Trying to Be Cool

Being around 30 fashion savvy students every day has really made me want to exercise my own fashion sense a little more.

These kids are such fashionistas...every single one of them.   I can't show up to the office in an ugly outfit or I'll be the one with the "great personality". How the heck do these kids afford to be so fashionable?

So, I headed to the thrift stores and stocked up.  I love what I found and nothing was more than $5.

Thrift stores are generally acceptable these days, so hopefully I won't get picked last for the kickball team.

And, I found a couple pairs of pants in my closet that I never wear because they're too baggy or too long.  I made them into skinny pants, and it was so easy and fun. Finally a pair of skinny pants that fit my waist, my monster calves, and are just the right length. Usually the waist is too big because a smaller size that fits better, won't fit over my calves.  That's a serious problem. 

Here they are before and after!

Recipe of the Week: Joe's and Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

Holy cow...where've you been? I've been blogging away and no body is reading a single post.

Ok. I haven't been blogging as much in the last 2 weeks.  With my new job, things have really picked up.

It's amazing how much more confident a person can feel when they have a job that allows them to make decisions, carry out decisions, and take ownership of things. This job was made for me.  I actually LIKE going to work.

Alright, now to the good stuff. Recipe of the Week:

Sloppy Joe's

I know, I know. I'm sure we ALL have our own sloppy joe recipe, but even so, this one is worth trying.  It's so tasty! I could eat it with a spoon.


1 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire
2 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Red Wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
6 count hamburger buns

Melt the 1 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan or skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion
until soft. Add the meat and cook and stir until it is thoroughly cooked. Drain and return to the pan.

Add the ketchup, 1/4 cup of the water (or less), brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, chili powder, salt and pepper.

Simmer for 20 minutes. I usually add a little more red wine vinegar and Worcestershire until it gets to the best taste.

Ew.  Sloppy Joe's do NOT make the best pictures.  For this meal we also had a red, orange pepper salad with craisins, feta and Maple Dijon Vinaigrette.  The Vinaigrette was really good!


Dijon Maple Salad Dressing
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup (more To Taste)
1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar (more To Taste)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper, to taste

In a small jar, mix Dijon, maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake!

Cake For Girls and Boys

So,

I just finished day 3 of my new job.  I love it.  It is fast-paced, fun, the people are really nice, I get to be creative and innovative and really affect change.  The first couple days have been info overload, but I'm starting to get tasks and actually use all the info they have been downloading into my brain. Soon I will just be a normal worker going about my daily duties.  Tomorrow as part of our staff meeting we'll be watching a little March madness.  Like I said, I love this job.

Here's my latest cake:

I colored the batter bright green and pink, and then swirled the colors together. The pink turned out  awesome, but I 'll go for a darker green next time...this was a little too yellow.

We were celebrating birthdays for 1 girl and 2 boys, so I had to split the cake! I ran out of frosting so I was scrounging at the end.  That's why you see pink frosting along the bottom of the boy side.  It's supposed to be green.  

A couple things I've learned so far:

1. Made from scratch cakes are pretty good, but they're a lot of work (and mess) and most people prefer the light fluffy-ness of a boxed cake mix.  Made from scratch cakes tend to be dense.

2. Generic brand whipping cream doesn't thicken...either at all, or just not as fast as the name brand stuff. I beat that cream forever and it didn't turn thick. I wasn't willing to spend any more time on it, so this cake ended up with a little thinner strawberry cream filling.

3. I need a walk-in refrigerator to frost because it seems like my frosting kind of melts and de-thickens before I get done frosting.

4. Using more than 2 colors per cake is difficult when it comes to changing frosting tips...you have to wash it every time you need to switch the color.  Solution: buy duplicate tips.

5.  2 Layer round cakes are the easiest to maneuver.  Cutting a 9X13 in half long ways is really hard. It's also harder to move the cake around because it covers more area and is more likely to bend or break in half during transportation.  

I like making cakes. It's so fun, and I'm really learning to simplify the process!

Update

If you only like to read picture books, this is not the post for you.  Sorry no pictures!

My dear Watson had an interview at the hospital for a volunteer position. We're hoping he gets accepted and that this is the first of many opportunities to get direct patient care experience. Most PA schools either require, or really really really want you to have around 1,000-2,000 hours of direct patient care.

I have two days left in my old job.  I feel like 2 weeks notice was a little too long. Why delay the inevitable? I guess because it's polite.

I've been sewing some special things for birthday presents for my mom and mother-in-law. I LOVE the feeling of a completed sewing project. I'll post pictures after I give the gifts.

We have a very busy week next week including the Ward Auction, a Relief Society activity, the Republican Caucus, and the second half of PowWow. It's spring break for my dear Watson next week, so he gets to have fun all day long while I'm at work. 

Monday was amazing weather; such a great gift to be able to run outside without freezing my buns.

If I can get around to it, I'm also going to post pictures of the corsage I made my brother's Preference date a couple weeks ago. It is one of my proudest creations because it was hard, and I was so worried I'd mess it up all along the way.  It turned out pretty though, I think.