St. Patty's Day Fun!

On Sunday during brunch with friends I decided it was time to throw a dinner party for St. Patrick's Day. I usually try to plan dinner parties (or any type of party) in advance so I can spend time cleaning and preparing for the event. I also love to send paper invitations, so that typically requires more planning time. However, I figured we might as well invite people over for the holiday or we will have a lot of leftovers... and I tire of leftovers quickly.

I thought I would share the menu with you: Baked Corned Beef (seasoned by yours truly... not a packet this year!), sauteed cabbage, green mashed potatoes (colored with veggies), and double fudge Irish cream cookies. A friend is making soda bread and I'm sure we will top off the night with Bailey's and coffee. I am looking forward to it!

It is a very small dinner party... we are having 4 guests over. It is so hard for me not to invite all my friends in town, but we don't have room (or time) for a large dinner party. I am not going to lie...throwing large dinner parties is one reason I want to live in a larger apartment or a house!

I dont have time to decorate, which is a shame since I even have green fabric! Well, maybe I will throw together a flag pennant... we will see!

I hope to blog more regularly again since winter is mostly over. The winter is a rough time for my depression, so I didn't want to blog since most posts would have consisted of whining, tales of sleeping too much, and more whining. If you see my husband around congratulate him on making it through the winter... I don't always make it easy, but I always make it interesting!

ps... this image was taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/funoldnew/

Learning Curve

Our Apt is decorated, the tree is up, and the gifts are wrapped. Hooray, Christmas Season is finally here! I've learned a few things this year that hopefully will help me be more prepared come Christmas 2011.

• Start Projects Early - Every year I find great things to make people and every year I wait until the last minute to create them. I am a procrastinator but I do not thrive under pressure, which is very unfortunate. Mrs. Attempted Domestication, on the other hand, is a first-class procrastinator. In college she would wait until the night before a term paper was due, grab a box of cheap wine, and go to town. by 7 am she had written a masterpiece professors would fawn over.

• Take time for yourself (and your spouse if you have one) - Last night The Husband wanted to take some time and relax together, but I told him I didn't have time. After all, the floors needed to be swept and mopped, I needed to continue my sewing projects, and he had dishes to do! However, I then decided that those things could wait until tomorrow. The Holiday Season isn't about a clean floor and dishes; it is about the love that God gave us through Jesus and each other. Spending time with yourself, loved ones, and fabulous friends is not only a great gift, but it is also a necessity! So we relaxed, and it was wonderful. It gave me time to refocus, which was just what I needed!

In therapy I am learning to take responsibility for my actions and thoughts. In essence, it is up to me to change this behavior. It is hard to re-learn how to do things, but it is also empowering. I have the power to change things in my life in order to make things better! So, I am going to change this for next year. If I fail at it next year i'm not going to kick myself over it, I will brush myself off and try again.

Happy Holidays!

Potpourri

Sorry for the blogging break friends, but I was actually working... as a volunteer coordinator it always gets a bit busy before major holidays. Everyone wants to give back at the same time!

Anywho...

Things are going well here in good ole Indiana. Since it is the holiday season (YAY!) the husband and I will be spending a lot of time in the car traveling from here to there... which really means that he will drive and i will play sudoku and we will both listen to NPR for 3 hours straight. Because we are slightly obnoxious NPR fans, almost all of our stories start with "I heard on NPR that..." We are okay with this, but I'm not sure everyone else is.

My sister's baby shower went so well! My sister looked beautiful of course! We played the required game, ate delicious food, and she got a crap ton of awesome stuff! It was a great time and I got a ton of compliments on the invites, which was nice. Okay, very nice.

Now that the shower is dont I have to get cracking on the Christmas presents I am making. I am only making gifts for 2 people, but I am also going to make a ton of coffee sleeves... they will be great stocking stuffers! Speaking of gifts, the husband and I decided to forgo expensive gifts and to go on a trip/adventure instead. We still wanted something to open on Christmas though, so we are giving gifts of 20 bucks to each other. I'm pretty excited about this!

On another note, the husband and I are starting to build actual adult wardrobes. We are shopping clearances, sales, and consignment stores for all the 'essentials.' Goodbye ironic t- shirts! Hello v-neck sweaters and knee-length dresses! Of course I will still be wearing my vintage wear and retro dresses; they are the epitome of classy! And to top it off, this was not even my idea; the husband stumbled upon a mens fashion blog and the rest is history!

Okay, one more thing: I have started going to therapy again, and let me say the it. is. life-changing. I REALLY like my therapist. She knows what shes talking about, she gives me practical exercises and tips on how to manage my anxiety, and she makes it fun! We are focusing on my fear of storms, tornadoes, fire, water, and anything else that can potentially kill you and/or your loved ones. We are using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat the anxiety, and let me say... it is empowering!

I hope you all are doing well too; enjoy the holiday!

Holidays

I know its just the beginning of October, but I can't help but be excited about Christmas!! In my mind, Halloween and Thanksgiving are just precursors to a better holiday. I love the music, the atmosphere of happiness, and of course the Christmas gifts I give and receive!

This year, since I started up this new hobby of sewing I have decided to make a few of my gifts. I'm not quite sure if it will be cheaper, but it will be more fun and definitely more special to the gift-getter. I have most peoples presents figured out already, but others are more tricky to buy/make things for... but the good thing about starting shopping early is that I have plenty of time to figure something out.

This year also brings a new challenge - the ever dreaded budget. Working on a budget is not something I like doing, but I am getting better at it and it forces me to be creative, which is fun! The husband and I are also considering going somewhere or doing something special for Christmas instead of presents for each other... which is exciting!

