and it's exciting!
10pm - Most likely go to bed...a whole hour later than usual! I'm a rebel.

Doesn't it sound glorious? I'm betting it will end up being less luxurious than that and involve more chores that I find to do...but here's hoping!


Quote of the week:
Nolan (from the shower): "What does Redken mean?"
Me: "What? Redken?"
Nolan: "Yeah. Like, 'to Redken' something?"
Me: "Uhh...I don't..."
Nolan: "Well ok so your shampoo bottle says "Shines as well as Redken".
Me: "Bahahahaha! OH! Redken is a brand of hair products. It's comparing its quality to a more expensive brand."
Nolan: "...oh."

How can you not love him?

Thankful Thursday

This week has been great. Long, but great. It's weird how some weeks fly by and then others are like...every single minute just drags by. But! I've had fun stuff to work on all week - challenging things. And I've been able to maintain my workout schedule (barely!) this week, even in the last and most time-consuming phase of this program which just started. I'm spending generally 2 hours a day (2.5 on Thursdays - those are hardest to make work) working out during this phase, and LOVING it...but it does take a lot of time. And I'm always hungry! Hah. It also makes me look forward to weekends more though - only an hour each day on Sat and Sun, and much easier workouts at that. As much as I enjoy it, I can't imagine how bodybuilders or Olympic athletes do it and spend several hours a day working out - it really must be a full-time job. I've definitely noticed changes in my body, and other than the bigger legs (what's up with that!), I'm loving seeing lines and definition where I didn't before. The best part of this whole thing? The energy. Excepting when it's bedtime or when I'm severely lacking sleep, I have a TON of energy. It's fantastic. Looking for a great workout plan? There's a reason P90X is so popular - and you don't have to spend a ridiculous amount of time like I do; it's only because I'm doing the doubles plan (and using Insanity for some of my cardio times). Classic is very reasonable. Check it out!

Okay. Tired of me talking about working out? Sorry. I just really like it. Maybe I need to pick up another hobby. Because I'm sure you want to read me droning on about how amazing knitting cat sweaters is. Ahem.

1. I'm thankful for family, and the chances we have to see them. It always feels like we don't get to see them enough, but I know many people see their families way less than we do.
2. I'm thankful for a short week next week and a staycation! We're going to have Thanksgiving dinner with one of the Stanford faculty, so we nixed our orphan dinner plans...which leaves me free of meal planning, and gives me lots of time to work on Christmas gifts! Score.
3. I'm thankful for quality time with Nolan. I've realized recently that although we've been seeing each other a lot, I often am a bad listener or we just end up vegging on the couch and eating dessert. It's easy to forget how much I need to ask questions and listen - and how much joy it brings me to do that! So I'm grateful for that realization and for having those opportunities.
4. I'm thankful for tomorrow - I'm going to wake up a little later, enjoy breakfast with Nolan, then start work at the usual time with no commute! Working from home is great (if a little boring) just for allowing me to take my mornings slower and catch a little extra sleep.
5. I'm thankful for music! Not only is it beautiful and moving to listen to, but it's one of my spiritual pathways too. It's amazing how much calmer I feel during my commute after having either classical or k-love on for a few minutes.

What are you thankful for?

Win the Day!

This weekend, my families came to visit! Nolan's parents came down on Friday, and met us after work for some wine, dinner, and then the Lion King in SF! The show was super impressive for it's costuming, design, props...so cool!

Inner Fog wine bar...tasty!


The next day, my parents joined us, and after an afternoon of playing games, we headed over to Berkeley for some Zachary's pizza and the Ducks vs. Cal game. Zachary's deep-dish was so crowded that we had to get it to go (still had to wait forever!), and find some random bench to spread out on and eat it. It was so delicious! And then of course we walked a couple miles to the stadium, froze our butts off while cheering for the glorious Ducks, who (unsurprisingly) crushed Cal, 58-17. Still undefeated!

Our bench dinner :)

The next day Nolan had to work, and so the 5 of us headed to church after breakfast and a nice coffee stop at Philz, then had lunch at Pluto's and went about our afternoons! My parents had to head back, but the Sr. Caldwells stayed on and we went to more coffee and eventually saw Skyfall (the newest Bond installment) and had mousse before crashing a little early. Best part of the afternoon? Nolan got to come home a few hours early to join us for the rest of the day!

My mom brought me these pretty fall flowers, and I was so expecting Milo to have eaten them all (he loves flowers!) by the time we got home from the game, but now it's Monday and he still hasn't touched them! Maybe he's finally maturing a little bit. Maybe I'll get to enjoy these for more than a day!

Thankful Thursday

Today felt like the holidays. There was rain slanting against my window, I had a hot coffee warming my hands, and I was listening to Christmas music. Plus I keep getting those groupon deals and other spam about early Christmas savings..."get it now!". So all in all, it's a good day. I realized the other day that this is my absolute favourite time of year, and I'm not enjoying it as much as I should because I keep getting distracted by all the planning! So this is me stopping, taking a breath, and revelling in the most wonderful time of year.

