My Grey City

Coming To: Back Up the Hill on the Cycle

2012-01-25T18:19:00.005-06:00

Ah, friends. It's been one of those weeks. One where you cry as much as you laugh, and there's plenty of both. I don't know about you, but I go in cycles of happiness/faithfulness/gratitude and disappointment/distraction/apathy, and generally I go through about 2-3 BIG cycles of this a year. The last time I was on the upswing was going into pastry school, knowing that God had my back, that He is trustworthy, that I was on the right path. I felt myself going under the wheel right around graduation, with exhaustion, not ready to celebrate the holidays or anything--including graduation, and not as prepared as I'd hoped to begin job hunting in the start of what is always a creepingly slow bakery season. Fortunately, this low downturn seems to only be lasting a few weeks, but I still find myself sitting on the couch watching this ridiculousness at least 3 hours daily, wondering why I'm unemployed and how many more times Diesel will go between lying my lap and the radiator in an hour. It's lonely 'round here. I knew it would be because I watched Josh job hunt for nearly a year soon after we were married. At least he had the Dudes to come over and play Blazing Lazers and eat omelettes, and I'm so thankful I have a few friends with flex schedules (mommy friends; friends also unemployed; lunch times with my mentor, Linda). Josh's work is keeping him uber-busy now, too. So most of the day it's me and this guy

He's sleeping. You might not see, but his hand's over his eyes because he knows I have the camera out.

Otherwise, I'm keeping up with my shows. There's Glee (wahhhh! I didn't go through some of that business when I was in high school. I'm not from rural Ohio, but Alabama's right up there with 'hard livin''). But I do love love love this song:

[Oh man. I was listening to Fun before they were Fun, back when they were still parts of The Format (introduced to them in college when they opened for Switchfoot at Samford), Anathallo (introduced to them in grad school when Josh--MY HUSBAND--opened for a show of theirs...and I ate dinner with them for my birthday the September before Josh and I got married (one of his roommates knew the band members and invited them over to watch "300" over veg chili...and it was my birthday at the same time)), and Steel Train. Dang.]

And I'm also ready for my shows that took a winter break to come back: Walking Dead, Bones, Grey's Anatomy (which didn't take a long break).

I also had time to read the whole Hunger Games series. I've never sat and read three full books for fun in less than a month...but then I guess I've not had this much time since high school. Let me tell you I couldn't put them down. I had to buy the next book before I had the previous one finished so I wouldn't have to wait long for Amazon to deliver. I finished Mockingjay yesterday, and I think part of my overall sadness of the day was knowing that there was no more to the story of Katniss and Peeta. I got real attached to the characters of this book. As attached as I got to Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice. And I'll be reading P&P annually as I will this series, I'm sure. As I said before, I don't want to give the story away so I won't review it. To aid you in getting these books sooner, here are the Amazon links for Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. What I will say is this:

If you have a teenager who likes to read, they need to read it.
If you like to read, you need to read it.
If you just need something to break the monotony of whatever else you're reading, you need to read it. Although, you might not go back to what you started until you finish the whole series. Oops.
If you teach middle school or are influential to young people--probably 12 and up, they need to read it.

There's no language at all. There's a growing love story, but there's enough 'thriller' moments to balance it out, in my opinion. It is quite violent, and depending on if your kid has a 'dangerous' imagination, you might not let them read it before bed--I had a couple weird dreams after reading before bed--but Suzanne Collins wrote this SO GOOD. She wrote a series called The Underland Chronicles (supposed to be inspired by Alice in Wonderland), which I intend to read as soon as CPL delivers it to my home library. In the meantime, I'll be reading through The Wind in the Willows and my blog friend Annie's book, From Head to Feet, which I also got for two of my nieces for Christmas. (Shell, if you're reading, has Ally started it? What does she think so far?) Do you have any suggestions of things I should read before my books come in to the library? (Leave me a comment! Or on facebook!) I hope that when I have babes of my own, they'll catch on to this reading thing like white on rice. Gyah. So freaking good.

Another thing that's kept my fingers moving is this amazing little site called Pinterest. I guess some people equate it with other social networking sites. Others probably use it just for personal interest stuff. I guess I fall into the latter group. I found out about it from a magazine about a year ago, before anyone else knew about it. I'm a little sad to see it's become 'another social site', but I've decided to let this site (aside from my blog, of course) be my little selfish place and only follow people who pin things that interest me. There, I'd rather follow people I don't know because most people in my social circles already have too much in common. Some of the others I follow pin things that are sort of lewd, vulgar, or silly, but I think some of them are funny, so I'll pin them anyway. If you don't like those things, don't follow that particular board of mine. And then there are people who sign up, follow you, then never pin anything. So rule #1 for Lindsey's pinterest: don't follow someone else unless they are active on the site.

Rule #2: don't follow someone just because you know them.

Rule #3: Pin what you like. If your sensibilities change, edit your boards later.

Rule #4: I must make some of the food/homemadey/other things if she posts them. I'll make notes of what I made and if they didn't turn out so well after the second redo, I'll unpin the thing.

Aahhh, I think I'm rambling. Poor Josh. When he gets home, he'll get to hear me ramble, too. Please continue to pray for employment so I can have something meaningful and real to talk about to normal people. Please. I suppose I should get to crackin' on my lemon pepper chicken with steamed broc and Middle Eastern couscous. This meal's gonna be delicious. Geez. Now I'm rambling about dinner and I haven't even started it yet. Peace out, friends. Happy Wednesday!

2012-01-12T15:29:00.002-06:00

Never, in the first 26 years of my life, did I ever dream that life would look as it does right now. Isn't it funny how sometimes when you stop and smell the roses, sometimes you become a florist? Well, there you have it. At most, I imagined myself a 'domesticate baker'--one who bakes for church outings, having friends over, and when all you can think that you'd really like to eat is a brownie--and sometimes just the batter. Never did I imagine I would be spending part-time shifts-worth of time at home trying out recipes (and somehow the heavens opened up and gave me most everything I needed without having to run to the store!). Tuesday and today have been spent doing just that.

I had a lunch date with a friend (who's also my hairdresser) on Tuesday, then I just followed her into work so she could cut my hair. BUT two hours before we were supposed to meet, I got a deep itch to BAKE. SCONES. So I made three batches :) The top right in the picture are orange-cranberry, the four in the left-middle are banana, and the bottom ones are snickerdoodle. Good Lord. Them thangs is good.
I didn't take a pic of my hairscut, since it's sort of what it was when she first cut in June. She just got rid of my impeding pre-mullet, and now I look like a lady again! Woo hoo!
I had a job interview on Wednesday for a job at a very well-known dessert place in Wicker Park. Unfortunately/Fortunately, it was very clear that I was not to be employed there. I had a few reservations going into it--like the hour-and-two-buses commute I would've had, the stress of the place, and the part where I don't enjoy plating desserts--but my reservations were put down when my interviewer said that it is definitely a stressful place and that she starts all of her people on the line to plate. And continued to suggest other places--bakeries--where the stress level might be a bit lower that I should try. I prayed before the interview that it would be crystal clear which direction I should go, and when she said, "I don't think you'd be a good fit here," you might as well have wrapped my head in Saran Wrap. I left with a smile on my face.

Today, I'm baking again. This time, and for your viewing pleasure, I did chocolate chip scones (<--see, aren't they lovely?) and sour cream scones (not shown...sorry...they look like sugar cookies anyway). I'm finding a lot of joy in my new-but-not-yet-taken-off career. I love taking my laptop with my recipes to the kitchen counter, turning on my iPod, and cranking delicious things out of my oven. I like to turn on my song list, pick a letter, and let it play through my whole library. Today I started on O and it's still on P. Who knows what song could be next? Could be something from one of my musicals, from a greatest hits album from Journey/Mariah Carey/Pat Benetar/Bon Jovi, a Glee song, something from my hymn list, Monty Python sketches...it's a surprise every 3.5 minutes! Plus the intrigue of trying my freshly baked product....oh man, I'm in heaven.
"Gosh, you don't have any kids and you have no job...what do you do with the rest of your time?" you may be asking. Well, I just finished reading the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy and it was so. good. A teacher friend of mine recommended it for a young adult fiction book. I bought the second book, Catching Fire, this week before I'd been close to finishing the first and I'm so glad I did. I would do a review, but I'm afraid I'd give too much away, but I would give it a high 10 on a 10-point scale, it was just that great. Just trust me and go get it. I got my Hunger Games copy on Amazon for $5. Cheese sandwiches for a few days at work is worth the $5 spent. Go get it, please!
I think my cat's beckoning me from the living room to lay with him on the couch. I mean, with a face like this, I should probably do as he asks because he's just so stinkin' cute. Peace out from Dies' on the couch.

2011 in Review

2011-12-27T22:12:00.002-06:00

With half my year full of recipes instead of lists, here's my review of 2011 in the life of Lindsey (and Josh and Diesel) Dugue.
Family events:
--Josh quit his job at a cafe in Hyde Park in February and was hired for Counter Culture Coffee Chicago in May
--Josh put together a band for a few months, did a show, then disbanded; the music was good...the dynamic was not
--Josh, Dies, and I moved from one part of town/shoebox apartment to one a little further away/giant apartment; newer apartment feels more homey after 7 months than the other did in 3 years
--I quit my job at MBI in June to pursue pastry school full-time July-December
--I graduated pastry school in December!!!
--Mom and Dad came up for graduation/Christmas, spent Christmas day with Josh's family

Minor accomplishments in 2011:
--Josh got through level 5a improv classes at iO --I did 2 sessions of taiko drum class --worked out consistently for the year --made some of the artwork for our living room/bedroom --met with the "Wednesday girls" until our June disbandment --got rid of Netflix in exchange for cable (not sure if it's an accomplishment, but at least mom and dad had something to do over Christmas visit)

*Movies I saw and liked in 2011:
--Adventures of Tintin --The Help --Bridesmaids --Close Encounters of the Third Kind --Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader --Friday --Pootie Tang --The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet) --The King's Speech --Forgetting Sarah Marshall --I Love You, Man

*Movies I saw and didn't like in 2011:

--Drive --Dinner for Schmucks ...seems like there were more that we saw that I didn't like...maybe I just blocked them out :)

*Shows I got sucked into in 2011:

--Dexter --Glee --Metalocalypse --The Walking Dead --Seth MacFarlane's dirty business (Family Guy, American Dad, Cleveland Show) --Bob's Burgers --Chopped --Bones --most anything on Food Network or Cooking Channel

The songs that kept me moving in 2011:
--Almost everything from Glee --Sara Bareilles --Vince Guaraldi's "Charlie Brown Christmas" --80's music (Pat Benetar, Journey, Bon Jovi, Hall & Oates) --Ben Folds and other piano-driven pop --Ella Fitzgerald's "Ella Wishes You a Swingin' Christmas" --my cleaning, dancing, and cooking playlists (if you're interested in the content of those lists, leave a comment and I'll tell you the songs/artists) --DJ Earworm's United State of Pop (2009, 2010--find these at http://djearworm.com/)

It's been a pretty good year for reading. I didn't really have a reading list I wanted to complete. It was more like hear of a good book and put it on the CPL hold list, or pick up a book I haven't read from my bookshelf at home. Awesome. Here's what I read this year (in chronological order):
*What's So Amazing About Grace? (Yancey) *This is Where I Leave You (Tropper) *Fast Food Nation (Schlosser) *The Sweet Life in Paris (Leibovitz) *Pride and Prejudice (Austen) *The Help (Stockett) *Kitchen Confidential (Bourdain) *Blood, Bones, and Butter (Hamilton) *Her Fearful Symmetry (Niffenegger) *The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds of Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us (Kluger) *The Bean Trees (Kingsolver) (Started Bossypants by Tina Fey...will finish soon but not before the New Year)

Some goals, or maybe just mental notes, for 2012:
#Journal weekly, at least, and start some format of daily devotional
#Find a way to exercise
#Get back into Taiko, if work schedule will allow
#Take the cheesemaking class in WI with Jill from pastry school
#Keep up with pastry school friends
#Start making a business plan for when the time comes
#!!!Find a church where we can be involved and happy!!!

Finally, I'm while I'm thankful that this year is over--it sure did go by fast!--I have a lot to be thankful for: my husband, our home, family that loves and supports us, friends that are scattered the world over who have oodles of love to share even from miles away and that are worth traveling to see, big dreams to look forward to, health. I don't have any idea what will happen in 2012 but whatever happens, if it's worth documenting, you'll know about it.

I hope the best for you in the coming year, dear reader. Thank you for visiting with me, for keeping up with me and my rants and giggles. I don't know who you are, except the 25 of you I see in my dashboard, but let's keep in touch, ok? Happy New Year to you and yours!
Peace and love,
Linds

2011-12-27T21:20:00.002-06:00

This is atrocious. I'm well over a month since my last update, and while it may seem like I've had all the time in the world, I'm not sure where the last month has gone.
Let's bullet some things, and then I'll get into the real stuff after, k?

I graduated. YAY! I'm certified...or certifiable. However you wish to put it.
Mom and Dad came up for graduation and to celebrate Christmas with us a little. It was a delightful time and while I wish they could've stayed longer, I'm sure they would've gotten bored with the ungainfully unemployed life I now live.
Still on the prowl for a job. I hate not working.
Christmas was good. Spent the day with Josh's mom and bro. Christmas 2011 hasn't felt very Christmasy this year, and I'm a little sad about it.
2012's going to be gigantic, I think. Not sure what to expect, and I have no big announcements, but as I felt the waves of change coming over 2011, I'm not sure that the rush is over.

Here's what I know you've all been waiting for.

Lemon pound cake

Multigrain bread

Pain au saucission
(bread baked with dried sausage)

Kugelhopf (German/Alsatian fruit and nut cake)

Country bread, representing 4 regions/
ways to shape bread throughout France

Madeleines (I made these before school
and I think I liked my former recipe better.
Ah, well, madeleines are madeleines, I guess)

DONE! WOOHOO!!!!

Disclaimer: I know it's only been about 10 days since graduation. I know I intentionally took some days not working to rest, regroup, etc. I know that I quit my 7.5-hour-a-week job that I didn't really like in order to be more efficient/effective in my job hunt. I know that God will get me where I'm going and I know I'm being superbly impatient.
All these things to say: If you're in Chicago and know of any bakeries, hotels, restaurants, etc. that need pastry staff or bakers, please send me their info. If you're not (or even if you are) and are so inclined to pray or send positive thoughts regarding my job hunt (or worries thereof), I'd sure appreciate them. One of my personal main goals for 2012 is to find a job (or jobs; I understand that I may need to find multiple part-time jobs instead of one full-time, at least for a while) where I enjoy the work I do. It doesn't have to be easy work, physically simple work, 9-to-5 work, pays-well work. I just want to have a job that I want to get out of bed for and want to go work. If I happen to make as much as or more than I did at my office job, then awesome.

In other relative news, Josh and I are doing well. He's completed about 7 months at his job, and while there are challenges, he has been successful. He's always got an idea about something--a new bar concept, a new marketing concept, a new way to reach and help local musicians, something to go back to school for. This coming year, we'll be praying for ways for Josh to implement some of these great ideas he gets.

Diesel's pretty good. He's had a lot of friends over, with Mom and Dad here a few days, Mom and Jonathan here a few days, friends coming for parties and such. I shot this video of him a few days ago, doing his favorite morning time activity: chatting with the critters on the other side of the window (you might turn up the speakers quite high, since his chirps aren't real meows). This is only 30 seconds of what sometimes lasts 30 minutes at either of our living room windows.

I suppose this is the end of the December update. January will be here in about 99 hours, so put your party socks on! 2012's coming in like a lion! Merry late Christmas and a very merry New Year to you all! Thank you for sticking with me through this pastry school thing, even though my blog attention span shrank like a worm in the sun. I hope to be back soon with exciting new adventures to share (and a 2011 in review tomorrow!).
Blessings,
L + J + D

Imminency and Urgency

2011-11-27T19:26:00.001-06:00

Nov. 27, 2011. In about 19 days, I'll be graduating with an educational credential to make pastries and candies for the rest of my life. I gotta find a j-o-b. I'm looking actively, so for you who pray, please pray I find something soon, and as close to that Dec. 16 graduation date as possible (though a little break would be nice...maybe I could start at the new year?). Officially, we have one more week of class, exam week, then a week to make our buffet for the grad reception and clean up. That part came way too fast, but it's been good.

Also in 18 days, I get to see my parents again. I haven't seen them since I went home in May, and I could totally use a mom and dad hug right now. We also plan to celebrate Christmas while they're here, so maybe we'll cook up a lovely crock pot meal and milk our time together so good. I hope the weather holds up so that they don't have delays, or that they can't come at all. But we're praying with all our might that they come. It's going to be soooo good.

3 days ago, Thanksgiving came and went, and successfully, I might add. Josh and I (and his mom, and our friend Colleen) cooked for a total of eight people who convened at my dinner table to celebrate Thanksgiving and EAT. And eat we did. We didn't even eat dessert we ate so much. Along with Josh's family, we had our friends Colleen and Josh and my classmate Collette over. It was good.

Josh and Diesel are well. I don't have any pics to update on any of them, but we did have some professional pictures made. If you're in Chicago and want some pics made of your engagement, wedding, or portraits, our friend Emilia Jane is the one to call! Here's a taste of what Emilia did with us:

And with that, I'm back to watching the mid-season finale of Walking Dead with Josh and getting my prep stuff done for family Christmas gift making!! Love y'all and have a great week!

Everything's a Blur

2011-11-05T15:43:00.001-05:00

I almost got sucked into the storm. In the last month, it seems like so much has gone on, and now November's here. WHO KNOWS WHAT FREAKING HAPPENED TO OCTOBER?! I'm a little sad about it, that whole month passing by, but I guess it was good. I'm not dead yet.
I've been lying to you unintentionally. I keep saying I have pics to post from school and I keep forgetting to post them. So to ease all of our minds, here's the facebook link to my FPS pics: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.556281202489.2048472.163801280&type=1&l=cb94add704. I'm too exhausted to post from home, and I'm not even home to write this post. Sooooo....yeah.
Last time I was here, I was working on the French mini cakes. That was sort of fun, though I'm not really a cake person. There was a cupcake competition that my classmates participated in and when some of them asked me if I was going to enter, I replied, "I don't really like cake. I'm more of a pie girl." I think they might've taken me to be a little snotty after that, but what can a girl do? You gotta have a few particulars to keep life interesting. The last two weeks, our class has been doing wedding cakes--gumpaste flowers, fondant flowers, wedding cake-cake, and buttercream icing. IF I'd eaten more than a small 1.5" slice of my wedding cake, I probably would've gained about 15 pounds. *So much butterrrrrrrr.* And not the regular store-bought, 40% water and/or vegetable oil butter, but 80% cream butter, European style. Butttttttteeeeeerrrrrrrr. I did enjoy the gumpaste work. The room was practically silent--and our class have never ever sat that still and quiet for so long (must be like naptime for kindergarten teachers)--and it was nice to have something to do with my hands that was sort of artistic. (Hey, Mom, these are your genes talking!) We made roses, daisies, carnations, lilies, and orchids. Definitely, if I hadn't gone to pastry school, I'd probably be doing floral work now. But pastries are good, too! :) The cake part of wedding cakes was fun, too. All of mine (the two tiers we did for the cake in class, then the single tier for the exam) were delicious. I would've been a happy girl to eat the cake without the 754 grams of butter in the icing. But whatever. Fun fun fun. (all pics except exam pics are in the facebook link above, so you can see what I've been able to do). Next week:----squeal!!!!----breads and breakfast pastries! I think this class is going to be an even bigger switch in my mind from the rest of the classes than gumpaste flowers were. All the recipes we've done so far have mostly been very detailed, very specific. Breads are more ratios than anything. Flour : yeast : water : salt. Amen and voila! Le boule! Le baguette! Le bretzel! Woo hoo! There are variables, like room temp, humidity, temperature of ingredients, etc., I think these little 'uncontrolable' factors will be tolerable for my must-have-order peculiarities. Now that wedding cake exams are over (thank God. I'm exhausted!), I can readily say, "Bring it on, FPS! I'm ready to eat some carbs!"
God's got a funny sense of humor. So Josh and I are still without a church. There are a couple we'd like to visit, it's just a matter of getting out of bed in time on Sunday to get there. Since our meeting of the Wednesday Girls ended when I started school, my heart's been feeling dry like it took a stroll in the desert without me. My friend Su sent me Beth Moore's Breaking Free study for my birthday and what a cool drink of water it has been for the last week. I read Isaiah 38 yesterday and was completely heartbroken in absolutely wonderful ways. Fan-freaking-tastic. I think we might try to hit up that church this week. Hooray for upswings on the cycle of life!
To finish on a few bullet points before I have to go (and eat the whole of a 9" sour cream dutch apple pie from work):

What in the world is going on with all these preggo women? In the last month or so, so many of our friends and acquaintances have announced pregnancy. And on top of this at least 5 of my facebook friends have had babies in the last month. Geez. What's going on here, guys? I already missed the train once when all y'all were making babies the first go around and now it seems I've missed it again. Man oh man. Babies. Y'all just come see me when you need something sweet, ok?
I still have to find a job. I'm looking and will spend this week pushing my resume out there this week, but please keep praying. Graduation's in t-minus 41 days. I need employment.
Graduation's in t-minus 41 days.
If graduation's in 41 days, that means Christmas is in only 50 days. And Thanksgiving's in...19 days. Holidays! I think we're doing Friendsgiving 2011 at Le Chateau Dugue, so if any of you are in Chicago without a party to crash, call us and come join ours (and bring stuff to share!). Also, I've already started listening to Christmas music. I have to compile a playlist of Harry Connick, Jr. songs for my iPod for the road. He he he. Yesssssss. And I think I want to have another crock potluck and watch Elf.
I'm peacing out. Leave me some comment love and tell me what's going on in your corner of the world. Word.
L-Doog

Mid-Semester, in Bullets

2011-10-08T23:36:00.000-05:00

Since I've been an absentee blogger for almost a month, and I'm sooper hormonal, my spelling skillz aren't so fantastic these days (thanks, iPhone...and STEVE JOBS, RIP), and I have about a million things either on my mind or that I keep meaning to talk to different people about, maybe I'll just blabber a little bit here. I'll put my thoughts in bullets and maybe I'll be a little more focused than I was in, say, the grocery store (me: "Thin Mint Ice Cream!!" Josh: "Honey, stay focused.").