Technically it is not the time for busting out the greenery and holly, but it is coming... I can feel it!

I didnt mean for all 3 to start with an H; i'm not that kind of girl.

Sorry it's been forever friends; i've actually been busy at work! I think things are a bit slowed down now, which is good. I like being busy, but I do not like being stressed out!

Anyway, I thought i'd give you an update of sorts.

1. Health - I went to the Doctor for my newest lab results and my cholesterol went down 30 points! It was my triglycerides that made the biggest difference; they went from 360 to 153! Im excited about that, but I still have work to do. My good cholesterol is still too low and my bad cholesterol is still too high, as are my triglycerides. I am going to start taking a supplement that my doctor recommended. It is an Omega 3 pill that is filled with high quality healthy fats from fish. I also will continue to eat healthy. I am also trying to up my exercising... that is the key for the good cholesterol to increase. my dictor also said that my thyroid levels are good. My next update is in 6 months. Oh, and I've also lost 12 pounds, which is 1 pound a week! I am happy with that.

2. Hobbies - For my wonderful sister-in-law's birthday I sewed her a laptop case. I forgot to take a picture, but trust me - it is awesome! I was impressed that it turned out so nicely! Right now I am in the process of making a headband for one of my good friends baby. I am also attaching a flower made out of ribbon on it. As it is going to a little one and will most likely end up in her mouth and not on her head I am being extra careful in constructing it with child friendly materials (ie... I am not using my vintage buttons). I also got my first real pattern in the mail; an apron. I am excited to make it; it will be a great challenge! It also is a good step towards my goal of sewing vintage dresses.

Might I also add that I am PUMPED about my sister finding out if she is having a boy or girl so I can get to sewing multiple things for her or him!

Oh, and it is also vintage hair weather; thank God! I was getting so bored with styling my hair the same way. I hope to post pictures soon. I also have decided to take a big step and try pincurls. I have been avoiding them like the plague, but I think it's time.

3. Halloween - I am going to be a sailor girl for Halloween - words cannot express how excited I am! The husband has not idea what he wants to be, so any suggestions would be helpful!

Irish Feast update

The Irish inspired dinner was so delish! I seriously could not believe I made it! I think i'm beginning to realize that cooking isn't as scary or hard as I thought. It does take patience and time though... and when i'm hungry I dont want to wait. maybe that is why cereal is the best food ever!

The meat was tender, the veggies were not too soft and not too crunchy, and even the cabbage tasted divine! I also made green mashed potatoes; they were good, but mashed potatoes aren't my favorite. Of course my favorite was the mint dessert brownies. I used a box for the brownies (I didn't want to chance dry brownies) and made the mint cream and chocolate toppings. Friends brought over soda bread and salad with homemade dressing. Overall I would say it was a perfect evening!

I have three regrets though:

1. That I couldn't invite more people
2. That I didnt have a green tablecloth; we have 2 tables pushed together
3. That I made place-cards for everyone and labeled mine "Jayme Z (D)". I did that because while I didnt officially take The Husbands name, I wanted to put it on my place-card. However, it ended up looking like the '(D)' was there to say Im a Democrat (which is true, but still...)!

The wonderful-ness of the night greatly outweighed the regrets though, so I would label the night a great success!

I hope you all have a great weekend; I plan on doing nothing and relaxing afterwards!

Irish-like dinner

well, today I am preparing a dinner feast for the Husband, a few friends, and myself.

I have Corned Beef, cabbage, a rutabaga, a leek, and a pound of carrots warming up in the crock pot as we speak. I also have my mint brownies done, and boy do the look yummy!! When I get home the husband is going to help me peel the potatoes and then we will have green mashed potatoes as well. Yum! Some friends are completing the meal with a salad and soda bread. The only thing missing is some yummy beer, but seeing as it is a weeknight and I forgot to pick some up, it looks like we will be having organic sparkling lemonade.

ps... youtube is wonderful... thank goodness for instructional videos on how to cut rutabagas and leeks!

I think i like being a hostess.. I might host another one next month in honor of my birthday. 30 days left!

Ah, the weekend

This past weekend The Husband and I made it a priority to do nothing of significance. Of course the goal was achieved. We wrapped up odds and ends, he played a lot on his new Xbox, and i kept on at the puzzle I am putting together. Yes, we are officially lame. No, we don't really care... mostly because we had a great time doing nothing! Also, we have been on the go for the past 2 weekends so we deserved a break.

The Husband did make supper Saturday and it was delish! I am so glad to have someone who is able to share cooking duties with me! We had eggplant and spaghetti; yum! Today I am making hot ham sandwiches... and hopefully going grocery shopping later tonight. After all, I am trying my hand at an Irish inspired meal on Wednesday; corned Beef and cabbage, green mashed potatoes, and brownies with this delicious mint creme on top. I think I will make the brownies tomorrow so I am not so overwhelmed on St. Patty's day. However, the beef and cabbage will be in the crock pot, so hopefully i will only have to worry about the mashed potatoes.

On a completely different note, The Husband and I watched (500) Days of Summer last night. the movie was good, but even better than the movie itself was Zooey Deschanel's (or Summer, in the movie) wardrobe. Seriously folks, if I had all the money in the world I would own THAT wardrobe. It was so beautiful and 50's feminine, but not costume-like. I commented to The Husband on all the outfits throughout the entire movie! Sorry! :)

I am attaching a link to another blog that posted a bunch of Zooey's clothes from the movie. I would make one myself, but i'm too lazy. Sorry!