Hash Brown Fail

I love Pinterest.  Seriously.  The amount of fantastic ideas astound me.  I could never have another original thought and live soley off Pinterest for the rest of my life.  Just wake up each day and make/ create the first Pin I see.  That actually sounds like a pretty awesome documentary idea right there.  I'll let you take my idea if you promise me just a tiny fraction of the cut.  Like 10%?  It could be legendary.

I saw a Pin that showed hash browns being cooked in a waffle iron.  it was just so simple.  Spray the pan, dump in hash browns, close the waffle iron, walk away.  It just so happened that my LifeGroup was having breakfast for dinner this week, so I signed up to make it.

(There is an entire website, waffleizer.com, dedicated to foods you can make in a waffle iron, such a pretzels, mac and cheese, and so on.)

My result was a little less than spectacular.  It seemed that the waffle iron just didn't get hot enough to cook the hash browns.  I could tell that if the iron got hot enough it would have been fantastic, but alas.

The poor little hash brown fail meant that I had a lot of leftover uncooked hash browns.  Which is a random thing to try to eat the rest of the week.  Tonight I made a nice little conction that I'll deem as a "hashwich".  Unless that sounds too druglike.  In that case my recipe will remain unnamed and probably unrepeated. 

I made a piece of toast.  I cooked the hash browns with some deli meat chicken (I hate lunch meat, but it seemed like good protein).  Then I fried an egg.  Yes, I know, frying is bad.  But delicious.  Then I piled everything on top of itself.  And ate it with gusto.

What should I do with the rest of my hash browns?

It's All Coming Back, It's Coming Back to Me Now

I love okra.  Especially the breaded, fried kind.  Yum.  I live South enough that okra is a fairly common staple.  We have fried okra, pickled okra, okra cooked with squash and potatoes.

This summer we tried growing okra again (the last attempt was a big bust), and it succeeded!  We have four plants.  I would honestly double that for future consumption, because I can eat it all by myself, with no help from Lee.

I've been roasting it, which is really beyond simple.  I've found that the smallest stalks are most tender.  I think the general rule is "less than five inches", but I might hazard a guess that I like them best under three inches. 

I spray a pan with non stick and the okra a little too.  Then I sprinkle a small amount of seasoning on (I'm currently cooked on a Cajun blend), and bake in the oven about 10 to 15 minutes.

And the result is just delicious!!

I could have eaten three times as much as this and still thought I needed more.  Yum.

How do you eat your okra? 

It's All Coming Back, It's Coming Back to Me Now

Here I am!  Did you  miss me???

It's been a few months since I updated.  The break was nice, and I've enjoyed it.

Here's what you may have missed:


- I started a new job after three years at Early Head Start.  I miss EHS immensely, but am grateful for the experience in the social work field that I am gaining.

- I got accepted into the Masters of Social Work program.  I start in a few weeks!

- I'm blonde now

- I started participating in Foodie Pen Pals

- My husband and in-laws and I took a vacation to Branson, Missouri

- I have a summer garden with okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.  Except the peppers died.  Sad.

- I have been a reading fool since I've had a semester break from school.

- It's summer in Oklahoma and my house has no air conditioning.  It's hot here.  Really hot.

- I've ran at least one 5k a month.  I haven't really ran between them, but I've got a few races under my belt this year.

- I gave up soda.  For a few weeks.  And then I gave up giving up soda.

What about you?  What did I miss?

Pretty Fingers, Pretty Toes

I love having painted nails.  When I was in high school I would do them about every other day, or as soon as they chipped.  I remember getting mad at my high school boyfriend because he didn't notice they were different than the day before (it was high school, that was apparently a way to prove if you loved someone).  I love to coordinate my nails with a fancy outfit or do them in a theme for a holiday.  I personally find this one of the easiest ways to express myself and the girliness that I just can't contain.  It's a cheap way to play around with a look without spending lots of time and money on yourself.  Someday when I have a baby girl I'll paint her nails (I joke with Lee that I would paint her nails in the hospital if we could get away with it.) 

Here's a peek at the tin I keep my nail polishes in:

I usually do them myself for a few reasons: 1) It's fun to do them 2) I'm cheap 3) After the yucky toe fiasco I'm scare of fungi.  I came across this adorable manicure on LoveMaegan.com and figured it was a fast, easy way to celebrate Valentine's Day on my nails.  (she frequently has cute manicures on her site).


Here are the colors I used:

The first is Essie Grow Stronger.  I try to use that as a base coat or use it when I haven't painted my nails.  My nails tend to peel fairly easily.  Then I used Ulta Lilac Chrome as the base color and NYC 131A Big Apple Red as the heart color.  I sealed it all off with Sally Hansen Miracle Cure as the top coat because apparently I'm out of top coat (I usually use Essie).

Here's my finished result:

Did you notice that I'm not wearing my wedding rings?  I actually frequently don't wear them....For a variety of reasons I won't bore you with here.

Hers turned out a lot cuter than mine, but this is an idea I would love to try again.  I would probably make the hearts bigger.  This was much easier than I expected, even on my right hand (which I think actually looks better than my left hand).

Due Date

February 5th was my due date.  I was caught unaware by the tidal wave of grief, guilt, loneliness, and sadness that engulfed me.  It's been 18 months since we found out that our baby had already gone to Heaven to be with the Lord.  In those months I have found healing that could have only come from God.  Most days I am ok.  But knowing that we were so close to what would have been our first-born's birthday hit me much harder than I expected.