In the last three weeks of class, we finished tarts, exam week (yet another week in hell), and finished one week of entremets (en-tre-mehs...apparently the French like to drop consonants as much as Southerners like to exaggerate them), which are French mini cakes. During my verbal evals during tarts week, Chef D told me she could see me as a baker. I'm not sure if that was the best or the worst thing she could've ever said, but I was over the moon. Now I know my destiny has been set...haha. Actually, my employer was Chef D's assistant when they worked at the same fine dining restaurant, so...I guess one great mind follows another...and I'm following in great footsteps :) Exam week, as I said above, was another week in hell. I wasn't able to complete my sugar sculpture--which happened to be the bain of my existence two weeks before exams. My grade overall on the exam was average, so I guess I should be satisfied. I seem to be doing pretty well with entremets, too, but I'm not much of a cake girl. Remember that time I asked for a wedding cake for my birthday, Samford girls, and Courtney and Katie made me one with Hot Wheels for 'bride and groom replacements'? That's the kind of cake girl I am. The kind of cake girl that practically asks for chocoalte pudding as a layer in her wedding cake. That's the kind of cake girl I am. We've only completed two entremets, and I only took pics of one, and those pics are on the other computer, so I'll try to get pics posted from the last few weeks next week.
I just started reading this book called The Sibling Effect. I've always been intrigued by family relationships, particularly sibling relationships, birth order, etc., but I've never read anything researched based. Actually, I'm pretty sure this book is a cumulative collection of all my familial psychology interests, and it's one of the first of its kind--most other family and human development books focus more on parent-child relationships, or marriages and stuff. I would never have heard about it except that it was the cover of Time Magazine a couple of weeks ago and happened to see the headline when I was in the Metra station getting a bottle of juice. All this to say it's nice to have a book to read that isn't fiction, about cooking or chef life, or spiritual (but <--that's another issue...). Maybe I'll even have a minute to post a review when I'm done.
Still no church. Still no motivation to look for one. My friend Jules was very encouraging that motivation comes from the Word and from the words of others, but I still find myself stunned when it comes time to bring up the prospect of looking for a place to worship, or even pick up my Bible--or my stupid iPhone with a YouVersion app--and read. Ugh. For you who have been praying for us, thank you millions. We're not hopeless on this issue, just a little behind the curve of where we hoped to be. Please keep praying. Thanks in advance.
I graduate from school in two months and eight days (or...61 days). I've been working at my job for almost two months. Our career counselor says we should start sending resumes and cover letters next week, and have a job locked in by mid-November. I'll be emailing my bosslady about coming on as a baker next week. If she says she won't need any more bakers come mid-December, I'll be looking for a full-time job elsewhere, and that sort of makes me sad because I love working at the shop. Also this week: a 2nd job shadow at the Publican and another at Rich Chocolates. The one at the Publican will be challenging, since I've never worked a restaurant line in my life (only the one time I was doing morning production at the Publican, and then the morning I did production for Sunday morning brunch at Hot Chocolate). I'm quite nervous about this one, but I'm hoping it'll go by fast. The one at Rich I'm excited about. I really enjoyed candy making, both chocolate and sugar, in spite of my exam scores, and am excited to work with an FPS grad as she only makes chocolate candies. We'll see how it all shakes out.
New internet shopping obsession: West Elm. I stumbled into the store on North and Sheffield and my heart sank at all the wonderful things they had. It's a part of the Pottery Barn/Williams-Sonoma family, but it's relatively affordable! Like the Old Navy sibling of Gap/Banana Republic! I'm aching for a pair of steel grey cotton canvas curtains for the bedroom. Maybe once I get that job I'm anxious about, we'll have some drapes for the bedroom. And they have this duvet (which we so appropriately call "Dugue-Duvet") that's white with birds on it. Birds are sort of the theme in our home, so it'd be cool to have something like that to drape over our little bed. So many cool things on that website. Check it out if you have a chance.
I'm recently addicted to the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim show "Squidbillies". It. is. ridiculous. It's a family of squids living in a trailer with a sign next to it that says, "P-Nuts and Hair-Doos". It's almost like living in Mountainboro--so deliciously uncouth and yet so close to my heart. They even made an Auburn reference in last week's episode. I was elated. On a similar note, Josh was on his way to work last week when on the train he encountered a man who looked and sounded just like my dad. He texted me about it, so I told him to ask the people if they were from Sand Mountain, and to tell them that his wife is from there. Ironically enough, they were from Huntsville. The funniest thing about it all is that my husband is learning to pick out location-specific Southern accents, specifically, north Alabama ones. These people weren't wearing any Auburn or Alabama garb, all he had to go on was the look and sound of them and he nailed it. I'm so proud of my hunny and am glad we've had such a positive effect on his well-roundedness....haha. I wouldn't be surprised if Josh stepped off the train talking like my Dad, too. Awesome.
Lots of people have birthdays coming up: Josh celebrated his last Saturday, Jason L's was last week, Su's is tomorrow (happy b'day!!!), Delaney's was last week (happy birthday, silly girl! we love you!), Carol my old table partner's was last Sunday, Kelly Poole's is upcoming, Lori B my Samford twin's b'day is today. More evidence to prove that Christmastime is the right time for baby-making. :) Happy birthday to you all with wishes of a fantastic year upcoming!
I suppose this should be the end of my soul-bearing session. If you have suggestions for a book I should read, music I should listen to, some recipe I should try, etc., pleeeease pass them my way. Or just leave a comment and let me know how you are. It's probably been a while since we've talked if you're getting an update from me now, and I'd love to hear what's going on in your world. Get some rest (get off the internet!) and have a great rest-of-the-weekend!
Love, Lindssssssss

Birthday Week, Among Other Things

2011-09-22T10:20:00.002-05:00

Ladies and gents, last week was one of the worst in recent memory. I'm over it now, but it included a bad week in my sugar showpiece class, some issues within the house, raging hormones (sorry, TMI--but it was a contributor to the sucky week), Josh had to go to Ohio for a few days for work, and my sugar showpiece class was awful. And we had to cancel my crock potluck birthday fiestivities. The end. It's over and I'm done whining about it :) (You'll thank me later.)
So Jonathan, my love's brother came to hang out with us over the weekend. I worked on Saturday morning, he came Saturday night and stayed through Monday morning. Sunday evening we saw Drive. Normally, I'd share a link for the movie with you, but I didn't know what the movie was about when we went to see it, and the trailer I just watched gives the whole thing away. If I'd seen the trailer I just saw before we got to the theater, I would've chosen Lion King in 3D instead. The music was great--sort of like 80's new wave, which was unexpectedly pleasant. Ryan Gosling is one. intense. dude. Carey Mulligan and her little boy were bright spots in an otherwise grim 2 hours. That's what I'll say about that.
After said grim movie, Josh took Jonathan and me out to Pete Miller's Primehouse for a tasty piece of red meat. Seriously. Petite Filet w/ garlic mash, and the manager sent us a piece of amazing carrot cake for our birthdays! Oh man, what a fantastic dinner--thank you again, my love.
I can't stay long now, and I'll have pics to post at the end of the week to go with this post, but this week is infinitely better than last. My temperament is better, class is fantastic (tarts!!!), Josh is here all week, my sister sent me candy corns and peanuts (and jam and salsa and an adorable bag!!) for my b'day, and all is well.
I hope YOU are well. What's going on in your world today?
Happy Thursday,
L

Chocoholic

2011-09-07T09:49:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,
Please forgive my absence on this space. I've been up to my elbows in chocolate for the last 3 weeks (most days very literally...I'm still learning how to work cleanly with such a messy thing as liquid chocolate). Just so you know, I've made rum truffles, butter masses (doesn't sound appetizing at all, but it tastes like buttercream cake icing rolled in cocoa powder), peanut butter candies, coffee/chocolate candies, Earl Grey tea/chocolate candies, raspberry ganache candies, gianduja, hazelnut candies, pear caramels, creamy ganache candies...up to my elbows in chocolate!! If I could afford the 8# of dry ice, I'd gladly send some to Alabama for you there to pick up at my mama's house. For you in Chicago, well, maybe you should just come to my house. I did remember to take a few pics--my purple and pink phone case is brown in places, just so I could take some pics for you. You're welcome :)

Gianduja. As I've said before, I'm just not European enough to enjoy hazelnuts. I just don't like them. I would eat one of these babies every day, even if there is hazelnut stuff in them. Deeeeelish.

Rum truffles. I didn't make all of these. This was the consolidated batch that my partner, Elena, and I put ours into. I realize that most of my family doesn't drink, but boy howdy, I bet you'd eat the whole of these in a heartbeat, rum or no.

Elena! She's my third partner (and would probably kill me if she knew I was posting this). Of the three partners I've had so far, she and I are two peas in a pod. I took this picture because she had chocolate on her face and was trying to explain to her where it was by pointing to my face, then by pointing to her face, but she kept leaving pieces behind. So I took a picture of her to show her where the leftovers were. She's Bulgarian. And HILARIOUS.

The chocolate enrobing machine!! And Blanca's hand!! I bet everyone would want to see this machine. And stick your face underneath. But that would be overwhelming and gross. But it does a great job of covering candies that would've taken a veeeeery long time to hand dip. Fo' sho'.

Joe and Amy putting the uncovered candies on the line to be enrobed. They're working so hard for the money.

In other miscellaneous pics, Ice Cube (the rapper from the 90s who mostly does bad tv shows now) did an Ice Cube night on the Encore channel that included showings of Friday, Boyz in the Hood, and some other movie he did. We watched Friday for my first time (you can watch the trailer here...there is language and drug use, so be prepared. It only fuels my growing affection for Chris Tucker's Squeals (see also The Fifth element). Hysterical.). This is Diesel watching the first part of Boyz in the Hood very intently. And that's my shoulder.

I made a smores pie for my friend Diana's going-away-to-Paris-for-a-semester brunch. The marshmallows were part of my sugar candy exam and I pooled the three containers of chocolate cream I had left over from plated desserts exam, and made a graham cracker crust. Unfortunately, the hour-long commute was not kind to us and it didn't arrive at her apartment looking quite as lovely. But it was just as delicious :) Miss you, Diana, and have a great semester in the City of Lights!

This week we're working on chocolate sculptures, and I keep forgetting to take pics as I go, so I'll try to grab some of my rose and daisy that I'm putting together. This thang gon' be FLY, yo. (Sorry, I watched the Friday trailer for the third time after giving you the link and now I'm a little ghet-to.)

If you've been tracking with me since the beginning, you'll remember that I love my birthday season. I love meal freebies, ice cream freebies, the party, hanging out with people. And there are 5 of us in my immediate family who have birthdays within two weeks of mine, not to mention the 3 other people I know who have birthdays on the 30th, a friend whose birthday is the day after mine, and my old boss whose birthday was 3 days after mine. I guess we all know what that means--Christmas is a great time for baby-making! That said, we're throwing a Crock Pot-Luck the Saturday before mine. We'll be having beef stew chili (or venison chili, if I can grab some), loaded potato soup, and I'm leaving some space in case others want to bring soups and toppings. I can't wait! The weather's already changing here--I've been wearing long sleeves for three days straight--which I hope will make for a great day to eat soup with some of my favorite people. Happy birthday to all of us September babies (Mom Marie, RC, Ma Lela, Dr. D., Riley, Sheri, Lauren, Jules, Jer, and I'm sorry if I've left you out here and you're reading...if you have a September, leave me a comment and I'll send you a shout out!)!
I should get rolling--it's free chicken minis day at Chick-Fil-A and I gotta get there before 10:30 to get the booty. Love y'all!
L-Doog

Exam Week #1 and the Resulting Do-No-Thing Weekend

2011-08-22T09:31:00.000-05:00

As previously noted, last week was exam week at school. It was a two-parter: We had a written exam (which I blew up, and not in a good way) and a 3-day practical exam. I was supernervous going into the written part, I didn't give myself enough time to study and let the details (such as times and temps and very specific things) sink in. I really stunk this one up. The practicals weren't so bad. We had to make the following: 1 ice cream cake, 1 cappuccino creme brulee, 1 French souffle, 2 crepes, a pan of passion-apricot pate de fruit, a pan of marshmallows, a pan of chocolate caramels, and 12 cherry-flavored hard candy discs. It's fine. It's good. When we made all this the first time, we had the use of a partner, a mixer, a table, and an induction burner between the two of us. This time, we still had the mixer, table, and burner, but we had to make all of this on our own. Coordinating this was quite a challenge since most of the stuff required the use of the burner. My partner and I move a little slower than many others in the class, so this also posed a problem because we had so much stuff to get done! My partner finished her stuff just at the last minute on Friday and I finished a little bit ahead of her. BUT IT'S OVER! EXAM WEEK IS OFFICIALLY OVER! And now on to chocolate candies :)
In other news, I accepted a Saturday job at Hoosier Mama Pie Co., a place that will hopefully be my dream job and will also hopefully hire me when I'm done with school full-time. This is actually pretty perfect: I still have my mornings before class to prep dinner, clean up, run errands, make labels for class, work on library stuff for Chef Jacqui, play with Diesel, etc., and I get paid to work from 630am-2pm every Saturday. While I'm not excited about getting up at 5 on Saturday mornings, I am excited to contribute to our family income just a little and get a little bit of counter experience (making coffee drinks, prepping pies for orders, serving customers, etc.) under my belt. This job I start next Saturday!! Woo hoo!

Because I just finished exams and start a new Saturday job next week, I took this weekend to do absolutely nothing. We ordered in pizza Friday night. We grocery shopped on Saturday (mostly because I have an inherited case of cabin fever), went downstairs for a building-neighborly BBQ, and didn't leave the apartment or my jammies on Sunday. I was with my hunny, whom I missed a lot this week, the whole time, and we sat on the couch and watched tv, movies, took naps, and cooked together. We even made beignets with thimbleberry jam and chocolate cream sauce that I had left over from my exam.

Sorry this is my only pic this week. I was a little stressed last week to take pics as I went during the exam. Maybe this week?!

What's new with you these days? Starting school (you or your kids)? Going back to work?
OH, and what's up with this new baby swarm? I've read on facebook that at least 5 fb friends/neighbors are pregnant and a few more are due soon. WHAT'S UP WITH THIS?!?! Cheese and rice. Baby swarms will make me crazy. Lord, whenever we get pregnant, can we please not have it when everybody else does? Please? Amen.
Done with that rant. I'm sorry. What's new with you? :)
Happy Monday!

Plated Desserts and Other Things Related

2011-08-11T11:05:00.001-05:00

For the last two weeks, my stream (section of classes) has been doing Plated Desserts. Our chef is a World Pastry Champion, has worked in very high end hotels and restaurants all over, and has very high standards. That's fair. The sad thing is that there are two more days left in Plated Desserts and I haven't been so excited to be done with a class since Mrs. Amos' Trigonometry class senior year of high school. Or maybe Ms. Brooks' piano class freshman year of college. Ugh. My saving grace for this class will be the jams and jellies section (!!!) that we do for the next two days. Meredith, I'm coming for YOU! :) (Only because you make the best muscadine-grape jam on this universe. I love you!)
Plated Desserts are tough for me. This side of pastry requires a sense of balance and care for appearance that I just haven't learned yet. When I go to a restaurant and order a dessert, my only real expectation is that what I choose from the menu is what is on my plate. I don't care if the decoration is 2.5" or 4" high off my plate. I don't care if there are at least 3 textures present on my plate. I don't care (at least right now) if there's a little more sauce than there should be underneath my creme brulee. Perhaps I don't eat at those kinds of places, but it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate an excellent dessert--I just don't really mind how it's plated.
With those things in mind, here are a few things we've done in this week and last that have turned out ok.

Warm fruit papillote with spiced tuiles and strawberry sorbet. I'd make this once a week if I had the time--SO DELICIOUS.

Pear financier with poached pears and ... spiced ice cream, I think.
This would be nice if Josh and I were planning a good dinner for the two of us, or if we were having a couple of friends over for dinner. This would work well with a cup of coffee or tea. Good for fall, which is coming soooooon!

Citrus soup with honey ice cream and grapefruit tuile. I don't even like grapefruit and this was tasty. A light ending for a light meal like fish or salad. And the honey ice cream...oh man. Ours got a little melty before I could take the pic, but I ate it anyway :)

Creme caramel (flan) with berry water and florentine tuile. My m-i-l makes a Haitian version of something similar that I'm still learning to eat--I'm just not used to eating custard desserts. But this turned out ok. The crunchy tuile was my favorite part to make and to eat.

We've also made plum stew, chocolate lava cakes with coffee ice cream, cappuccino creme brulee with chocolate cream and whipped cream, and probably a few more things I can't remember but I'm too lazy to get up and look. I'm tired, ok?

Next week we have exams for sugar candies, ice creams/sorbets, and plated desserts. If you think of it, a prayer or thought would be appreciated. We haven't had any exams yet, so aside from what they've told us, I don't know what to expect except that we will have a written exam and a practical exam where they give us a recipe and we have to make it. So we'll see! I probably won't have any pics to post for next week unless my exam product comes out well. I hope you're enjoying the visuals of what I get to do every day!

Aside from this, we are well. What's new with you? Are you or your kids back in school yet? How in the heck is everyone? Is anyone out there?! Leave me a shout-out in the comments! I'd love to hear from you!
Have a great rest-of-the-week!
Linds

Overcommitted

2011-08-04T22:37:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I am utterly exhausted. As I so directly advertised in my post title, I made the error of overcommitting myself this week. At the beginning of the year, I put my name on a list to work a continuing education pastry camp for pay, and I received a letter last week saying my turn was coming up. That meant that I would have to leave home at 6:15 in order to be ready to assist for five hours with ingredient scaling and dishwashing by 7:30am every day this week. I had to reschedule another school appointment that I had set up for another time in the semester, and I also had to be at a mandatory career counseling meeting before class today so I had to leave the continuing ed thing early. And I have to go to class after. Recap:

up at 5:45am
leave house by 6:15
be in kitchen 6 by 7:30 after changing into uniform upon arrival at school
finish up by 12:30
quick lunch from 12:30-1
plated desserts class from 1:15-7:15
train ride home for an hour--home by 8:30
figure out dinner or finish prepping with Josh, do scaling list for the next day (another overcommittment--organizing the scaling list this week...ugh...)
watch Josh fall asleep on the couch between 10-10:30, take a shower
go to bed around 10:45
do over

Maybe I'm in over my head with this pastry stuff, because bakers generally work the early hours and I am no early bird (this is an inherited trait. Thanks, Mom!) So I've been a little crabby/snippy/agitated with my classmates around 5:45 every day because I've already been up for 12 hours at that point and they're rushing the rest of us to finish up because they have trains to catch before the class is actually over. (Sorry, that's another story. It's becoming a 'soapbox issue' with me, but I can't talk about it anymore this week. It's off my agenda.)As I stated above, we started the Plated Desserts section of class. My partner and I have been working very hard, but I dont' have any pictures to share of what we've done, mostly because it wasn't as up to par as I would've liked to start with, or it started to melt before I could get a pic. If I can get any next week, I'll try to post. I did post a couple to my Stream 4 facebook photo album, so if you're dying to see something new, it's there.
This Saturday is my only completely off day this week or next, so I'll probably sit around in my jammies, unless Josh has a better idea of what to do with our Saturday. Sunday I'm doing a job shadow at Mindy Segal's Hot Chocolate, which is kind of a big deal around here. And her desserts are amazing. We'll see if I can duke it out with this Plated Desserts thing there and keep my head in the ring.
After all the overwhelmingness of this week, I'd really just love to sleep for three days, but I have a lot to take care of. Any prayers, thoughts, whatever you have, send 'em my way.
Hope all of you are well, enjoying the last runes of summer before school starts back for the rest of the world. Enjoy Tax-free days coming soon! Love y'all!

