bananas

I don't really like bananas and pretty much avoid eating them. But for some reason I love them in my cereal. Especially rice krispies. Is that strange? Incidentally, I've been eating a lot of cereal during my pregnancy.:) Also, doesn't the word "krispies" look really strange?:)

check this out:)

The Cooks Next Door is doing another sweet giveaway!:) They are celebrating 1 year of their awesome blog. If you haven't checked it out, go and do so. You will thank me.:) They have tons of great recipes and cooking advice. Sign up for the giveaway here: http://thecooksnextdoor.com/2010/10/04/happy-1st-birthday-blog-%c2%a0giveaway/

Thursday

I enjoyed today. I only worked a half day, in which I was quite productive (if I do say so myself). After that I kicked it at my studio for a bit. I did some drawing and then worked on a few paintings and ideas. This was followed by an eye appointment, which I have been excited for due to my deteriorating night vision. As I suspected my eyes had worsened and while this is unfortunate, I'm glad to finally have an updated prescription. Plus I got contacts and I've got some purple plastic frames coming my way in a couple weeks here. The day ended with a pleasant evening at Mom and Dad's for dinner and then some amazing desserts (courtesy of Alaina:).

better late than never

I'm not much of a new year's resolution person, but I have a few goals for the year and I figured maybe if I put them in writing, for all to see I might be more likely to stick to them.:)

1. Put together and stick to a workable budget.

We've already started working on this, but we need to finalize it and the real key is sticking to it. An aspect of this will be working towards getting as debt free as possible as quickly as possible, but also saving some money for future goals. Seems like every time we get close to working all this out, something is missing or something changes etc. Enough of that. This time we're doing it.

2. Menu plan.

Marge and I have started collaborating on this. We figured two heads were better than one and this way we could share ideas, recipes etc. We still have some kinks to work out, but we're both excited about it and feel that it will help our busy lives (not to mention our pocketbooks:). Working full time makes it an extreme challenge to feel like cooking or being creative, so I'm hoping that planning ahead and having groceries in the fridge will spur me on to success in this area. I know everyone does menu planning differently, but our idea is to have 5 or 6 different week menus (complete with recipes, side dish options and a shopping list) that we can cycle through either at random or in order. This way we can plan meals in the same week that might use some of the same vegetables or other similar ingredients that would need used up. Each week will have 5 planned meals, which leaves room for leftovers or spontaneous ideas (or restaurant visits:). If we get bored with the weeks, we can make up some new ones!:)The accomplishment of this goal should go hand in hand with goal number 1.

3.Complete Jillian Michael's 30 day shred in 40 days or less.

Yes, I said 40 days. Unless you are an exercise maniac who loves this stuff, it would be hard to complete this in 30 days. It's quite challenging, not to mention exhausting, and I value a day of complete rest here and there.:) Even though it is an extremely intense workout, I like it because it only takes 30 minutes a day and after working on my feet for hours on end, that's about all I can handle.:) So my plan is to buckle down and complete it, just not in the 30 day time slot. After accomplishing this, i hope to do it a few times a week for maintenance purposes.:)

4.Get to my studio more frequently.

I've had a painting studio at the Harrison Center for a few years now and I love having that available. I have 24 hr. access to my studio, which is great especially since I feel more creative at night. However, I never feel like I'm getting there enough. Between my work schedule and trying to maintain things around the home, I often feel too worn out or don't have enough time to get there as often as I'd like. I've held onto the space as a way of holding on to my dream of being able to pursue art more fully in the future, and I'm very glad that I have even though it's been an added expense. I recently switched studios within the building and I love my new space. It's half the cost of what I was paying, I'm no longer sharing the space (although I loved my former studio mate), and it has a much more creative atmosphere to it. (I'll post pictures of it soon!) I've been feeling much more of an urge to be there, especially since I know I'll be able to work alone and in my own way. So hopefully this goal will accomplish itself with my excitement over my new studio.:)

5.Read more.