1. I'm thankful for the last two days of offsite training. It made me miss my cubicle, and I think that was needed.
2. I'm thankful for my new bike! It's so fun to have something that Nolan and I both can do together! Whenever we finally get a chance to go, that is...
3. I'm thankful for a weekend of family coming up! Tomorrow night we see The Lion King with my in-laws, and then my parents are joining us the next day for a trip to the Oregon Ducks vs. Cal Bears game tomorrow night. Fun!
4. I'm thankful for bootcamp after work with my friend today. This is recovery week for P90X and I have so much energy I think I'm going to bounce out of my chair. It's ridiculous. So I'm glad I get a chance to burn off some of that extra energy!
5. I'm thankful for Nolan, who not only keeps me sane, but also loves me unconditionally. He's the funniest, smartest, and kindest person I know - I am so lucky to have him!

What are you thankful for?

Take 2

Best discovery last week?

A healthy, delicious and oh-so-easy recipe for chocolate pecan pie from (who else?) Chocolate Covered Katie. I ran out of pecans for the top, so I just sprinkled on what I had left...but there were TONS whipped into the filling, along with my favourite, TOFU! So tasty. I made two tiny ones (see above in my cute little ramekins!) and we devoured them while watching The Dark Knight Rises. Bliss!

Speaking of great things, you know how sad I was last week about my bike being stolen? I was also SO SAD that it meant the loss of an activity Nolan and I like doing together. Yesterday I was scouring Craigslist, hoping to see my bike for sale by the thief, and clicked on a link that I was pretty sure might be it (!)...and found this instead:

Notice anything interesting about this picture? It's in my garage! Yep, I found that bike, it was a smokin' deal, and so cute! Plus exactly what I need in a bike. So...an unplanned replacement, but perfect! Cannot wait to test this baby on the trails! And in the meantime...she'll be locked up in the garage :)

In other news...

Congratulations to our re-elected President Obama! Looking forward to what great things you'll do in the next 4 years as our leader!

Thankful Thursday

Halloween party this week? Awesome. Nolan and our friend John did an amazing job decorating (which I didn't really get a picture of, sad!), and we had great food, drinks, and a fantastic turnout. I want to say 40-50, though you can't tell at all from this picture taken early in the evening. That's Nolan in the front with the fake beard.

 At the party, I introduced myself to one of the applicants...who was someone I already knew! It was bizarre and awesome. I've known this guy since like 7th grade, and here he is randomly showing up in our garage to woo Nolan and his colleagues. I'd apologize for the picture quality, but it was N who left the flash on. Oh well.

 Here's our little treat table too! Most of the food was over by the grill, and of course the sangria and the apple cider had their own set ups...but these s'more pops (left) and pumpkin pie cupcakes (back) took forever to make! So I wanted a picture for posterity. You can ignore the bowls of bread and spinach dip in the front - those just happened to be on the same table :)

Later that night sometime, my mountain bike was stolen. Someone literally crept through our gate in the back, looking for something to steal, and my bike was closest and probably easiest. So sad! And creepy that someone was back there while I was sleeping literally 15 feet above (I could've seen it happen through my bedroom window). A friend described a guy she saw creeping around the neighbourhood late, and I sent it on to the police. But I seriously doubt anything will come of it. At least they're aware.

I was really sad about it at first, and Nolan helped me figure out why, because even though it was just a thing, it represented a lot that I won't go into detail about here. But I also had some great times of reflection that day on how my bike being taken was a good thing. I mean, it could have been Nolan's bike, and that would have been much worse. Or it could have been all the bikes! We had all 5 out there that night because we needed more space in the garage (we usually have them locked up inside). Or there could have been nothing out there and the guy might have tried to come into the garage or into the house! Or he could have walked around to our neighbour's area in the back and taken her stuff or gone inside her house. So really, it could have been so much worse. And it made me realize what's important. Because even though symbolically that bike was really special, when I think about other things that have made me feel really sad like that, a missing bike is nowhere NEAR as bad as some of the other situations. So I'm saying my goodbye, and we'll start looking for a new bike sometime in the future. Sigh.

So with that:

1. I'm thankful it was just my bike that was taken. And thankful for our safety.
2. I'm thankful the Halloween party went so well! But I'm also thankful it's over, haha. A lot of work!
3. I'm thankful for fun new things happening at work! I like to be challenged, so this is good.
4. I'm thankful we're in "The Holidays" now. At least, I like to think of it as the time between Halloween and New Year's. It's my favourite time of year, and I feel almost giddy!
5. I'm thankful next week is recovery week for my workout cycle. It means I'll get a little bit more rest and sleep, and I could use some of both!

What are you thankful for?