Sugar High

2011-07-24T00:18:00.000-05:00

I'm tired, y'all. My first 'real' week of class (basic skills only kind of counts) and we were doing sugar candies. I learned a TON about sugar, basics on its properties and how it behaves with water/eggs, how to make it taste good, how to make it look cool. And I'm exhausted. Here's why:

I posted this on facebook, but I figured why not here too? The booty from this week's sugar candies class, from front to back: 1st row--passion/apricot fruit jelly candies, butterscotch lollies, raspberry jelly candies, cassis/pear jelly candies. 2nd row--caramels (plain, chocolate, plain w/ walnuts), purple cherry limeade hard candies, raspberry gummies. 3rd row--chocolate nougat (in the pan on the left), French pralines (the pink things), nougat bars, guimauve (marshmallow). 13 recipes we made this week! (the two not shown were pastilles--candy discs--that I didn't get to make because we ran out of time, and flavored marshmallows they tasted bad and my gelatin started to set up sooner than I could pipe them, so I chucked the whole batch.)

These babies were my favorite thing to make all week--guimauve (marshmallows)! So easy! These are on their way to packaging after being sifted with half and half confectioner's sugar and cornstarch. Since I brought them home, I eat at least 3 squares a day. Pretty sure that wasn't the intended meaning behind 'Eat 3 squares a day', but I can't help myself. Really.

Chef demoing for us how to pull sugar to make hard candies. She's a pastry champion. She knows what she's doing.

More sugar pulling. This was so freaking cool.

Gratuitous photo of our tres expensive chocolate tempering machine. Yes, that's a spout, and yes, there are many gallons of chocolate pouring out of it and being mixed down below. I'd love to stick my face underneath and drink for 5 minutes, but I'd be in big. trouble.

Cassis/pear pate de fruit ("fruit paste") candies being sifted with sugar. These were my favorites of the fruit candies we made, and on this batch we couldn't use a thermometer to tell if they were done--we had to eyeball it! And they came out perfect! Woooo baby!

These are the same candies as above, on the guitar (a contraption that uses guitar strings to make fine, even cuts in candies) before going into the sugar bin.

Caramels! These are the chocolate ones (like tootsie rolls, but much better) and plain ones. I'm becoming so spoiled--I'm never going to buy prepackaged candies again! (Well, let's be reasonable...I probably will, but if I have the time and the money, I'll make them myself. They're just better that way.)

I can't lie--even three weeks into class I'm still adjusting to the schedule. Some days Josh doesn't get home until just before me, neither of us feel like cooking, and we crash on the couch at around 9:30-10. This not-seeing-my-husband thing is old, but I have to remind myself that it's only for 5 more months (and wow is it going by fast!). I'm still unemployed, which has had it's ups and downs. It's tough to only be on one income--we've done it a couple of times--but I've had time to do some job shadows and volunteers with the school. Next week, I plan to take an application by a pastry shop not far from here, so I'm hoping they'll find the awesome potential I'm toting around in my back pocket.
And another family of our neighbors are moving, this time faaaar away to the land of Texas. The wife/mom was my very first roommate when I moved to Chicago six years ago and she is one of the most amazing women I've had the pleasure of living with. I'm sad to see them go, but I'm sending lots of love with them as they go this week! Love you Heather/Johan/GraciePudding! And on top of this, my first college roommate got married in ATL this weekend. Love you, Sheri, and wishing and hoping the best for you and Johnny!

What was that I said about 2011 being a big year? Yeah. It's all coming true. Down to the last drop. We're seven months into the year. How's your 2011 shaping up? Any big plans for the next 5 months?
Happy weekend and I'll update you on ice cream/sorbets next week!
Love y'all!

"No Crying in Pastry"

2011-07-17T17:17:00.003-05:00

In our first week, Chef Jacqui, the co-founder of my school, shared with us a few pointers to carry around in our metaphorical back pockets. "Expect the worst--then you won't be disappointed all the time.""Be organized, for the love of God!" "No crying in pastry." Hmm. That last one nearly kicked me in the pants last week. For you who know me very well, you'll remember that I cry. When I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm confused, when I'm angry. It's usually my first physical response when I'm emotional. Well, last week, I did a morning job shadow at a sooper-posh restaurant. It was good, the manager I worked with was laid back but knowledgeable about her space, the intern I worked with--while she was dealing with some issues about her school stuff--was cool, I got to put together about 40 cherry clafoutis and start chopping nuts for sticky bun filling. This place had half a steer (very literally, cut up in 3-4 giant pieces) in their walk-in cooler and smelled like what I hope heaven will smell like (cured meats...ha!).It was a great experience, but I was running late getting out of there for school. I barely made it into class on time, after swallowing down a dollar-menu McChicken and a Coke, and that day we were making French meringues, almond cream, and making cookies from the sweet dough we made the day before.
Every thing screwed up. My sweet dough kept getting warm and sticky--it's supposed to be cool to be rolled out and cut--and I had to put it back in the cooler 4 times. My tablemate was using the mixer--only one mixer for two people--and I wasn't able to get in to start my meringues until about 30 minutes before clean-up, and by the time I got them ready to be piped into cookies, I realized I forgot to put in my confectioners sugar--the tasty part! So I wasn't able to pipe them. And I wasn't able to do my almond cream at all--had to wait until the next day. I nearly cried about 4 times that day, on the 9th official day of class. Ugh.
So far, we've made sweet dough, simple syrup. butter/flour mix, French meringues, almond cream _ pastry cream = frangipane, Italian meringues, and a couple other things that I forgot already. Next week we start sugar candies; Monday we're making Passion-Apricot Pate de Fruit, Caramels, French Pralines, and Guimauve (marshmallows!).
Today, I was feeling a little vengeful towards my failed batch of meringues, so while Josh was preparing our slow cooker salisbury steak dinner, I was getting ready to make my victory against egg whites and sugar. I'd say I was successful.

Ingredients to scale for the recipe. Unfortunately, I can't give you the recipe, as the school has pretty strict rules about sharing the recipes that I've had to pay many dollars to acquire. Also, I've already had requests such as, "When you find the secret to the perfect pie crust, please share." to which my response is: "Unfortunately, I will not share my amazing secrets for baking that I learn in school because I am paying many dollars to acquire these amazing secrets. I will, however, highly recommend French Pastry School to anyone wishing to learn my amazing secrets for baking. Amen."

"Cinnamon" (what I named my KitchenAid, as that is the color of my machine) working hard for the money to whip my eggs into submission.

On a different subject, I felt like telling you all that I have a cheese box in my fridge, that is, a Cutie Clementine box that holds all my cheeses: shredded Mexican blend/3-Cheddar blend/Italian blend, 1/2 a block of cream cheese, 1/2 a block of reggiano, most of a package of Kraft American slices, and deli slices of Alpine Lace Swiss. If I'd taken this photo earlier, it would've included 1/2 a container of mascarpone, but I used it for breakfast crepes with honey mascarpone and strawberries. It was a great breakfast :)
P.S. If I die soon, will someone please give my beloved cheese box a good, cheese-loving home? Thanks.

Also, a shameless plug for that salisbury steak I mentioned earlier. It looks like Alpo right now, but this...this is Josh's almost-famous, could-be-award-winning adaptation of this Allrecipes.com salisbury steak recipe. We add mushrooms, onions, garlic, and swap the water for wine (hey, Jesus did it, and so will we).

This week we've been learning about "mise-en-place"(meeze-ahn-plahce), which means "everything in place"--there is a place for everything in a kitchen, and organized cooking can be the best thing for a business just as an unorganized kitchen can be fatal for one. I'm learning how to organize my meeze. Dies has found his meeze--on the back of the chair. He's here for hours on end.

Here they are! I'm the winner! Not only did they come out (only a few were cracked), but I was able to practice piping. The top row are 'shells', the middle ones are bigger rosettes (I still need to work on uniformity...), the longer peanut-looking ones were supposed to be batons (but since they look more like circus peanuts, we can call them that for now), and the baby ones are what I'll call 'buttons'.

More buttons, smaller rosettes, backwards S, a couple double-layer rosettes (these didn't work as well), more backwards S/baton/rosette. And they tasted good, like they were supposed to!! WOO HOO!

And the best looking ones of them all. Ah, it's been a good day. It's nice to know that even if I have a super-sucky day in class, I don't have to let it ruin my experience--and I can come home and make it better!

What have you done lately that you've been content with or really proud of?

Now I'm off to engrave my tools! Hoping y'all have a great week!

L-Doog

One Week Down...

2011-07-11T21:31:00.001-05:00

...Twenty-three to go. My first week of pastry school was all of the following: overwhelming, hilarious, information-packed, as much fun as learning about milk and food-borne illnesses can be, and more, to be sure, that I'm still processing. It's nice to have a toolkit, my uniforms, and two textbooks with over 400 recipes that I will be making for the next 6 months. Yes, 400 recipes, and only in 23 weeks--the first one's already over! Last Tuesday was general orientation, Wednesday and today were Intro to Food Technology (learning about the sciences of milk, eggs, flour, and butter, the four main ingredients in pastrymaking), and Thursday and Friday were sanitation classes. It's been fun getting to know our chefs and the other 72 people in my program!

Chef L-Doog American Ninja Warrior Iron Chefs DESSERTS

Lookin' legit.

On a different note, when we moved into our current apartment, there were a few things the landlord left...outstanding...that he promised he would come back to within the month. The pipes in this building are over 100 years old and couldn't be replaced until the lady beneath us moved out. Landlord asked her to leave 2 weeks before we were to move in and she would not budge. Three weeks ago, she finally left, so now Landlord has tasked 'his men' to replace the pipes. [Ok, now I'm just venting. Please either forgive me or skip this part...] We were initially told that this would be a two-day process and that they guys would be working from early in the morning (8a) until late (11p). Neither of these scenarios have occurred--it's turned into at least a four-day endeavor, they come in when they can and leave when they feel like it. Granted, over the weekend, they were here all day Saturday to the disdain of my husband, but they left on Sunday and said they'd be back today, then came back a few hours today and said they'd be back again tomorrow. Josh has stayed in all weekend and tonight to ensure they don't leave the door open so Diesel doesn't run out (we have no storm door). The bottom line: when we have no business with Landlord, we really love our apartment. Dealing with Landlord makes living here unpleasant. If there are many more 'endeavors' such as these, my fear is that we won't stay here for very long. I hate moving. Ugh. [End vent].

2011 seems to be the year of big changes for a whole bunch of people in my circles. Babies, career changes, quitting jobs, moving, job layoffs, medical issues...and the list continues. I'm not sure that I have anything else to add, except that we're halfway through 2011 and it's been busy for us and for a whole bunch of people. Wonder what that means for 2012. Huh.

I suppose that's all for now. I been getting up around 5:45 for the last week and that means I go to bed around 930, so my hour's coming pretty quickly. Tomorrow starts my afternoon schedule, but I'm going with Josh to a presentation on composting and urban worm farms (?!!!) before class, so I still have to get up early. And I have to call back some spots for job shadows. I already have a morning shadow scheduled for this week at the supersweet Publican and hopefully I'll have another set up for Bennison's bakery in Evanston for over the weekend or next week. WOOHOO!! What's kickin' in YOUR world? Hope you're having a great summer!
L

New Life = New Hair

2011-06-28T13:30:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is about life changes, but it seems that whenever one is nearby, I do something drastic with my hair. In high school I colored my hair all manner of red shades, and occasionally a dark brown (never blonde...never Sun-In...sometimes a little orange, but never blonde). If not a color, it was a perm or a cut.
This time, I had my friend Angie do a serious chop--9 inches off of my head. She said, "If this is what you want, and it's all the same to you, I'm just going to start cutting and then we'll shape it up when I'm done. Cool?"
This was the pre-cut wait:

After I had my hair trimmed and added bangs for the first time in October, I promised Josh I would keep my hair long until Spring...since we didn't really have Spring and I didn't know what season was which, I had my hair trimmed in March when my girl Su was up from Dixie--she's the kind of friend that would spring for a free haircut in a strange city just for the adventure of it (fortunately, we had great hairs after the cut!)--but the weather was still disparaging. March in Chicago = Ugh.

It even makes me a little crazy. So I went in to the Hair Cuttery in Uptown and let Angie cut away. This is me wasting time while she sweeps up from the person ahead of me.

And she did a great job! There's a whole 12-photo album on Facebook of my experience...me going out of my mind then looking like the Smokin' Hot Wife I am with short hairs. To top off the humor part of it, I went in for a job interview yesterday and the lady I interviewed with had a similar haircut underneath her pastry hat. It was a sign--I chose the right field :)
I had said job interview yesterday, but the results of that interview won't be determined until I have a result of an internship interview for tomorrow. Results will be posted soon. I hope. In the meantime, I'm working my little fingers off trying to complete 10 more syllabi before Thursday noon.....aaaaaaaaaahhhh! Job transitions are tough business! At any rate, things are moving and shaking in La Vie Dugue. Hoping to hang up pictures and art in the house before Sunday (when the in-laws come for July-4th-celebration-on-the-3rd!!!). I'll try to post pics of the art-n-stuff on the walls before school starts on Tuesday. Amen? A-man bruther!
Happy Tuesday!!

Inevitable and Imminent

2011-06-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

In two weeks from yesterday, my life is going to change dramatically. Different than having children or losing a family member, different than moving (done that), different than anything else I've ever done. Except maybe that time I went to Mexico for a summer 3 days after graduating high school. And maybe that time I moved to Chicago 3 days after college graduation. Maybe not so completely different, but a change that is probably going to rock me pretty hard.

I got my schedule for the first week of classes. Though I'm in the evening session of class, the first week I have to be there between 7-8am for orientation, intro classes, and sanitation classes. It'll be fun and overwhelming and exhausting and totally worth it. I'm excited to:

try on my whites (pastry uniform)...and I hope I don't have to hem anything
meet the other 71 applicants who got in with me
meet the 36 people I'll share class time with and will eventually have to partner with throughout the next 6 months
get my toolkit. Holy moly my toolkit. I'll post pics when I get home with my toolkit.
get my "textbook" = a gazillion pages of recipes, just waiting to be measured out, mixed up, stuck into an oven or freezer, then eaten with a happy heart
have resolved the job/internship issue. Currently, I'm talking with a place about an internship that wouldn't pay (that I've already worked with), another place about an internship that would pay (that I haven't worked with and is sooper-posh), and a place about a part-time job in a pie shop (yes, the pie shop, maybe my pre-certified pastry chef dream job...maybe). I hate making decisions with a burning passion, but when I make them I stick with them. This will be a very hard decision to make. Ugh.

To be honest, it's getting harder not to 'check out' on my job now and just sit around and bide my time 'til 3:45pm, June 30, but I'm trying my darndest to get everything taken care of. My directed studies are taken care of, my payroll duties are handed off, now I just have to tackle...~20 syllabi. YUCK. So for you who pray, please pray I would get my hindquarters into gear and finish this job well!

Hoping you all have a fantastic week! Drop me a line or a link to your favorite news of the week, blogs you're reading, pics that make you smile. See you soon!

The Yankee with the Dixie Accent

2011-06-06T12:59:00.001-05:00

I'm home. Back in Chi-city, back in my apartment, back to work. The older I get, the more going home is like taking medicine--there's a hurt or sadness or something to be cared for, and while the medicine takes a minute to kick in, you feel better once it's all over. At least that's how this week has been--a salve for my soul. Upon meeting my parents at the airport and grabbing some lunch, we stopped by to see this guy:

This is my Pawpaw. We woke him up, and I'm sure he wouldn't be so happy about my posting his unkempt hair on the interwebs, but he's just so cute. "Well, baybah...Lillian, look at that thang jus' walked in my door. Ain't she jus' precious?" That's my Pawpaw. I'm curious if he was wearing those suspenders during his nap. How funny.

After that, we went to the last softball game of 2 of my nieces. One niece played one game, then two nieces played against each other.

You probably couldn't tell, but for about an hour these girls were mortal enemies, on teams competing for 1st place in the league! The one in green hit a homerun in each game she played, and her team won the grand prize! The niece in pink also played very well--you might say she was the loudest outfield cheerleader on the team! What a mess these girls are. If, somehow I'd ended up back in my hometown, I'd probably be at the ball fields cheering for whoever's kids I know.

On my second day home, I went with Mom and Dad to the campground where they keep their RV. After an hour on the pier, I had acquired the "tan" I'd been dreaming for for 3 years (trip objective #3: come back two shades darker)...actually, I'm pretty red, but it'll turn :) And I caught my first two fish ever in my life this week! Each was a 3"-4" brim, one caught off this pier and the other caught off my b-i-l's boat. I guess you might say "I done good."

Thursday was my sister's birthday. She had the day off work, so we did a little shopping in the morning, then split up to bake our respective cakes for her party (she bakes too!), then threw a grill-out party with all my siblings and their families. Then we crashed. The following day was spent loafing around town, swimming with the kids, fishing some more, hanging out with Mom and Dad. Oh-my-Lord it was a fantastic time. Just the perfect amount of time away from the city before I was starting to get homesick for my hunny and my kitty. And just the perfect vacation before I start school in less than a month.

On an ecstatic note, I found out while I was at home that I have been awarded a scholarship for pastry school! And the possibility of taking on some internships while I'm in class has come up, too! More and more I feel like taking this step was the thing the Lord wants me to do, and more and more it's evident that He's providing the way for it to happen. We'll see where we are in about a month, but in the meantime, my prayer will be this:

Come and hear, all you who fear God;
   let me tell you what he has done for me.
I cried out to him with my mouth;
   his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
   the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
   and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God,
   who has not rejected my prayer
   or withheld his love from me!
~Psalm 66: 16-20

Well. Now that's off my chest, what's going on in your world? Leave a comment, or find me on facebook (with more pics of the trip home!). Hope you have a great day!

going to the my mama'n'em's house

2011-05-30T12:09:00.001-05:00

hi, friends. just a heads-up that i won't be writing here this week as i'm taking a much needed break to visit family down south, and i'm leaving tomorrow. and i'm not using any capital letters because our keyboard is a little wonky. it's finally hot here, after three weeks of semi-spring-feeling weather (though it's been in the high 50's...) and i'm not a very happy camper that summer comes right as i leave. i cannot wait to see my family and my friend su. i cannot wait to go swimming, to see my niece's last softball game of the season, to fish with my dad, to see 'bridesmaids' with my sister[s?], to celebrate said sister's birthday, to see my pawpaw, to cook for my family, to be surrounded by green and brown, to drive my dad's new [to me] truck. i love to drive dad's truck.

i. can't. wait.

so you should expect to see me again next week, and hopefully with a boatload of pics to share. today, i celebrate my hunny (marines), my dad (usaf), my m-i-l (army), my cousins chris and john (army res.), and so many others who give their talents, passion, time, energy, and lives for our country. y'all are some amazing folks and i, for one, am thankful for you.

now to finish packing, eat some lunch, and enjoy a lovely chi-town memorial day. have a great week and see you soon! amen.