Stephanie is always putting me to shame in this category.:) My list of books to read is endless, which is not helped by the fact that lately I've been a very slow reader. I especially would like to read some more classics as well as art related books. I've started reading more before bed at night, so maybe that will help me plow through them. I won't set any particular goals in this area (pretty sure those don't work for me), I'll just try to read more frequently. It's good for the mind.:)

6.Start a movie review blog.

I've already mentioned the possibility of doing this and I would really like to get this going sometime this year. We watch a lot of movies and it would be cool to share some of those with others. I love watching, thinking about and discussing film, so a film blog could be a fun extension of that. No promises as to when this will happen, but hopefully before too long.:)

7.Grow in my walk with God.

This is always a goal for me at the outset of each new year. Some years are definitely more successful than others, but I know that God rewards faithfulness and my meager efforts. I know that focusing on this goal will also help and encourage me to accomplish the goals that I have previously mentioned.

Christmas Eve

Today started with a late breakfast with one of our good friends, followed by a trip to the theater to see "a Christmas Carol" (which we really enjoyed) and then home for the rest of the day.:) We got things tidied up around here and made chex mix, cheese ball and cookies as well as put together an egg casserole and coffee cake to pop in the oven when we get up tomorrow morning. Now we're relaxing in our PJ's watching a movie. I don't usually have Christmas Eve off and I must say that I've really enjoyed my day.:) I hope you all have had an equally enjoyable Christmas Eve and that you will have a great Christmas! I'm still like a kid when it comes to Christmas, so I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow!:)

don't forget to check out the new link on my blog roll!

My sister and our friend Heather launched a new blog recently that you should definitely check out. The Cooks Next Door is a very cool blog that has lots of great recipes and kitchen tips etc. Plus there will be much more awesome-ness to come!:) They are both excellent cooks (I can testify to that) and they both have a passion for good food and quality ingredients.

a weekend in chi-town

Luke and I had a great time in Chicago and South Bend last weekend. We enjoyed getting away just for a bit and doing something different. We stayed the night at Steph and Jeremy's Thursday and then took the train to Chicago Friday morning. The train got in about 10:30 so we had plenty of day left to tool around town and try to figure out the transit system (thankfully Luke has amazing map skills and an inate sense of direction:).

Friday, after checking into our hotel, we went to Wicker Park area. The park itself still had a bit of the winter dead feeling, but it was a nice warm day so we enjoyed walking around a bit. There's also several cool shops in the area. We particularly liked Reckless Records (they sell used vinyl, movies, cds etc) and Myopic Books (awesome used book store!). After Wicker park we headed to Wrigleyville to check out Goose Island Brewpub (great beer). That evening we went to Rosebud's on Rush (highly recommended by Elliot and Ashley) and had some amazing Italian food.

Saturday Steph and Jeremy joined us in Chicago. It was a bit cold and rainy, but not too bad. We went for a late breakfast at Yolk (an excellent breakfast/lunch joint) and then headed to the Art Instititue. I've been there a few times, but always enjoy going back and taking in more of it. One of my favorite pieces I saw this time was "the Picture of Dorian Gray" by Ivan Albright (who has been dubbed a magic realist). Having recently read the book it was based off of (by Oscar Wilde) it was pretty cool to see it depicted in painting form. I believe this piece was done for a film adaptation of the book. I don't think I had ever studied any of Ivan Albright's work before; it's pretty amazing stuff. His detail is really unbelivable. You have to see it to fully comprehend it.

After the Art Institute, the four of us grabbed a bite to eat and headed for the train. We had an uneventful, but enjoyable trip back. It was fun to get to visit with them. Luke and I spent the night at their place again and then headed back home Sunday afternoon. It was a great, relaxing weekend. We're hoping to get to Chicago more, now that we know our way around.:)

not being much of a seafood person isn't it strange...

that I frequently crave mom's fish tacos?:) I was very skeptical of said dish until mom made them for me; I've been a believer ever since. They are great. I was reminded of my love for these tacos when I was shelving magazines and came across the Indianapolis Monthly bonus issue menu guide. It has some amazing looking fish tacos on the cover from a new restaraunt downtown called Zing. It looks like a pretty sweet joint. We may try it out for Valentine's day and I may just get those fish tacos.:)