My cousin went into labor on the 5th.  Her whole pregnancy I had prayed that she would have her sweet baby any day but that day.  I hated hearing the regular reminders of when her baby was due- for the past eight months it's kicked me every time.  When I found out her water had broken I was beyond depressed.  I found myself thinking the kind of nonsense thoughts that appear in the mind when emotion rules over logic.  I was happy for my cousin, but the unfairness of the situation sent me over the edge.  My poor cousin had a rough birth story, and her baby wasn't actually born until the 6th.  A selfish part of me was overjoyed.

I think February 5th will always be hard for me.  And I think that's ok.  It is ok to set aside a day and mourn for what never was.  I am giving myself permission to cry, to scream, to sit, to shake, whatever it is that helps me emote how I feel.  I am honored to have held my baby in my belly for 12 weeks.  She was a part of me, a part of Lee, a part of us.  She'll always be a special part of our lives, and I thank God that we had her for the time that we did.

Grief doesn't follow a timeline.  In fact, grief knows no time.  But my God is bigger than my grief.  He holds me in my sadness and wipes away my tears.  He reminds me that my precious child is already in Heaven with Him.  How beautiful!

Thank you for letting me speak of my darling baby.  Thank you for letting me remember her today.

Painting My Face

I love makeup.  I have loved makeup since Santa brought me Jane brand blush and powder in the eighth grade.  I don't wear it everyday (who am I kidding, I don't wear it most days), but I love it still.  At my current job I get messy and sweaty and dirty, so I skip makeup during the week.  But then comes the weekend and all the fun color combinations and possibilities and I just get happy. 

But something bad happened.....

.......

.......

....... I lost my makeup bag.

I don't know how.  I'm not sure when.  The last time I remember putting makeup on was for New Year's Eve.  I always put my makeup on in my bathroom, and that's where I keep it.  I am soooo sad to have lost it, if for no other reason than all of the money invested into my makeup toys.  (But let's keep that a secret between us and not tell my husband.  He might go into cardiac arrest.)  I kept thinking I would find it somewhere, but it's been well over a month, so I'm starting to doubt.  So now I'm stuck trying to decide if I should replace everything or just wait.  What is the bare minimum amount of makeup I can get by with?  I miss all of my old stuff.  The only good aspect of this is the potential for all the new makeup I get to buy (again, let's keep that on the DL and not tell Lee exactly how much makeup costs, even from Target).  My friend Tara did help me out by giving me some makeup, which has been a lifesaver for church and social functions.

So in the spirit of new makeup, let's celebrate the fun that is makeup!  Here are a few of some of my favorite products:

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer

Best eyeshadow primer ever.  It glides on smooth and really lasts.

Too Faced Primer

Works great alone or under makeup.  Makes my pores look smaller, which is a miracle.

Benefit Powder

Comes with a sponge and a brush.  Got this when I went to visit Lee for his basic training graduation in May and it had had lasted until I lost it.

Benefit Concealer

So creamy and lightweight.

Benefit Illuminator

I feel like I look so pretty when I use this around my temples or to highlight my cheeks.  And it looks amazing in photos.

Benefit Blush

My favorite blush.  It is so bright and pink and has tiny little sparkles in it.

Urban Decay Eyeliner

These are expensive.  But they glide on so smooth and effortless and come in so many colors.

There's not mascara on here because I can't commit to a mascara.  I pretty much try every new one that comes out.  I love DiorShow mascara most of all, but I go through it so fast that I'm not sure it's worth the cost.

What's your favorite makeup?  Where do you like to buy it from?  Any suggestions for me?

Fitness Loves of the Week

So I found this awesome "Fitness Loves of the Week" from In Sweetness and In Health.  I plan on trying to participate from now on.  My husband is currently on overnight shifts on Friday nights, and I've been attempting to make sure that I still work out on Fridays.  It's a pretty dead day at my gym, and it's nice to have space to myself.

Today I was home sick.  I went to the doctor on Wednesday after being sick for a few days.  My primary care doctor was out (which was kind of stinky because this wasn't one of my random hypochondriac visits where he had to tell me to stop looking things up on the Internet- I was actually sick this time).  I had to see another doctor in the practice who started talking to me about politics, which I so did not care about as I huddled wanly in the fluorescent lights on that tiny chair/bed thing covered in paper.  The dr told me I was either getting over the flu (which I don't think I had) or it was just a virus.  He told me not to go back to work until Monday, which was outrageous to me.  It proved to be true though (of course), because my fever didn't break until late last night and my cough still sounded ferocious until this morning. 

So while the extent of my working out today consisted of actually getting out of bed and into the shower (which was really quite a feat), I figured I would tell you about what I have been doing to work out.

Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer

I've never lifted weights before, not really.  Here and there, but just little girlie things with five pound weights.  I started doing this trainer and I have LOVED it.  I have such a sense of accomplishment when lifting weights.  I adore it so far.  I've about eight weeks in and have truly enjoyed it.  There is a video accompanying each exercise in case you don't know how to do it (I watch every video because I don't know what 97% of it is).  I've used machines I didn't now existed.  I really like seeing progress- it's awesome to try a harder weight and be successful.

Do you lift weights?  Do you follow a program?