Finding My Calling: Food

2011-05-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

When I first starting looking into French Pastry School in January 2010, I had such a strange sense of discontentment. I knew I needed a change--a BIG one--but the prospect of a career in which I could barely do in my own kitchen was daunting. Last summer, I finally got around to watching Julie & Julia, and I felt a moment of identity at this scene:

I knew I didn't want to sit behind a desk all the day long. I needed something to do with my hands. I knew I love to eat. I love to share what I cook with everyone (sometimes to the chagrin of my poor husband). I love the challenge of finding the ever-elusive "perfect pie crust". I love the order of the kitchen and the sense of accomplishment when at the end of the day, the list of things to be done has been crossed off--and there are containers with fillings ready for 24 perfect pie crusts, just ready to be filled and baked one more time to seal the deal.
Since I started looking into school, I've found a few food blogs that have been pretty inspiring, two of them I found today. They're all in my blogroll to the -->, but I thought I'd introduce the foodie in me to the foodie in you. So, dear readers, I'd like to introduce you to some of my new favorite blogs:
David Lebovitz: An American in Paris, pastry chef, wrote The Sweet Life in Paris (which has some interesting insights--note to self: visit Paris but do not become a resident. You will become an angry person.). Interesting sense of humor and great sense of travel.
Joy the Baker: a self-taught baker who makes some deeeeelish treats. I think she and I would be baking buddies if we were neighbors.
Pioneer Woman: HI-LA-RIOUS. If you're not hooked on Pioneer Woman, git yer buns to her site. She talks about cooking, ranching, child-rearing, photography, homeschooling, and all manner of silly. And she has a cookbook which contains so. much. goodness. Do yourselves a favor and get on her RSS feed--you're guaranteed one laugh a day here.
Lottie + Doof: Chicagoans from the west side, blogging about great Chicago food and where to get it, and they have some lovely-looking recipes!
The Kitchen Generation: I just learned about this one today and I'm already so inspired! Five teens--food bloggers--got together and put together this website collective called The Kitchen Generation. Each has his/her own angle: Celiac, food photography/writing, baking, culinary school. These guys will probably be the next Cat Coras, Rick Bayless's, Dorie Greenspans, Paula Deens, and Alton Browns. Just watch--Food Network and Saveur mag, here they come.
Honey + Jam: Hannah's one of the writers for The Kitchen Generation, whom I also only found today. A Southern girl like me, I can already tell she's a kindred spirit who loves Jesus and biscuits. Can't wait to see where her cooking goes.
smitten kitchen: food blogger out of NYC, this girl can cook. Some of it's more fancy than I would care to try these days, but it doesn't stop me from checking out her awesome archives.
So. I hope that you'll hang in with me as I jump into the pastry school race. In the meantime until July, I hope you enjoy these blog gems, too!

No Rest for the Weary (but you can get a free EP today!)

2011-05-23T10:18:00.001-05:00

I guess you might say that for the last few months, my heart's been in a state of disarray. With all the changes that are roving around us--moving, job/career changes, 4 weeks out of 7 being away from my love (job training, visiting family), job hunting, etc., etc., etc., I feel restless and disheveled, like someone took my life, upended and shook it real good. I hope I don't get sick from all the moving and shaking. In the end, I know the edits being made to us will make us better and stronger, but really I would love a nap. A loooong one.
On a bunch of happy notes, I get to go home to see my family before I give my life away to school for six months. I haven't seen my parents since Thanksgiving, and the rest of my family since Christmas 2009. And I get to be there to celebrate my sister's 3_th birthday! Mentally, I'm already packing. I'll probably start really packing Wednesday once my regularly scheduled plans have settled down. Right now, I have no expectations for the trip except that I just want to have a great time with my family and not have a rigid agenda for the week filled with seeing people who just want to see how "yankified" I've become. I would like to spend a day at the lake or in a chlorinated pool, and potentially come back red (The one in the top left/middle, please. I want a nice Indian tan, not skin cancer):

I hope my nieces and nephews will remember me. I want to make this yummy candied pecan cream cheese braid for mom and dad for breakfast one morning:

I want to not feel burdened about the job hunt or the part where it feels like every day since I turned in my notice at work feels like a 12-hour day instead of 7.75 hours--and I don't want to wish my time away either. I want to celebrate my family in a way that they feel loved by the little sister that's been missing from their daily lives for 6 years. And I seriously need a Mom hug, followed by a big bear Dad hug. Man, those are so good.
Josh's band had their first show last night at Uncommon Ground here in the city. Travis Caudle, a native Aussie, opened the 7pm set and he. sounded. good, y'all. His adoring wife was sitting in the front row singing along with him. It was too sweet. James and the Drifters covered the 8:00 set, just two guys from Indiana. They sounded pretty good, too; they kind of had a sooper-folky Bon Iver sound with a 12-year old hyper-sensitivity to it. Nice. Then Josh, Dan, and Wil got up for the Avec Moi scene and they did very well for the first time playing live together. Three of the songs I'd never heard before or had only heard once. They did "Lonely World", "Slip Away", "Eternity", and "Sweet Mystery" from the EP (which, if you go to the website today, you should be able to get the EP for free. I'm just sayin'.). The venue was good--not a lot of space for the guys--they couldn't even have Mark the drummer play, and the sound was off a little for the venue (Josh's vocals could've been louder and the instruments turned down but if they'd been turned down, they couldn't hear themselves....) but it was good. I'm so proud of these guys. Congrats, Avec Moi on your first show of 2011!
On a different note, I think I've found the only reason I would very reluctantly say ok to us getting an iPad besides it helping Josh at work:

On these happy thoughts I should probably go. I'll leave you with a photo of a view my hunny probably had this morning as he left for work training, a very foggy Chicago skyline. Happy Monday, friends!

Blogger's Block

2011-05-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't been around here much lately. Along with the changes that have been going on in the last few weeks, I've been busying myself with little things to do, like getting half-empty boxes organized and thrown out or making myself a sweet frozen pizza (Totino's really is so good and yet so bad for my tummy) or flipping through 300 channels on cable only to find no thing that I want to watch (how many episodes of "Surprise Pregnancy" can a girl watch without being traumatized? The world may never know...). I was supposed to be working on this project this week:

from bluecricketdesign.net

but I keep getting distracted. I did manage to pull out of a hymnal the pages I want to use and I bought the Mod Podge to work with. I just have to take the coffee bags off the canvases I'll be using and get to gluing...next week :) I did manage also to hang up the clock in the dining room so now I don't have to run around to three different rooms to find out what time it is. How nice. Josh has been doing job training this week so I haven't seen much of him, which makes for a lonely living space and bedtime. And the cat wonders what's up with Dad these days, so we'll all be glad when training is over.

In other news, I have seven weeks (exactly! From today!) left at my Moody job and that means that in 53 days, I get to begin my first day of pastry school! I have to admit that I am experiencing some anxiety about it: "I wonder what friends I will make in pastry school..." "How in the heck am I going to pay for this?" "Where am I gonna work while I'm in school?" I am looking for jobs now, and that's kind of encouraging to see what's out there. There's even a couple places open around Moody, so maybe I can find a way to still get together with my mentor for lunch once a week! The chorus of one of the songs my hunny wrote a while back goes, "Don't doubt in the dark what you knew in the light, don't lose that little spark that keeps you in the fight." <-- = my mantra for the next 53 days. Cool?

In other friggin' awesome news, it's been announced that we're finally getting Chick-Fil-A in the city! The company only just now (within the last year or so) started putting them in the 'burbs, but I learned over the weekend that June 16, Chick-Fil-A is coming to the Loyola Water Tower campus (30 E. Chicago) at Chicago and Wabash!!! I haven't had Chick-Fil-A since 2006 when some of us urban students went to Philly for the Christian Community Development Association convention and we stopped in a food court. I can imagine it now: value meal with 6 nuggets or 3 strips, waffle fries, a medium sweet tea, a Polynesian sauce and a honey mustard sauce....man oh man am I in heaven...and it's not far from pastry school either! I'm going to have to create a line in our budget for this, I am afraid, especially since I'm deathly afraid of McDs after having read Fast Food Nation and Eating Animals. (Actually, why is it that I'm only afraid of the beef industry? Curious question...) Anyway, Yes. Maybe I'll ask for a Chick-Fil-A birthday party for myself this year. What a dream come true. :)

For you in Chicagoland, my hunny, Josh, and his band, Avec Moi, are playing their first show together at Uncommon Ground on Clark (in Wrigleyville) on Sunday, May 22 at 7pm. Also playing will be bands James and the Drifters and Travis Caudle. I think there's a $5 donation charge and space is limited so they're requesting advance reservations. If you're interested in coming by, call 773-929-3680 to save your spot. It's going to be a great show and the first of many in the city this summer!

...and I thought I wouldn't have much to say. PSHAW. Anyway, I should get rolling. I gotta figure out what I'm gonna do for lunch and that could take all day! :)

Moved In

2011-05-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

It's official, friends! My husband, cat, and I are officially moved in. It was a dramatic weekend, fraught with delays, sleepovers at a friend's house (with the cat...ugh), more space than we had before and the realization that we have more space and yet so much stuff...and I hear it's worse once you have a kid (I promise there isn't one of those hiding anywhere inside me). At this point, we're a little sad that there's still work going on inside the house, like moving the fridge back to its place, painting and replacing the radiator grates, pipe replacement in our bedroom. All in all, though, we are truly just happy to be in a place that we can call home, and we're thankful for friends who were willing to come out and help us load and unload the truck. We owe you an amazing dinner!

To top that off, we are literally in a building next door to dear friends for at least a month--they're moving! Boo hoo!--but we're going to milk that month for all it's worth, right, Kristine and Heather??

In the coming few days, we have a lot to do to get the apartment looking livable, but in the coming weeks, I'm going to start the process of acquisition of things to make what we have better, as well as making some art in my 'down time', which I'm pretty stoked about. And I will be BAKING and learning how to use my antiquated stove/oven, which will be replaced in September, right in time for my birthday! Actually, one of the first things I might investigate is making this little item: Knock You Naked Brownies:

via Pioneer Woman

Along with this, I'm learning about freezer meals--meals prepared ahead of time, frozen, and baked at a later time. This, my friends, is what will carry my husband and me through pastry school because I guarantee I won't want to cook anything substantial after work + 6 hours of class. Gua-ron-TEE it. So, if you're in the area and are interested in these brownies and/or doing some freezer meals for your family but would like some company, give me a holler!

In the meantime, tell me: what's your favorite thing to make these days? Hope y'all have a great week!

Life By the Numbers, 4.20 Edition

2011-04-20T15:48:00.002-05:00

Good Friday/Leasing signing day: ~36 hours
Resurrection Day!: ~105 hours
Last day at the gym for free: ~192 hours (4 more opens)

Moving day: ~216 hours
Mr. D starts his new job: ~408 hours
(By the way, my husband has a new job! We're so excited for the following reasons: work is good, it's much closer than the job in Hyde Park, pay/benefits = a-ok!, this is a fantastic fit for my husband because he's a great worker/troubleshooter/teacher/trainer, the dude loves his coffee and he gets to work with it daily!)
Pastry School starts: ~2928 hours.
In between this Friday and pastry school, I have a lot to do. A few pictures to paint, an apartment to decorate, visit my family one more time before I sign the last 6 months of the year away to desserts, a new job to find for myself, many pies/puddings/goodies to try. So much to do! In the meantime, I'm counting down some hours, trying to pack up our life, and get moving--in so many ways. *Sigh. Change is....good. :)

Moving...Forward

2011-04-15T11:44:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I wrote about my excitement about a certain apartment that we were hoping to move into. At the time of posting, we were still unsure if the apartment was ours--we turned in our application to the landlord last week and still hadn't heard by Tuesday, so when we called and the landlord said he wanted to talk with us about our application, my nerves were put to the test. What could possibly be the problem? Yesterday, Josh and I went by the apartment to talk with the landlord and after a few minutes' conversation, the landlord asked us to come back next week and sign the lease!!! In this season of what seems like perpetual waiting (waiting on an apartment, waiting to hear from Josh's interviewer, waiting on pastry school, waiting on a new doctor, waiting, waiting, waiting...), I feel lighter. Now, my mind can switch from thinking, "Where are we gonna put all these boxes?" to "Oh, I can put this shelf here and we can do the couches here and I can even paint some new canvases for our new bedroom like this way:

Or this way:

I feel like I have a clean slate to work with, that we're leaving behind a place in an area that we love love love, but an apartment that took us a while to settle into. The new place has its own quirks (dark wood trim, funky layout, updated kitchen and bathroom work that I don't know what it looks like yet), so building onto those will certainly be a fun way to decompress from long days at work, then in pastry school. If you're interested in maps/history/locations/knowing stuff, check out the Rogers Park wikipedia page to learn more about the new locale of Chateau l'Chateau-Dugue. (Tina Fey and Harold Ramis--of Ghostbusters fame--used to live here!).
All that to say, we're moving soon. My heart is lifting and will reach Cloud 9 very soon. I'll be spending my weekend packing and job shadowing at a candy shop. What are your weekend plans? Whatever they are, have a good one!

Unsick

2011-04-11T10:03:00.000-05:00

After spending the last six days hovering around the apartment in a nasty sickness, I am happy to say I'm well enough to be back at work. I'm not exactly elated to be back at work, but better this than sitting in a puddle of wet Kleenex. I would've written last week, but I was such a mess I couldn't write an email to my boss telling him I wasn't coming in without getting nauseated at the desk. So I'm back for a bit.

We're still house hunting, which is...going. We've applied for a couple that have fallen through and for another that fits [almost] everything we were asking for--and more. More counter space, closet space is just different (no storage...booo), separate dining room, close to public transit, in an area we like, and is cheaper. On top of these things, here's more: it's top (3rd) floor--no stompy neighbors! It's $120 cheaper than what we pay! It's in the neighborhood I lived in before Josh and I got married and they've done quite a lot to build it up since! We know three couples that live in the building next door and another apartment-full of girls that live around the corner! It's off the red line (not a high selling point, but a selling point anyway!)! Updated--kitchen, bathroom, (will get a new fridge and stove in Sept.), and everything's clean and well-kept! So here's to praying for this apartment! I'll let you know if we get it. Either way, we're still moving April 30.

Pastry School's still on the docket, too, just waiting to find out how much subsidized/unsubsidized loans I get to take out. I'm setting out to claim my spot in the program today! WOO HOO!!!!!

Other than that, I'm sorry to relate that there isn't much else going on in our little world. But hang tight! When we move, there will be more pictures! In the meantime, have a great week!

Needy

2011-03-29T09:44:00.000-05:00

In the last 24 hours, I've gone from excited to mellow to busy to low. In the next two or three months, we/I will need:

a new doctor
a new place to live, in Chicago, in the price range of 700-850, that's not at the ends of the 'L' lines and not in shady areas
to get my pastry school award letter to know which loan to use to pay for pastry school; scholarships
a new part-time job

Today, I feel like the things I need the most are so dependent on other people (except the new job part), and how each thing I need is dependent on something else. I need a new doctor before I lose my insurance because I'm leaving my full-time job to go to pastry school that I need a part-time job for to help pay my pastry school loans, and we need a cheaper place to live so we can save more money and hopefully be efficient at getting us to our jobs and schools. Ugh.

At the same time, I'm trying with all my might to hold on to this nugget of truth:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ~Philippians 4: 6-8

That said, today's mantra: it'sgoingtobeagooddayit'sgoingtobeagooddayit'sgoingtobeagoodday. Amen.

Pie Pie Pie

2011-03-22T16:00:00.002-05:00

Lordy mercy, I've never been more deeply involved in pies as I have been in the last month.

My Diana-friend and I made a lemon tart from this French cookbook she has. Goodness, it was delicious. And hanging out with her was fun, too!

A few days later, I had the great idea to make a meat pie. I cubed up a couple of potatoes small, like the potatoes in corned beef hash. I chopped up some onion and cooked them 'til translucent with some garlic, then browned some meat mix (veal, pork, and beef), then added some mushrooms and the diced potatoes to the mix with s + p and worcestershire sauce (and a little bit of parsley and herbs de provence), then baked according to the crust box time, until lovely and golden. The one error I made was using box pie crusts. It was a lazy day and I...anyway, next time I make this I will make the crusts myself and use plain ground beef or pork. It was pretty good as it was, though.

This weekend, I got adventurous and made hand pies! My grandmother used to make fried fruit and chocolate hand pies and they. were. delicious. And I've been itching to try savory pies, so I figured pies with Canadian bacon, gouda, and cheddar was a good start.

The full spread of ingredients. The crust I used for these was Alton Brown's; this can be used for several purposes, and I intend to try most of them. It calls for shortening instead of butter, which turned out pretty well, but I might try the buttery way when I make the sweet ones. This recipe said it would make 10-15 crusts and mine made 12 (two were sort of shortbus small).

Just a couple of layers of bacon and cheese, egg-wash the edges and seal with a fork.

Ta da! These were the ones I baked. I put the other six in the freezer before baking to have on nights I don't feel like cooking. I also tried them with some jam (apricot and grape) and both were pretty good. This might make a pretty good breakfast for on-the-go mornings. We ate ours walking around the block trying to find the moon the night it was so huge, but alas, it was cloudy in my grey city.

To top this off, as part of my "job shadowing" I'm encouraged to do by the Pastry School, I did a shadow at Hoosier Mama Pie Co., which at this point is my dream job. Talk about being up to the nose in pies...In that nine-hour day, I: peeled two lugs of apples--half for pear/apple/cranberry pie filling, which I prepared, and the other half was for 6 gorgeous apple pies, that I was able to assemble from top to bottom (except I didn't make the crusts); I filled four crusts with Hoosier Cream Pie filling and baked for the next day's sales; and I made batter filling for 12 chocolate chess pies that would be assembled the next day. Chicago friends, if you've never been to Hoosier Mama (on Chicago Ave. just west of Ashland), please please please stop by. The shop is small, the slices are gigantic, they serve at least 15 kinds of pie daily (sweet and savory), and it's worth the trek for sure. For me, pies are...the bee's knees. If you haven't noticed already :)
So, these are the things I've been up to in the kitchen these days. I hope this is as inspiring for you as it was fun for me! What curious creations have you been making in your kitchen lately?

John 3.16 is for Me

2011-03-21T11:17:00.001-05:00

Hellooooo. It's been a couple of weeks since I wrote in last and it's been two weeks of waiting. Waiting to hear from the Department of Education about how much The Man will pay for my pastry school education (I'll hear in April). Waiting to hear about Josh's interview (should hear at the end of March). Waiting to find our new apartment (we have until April 30 to move). Waiting on changes happening in my current job (oh Lord, at the current rate of motion here, this could be until the rapture). Waiting, waiting, waiting. Gosh, if I'd known I would be waiting this long, I would've brought an orange to snack on or something to read or color (yes, I do still enjoy coloring books. I like coloring inside the lines, thankyouverymuch.) But we're holding tight as best we can. We looked at 6 apartments with an apartment manager on Saturday, only to find that all of them were about a 4-7 on a scale of 10. It's rental season and we know our new home--our '10' on the 10-point scale, or at least a 9--is out there, we just have to find it. In the meantime we're keeping ourselves busy by writing new music (Josh), baking (moi), walking our 'hood in hopes that our home has a 'for rent' sign up, and just hanging out.

My friend Susan came up to visit last week. She's one of the few people I keep in regular touch with from college and seeing her face to face in my space and not on a Skype screen was a vacation for my soul. (I'm borrowing your photos from fb, Su, if you don't mind!)

I had to work but was able to shift my schedule a little to see her in the evenings, and took half-day Thursday and all day Friday to hang out. We got free haircuts at the Aveda Institute (See my updated bangs? <-- I like 'em!) then walked by the lake then went to dinner. Friday we got up, I made cranberry muffins, and we set off for Midway so she could get home. I was sad to see her go, but it was so glad to have her here for a few days and I hope she was able to rest, too, on her own spring break.

Also, I made a dozen homemade Canadian bacon + Gouda + cheddar hand pies for dinner. Well, 6 for dinner and 6 for the freezer on lazy cooking nights. I took pics and have the recipe, but the camera's at home. I'll have to post that one tomorrow.

Yesterday, Josh and I tried a new-to-us church, Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church. We'd never been there, and the look of it is pretty quaint, but the service was great. The people were very welcoming without being in our faces and in our business for a first-time visit. They had a organ! I say it that way not because I'm an avid fan of the pipe organ (sorry, Mike, my b-i-l), but because I haven't been in a church that had and used an organ since the last time we went home (and Mike was playing). The worship was blended, using both contemporary worship songs and the hymnal. The pastor was young but very energetic, pastoral but not preachy, and the message hit me in the core. His second message during the Lent season was about Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to Jesus under the cover of night to ask some questions. The main point I got that the pastor made was that John 3:16 is taken out of context often, mostly used for evangelical purposes, but when you start at the beginning of the chapter, you see that Nicodemus was already a religious man. He had one set of presuppositions and worldviews and came to Jesus to clarify what His position was on those views. Jesus, in His uncanny foresight, brought light to Nicodemus' faith, and while it doesn't say anywhere that Nicodemus because a follower of Jesus (though he did show up in John 7, defending Jesus to the other Pharisees, and again at Jesus' burial top help with his anointing), I see now that John 3:16 is for me, someone who has believed that He is my savior for almost 20 years, and yet so often I forget that the reason for His death is because God loves me, chooses me, wants and cares for me enough to save me from His wrath...all that to say, for you who believe in Christ, what has the Lord used to bring His truth to light to you these days?

I should probably get going. I'll hit up the blog again tomorrow with hand pie recipes and pics. Until then, happy Monday :)

The Big Fuss

2011-03-10T10:06:00.000-06:00

Ah, friends. I am SO HAPPY to write to you today. It's been too long, and fortunately for me, I have good things to say. There's been a lot going on in our household, some I can talk about and some I cannot (yet), but the grand thing I've been holding out on you is:

I've been accepted to the L'Arte de la Patisserie program at the French Pastry School!

For you who have been following me here, you've probably read that baking has been a serious point on therapy for me, and something that I loveLOVELOVE to share with others. Now, I get to learn from some of the most talented pastry chefs in the world.

Some details: The Patisserie Program is a 6-month program that will go from July-December. I will learn how to make chocolate and sugar candies, chocolate and sugar sculptures, breads and breakfast pastries (and jams and jellies!), ice cream and sorbets, food service basics and safety, plated desserts, French tarts and cakes (entremets!), petit fours and mini pastries, celebration cake making and decoration, among other things, I'm sure, such as professional kitchen environment and attitude, how to work with professional French chefs, how not to kill a partner that keeps screwing up (which may be me :x ), appropriate gift giving when all you do is work with food for 6 months. And et cetera. There are still a million forms to fill out, a deposit to turn in, and I must provide proof of funding for the remaining tuition after whatever else the government offers to pay (if they offer anything)/scholarships, but I can't be more excited for the future of Team Dugue with this career change under my belt.

If you're up for praying for us about this, here are some items for you:

1) That we are truly following the Lord's voice as I prepare to confirm my enrollment.

2) That some of the scholarships I apply for will find me a suitable applicant, and also that The Man would be ever so helpful now, too.

3) That the apartment we move to soon will help us save some money (a cheaper apartment, but not lacking in space), and that the apartment would be convenient to CTA so that I can make it to school/work on time.

4) I'll have to quit my job at the Seminary in order to pursue this education. Please pray for the Seminary as they seek someone to fill my spot, or that they would find a resolution to the workload I carry. Also, that I would be able to find a sweet part-time job to help tide us over in the interim while I'm in school.

I hope to document my pastry school experience while I'm studying--if there's time between learning, working, wifeing, and living the rest of my life--but I hope you'll stick around. Maybe I can recruit you to be part of my "Quality Control Team"!

Thank you for being in this moment with me. I can't wait to see what's up around the bend!

Good morning, Breakfast Pastries! Come to Mama!

Goodies v. 1.2

2011-03-04T11:22:00.000-06:00

The Dugues are living and well! It's been kind of a hectic week for us, but we're on the 'other side' of it, which means tomorrow will be spent super-cleaning the apartment--we decided not to renew our lease and the management will begin showing our place soon. And we need to clean. And do laundry--like about 6 regular washers-worth (but we'll go to the laundromat and use two instead). But in my blogrolling and facebook trolling, I found some goodies. I hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!

1) Concert harmonica! (thanks, hunny, for posting on facebook!)

2) If you've known me long, you'll understand that I have a growing disdain for technology (and will probably lose teeth and posture and my hair will turn white in 5..4..3..2....). This is hilarious to me. Hi-larious.

3) (Big) kitties!

both images via National Geographic

Goodies

2011-02-23T10:00:00.003-06:00

So now that we're still 'waiting', I've run across some neat little goodies in the last hour or so as I spin through my blogroll and I feel like sharing. And also procrastinating from work. 1 + 1 = VOILA! Here you go for a lovely overcast Wednesday, and for you in Chicago, a lovely overcast Wednesday with a new mayor!

1) I'm a sucker for a good cat vid, but this...this is a gem:

2)

A shout-out to my Mom and Dad, who, in their wisdom (and possible busyness) let me do sort of whatever I wanted. For that, I find that I am both right- and left-brained, being a baker/silly-face/artsy-fartsy type, and also a musician/writer/lover of organization and order. THANK YOU for helping me be more...balanced. I love you!

(They read:

Left brain: I am the left brain. I am a scientist. A mathematician. I love the familiar. I categorize. I am accurate. Linear. Analytical. Strategic. I am practical. Always in control. A master of words and language. Realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers. I am order. I am logic. I know exactly who I am.
Right brain: I am the right brain. I am creativity. A free spirit. I am passion. Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter. I am taste. The feeling of sand beneath bare feat. I am movement. Vivid colors. I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas. I am boundless imagination. Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel. I am everything I wanted to be.)

3) I've been seeing this a lot lately and frankly it's a little unnerving:

4) This blog is one of the funniest things I've ever read. (Disclaimer: there are a few ugly words, so read at your own will. But I promise you this is funny.): http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/02/scariest-story.html. Also, you should read some of her other stories, such as "The Party" and "The God of Cake" (click on the icons on the right side of the screen). I hope you laugh until you cry.

Only four things is all I have for you now, but feel free to send anything that's brightened your day, made you laugh out loud, or made you wet your pants.

Happy Wednesday :)

Low Profile

2011-02-16T14:10:00.002-06:00

Dear friends, PLEASE DO NOT BE ALARMED. My lack of communication with you does not mean that I hate you, that I'm bitter or angry with you, or that I don't want to be with you here anymore. Nor am I sick, have I gone on vacation and left you here alone, holding some secret from you that I'll never let loose on this blog (actually, I do have a secret that I'm holding back from you, but you'll hear about it soon enough, I hope; UPDATE: NO, I'm not pregnant. I forgot to make this addendum the first go-'round. This was a not a concern before, and no. The answer is no.). Things are just a little "ocupado" in Le Monde Dugué and we'll be that way for just a few more weeks. I'll try to keep my eyes peeled for cool little things to post in the meantime while I confer with the Lord and with my husband.

While you wait to hear from me, make yourselves some of these babies and enjoy watching the snow melt:

Photo/recipe from Pioneer Woman

2011-02-04T19:51:00.000-06:00

Typefonts + Optimism = A GREAT DAY

Make it better from Sebastianbap on Vimeo.

Thundersnow 2011and V-Day

2011-02-03T14:10:00.001-06:00

Crazy! It's just been crazy, I tell ya! One big fat snow-filled cloud came and busted up my week (and that of at least 3 million other neighbors of mine, not counting those outside of Chicago!), but I'm so thankful. I've never been so thankful for 16" of snow in my life. I realize that we had a Monday off a few weeks ago, but something about winters in the midwest are just soooo dreary. Last week in Alabama, temps reached 60°--there were people wearing flip-flops last week! And I was sad. BUT my employer called us off work yesterday because of 'inclement weather' and it was a good day. Josh and I stayed in, played Little Big Planet 2 (what a fantastic game! we suggest this game for anyone in or considering premarital/marital counseling :) ), left the house and went to our friends, the Snoeks, for some chili, then came home and did more of nothing. No thing. While we were out, I took some pictures of Thundersnow 2011--The Storm that Rocked the US!

Our neighbors keep their lawn chair on the back deck, but nobody's sitting here today.

The back deck. There was at least 4" of snow on the banister at our door and the building management 'cut a 16" trail' across the deck for us to walk.

Snowdrifts on the back deck stairwell.

Josh in the alley behind our apartment.

My hunny let me borrow his snow boots. How romantic.

His boots are almost as long as Kitty! When I grow up to be War Machine, I will wear these over my tennis shoes so my footprint looks War Machine-y.

My studly polar bear of a hunny

I'm quite an animal when I'm out of my element! Help me, Rhonda, it's so cold!

Walking to the Snoeks, we passed this gem. The Chicago Way--hold your parking spot with whatever you can find (traffic cones, folding chairs, lawn furniture, sawhorses, etc.) until you can get back to claim your space.

Buried fire hydrant looking directionless and cold

4100 block of North Damen. There were more people walking in the middle of the road than there were cars driving on it.

On our trek, we also passed this guy shoveling out his car. He said that the part that you see shoveled (behind him and underneath his right arm) was an hour's-worth of work.

So thankful for:

healthy legs
a place close to friends and family
CTA = no need for a car

On a different note, is anyone else overlooking the part where Valentime's Day is 11 days away? Yeah, my hand is raised (Sorry, hunny). For you who are as behind-the-times with me, consider eBillme. It may seem that a gift card for such a romantic holiday seems impersonal and chilled, but if your beau or beaut is anything like me, a gift card is wonderful for the indecisive or super-picky (as long as you pick a card from a place they like!). eBillme has new vendors and they're offering 10% cash back on all online gift cards! (*Restrictions apply. For 1st time use of eBillme) This Valentime's Day, they have cards from Chili's (for an affordable, yet cool date), fragrance.net, CVS/Pharmacy, BedandBreakfast.com (for a night out of the house!), Zappos.com, JCPenney, Overstock.com, Home Depot (this is for YOU, Mom!), Foot Locker, Omaha Steaks, Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops, and Champs Sports.
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If you're caught in a rut and don't know what to get for your hunny, check out eBillme for some help and save yourself some money!
Ok, I'm leaving on a happy note. I have an hour and a half before go [home from work] time and boy am I ready for go [home from work] time. Happy Thursday!

3 Movie Reviews--Dumb, Sad, Awesome

2011-01-31T13:51:00.001-06:00

In the last few weeks, Josh and I have seen three movies, each which impacted us in a different way.
1) Dinner for Schmucks.

We watched this after we watched "The King's Speech" (to be reviewed below) in the comfort of our home and I'm so thankful. I have some inherent issues with the movie, the primary being that I simply cannot watch Steve Carell in anything he ever does. I can't stand "The Office", "Dan in Real Life" was painful to watch, his role as Maxwell Smart in "Get Smart" was blah, and his work in "Dinner for Schmucks" is pretty much the same character he's played in every other movie. I did like his Brick Tamland character in Anchorman, but that movie is on a whole 'nuther spectrum of stupid that I have to excuse him for taking it.
The other problems I had with this movie: a) there has to be a point where one moves on. I understand that losing love is demolishing to one's self-esteem, confidence, outlook on life. I understand that some people live in such a way that they cannot see past the noses on their faces and they get everything they want without consequence. I get it. There has to be a point where one moves past his grief and himself and gets on with his life. Perhaps I see things in too black or white. Whatever. If you've seen the movie, you'll know that I'm talking about. b) Tim (Paul Rudd's character) didn't do anything wrong in the movie. The closest thing to wrong that I saw was considering taking Barry to this dinner in hopes of getting a promotion at his job. And yet everything falls through for him. His girl, his job, his house. Everything. c) The overall feeling both Josh and I felt after this movie was just morose. We felt awful. Felt bad for Tim. Wanted to punch everyone else in the movie. There were only a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, but those were pretty drowned out by the rest of the movie. Sort of like you wanted to feel bad for Steve's character, but in the end, just glad he's a fictional character (I hope!). We got the same feeling after watching "Paul Blart: Mall Cop". If you must watch this, watch it for free on Netflix instant streaming or get it at the Redbox kiosk--don't pay more than you have to for this. Linds-o-moobie-rater gives "Dinner for Schmucks" a D-, or for you numerophiles, a 2 out of 10.

2) The Illusionist (by director Sylvain Chomet)

The theme of 'growing up' has come up a lot in my thoughts. First, I saw "Peter Pan: A Play" last week. More and more I think of it and more and more I wish innocence lasted longer. Josh and I saw this movie yesterday, and maybe it was just a 'heavy boots' kind of day, but we left the theater feeling sad. Sylvain Chomet, director of The Triplets of Belleville, did an amazing job with the art/music/overall look and feel of the show. Jacques Tati, who also did other French movies such as Mon Oncle, Playtime, and Les Vacances de Mr. Hulot, made this screenplay so. freaking. heartwrenching. The movie's press kit says that he wrote this "as a love letter from a father to his daughter". Oh my Lord. It's about an aging magician who, in his travels, meets a young girl who would grow to love him as she would a father. He becomes attached to her, too, and in the process of her growing up and out, we see how naive they both are in the crossing of their paths. She expects much of him, he expects much of her, none of the expectations are spoken (actually, the dialogue in this movie is minimal, and I wouldn't have it any other way--that means you have to watch the movie :) ). I'm sure it was supposed to be touching in the sense that he watches her grow up without her realizing she's growing up so fast and in the meantime, priorities change, attitudes change, ideas change. What I got out of it is that giving up sucks. He gives her up to a younger version who can provide for her in many of the 'magical' ways that he used to. She gives him up because he has a job to do and so he's not around to see her change and grow, to keep up with everything little thing she wants. As adults, we give up a lot. Relationships that are on the fringe of being real relationships are cut. Dreams that are just too expensive/far/unreal become 'what ifs' in fifty years. There's so much that we give up on, whether the struggle is a real fight or simply letting go of the rope that keeps us weighted to the tow line. Heartbreaking, huh?
Linds-o-moobie-rater gives this an A, or 9 out of 10. Loses one point for the sad factor. Real and beautiful, but sad.

3) The King's Speech!!!!

Well, this movie is collecting a bountiful collection of awards, including Oscars, SAGs, and nominations for Golden Globes and Academy Awards, and it's so well deserving. I knew it would be good after seeing the trailers and I hoped Josh would like it, too. We left the theater feeling uplifted and thoroughly enjoyed the show. The story focuses on King George V, the King of England at the turn of WWII. He had a stammer and with the encouragement of his wife, found a match--Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue--to help with his speech deficit. The acting was fantastic, the set and costumes were fantastic, Colin Firth's voice was dead on with King George's (check the YouTube vids. It's crazy!). I don't know how to explain it, but maybe just to advise you to watch it at your earliest convenience. I'm'a buy it when it comes to dvd, so you can borrey mine. Linds-o-moobie-rater says A++ or all-my-fingers-and-toes = 20 out of 10! Fantastic!

What have you been watching lately? Anything we should or shouldn't see? Send me your reviews!

Early FotoFriday-on-Thursday, 1.27.11

2011-01-27T09:40:00.000-06:00

I don't remember way too much about my early childhood, but one thing that I do remember quite vividly is the time I spent with my kiddie tape recorder and my books on tape. Mom was working first shift, Dad was working 2nd/3rd shift, and my sisters were teenagers, so I was pretty independent when it came to playtime. I pretty much had all the books I owned memorized; I'll never forget the chime sound that told me it was time to turn the page. I loved Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake, Poky the Little Puppy, Berenstain Bears, anything Disney and singalong tapes with the books with the words written. Oh man, those were the days.

I found this today, for [tomorrow's] FotoFriday, I just couldn't wait until then to post. It's things like this that make me excited to be a mommy someday.

What were your favorite stories to read or hear as a kid? What are your favorite stories to hear now?

Happy Thursday/Friday!

2011-01-23T12:48:00.000-06:00

Good morning, friends. Most of you are probably just finishing warming your church pews (so you can freeze your buns outside between church door and car door). We were well-intentioned, even talking about which churches were nearby that we might be willing to try this week, but we failed in the implementation this week. [For you prayin' folk, please pray Josh and I will find a church nearby that preaches and believes in the Gospel and will let us worship in a pleasing way, ASAP. Amen.] So I made some bread with my very brown bananas with the recipe from my Apples for Jam book...actually, I made a shortbus loaf and 6 bread muffins. BOY are they delicious. I'm great at following directions :)
Anyway, my apologies for the lack of movement in this space. It's one of those times where it feels like there just isn't much going on to report on, but my mind can't stop moving and switching thoughts--mostly on things which I can't mention to you just yet. BUT SOON I hope. I'm trying to find ways to be encouraged in a time when I could very easily be discouraged, and hope that the path Josh and I are taking is the path the Lord has set before us.
In talking with friends and reading through my blogroll/facebook news feed, it seems that many around us are moving forward in 2011. One girl was accepted to nursing school. Many friends are getting married or having babies (an aside: do the baby swarms come every two years? 'Cause this is kinda creepy...). Some are moving across town or across the country, getting new jobs, getting out of comfort zones. Certainly, I don't feel that we're getting left behind--if you'd asked me that last year I would've said, "HECK YES we are" and probably would've broke out in tears. So to be in a place where we can see a path and have even been given proverbial wheels to get there is so refreshing. We are learning how to save (time, money, energy, etc.), how to prioritize, and step lightly, but also to trust the Lord and move boldly in a way we haven't yet as a couple.
All that to say I'm sorry I haven't been around here much. I'm still living and breathing, trying to find creative ways to make our 'path' a little more home-y, 'cause it looks like we'll be on it for a little while.
Thanks for stopping by. Happy Sunday!

FotoFriday, 1.14.2011

2011-01-14T11:36:00.001-06:00

It's Friday. I'm leaving work today at 2:30 to take care of some things in town and I'm not sure I can put into words how excited I am that I still have personal time left to use to just get away for a while. I'm sure it'll be a high point in my day; within two hours of being awake (at friggin' 5:30am),

I choked while I was working out. My workouts--the Zuzana ones I posted a long time ago--only last 15 minutes. Having to stop to make the drowning feeling go away isn't exactly a fun time. I finished, but only because the whole workout was 15 minutes. Give me a month--I will be back to 'ROCK HARD ABS!' Or at least my legs will be thinner.
The guy that was supposed to come in at 7am still wasn't there at 7:45.
My pre-packaged bowl of Frosted Flakes had enough Flakes for about 6 bites of cereal.

So in an effort to be motivated today, I'm making today's post FotoFriday. Stuff I like

If I had olive skin and longer wavy hair when I was seven (and if I'd had a Diesel-like cat then instead of a Pug named Scooter), this very well could've been me. This is gorgeous.
And I just found this ↓ and am feeling procrastinate-y. So, voila.

What was your favorite food when you were a child? chicken fingers, mashed potatoes with a well inside for English peas, and milk
What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod? Probably Glee's rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'" but I wish it was their version of "Empire State of Mind"
What is one of your favorite quotes? "Only in God is my being quiet." ~Robert Alter's Book of Psalms
What’s your favorite food? chicken, starches, baked goods. YES.
What chore do you absolutely hate doing? brushing my teeth.
What is your favorite form of exercise? dancing around the house
What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year? night, friday/saturday, September (for obvious reasons :))
What’s your least favorite mode of transportation? I've never taken a train long-distance, but I imagine it would not be my favorite
What is your favorite body part? triceps
What sound do you love? Diesel eating, especially his hard food. It sounds like a 2 year old eating Cheerios.

Which celebrity do you get mistaken for? I sometimes get Keira Knightley or Kate Winslet, but it's because I have British eyebrows.
What do you want to be when you grow up? wife, mommy, baker, resident green--thumb
When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? I clean or check email if I'm at home; check the blogroll at work
What was one of the best parties you’ve ever been to? Jon Brion New Year's Eve Concert at Harris Theater, Chicago, 2007--with my brand new husband
What was the last movie, TV show or book that made you cry or tear up? The King's Speech--fantastic movie (review coming soon!)
What is your first memory of being really excited? skating with my Fisher-Price roller skates on the carpet in the den
If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to? I like my name, but perhaps Maggie (in keeping with my parents' naming tradition) or Lena (after my great-grandmother).
what is usually your first thought when you wake up? S***, it's so friggin' early.
Do you have any bad habits? I can be mildly crass when explaining how I "really feel".
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? I dunno. Pittsburgh? Southern France?
What personality traits do you dislike in other people? disrespectfulness, people who talk too much
What's the best bargain you've ever found at a garage sale or thrift store? my Le Sportsac purse for $4
What's your favorite breakfast food? crepes with fruit, I think
What's the sickest you've ever been? Sept 2006--apparently it was just a kidney infection, but it felt like hell.
Favorite pizza topping: Mushrooms, garlic, and pepperoni
Name a song thats on your mind right now? Right now it's "Empire State of Mind". I hope the jukebox in my brain changes soon. Amen.

And one more to grow on: check out 22 Words' post, "10 Calvin and Hobbes comic strips involving hilariously morbid snowmen"--this is for you in the South who aren't used to all this white stuff from the sky :)

A Font for Each Letter of the Alphabet

2011-01-10T18:03:00.001-06:00

Our poor [non-existent] children. Two things you may notice I really love are maps and alphabets/typography. Those poor kids of ours are going to know where everything is, how to read a map, and how to spell e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. on the planet. And probably know how to tell a serif from a sans-serif by the age of 2. At any rate, a cute vid!:

The Alphabet from n9ve on Vimeo.

Happy Monday!

Things that make me happy, 1-7-2011

2011-01-07T10:07:00.000-06:00

1. the 4oz jar of yeast I bought earlier this week.
2. Josh's (and Holly's) iO class that starts today.
3. my taiko class that starts tomorrow.
4. the feeling of productivity I've had at work this week (in spite of 'wearing heavy boots' (read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close for reference) every day at work this week)
5. diving into the meals we're getting through the First Slice subscription program in our 'hood. Not only are we absolved from cooking three nights a week for a little while, but the money from our family subscription also helps feed 20 hungry people every month. Pretty sweet deal, huh?
6. *the weekend*. Yes please.
7. Seeing "The King's Speech" next week, I hope. I won movie passes a couple of weeks ago--the only stitch is that we can only use them Monday-Thursday shows and we have to go to Evanston to see it--but here's hoping it happens next week. It looks. so. good.

Seven's good. What are you looking forward to this week/this month/this year? Happy weekend!

Something to Brighten Your Day

2011-01-04T09:25:00.000-06:00

Probably annoying for residents in the surrounding areas, but I guess San Fran's a good place to do something like this. And it looks super-cool for 5 minutes. Also, the song is the one I walked down the aisle to when Josh and I were married. *Tear*.

Enjoy!

(http://hauswittgenstein.tumblr.com/post/2541966963/250-000-multicoloured-balls-bouncing-down-the)

2010 in Review

2010-12-31T09:48:00.000-06:00

If you haven't noticed, I love a good list (see www.listverse.com for more goodies!!), and 2010 has been a great year for them. Here's my review of 2010 in the life of Lindsey (and Josh and Diesel) Dugue.
Family events:
--Josh put his very first EP out this summer! Check it out at http://joshuadugue.bandcamp.com/
--Our first 'family vacation' to Pittsburgh in September to see the North Cooks
--Mom and Dad came up for Thanksgiving, our first time to host them for a holiday
--Mom survived her annual holiday trip to the hospital

Minor accomplishments in 2010:
--Josh signed up for improv classes at iO --I signed up for one session of a Zumba class at Old Town School of Folk music, then started a taiko drum class the following session --put some of my recipes on allrecipes.com --one student loan paid off --survived year 2 at Moody --worked out consistently for the year --got a 'gig' opening up for the gym across the street = free memberships for Josh and me --meeting with the "Wednesday girls" for a year --received a KitchenAid mixer for my birthday (Thank you, awesome friends!) --started my version of a sugar fast --finally put stuff up on our walls --decorated for Christmas and got Christmas gifts and cards out before Dec. 25

*Movies I saw and liked in 2010:

--Inception --Toy Story 3 --The Goonies --The Business of Being Born --Guess Who's Coming to Dinner --The Proposal --9 --The Fantastic Mr. Fox -- An Education --Adam --It Might Get Loud --Cowboy Bebop --Black Sheep (I know I'm so late in seeing this. Save your judgments for later.) --Chocolate --Shutter Island --The Book of Eli --The Hurt Locker --Precious --Wolfman --Zombieland --Julie & Julia --Iron Man 2 --Moon --BBC's Planet Earth

*Movies I saw and didn't like in 2010:

--Doubt --Clash of the Titans --Sunshine Cleaning --Alice in Wonderland (2009) --Nine (the one with Daniel Day-Lewis) --The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus --Paper Heart --Outsourced --Up in the Air --The Time Traveler's Wife --Kick-Ass --The Tourist

*Shows I got sucked into in 2010:

--The Wire (seasons 1-5) --Dexter --Fringe --Glee --Life Unexpected --Monty Python's Flying Circus --X-Files (seasons 1-8) --Pushing Daisies --Freaks & Geeks --Pillars of the Earth --Creature Comforts --Metalocalypse --The Walking Dead

The songs that kept me moving in 2010:
--Almost everything from Glee --Waterdeep's "Heart Attack Time Machine" album --Vince Guaraldi's "Charlie Brown Christmas" --Fernando Ortega's "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" --Music from Josh's video games ("Guilty", "I Don't Want to Set the World On Fire") --Patience and Prudence (I had to learn about these girls three days before the year ends, but I'm counting it anyway) --DJ Earworm's United State of Pop (2009, 2010--find these at http://djearworm.com/)

It's been a pretty epic year for reading. I didn't really have a reading list I wanted to complete. It was more like find a book I want and put it on the CPL hold list. Awesome. Here's what I read this year (in chronological order):
*Till We Have Faces (Lewis) * Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities (Baer) *The Poisonwood Bible (Kingsolver) *The Cupcake Queen (Hepler) *In the Hands of the Goddess (Pierce) *Alanna: The First Adventures (Pierce) *The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (McCullers) *Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury) *The Road (McCarthy) *I Am Not Sidney Poitier (Everett) * Blue Bloods (de la Cruz) *Eating Animals (Foer) *The Art of Eating In (Erway) * Everybody's Normal Until You Get to Know Them (Ortberg) *Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh (O'Brien) *Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven (But Nobody Wants to Die) (Crowder/Hogan) *Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Foer)

Some goals, or maybe just mental notes, for 2011:
#Journal daily...again
#Take a full years' sessions of Taiko (the upcoming session will be #2, my year started in October)
#Move from our humble abode to a cheaper (with more counter space, more closet space, in-unit laundry?!, more space) humble abode
#Find a church where we can be involved and happy
#Be ready for September, whatever that looks like

Finally, I'm while I'm thankful that this year is over--it sure did go by fast!--I have a lot to be thankful for: my husband, our home, family that loves and supports us, friends that are scattered the world over who have oodles of love to share even from miles away and that are worth traveling to see, big dreams to look forward to, health. I don't have any idea what will happen in 2011 but whatever happens, if it's worth documenting, you'll know about it.

I hope the best for you in the coming year, dear reader. Thank you for visiting with me, for keeping up with me and my rants and giggles. I don't know who you are, except the 21 of you I see in my dashboard, but let's keep in touch, ok? Happy New Year to you and yours!
Peace and love,
Linds

Giveaway Results and a Happy Anniversary

2010-12-29T14:16:00.000-06:00

Two things for you today. Well, one for you and one for me.

1) Yesterday I posted about a giveaway I would be having today. In this giveaway, sponsored by MyBlogSpark/GladWare/Safeway/Betty Crocker, the winner would win an awesome prize pack that includes something from each of these vendors. Four of you responded and a winner has been chosen (I used the ol' pull the name out of a hat; my coworker Daniel drew the name)....drum roll.....Kindra, formerly of PennyBugMom.com, has won this prize pack! Kindra, I'll be emailing you today to get your info so you can get your goodies! Thanks to all of you who participated, and check in again as I hope to offer more giveaways in the [near] future!

2) I can't hold in my elation, and really in the grand scheme of things is not a long time, but today Josh and I celebrate three fantastic years of marriage! In our three years it feels like we've encountered a lot, with unemployment, family issues and illness, moving, making decisions about things we really want to do (like his starting iO, my taiko and community band, his starting a band, etc.). Through these things we're becoming the bestest of friends, and I hope we'll have many more decades to go before we make our grand exits. This morning he took me out for breakfast to celebrate and we'll celebrate more over the weekend. Sometimes I just can't believe how blessed I am to be Josh's missus. Man. I lucked out.

Happy anniversary, my love. You're my dreamboat.

Christmastime 2010 Pics

2010-12-28T10:28:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Dugues!

My friend Diana and I went to the...

Lincoln Square Christkindl Market...

...where we found delicious things such as bacon bourbon caramel corn, homemade jams/jellies, chocolates...

...and [semi-]authentic German brats (and I had a juice box because I'm cool that way). We had a great time. I like Diana. A lot.

I also hosted a 'baking party', which turned out to be me, a Megan-friend, and about 12 dozen cookies.*See more details about this below--I have a giveaway :)*

See? That's about 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies, all my baking mess, and two batches of magic bars.

Mmm. Magical.

My cookie army. There were also white chocolate-oatmeal cookies and Smoky Mountain Snow Caps involved. My family's getting cavities and diabetes in the mail for Christmas this year!

Dear family, as you are morally and socially obligated, you are to be my guinea pigs for my blossoming (or bludgeoning, whichever you prefer) professional baking career. Thanks.

White chocolate-oatmeal cookies going into the oven.

My husband supports that bludgeoning baking career by getting me this Pie book that contains 300 pie recipes and pie-making techniques. I married well :)


For Christmas Day, we had our friends Colleen and Josh over for a pie double-date. I made a chicken pot pie...

...and mini cream pies from my marvelous pie book.

Pie pre-bake...


Half-eaten Christmas Cream pie with honeycrisp apples. I think I put our company into a food coma. Ugh.

We also did two gigantic loads of clothes over the break. This is our effort to make our cat 'do his part', so he was "helping' Josh fold clothes. Josh would put one of his shirts down and say, "Next shirt!" Dies would jump in the middle of the shirt and paw at it like he was actually folding, then run into the above shirt and hide (with his tail sticking out) until Josh called, "Next shirt!" and the process would start over. Our cat is hysterical.

All in all, I would say it was a great weekend. Now it's back to work for two more days, then off again for New Years until MLK, Jr day...then....well...we'll just leave it at "I love the holidays!"

*MyBlogSpark/Betty Crocker/Safeway/Glad provided me with some awesome products to try and they want to give you some too! I received a pouch of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix, a set of 3 Glad containers (that I sent my cookie gifts in), a Glad coupon and a $25 giftcard to Safeway (can be used at Dominick's Tom Thumb, Randall's, Von's, Genuardi's, and Safeway). If you'd like to win a set of these, leave a comment under this post and tell me what the most delicious (or memorable) thing you ate this Christmas. I'll only have this up for one day--tomorrow at noon!, so get your entries in fast! Leave your name and email so I can contact you if you win.*

Hope your Christmas season was fantastic as ours was!

It Was a Merry Christmas

2010-12-26T15:21:00.001-06:00

Oh, man. The last few days feel like a blur--I guess that's what paid off days are supposed to feel like in order that you don't take any more for 4 months--but this Christmas holiday has been fantastic. My husband found my Amazon wishlist (in the right-hand bar!) and pretty much cleared out most of my piemaking wishes. Since I've realized my love for pie, Josh has been nothing short of supportive in moving me towards being a pie-making wizard, so this Christmas I rocked out with a set 5" mini pie pans (that I made mini cream pies with last night...deeeelish), a pie shield, a pastry mat, a 400-page book of pie recipes (where I got my mini cream pies recipe...deeeelish!), a madeleine pan--not pies but still so good. And a pair of winter boots. Josh also did well for himself with a coffee grinder, a stovetop espresso maker, and earlier a pair of sunglasses and winter boots.

We were able to see Josh's mom and brother for Christmas Eve and it was wonderful. She made an amazing lasagna with spinach, veal, bison, and lamb (Josh pointed out that it was a little bit macabre to eat lamb for Christmas, but boy was it delicious!), and a lovely apple clafouti that was...Lord. Just good. We did see "The Tourist" and for the sake of all that is good and holy, please please please don't see it. It's not worth the $9-12 and gas money to go. Angelina Jolie plays the same character from almost every other movie she does and Johnny Depp was sort of a let down too. I gave Josh a whole 3-point list with 3 sub-points each of why it was no good. I wish we'd stuck with the original plan and seen "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" in 3D anyway in spite of threats of nausea and headache. That was my favorite book from the Narnia series, and I hope they did it justice. Aaaanyway....yesterday, we stopped by our friends, the Joneses, for a short hello, and I baked a chicken pot pie and the cream pies for our friends Colleen and Josh. We watched "Elf", played zombie shooter games, and talked until so so late. But it was great to have them over. Today, I'm still in my jammies at 3:18pm and have no intention of changing unless someone comes over. It's been a great weekend. I have to open the gym tomorrow morning at 5:30am on my off day, but I suppose I'm thankful for my health...or something like that.
There are pictures, but I'll have to put them up on Tuesday when I return to my 3-day work week.

How was your Christmas weekend? Did "Santa" drop by? Got any NYE plans coming up this week?

Oh! One more thing! My blog friend Annie (from annieblogs.com) just published her first book! It's called From Head to Foot, written for teen girls who are seeking to follow the Lord. I haven't read it yet, but was thinking of getting a copy for myself and my two older nieces. This would be a great little 'thinking of you' gift for any Christ-seeking young lady in your life. Check her out at her blog or "like" her facebook profile (follow this link) to follow her book tours and special discounts on her sweet book. I trust you won't be lead astray :)

Debbie Downer Kind of Day

2010-12-21T10:01:00.001-06:00

I hope I'm not being a Debbie Downer today, but it's grey in the sky, white on the ground, and I think my brand new winter boots are a little wet on the inside. I'll try to keep the pessimism to a minimum.

I called home to Mom and Dad's the other night to check on Mom--last week she survived bouts of pneumonia, strep, sepsis, kidney failure, and dehydration on her annual holiday trip to the hospital. It wasn't exactly a fun time, but she's one tough lady. Anyway, my sister and her kids happened to be there when I called, so they passed the phone around to the two youngest. I ended up talking to Amber, who's 13, the middle child and only girl, for about 15-20 minutes. I guess I'd forgotten what 13-year-old girls are into and it was quite refreshing to hear her confidence over the phone. We were talking about a boy she likes from school, a boy who happens to be her best friend's boyfriend (EEK! RED ALERT! TURN AND RUN, AMBER, TURN AND RUN!). I guess it's turning out to be a little triangle; she said that he jokingly told her friend, "If I wasn't going out with you, I'd be going out with Amber." I'm sure it delighted Amber to the utmost, knowing that she was desired, but I immediately flashed back to two different experiences that were eerily the same. I was in Amber's best friend's position. Two--2--boyfriends between freshman and senior years of college told me the same thing post-break-up. My immediate response to Amber was, "Babygirl, you better let this one go. I've been on your friend's side of that line and it's no fun at all. I realize you're only in high school, but if he's willing to say that now, imagine what he'll say later!"

Since that conversation with Amber, I guess you could say I've been in a minor funk. Reflecting on the lines that people from my past have thrown me and I've believed every bit.
"I love you, but if you want to see if we should get married, you have to move to Boston because that's where I'm staying."
"If I hadn't been dating you, I would've been with [Kimberly/Megan] a long time ago."
"You like that song/movie/person? Why? That's so stupid."

It feels petty now. I've been married to my incredible husband for 3 years (in a week from tomorrow!) and I wouldn't trade him for anything. But something about those three phrases (and there are probably more) have deeply affected how I communicate with others, especially Josh. I'm less likely to give my opinion about something unless it's something I really care about for fear of being shot down. I'm on eggshells in creating new friendships because I don't want to waste someone's time or energy. I'm not interested in sharing my thoughts on my faith (except to you, dear reader) or politics or current events because I"m obviously not educated enough with the issues to speak wisely.

I'm slowly going to come out of this icky feeling. It's Christmas, after all! So Amber, keep your head up and your heart safely tucked in the hands of Jesus. You'll know when it's ok to open up and give it. In the meantime, I love you and hope the very best for you!

Debbie Downer Day is officially over. I'm going to have my pre-lunch chocolate chip cookies now (I can have them--I made them!). I'll try to post on my 'baking extravaganza' later this afternoon. Word.

Can't...avoid..lion cuteness...

2010-12-11T17:27:00.000-06:00

Giveaway Winner and the Weekend

2010-12-10T13:29:00.001-06:00

We have a weener! Wednesday, I posted a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Amazon from eBillme. Some of the items you want are a Wii, a Canon SLR camera, Christmas china, Star Wars Legos, a flat panel plasma tv, and the awesome Charlie Brown Christmas Tree:


This is what I would've asked for. Charlie Brown = my Christmastime favorite.

So, without further ado (I like that word, ado), the $25 gift certificate goes to Kristine so she can get Mr. T the Playskool Swing-n-Score she asked for! Kristine, I'll be emailing you very soon with the code! Congrats to you and thanks for everyone who entered my very first giveaway! Hopefully more will come in the future, so keep reading to get in on them :) And don't forget that eBillme has some awesome deals this season, so get in on them while you can here!

As for the weekend, I couldn't be more excited about it. Tonight is our faculty/staff Christmas party at the Dean's house. I imagine the shenanigans will be about, since we're doing White Elephant/Dirty Santa. I was going to bring a can of Spam, but I forgot and instead bought a set of 3 Nerf guns for $5. At any rate, I'm also bringing magic bars if I can not eat the whole pan before I leave the house. I'll let you know what kind of booty I come home with. (Booty...tee hee hee). Tomorrow is my next-to-last taiko class of the session (presentation next week! eek!), and my friend Moe asked if I'd be interested in playing euphonium for her church's worship night on Sunday. I'll be playing a polka version of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear". If you're interested in hearing this and you're in Chicago, show up at Covenant Presbyterian Church Sunday night. And our friends Caleb, Tyler, and Seth are in town!!! My husband's heart probably couldn't be fuller! And mine either!

Here's hopin' for a great weekend. What are your weekend plans as we get a little closer to Christmas? Drop me a line and tell what's up in your world!

I HAVE A GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-12-08T10:11:00.001-06:00

Hellooooooo.
So. Now that I have your attention, I would like to announce that the title of this post is true. I do have a giveaway. eBillme has given me a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.com to give to you. Here's how it works. Go to http://www.ebillme.com/shop/gifts/christmas/ and find your favorite Christmasy thing, whether it's your favorite decoration, something you'd like to have, something you'd like to give, etc. Leave a comment for this blog post and add the link of your item.
One entry per person, please. Winner will be drawn at random and announced on Friday.
Those who enter and don’t win can still get great deals on gift cards here: http://www.ebillme.com/gift-cards/... If you want a chance for $25 free buckaroos at amazon.com, get to shopping!

Gift Card Ideas for Christmas

2010-12-07T15:39:00.002-06:00

Ah, friends, it's been an exhausting day. I changed my workout yesterday, back to the one I was doing a looong time ago that was a combo of backwards lunges/hammercurls and tricep pushups/knee tucks (6 reps of each, going for 15 minutes as a time challenge to get as many sets of reps as possible) and boy do I ache. Seems like everyone's feeling pretty sicky these days. Also, my mom was admitted to the hospital this morning with some things that we're not sure how serious they are, but they are no good either way. For you who pray, please lift my mama up today, and our family. I don't know how she manages to do it, but she always gets sick around the holidays, which is no good time for anyone to be in the hospital.

I wanted to write today to encourage you in your gift-giving. A friend from college works for this company called eBillme, whose goal is to help reduce consumer debt by paying cash online...securely (learn more about eBillme here).

This company has some GIFT CARDS FOR SALE, including cards from Home Depot, TigerDirect, Foot Locker, Dell, Zappos, Amazon, Omaha Steaks, Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops, Champs Sports, and JCPenney.
Many of these shops have extra deals when you but gift cards from this site; for example:

If you buy $100 in gift cards from JCPenney through eBillMe, you'll get an instant $10 rebate. Many other shops offer a percentage of cash back on your purchase (Home Depot, Zappos, , money off your next order from the shop (TigerDirect, Circuit City), or a $15 mail-in rebate on order of $100+ (Foot Locker, Dell, Amazon, Omaha Steaks, Cabela's, Bass Pro Shop, Champs Sports). If you know anyone who would be interested in getting any of these cards for Christmas, take eBillMe up on their offers and get more for less!
Seriously, though, who couldn't use a pair of duck boots from Zappo's or a card from Amazon? And my friend Kindra bought a netbook from TigerDirect on a sooper-good deal--why not make it a superiorly awesome deal and give a gift card for the techie in your life? (That sounded so cheesy. I'm sorry. Just follow my instructions and all will be well...). Check out the stash at: http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-3030901-10738536&sid=lindseydugue

On that note, I'm going to put on four layers of clothes and try to walk to the train without slipping on ice.

Friendsgiving 2010 Recap

2010-12-01T16:29:00.002-06:00

We survived! No casualties, everybody's still together and in one piece, and it was good.
Mom and Dad made it up safe, Josh's mom and bro brought Josh's grandma down for the day, and there were about 5 other friends who dropped by to eat tons and tons.

The spread from front to back: roasted turkey, J's mom's mashed potatoes, gravy, Colleen's sweet potatoes, mac-n-cheese, J's mom's stuffing, wild rice and almond casserole, crackberry sauce, green bean casserole, apricot ham, roasted carrots/parsnips, and rolls. [Not pictured: J's mom's rum custard and pumpkin cheesecake, my mom's banana/pineapple pudding, my sister's Italian cream cake, Colleen's Cool Whip/apple/Snickers awesomeness, my mom's chocolate cake]

You missed it if you weren't there. Ah, well, maybe next time :)
The rest of the week was pretty good too. For early Christmas from my parents, I got my eyes checked (how practical! I love it!), which meant that I needed contacts and new glasses. Pictures of both looks coming soon (whenever Target Optical calls and says they're here).
In other highlights:

In the Iron Bowl, Auburn smacked Alabama 28-27 in a tight game. I was at Target with Mom at this time, but the guys who stayed home said it was, in fact, a good game.
It's time to start decorating for Christmas!!!!!!! I was supposed to put up our stuff last weekend, but we were in 'recovery mode' and didn't. So, maybe while Josh is at iO practice, I'll sneak around and put things around the apartment to make it a little 'festive'. Maybe I'll also blare "Charlie Brown Christmas" from the big tv for the whole building to hear. How can you not be filled with utmost glee upon watching "Charlie Brown Christmas"??
It's almost time to sign up for another session of Taiko 1. I really can't put into words how awesome this class is. The girls in my class are awesome, John the Instructor's out of his mind but in a good way, I get to beat something for an hour and a half each week without getting in trouble, it's a pretty good test for my hips/ankles/arms, and I'm so so so glad I took this on. Anyone interested in joining me can go here to check it out and sign up [and if cost is an issue, tell me and we'll make a way!!] [This is an unpaid plug. I am not getting compensated for this--I just love Old Town so much!]
Mom and Dad brought my euphonium back! My other other other baby!

My friend Kelly and I found out there is a community band that meets in Jefferson Park (northwest Chicago neighborhood)! Kels plays clarinet and has been aching for an outlet to play. Monday night, while Josh was at his man-band practice, Kels and I went to play with the community band, which has it's Christmas concert this Sunday. They were very welcoming and invited us to play with them for the concert and also when they return for the Spring. Hooray!

And now for some unplugged photos from Thanksgiving!

Woasted cawwots and pawsnips wif wosemawy and sawt. If you ever wondered what parsnips were--like I did before four days ago--it's these white thingies. It's a root veg, has a spicy aroma with a little bit of a spicy, sort of nutmeg-y bite. Oh baby, they were gooood.

Cranberries. 4 cups, in fact, getting ready to pop under the pressure of heat, water, o.j., orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and Splenda. I got mucho compliments on this. I'll post the recipe link up there ↑ tomorrow.

Crackberries. This is cranberries on 2 cups of Splenda. Mmmmm.

After a day of cooking, we still have silly smiles on our faces. OH! And 1,000,000 thanks to Lewie for letting us borrow your home for a day or two. You are fantastic. And those who hadn't been there before loved being in your home, said it was warm and welcoming. That's what YOU did, Lew. You made it warm and welcoming for us. Thank you!!!!

It snowed a little today. Boooooo. I know it's December, I know I live in Chicago, but my heart broke a little today seeing evidence that winter's quickly moving in.

Kitty likes to ham it up (forgive the cross-creature reference. I couldn't help it) when Meow-Meow (Grandma) and Paw-Paw (Granddad) come to visit. Meow-Meow even made him a yarn ball to play with!

On the note of my cat being silly like Elton John with the bling, I'll let that be the end. How was your Thanksgiving? Are you recovered?

Taiko vids!

2010-11-21T16:19:00.001-06:00

I found the taiko song we're doing! This group adds a few more refrains, adds more choreography, and changes the tempo up quite a bit; I'm not sure if John will require us to do the same for our recital. Anyway, here's "Kagaribi":

We haven't learned this song yet (though yesterday, I learned a new one and caught on pretty quickly). But the little girl in the middle of all the giant guys is so. stinkin'. adorable. Enjoy a dose of Eastern culture!

Friendsgiving Preview, 2010

2010-11-21T12:02:00.001-06:00

It's the Sunday before Thanksgiving and I think I can honestly say I've never been so excited to celebrate the holiday as I am this week.

My parents are driving up and will be here Wednesday, God willing. 1a) They've never come up on a holiday (except the Valentine's one when we traded our kicking-the-bucket Daewoo for our cat, Diesel). Never for a major holiday that you typically don't leave the rest of your family for. 1b) It's been a rough year for them, and even with intermittent trips with their RV club around the Southeast, as far as I can remember, they haven't taken a vacation without the RV, grandkids, or something else in tow. 1c) It's gotta be super-hard to go almost a whole year without seeing your favorite child/son-in-law (ha!). Really, we haven't seen any of our family since Christmas last year when we went to them. 1d) I've asked them to bring up: White Lily All-Purpose Flour--this is the stuff dreams are made of; Grapico--for my yankee readers, the taste is similar to Welch's Grape soda and just as artificial, and if I must die this week, I would prefer to die having had one more of these before I depart; and Golden Flake potato chips. I really don't have any reason, except for stupid sentimental ones.
Our little chateau isn't very big. We can fit 6 people comfortably; this Friendsgiving, Josh and I will be 2 of about 12 people that we're elated to spend the day with. Our friend Lewie lives a little ways north of us, and he's going to be with his parents for the holiday, and his two roommates will be out of pocket, too. Lewie has fit upwards of 30 people in his apartment--I've seen it 'cause I've been there, and he is allowing us to use his place for our soiree. The mix of people will be extraordinary. J's mom and bro will be there; they haven't seen my parents since our wedding almost 3 years ago. Some friends from our house church are coming, and an old roommate of J's and her husband are joining. One of the things that makes my heart beam is when acquaintances from different our social circles come together. My heart will beam this Thursday.
I'm cooking. A lot. We're doing the bird, the ham, the mac-n-cheese, the green beans, the cranberries. Prioritizing's sort of hard, and I'm trying to come up with a schedule of when to start what, figure out what can be made ahead (tomorrow during Josh's band practice) and frozen, when to defrost the bird, which brine/roasting recipe to use (suggestions welcome!!!). This is heavy-duty business.
Along with hosting and celebrating Friendsgiving, I don't remember the last time I've been so excited about Christmas. Not the gifts, really, but more the season. Getting my home in a 'celebratory posture'. Preparing my heart for the season's meaning, and for a new year.
I am so thankful. I have been blessed with an amazing husband, a job that is regular/close by/has a vision for a great future, friends that I would give all my limbs for, a handsome devil of a cat, a house that we can call home, faith that is firm even when the winds blow. We are so blessed.

On a different note, there are about 45 different things going on in my mind right now. The first is how much I'm enjoying the greatest hits of Journey and Phil Collins. The second is that I just got suckered into another adorable cat vid. You have to see this:

If you're not convinced that love is kittens, chocolate, and raspberry jam, maybe you should get a check-up :)

Looking forward to checking out curtains today and posting Postview Friendsgiving pics next week! What are YOUR Thanksgiving plans?

College Throwback, Episode 1

2010-11-16T14:38:00.001-06:00

When I was in college, circa 2003, one of my favorite time-wasters was Homestar Runner. Fortunately, my sense of humor hasn't really changed since college, circa 5 years ago. When I arrived at Moody Bible Institute for grad school, I met the girls who became the inspiration for Teen Girl Squad (and I even became friends with one of them!).

I remembered today how hysterical these things were, and also that I've never once shared my affinity for Homestar with you here. If you proceed to follow the links and watch these, they might not make much sense because they're truly a.b.s.u.r.d. Don't say I didn't warn you :)

Without further ado, here are my personal faves of Homestar Runner:
Kids Book: http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail84.html
No Loafing: http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail86.html
For Kids: http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail110.html
Love Poems: http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail195.html
Lil' Brudder: http://www.homestarrunner.com/lilbrudder.html
Everybody to the Limit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-WTbGupxbk&feature=related
Fhqwhgads! Learn it!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjjjWJMIGhM&feature=related

Cub

2010-11-11T10:14:00.003-06:00

Josh and I often call ourselves a lion and lioness because of our temperaments, and I really loved this image of a mama cub and her baby.
A good friend of mine was due to deliver her baby girl yesterday (and she was at work all day!), and to my knowledge hasn't gone into labor yet. Jennah, just a note to let you know we're thinking of you and your "cub", Vivya, today, and we're hoping you and Viju are well.
via

Chicken Potato Chowder

2010-11-09T14:15:00.000-06:00

When your husband has a taste/craving/strong desire for something, does he expect you to figure out what he wants and make it for him? Does he encourage you to pack up and go out for a cup of chowder only? Not mine! He jumps in with me and we come up with it. I think we might've started with a basic chowder recipe we found somewhere, but everything was perfect to Josh's specification. The one I posted to Allrecipes.com has been upped in servings because we only made enough for what came to be about 4 bowls, but I think these adjustments will be just fine. I'll post this in the recipes tab as well with the Allrecipes link, if you'd like to save it in your recipe box.
This is wonderful for cool November nights when chili's too heavy and chicken noodle's light. Enjoy!

Josh's Chicken Potato Chowder

2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped to pale part of bulb
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 4-6 oz. chicken breasts, cubed
8 pieces of bacon, chopped and fried
5 medium potatoes, cubed with skin on
3 c. white wine
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. butter
1 c. flour
1/2 c. fresh parsley
1 c. whipping cream
salt and white pepper to taste

In a dutch oven or stockpot, saute bacon drippings and butter with onion, green onion, celery, and garlic until onions are translucent over medium-low heat.
In a saucepan, boil wine and broth, then add potatoes and chicken together.
When onions are translucent, add flour and parsley, stirring into a roux.
When chicken is cooked and potatoes are still a little firm when pierced with a fork, add the contents of the saucepan (broth/wine mix, potatoes and chicken) to the onion roux, stirring over low heat.
Slowly add whipping cream to pot, season with salt and white pepper to taste, and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until thickened and potatoes are tender.

Serves 8

Things to Be Excited About

2010-11-08T11:51:00.003-06:00

For the first time in a long time, I think I feel content--I fear to publish this so I don't jinx myself, but it's true. There wasn't one moment this weekend that I wished I was elsewhere doing something else.
This weekend, I made a double batch of cranberry muffins:

Can I just say how elated I was when I saw bags of these babies stacked up in my produce section? And right on the bag it says, "Buy two: use one and freeze one!" How could I resist such an offer? And at $1.99/bag?
Oh, indeed.

I think I'm in the wrong career--I love looking at the anatomies of things.
Who knew this is what a craisin starts out as?

The end result! I used half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour, and I reduced the sugar from 2/3 c. to 1/2 c. per batch...so these guys were a little hard like homemade wheat bread can be, but with a little warmth and a little butter, I think we'll all be ok.


Cranberry muffin army! And it's front-liner with a flesh wound :) "Have atchu!"

Josh had a taste for chowder last night, which we've never made before. After debating options (whether to go to Glenn's for just soup, go all the way to Broadway to the Soupbox, find somewhere else with suitable chowder for my beloved...), we decided to make it ourselves. Friends (ha! I accidentally typed "Friday"...look where my mind is...at 10:40 am...on Monday), this chicken and potato chowder was to. die. for. We wrote the recipe down, which we usually don't do, so I'll bring it in tomorrow and post along with pictures. In the meantime, I did take a few more photos this weekend to entertain:

Diesel usually hates it when I play "you wear it!" and make him wear his toys. However, Saturday night we had friends over, one of whom Dies found quite crushworthy. Stef, you won my kitty's heart, and for you he wears this bling. Please come back soon so he'll do this more often :)
We ate stuff (moderately recommend Apart Pizza at Montrose and Lincoln, for you in Chicago...and we had chips and dip, a Smith family addiction), played some video games and cards, then split up as it was midnight and we had two worship musicians in our presence. It was, I would say, a great night.

He also spent a large part of the weekend standing on his tail, which we found amusing. Almost like his tail wanted to tell us a secret and he was trying to not give it away. So funny.

I have bangs now! I don't do a whole lot on impulse, but I guess since high school, my hair's always been something I'm ok to do at last minute, whether it was a color, an extreme cut, or a perm. I haven't had my hairs cut since May before we went to Pittsburgh the first time, and boy was I due. It's simple, it's cute, I can still pull it back, and it's long. Josh really likes me with long hair, and I promised him I would at least oblige until the sun comes back out in Spring. Haircut! Haircut!! Haircut!!!

No pictures from this week's taiko class, but this week was much better than the last. I missed the first 30 minutes of the first class, I wasn't sure if everyone had been introduced, since the instructor's pretty 'business in the front' (but he's a percussionist, so there's always a 'party in the back' just without the mullet), so we did introductions. Found out that one lady has been taking taiko classes for 2.5 years! Another has been taking since March, two ladies are in for the second time, and it's the first time with taiko for myself and another lady. So it's good. We almost finished learning out first whole song! Woo hoo! I believe it's going to be one of those things that once we leave Chicago, I'll be really really glad I took this class while I'm here.

The Sugar Fast: If you've been watching the news, you've probably heard that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will be diagnosed with diabetes by 2050. I'll be my parents' age by then. Currently, 1 in 10 adults in our country has it now. With my family medical history and current eating habits, I'm destined to be one of those three if I don't slow down the sweet tooth I graciously inherited from my dad. I'm fairly sure that cutting out sugar wouldn't go over well with me, but there are things I can do to gradually cut back. I've decided that I will take on my version of a sugar fast: I will limit the amount of sugar I eat by limiting myself to only eating the sweets I make myself. This keeps me from eating things I shouldn't, like preservatives and other ingredients in box mixes, sugar overload (read: MARGIE'S CANDIES...oh gosh, can I give this one up?!), and just knowing that I don't keep sweets around will keep me in check of what I really want and if I really want to make it. There are stipulations:

--If I can't make it myself because I don't have the equipment

--If I can't make it myself because I don't know how or haven't imagined it yet

--I'll eat the treats offered by others unless it can be avoided or if I know it's homemade, and will only consume sparingly

--I will also tone down my soda intake. Although I don't drink it daily, I'll still be mindful of how much I drink

--Also, as previously stated here, I don't typically make things to keep around the house, as I tend to make things to share. Except that batch of brownies I made last week. I did eat the whole thing. By myself. (in a week and a half).
I do use Splenda on occasion, but for some things, regular ol' sugar can't be beat. Some recipes I can lower the sugar amounts and be fine. Some I can sub honey or agave nectar. I'll also try to post what I make with any adjustments I make, just for the fun of it, so you can indulge a little, too :)

In other moments of blinding excitement, I must say that I've never been so excited to decorate anything for Christmas as I am right now. We have some legit decor (with kind courtesy of my dear mother), and though we probably won't have a tree, we'll do our best to make this a festive holiday (and give Dies a few extra toys to play with for the season). And I have Christmas cards! I've only done Christmas cards once before and they were sort of exhausting to put together, but the ones I found at sale time last year were so cute I couldn't pass them up. I'm already listening to Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" because who doesn't listen to that one year-round? And also Harry Connick Jr., who also deserves a listen sometimes in July. Who cares? Anyway, it's coming. 2011 is coming. I don't know what to expect, but it's going to be a good year.

What's on your slate this holiday season? Any recipes you'd like to share? Any hopes for the new year?

Fall...in Chicago...with my Hunny

2010-11-01T12:11:00.001-05:00

It's been an interesting fall season. One would think that with temperatures cooling down and it being so beautiful out (and it looks like this, all orange, gold, purple, and green still)

that the Dugues would be outside enjoying the freedom to walk around outside without a pair of snow boots and a huge coat. But noooooo. Two weekends in a row we've done nothing more than sit in our jammies in front of the tv, watching X-Files seasons 2-4 on Netflix. We did go out for groceries and lunch once, but that was all. This weekend, I went on a retreat with my Wednesday girls (pics to come, I hope) to the 'burbs, where I shared a 26-oz. prime rib with Nok, where I played my first [legit] game of Monopoly ever, and where I'm learning that my idea and God's idea of rest aren't the same thing most of the time.

I came back to the city on Saturday for my very first Taiko class. 8 women, one guy (the instructor), maybe 4 of us had taken the class before since you can't move up to Taiko 2 until you've completed Taiko 1 3 times. Here's the video from the recent Taiko 1 graduation:

I cannot wait until I'm on that stage doing my part in our graduation exhibition. Here's the last 2/3 section of this week's homework, called "Kagaribi", or "Bonfire":

Ah! I'm so happy to have my next 7 Saturday afternoons occupied by this :)
As for the rest of the day, we loafed around the 'hood, checking out some cool stores near our house, including a new one called "Isle of Man"--a real man store (review here). Josh would probably live in this shop if he weren't responsible for a wife and home. Seriously, they had a 1959 Triumph motorcycle for sale (for $7500...yeah right!), along with some greaser jackets, shaving kits, super-fantastico sunglasses, and man bags <--descriptions provided by me, not the store. It was a pretty sweet set up, though would probably be even sweeter if we had a more disposable income and bigger place for all the man toys they had. Nevertheless, it was an interesting insight into my man's masculine mind.
Sunday was chill. More X-Files, kitty cuddles, and a pie day with my hunny. We went for New York-style pizza pie at Santullo's--some of the best pizza in the city, in my opinion [mushroom and pepperoni always...sorry I was so hungry I didn't get a picture, but when your slice of pizza's bigger than the paper plate it's on, you better bet I get started right away]. Then we went to find Josh a pair of winter boots that will last him a long time--read: that he won't wear out in 3 months. We went to Akira and found a pair of Timberlands (remember my old ones, Mom?) that were perfect:

Isn't he just so dapper? And handsome, too!

After boot shopping we met our friends, Megan and Jon, and Diana and Danny at Hoosier Mama Pie Company. To the left are the spoils of our time: Josh had bourbon pecan pie with a glass of coffee (top piece in left picture) and I had Hoosier Sugar Cream (bottom piece in the same pic) with a cup of apple cider. And the angels rejoiced the moment this pie went into my mouth. BOY HOWDY would I love for this place to pay my bills, allowing me to make sweet pies, quiches, mini-pies, and savory pies all the live long day. We bought pieces of pork/sage/apple pie home for lunch today. Is it lunch time yet?!

In my cooking adventures, I've turned out two apple pies of my own:

I made this one a couple weeks ago when we went to some friends' house for beer-can chicken [that was fantastic--I guess Trader Joe's has a great lager in a can that he used for the bird and boy was it great]. I brought a little apple pie, the first I've made this season. And of course, in the picture is "the one that got away!" I used this recipe, though I'm not sure what the 'new twist' was supposed to be. It came out pretty well, I'd say.

Josh had been complaining that I only make things to give away or to share and that I haven't made a proper apple pie just for him since we've been married--and he's right. I'm almost out of all-purpose flour (for shame!) and all I had around was a bag of whole wheat flour and oats. So I put this little guy together. It was mostly easy; I learned that it's easier to form the dough into the pie pan, put the apple mix (and I think I added a little ginger, nutmeg, and allspice to the flour before mixing into the apples) in, then roll out some of the top crust and form the rest to the mound of apples because there isn't much to bind it together as in a regular pie crust. I haven't tried this one yet because I'm sort of apple-ed out, but we have some left. Maybe I'll try it tonight.

I also made what was probably the best chicken fried rice I've made to date. I used the recipe from this YouTube video and it's come out good every time. I usually use oyster sauce and soy sauce, but we're out of the oyster (man, we need to go to the store...), so I used only soy sauce and some ground ginger and a little sesame oil, and for veg I used frozen broccoli florets, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen edamame. You can use whatever you have on hand, but this mix was the best I've come up with. Try your hand at it and let me know what you think. "Fried rice is always good on anytimes!" :)

I'll put all three of these recipes in the Recipes tab at the top. If there are others you've seen on my blog that aren't in there and would like to try, let me know and I'll stick them in.

Today's a bit of a lazy day. Lots of factors kept us up last night--screeching bus brakes, Diesel sleeping on the end of the bed, heavy comforter vs. scrub pants = hot Linds. I might have to run and take myself a nap before lunch (pork pie pie pie!) so I can be all alert to watch "The Walking Dead" with Josh when we get home. Anybody else watching that show? Anybody watching anything super-cool these days? Ok, back to work. Over and out!

Alice Dancing Under the Gallows

2010-11-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

The oldest living Holocaust survivor is about to celebrate her 107th birthday. She looks a lot like my Miff (Grandmother Smith), and her lively spirit reminds me so much of both my Mawmaw Johnson and Josh's Grandma Nini. I hope you'll be as inspired by her as I am:

Working with Our Hands

2010-10-27T15:53:00.000-05:00

My Dad is a hard worker. He loves to work, to be doing stuff with his hands, whether it's working in the yard or making a grilled cheese. The man's solid. His moral center + work ethic made him an amazing employee and a great friend to all the guys he worked with on the lines as a machinist making plane or fire hydrant parts, as an insurance salesman (when he met my mom!), working for the city doing landscaping, or working around the house with mom. His hands are worn out, calloused with lots of scars, because he's faithful in using them. He's a 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 man.

I clicked over to twentytwowords.com and found this video that reminded me so much of my dad:

I don't watch "Dirty Jobs", but I might just have to now. It's things like this that make me wonder why, in God's great sense of humor, he has me in office work because there are many jobs out there that are necessary but aren't being filled. Jobs that require skill with detail and a tradesman's handiwork. I'm sort of feeling inspired...though I'm not sure of what I'll put myself up to.

Anybody in Chicago got a garden I can come get dirty in?

Proud to be an Auburn Tiger

2010-10-25T13:45:00.000-05:00

THE AUBURN CREED

I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.

I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.

I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.

I believe in my Country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by "doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God."

And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it.
-George Petrie (1945)
via

I'm not an Auburn University alumna, but as a born and bred Alabamian, you have to choose sides when it comes to college football. When I was young I chose Auburn, mostly because I didn't like that Alabama's colors, crimson and white, made pink. When I was a little older, I continued to choose Auburn because their fans have such a fun spirit. Now, as an adult, I side with Auburn University because they love their school, their country, and their football.
Keep up the good fight, Tigers. WDE!

A Letter to Me, Part 1

2010-10-17T15:49:00.000-05:00

[This post inspired by Brad Paisley's "Letter to Me"(watch the video here)]

Hey Linds. It's me, 10 years later.

I just wanted to say that you're doing good. You're quite blessed these days. You have friends who would give their right arm for you. Keep them around as long as you can, and if you can't keep them around after high school, be the kind of friend now that you would want to reconnect with them later.

You do a great job of knowing who your friends are and who aren't. You're pretty good at reading people--you get that from your mom. Keep trusting in people. When you show others you believe good for them, they'll believe it for themselves.

Never ever give up praying, even when it's hard and there are days, weeks, months when you don't know what to say. The Lord can still hear what you mean. And it just makes the days when you do hear something sweeter. And when you pray, it's ok to talk with him about others, but don't forget about your own heart, your own hurts, your own desires. He wants to hear about those, too.

Don't be discouraged when you go your own way and you find yourself alone. (i.e. leaving band, announcing your calling to missions, etc.) Really, you aren't as alone as you feel, and there are many others who do the same thing and feel the same way.

It's ok when friends go separate ways. Sometimes it's not that you or they've done something wrong, it's just the right time. Sometimes you become reacquainted and sometimes you don't, but sometimes just having that great friend in the past gets you through a tough slump because you have really great memories.

Stay on top of your Spanish studies, algebra studies, and music studies. There will be times when people ask you what a "caballero" means, when you need to figure out how much paint to buy, or you want to join a class and you just can't remember that it means "gentleman", how to find the area of the room, or what the fingering is for F# is on the euphonium is.

Learn to save money now, and not just for a new toy or trip. It'll help when you want a down payment for that car/house, want to move, or need to get your eyes checked (for the first time in 5 years...eek).

Don't lose your sense of humor because your situation stinks. That sense of humor may get you a job, realize which guy you'll marry (he's not what you expect now, but boy oh boy is he the one!), or help encourage a friend whose got it hard, too.

Thank Ma and Dad often.

Have a great time. Never again will so much cost you [personally] so little, can you see so much and travel so far, oe try things just to try things. Enjoy being 17. It's a good year.

Love,
Me

Another Redesign + Concert Season

2010-10-12T10:56:00.000-05:00

I decided it was time for another face lift around here. The blank piece of paper background felt like it was giving me more of a writer's block than a space for me to write my thoughts (and send you cool videos). I hope you like the new stuff. The new picture, I guess you could possibly say, is me on the edge of Lake Michigan, trying to find a new landing point. Any feedback is welcome--if you like the background image, if you like the format, if you can or can't read the type/font, etc. Also, if you have anything you'd like me to write about, I'd be glad to do that, too :)

Recently, Josh and I have been able to take in a couple of shows, which is something we haven't done in quite a while. Last Thursday, we saw The Entrance Band, a group I'd never heard of. Turns out their bassist is Paz Lenchantin, who played bass with Smashing Pumpkins, A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age, and many other bands you might've heard of. A surprise for us, since we hadn't anticipated that for our $14 ticket. The rest of the Entrance Band was ok--the lead singer looked a lot like Freddie Mercury, but a spectacle to behold nonetheless. The band we went to hear was a Swedish psychedelic jazz rock band called Dungen. I was utterly exhausted, but went anyway (and dozed several times during) and since the lyrics were in Swedish, I didn't have to pay attention to much besides the groove. It was a great show in the end. At the very end of the show, the bassist, Matthias Gustaffson came up to the mike and so gingerly asserted his views on American recreation:

‎"I know that you in America love to play your nocturnal frisbee golfs. That's why we have made for you these glow-in-the-dark frisbees. We care for you! We care for you and your nocturnal frisbee golfs!"

I wasn't disappointed by Dungen, but this statement was worth my $14. If you're interested. you can listen to them here. My favorite is "Mina Damer Och Fasaner." It's all in the bass line.

Last night, we had the opportunity to see one of Josh's favorite newer artists and a heavy influence on his own EP, AA Bondy. Bondy's an Alabama boy born and bred, and it was nice to hear some honky-tonk and accent from my homeland, and in a musician that Josh loves no less! This show was a little peculiar in that Bondy's gear kept screwing up. He'd play a song and the circuit would short out, but he couldn't tell if it was the guitar, the pedal, the amp or the cord. Eventually he lost his cool and broke his guitar on the ground and carried on with the show with a back-up guitar (the other guitar had shorted out and there were other issues with the amp and the pedal), which made for a lovely spray of expletives and an aggressive run of songs towards the end. The crowd, though mostly drunk, handled it well, encouraging him to finish the show and have a good time. He ended the show by letting the last chord he played hang on while he found a nail in the banister and hung his guitar on it by its strap. AA Bondy might say he played an awful show, but for Josh and me, we were just glad to be there. Also, one of the people he just hired at his coffee shop knows AA Bondy's drummer/steel guitarist, so we were able to meet him and even stand with them at the front by the stage. Here's the link to listen to AA Bondy--we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Now that I've left a few happy nuggets of listening pleasure with you, I'll get back to work now. Happy Tuesday!

Meatatarian: A Book Review and Thoughts

2010-10-11T11:39:00.005-05:00

You might say that I have a groteque-leaning sense of humor/curiosity. I really enjoy shows like Dexter and Metalocalypse, read books like...well, look at the Reading List (add Complications to that and you'll have the rounded out list.). Not sure why. So when I stumbled upon this nugget of joy,

I wasn't sure how I would end up once I reached the back cover.
Initially, I was under the impression that Foer wasn't pressing for a vegetarian agenda, but in the end he does and rightfully so. I understand that everybody that eats anything has a view of their food, whether they realize it or not (that they will or won't eat something and sometimes have an explanation of their reason); living in a city with an active vegan/vegetarian community, I'm learning to "read the signs".Still though, I'm coming away from this book sort of in a state of awe of how little I understood about where my food comes from, how little I understood why and how I build meals for my family so readily around meat, and how ruthless the factory farming industry really is. My grandmother and aunt used to work in a chicken house collecting eggs; little did I know that the chickens that laid those eggs did not reproduce those eggs sexually because 'layers' aren't being bred to reproduce sexually anymore. Everything is done through hormones, artificial insemination, and plenty of other outrageous procedures, just so we can have an omelette in the morning. 'Broilers', chickens bred to be eaten, are still practically babies when they're sent to slaughter and are pumped with all manner of junk just so they'll grow fast and big enough to be eaten in as little time as possible from birth to table.

Yesterday, we had lunch--grilled burgers--with some friends and the whole while I was thinking, "wow, I wonder how many times this cow had to go through the 'knocker' before they skinned and dismembered it so I could devour it now?" Sort of morbid thought over a meal with loved ones, right?
For you who have dined with me before, you'll remember that if there are veggies on the plate that haven't been mashed or fried, I'll probably be as graceful as I can to move them to the side. Never in my life have I attempted or claimed to be more than a meatatarian. Foer's book hasn't 'converted' me to vegetarianism (Lord knows I'll probably never be a vegetarian!), but after reading his research and reasons for his conversion, I'll certainly be more thoughtful about where I buy my meat, and if at all possible, I will avoid paying money to a money-driven system that contributes unhealthily to my family.

Does anyone have advice for a meatatarian who wishes to learn to eat more veg, slowly but surely? Do any of you veggie-lovers have any tips/recipes for integrating meatless meals into a weekly rotation? I'd love to do more meatless dinners, but Josh is concerned about the amount of protein he would lose from a meal without meat. Suggestions anyone?
On a lighter, happier note, some [meatless!] goodies from Fall '10:


Acorn Squashes donated by the Snoeks and a pie pumpkin for Josh's birthday


The beginnings of a de.li.cious French pastry (lemon-glazed madeleines)...and Diana's flour finger


HAAAAllelujah! The lemon-glazed madeleines turned out perfectly!

Sweet crepes from my Apples for Jam cookbook


Left filled with Meredith's muscadine jam and butter; Right filled with blackberries/raspberries in syrup with creme fraiche


My very first pumpkin pie. Everything was from scratch including the crust (except I ran out of fresh pumpkin and had to use canned...but it was still good!)!

So happy fall's here! We found this golden gem waiting on the Clark bus.

In Community

2010-09-30T15:03:00.001-05:00

Recently, since I've been opening up the gym across the street, I picked up a book I read while I was in college called Everybody's Normal Until You Get to Know Them. I surprisingly liked it then, and I surprisingly like it now. Even then it seem cliche to pick up a John Ortberg book; senior year of college, you couldn't go to church, school retreats, or ministry meetings without the word 'community' being thrown around at some point.
I've been ruminating on some ideas for a few weeks, and quite literally. Ideas I'd been working through senior year of college have resurfaced and become tangible in the last two weeks. Starting with my birthday, I've been perpetually shocked at how many amazing people have been so strategically placed within reach. Even if, for some of us, our primary means of communication is texts, blog-stalking, and Skype, I can't seem to shake this feeling of grace that has been poured into my cup into overflowing. First was the birthday party that my husband arranged. Tuesday, I got to see my girl, Kelly, a high school friend I haven't seen in since 2006--while we were still dating our husbands (well, Josh and I didn't decide to date until the weekend she came up...maybe meeting her was the deal-breaker! ha!). Now we're both adults with grown-up jobs/homes to run/husbands and "babies" to care for, but it felt to me like we picked up where we left off. It was lovely.
Last night, my other Kelly called, the mother of the "Peanut" I wrote about here, and boy was she exhausted. This Kelly's a stay-at-home mommy to a very active, very interactive, very physically demanding 14-month-old, who sees several therapists and doctors weekly. Kelly's tired. She needs a break; even more, she needs time with another female adult over pie and ice cream. For these things, she calls me and I happily regard her request. It was great to steal Kels away and let her get things off her chest, get things off my own chest, pray, laugh, and [eat pumpkin pie for dinner...pumpkins are veggies, too!] take in delicious treats.
Before meeting with Kels, I met with my Wednesday girls (Nok and Jules this week) for a time of encouragement and prayer.
Tonight I get to zumba with my girl Holly--who's also been having a rough few weeks, then I get to go home [,shower, make dinner for Josh and me--chicken with cheese sauce from Apples for Jam and roasted acorn squash!,] and Skype with my girl Susan.
Tomorrow, I get to celebrate Josh's birthday with some of our favorite people. MY HUSBAND. We've been celebrating each other's lives for four years and I'm always grateful to see the kinds of people surround him, encourage him, love him, build him up, hold his trust. It seems like it's been a revolving door of different people for a few years, but there are a few that would be here if they could, they're just too far away this time.
All this to quote John Ortberg in this book I've been reading:

You are a guardian of the human spirit. You have the power to manipulate and coerce if you want to. You can avoid and ignore if you choose. But you can also ennoble and inspire. You can lift up and appeal to all that is good and honorable and holy. You can remind fallible and finite people around you that they hold their lives and calling as a sacred trust, that their best efforts matter, that their worst failures will one day be redeemed. (p. 123)

"As Anne Lamott writes, there are certain people 'whose company you live, whose mind you love to pick, whose running commentary totally holds your attention, who makes you laugh out loud...When you have a friend like this, she can say, "Hey, I've got to drive up to the dump in Petaluma--wanna come along?" and you honestly can't think of anything in the world you'd rather do." (p118)

This is the kind of community I have been given. Friends and family who lift up, appeal to the holy, remind me that my life is a sacred trust, my best efforts matter and my worst failures have already been redeemed, and ones I'd go to the dump with if they asked me to and some I'd ask to go with me. So thank you. Thank you to the girls' community that I meet with on Wednesday night, the other community we meet with on Thursday night, the friends who text me to skype or leave a conversation thread on a facebook 13 messages long. Thank you to our families who push us into the light, even when the light is blinding. For our loved ones who tell us the truth when it hurts to say and hurts to hear, who come all the way to Lincoln Square to play racing games on the Playstation and bake a loaf of bread. I couldn't be more grateful for you. Thank you millions and millions.

Grey Days in My Grey City

2010-09-27T10:57:00.006-05:00

Fall's here. Without a doubt. It brought vertigo with it first thing this a.m., and if temperatures can dramatically drop 30° in 72 hours, I can make drama about it on my blog space :) It was a good week last week and an all right weekend. I still haven't recovered from last week's strange feeling that came with the mixer, but I suppose that a mind-blowing sense of gratitude shouldn't be axed. I was able to spend some good time with my m-i-l on Saturday, and we baked and talked and hung out <--we haven't done this in a looooong time, especially without Josh and his brother around. And it was good. My poor Cinnamon-colored mixer had it's workouts this week--Monday I made a loaf of white bread and a batch of cranberry blondies and Saturday Mama Marie and I made two loaves of whole wheat zucchini bread and a loaf of whole wheat bread. But no, I won't go easy on my mixer. I wish I could work part-time in my job (and still get benefits, of course, ha!) and bake the other 3-4 days: white breads, wheat breads, nut breads, cheese loaves, cinnamon/raisin loaves, oatmeal breads, quiches (and I don't even like quiche!), zucchini and carrot loaves, honey cake, vanilla cake, brownies/blondies, birthday cake (whatever kind you like!)...oh Lordy mercy. Anybody know of a bakery hiring amateurs? Anyway, it's been a fun week getting to know Cinnamon--I think I'm down to naming appliances...is this ok?


Cranberry Blondies for my WtWoWE (Wednesday) girls and the most gorgeous loaf of white bread I've ever seen


Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread. After we were finished with this, there was still 1/2 a squash left. The sucker was h.u.g.e.


My lovely m-i-l. Isn't she sweet?

As part of my birthday gift, I was able to acquire three new cookbooks and a silicone mat for my baking sheets. As I've looked through these cookbooks, I must say that I highly recommend the following:
Apples for Jam, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and Artisan Breads in 5 Minutes a Day. I haven't made anything from Apples for Jam or Artisan Breads yet, but my time is quickly coming. Apples is a lovely memoir-keepsake cookbook, with recipes arranged by color instead of by meal, ingredient, or otherwise. Sure it might sound a little gimmicky, but Tessa Kiros did a great job of compiling her family's, friends' and her own recipes. I put about 45 "Sign Here" tags in the pages of this one to mark the ones I want to try. Last night, I induced my husband into the First-Timer Cube Steak Hall o' Fame. We used the Chicken-Fried Steak and PW's Mashed Potatoes recipes from the Pioneer Woman book. It was messy to make and messy to eat, but boy it was good. A perfect accompaniment to "Waiting for Guffman" and the start to "Ghostbusters 2" if you ask me (I still haven't seen G2 all the way through. Thankfully it's on Netflix Streaming :) ).


Mmm. Red meat + flour + spices + milk/egg mix = soooo good.


My arteries are clogged, but my heart is full. I love love love a good, chill day with my hunny.

My hunny :)

Praying that today's grey turns into a pleasant, chilly blue soon. Things to look forward to this week:
--My old friend Kelly's in town! She and I have been friends since high school. Then she got married and moved to ATL, I moved to Chicago and got married, and we haven't seen each other in about 3 years. So excited to see her tomorrow!
--I might bake something else fun and delightful. If you would like me to make something--to try a new recipe for you--or to bake something and send to you, email your request/address to jldugue at gmail dot com. It might take a while if I don't have ingredients, but if you have a specific recipe, send that too.
--My love's birthday is this weekend! When we met four years ago, I had a sneaking suspicion that I would have the chance to grow old with him. He's not 'old' yet, but I can't say how excited I am that we do get to grow old together. Happy early birthday, honey. You are mein Schatz, mon amour, my favorite. Many hopeful wishes for a great birthday and great year.

I think that's all. Gotta get back to the salt mines. Hope you have a great week!

How It Happened

2010-09-21T10:27:00.000-05:00

I don't know why God seems to show a specific brand of his His humor to me, but I see it most when I look at my friends and family. Each one is amazing, crazy, funny, smart, caring, and for whatever reason, many of them showed me that they loved me this weekend.
[Sidenote: Also in God's humor, He gave me the most amazing husband. Josh planned almost every step we took (except the parts where we just 'chilled') without my knowing what was happening at all and I couldn't've imagined a better birthday. Thank you, my love!]
Friday night when Josh got off work, we reluctantly went out with some of Josh's friends from work. It was amusing. We were out until 3am. That doesn't happen much.
Saturday, I had lunch with my friend, Kelly, then came home and cleaned out the dining room closet and did 2 loads of laundry. Nothing like a productive day to come before a good birthday, right?
Sunday, Josh had off. We sat around for the first part of the day, and went to Potbelly's for lunch. When he wasn't working last year, Potbelly's was our once-a-month date. We still like Potbelly's and we still like each other :) We had to drive to Hyde Park to pick up two buckets of gelato (caramelized fig and milk chocolate), then to Wicker Park to pick up Diana, then we were picked up by Khalid and Toussaint and taken to our friend Lewie's house for a party that Josh planned. Nothing over the top, just low-key hanging out and Pictionary and sweet friends that came to celebrate with me.


Holls, Nok, and Jennah


The guys' Pictionary team


Guys were black, girls were green. They lost by one turn. HA!


Sorry it's blurry. You get the gist. It was a great time.

Diana! She made my first-ever Birthday Pie. So good.

Monday I took off work (reader's note: 1 chicken finger + apple donut + rice krispy treat + apple pie + Coke + Watermelon ≠ balanced meal.) because of tummy troubles (see reader's note), so we cleaned out the storage unit downstairs--you'd think I'd learn to relax, but no, not unless I'm nauseated enough to not get off the couch. Josh got a call from work that my birthday present had come, so he and a friend drove to Hyde Park to pick it up. I had no idea what was going on. Lo and behold, my husband petitioned friends and family to collaborate to get me this beaut:

My very own Gloss Cinnamon 5-Quart KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer with dough hook, paddle and whisk attachments. Apparently everyone knew but me. And apparently some knew what my reaction would be:

I cried. It's just how it happens. Here's the evidence. I'm still in shock. A HUGE thank you to Meredith, Holly, Khalid, Toussaint, Judy, Mirmita, Nok, Audrey, Courtney & Chris, Diana, and Josh for such an amazing gift (and to Rory for spending so many hours dreaming of KitchenAid colors--you chose the right one!). I was dreaming of this for a long time. Now send me your addresses so I can send you tasties :) I almost feel like I need an extra counter top just to have room for it, but boy will it be put to good use. Thankyouthankyouthankyou! This birthday was quite fantastic and I'm glad to be surrounded by such lovely people. You. Are. The Jam.

It's Tuesday, so I guess that means I should get back to work. Hope all is well out there in Internetlandia. Drop me a note? Let me know you're alive out there? Thanks.

27

2010-09-16T11:09:00.000-05:00

It's coming. 27 is coming. I've never been 27 before. It doesn't seem like a very earth-shattering birthday, but the feeling I'm having now is that 26 felt very "remedial", like I'd reverted to emotions, behavior, and faith of a 14-year old--very Lindsey-centric and angsty. Ugh. What a gross feeling. In spiritual discussions, I felt misunderstood and inarticulate when I was trying to bring up my 'bullet points' and complainy when I was asking for prayer because I was very very discontent with most things in my life. 3 days left in my 26th year and I couldn't be happier that it's over.
--
I think I just made an error. I googled "age 27" and within the first 10 entries were "27 Club", celebrities who died at age 27; the list includes Brian Jones (founder of the Rolling Stones), Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison (lead singer for the Doors), Kurt Cobain (lead guy from Nirvana), Robert Johnson (blueman), among many others. Encouraging, huh? Also included in the results were articles of the following nature: 'Brain decline begins at age 27', published by the BBC, Telegraph UK, and others. Fan-flippin'-tastic. I did find a site that provides accomplishments of different people when you provide the age to search. For 27, I learned that Kurt Vonnegut quit his job at GE to become a writer. Henry David Thoreau went to live in a cabin for 2 years to write Walden Pond at 27. Ernest Hemingway published his first novel, The Sun Also Rises. The moral of this story? Maybe I should be a writer since that's apparently the age to do it.

If you've survived to or past 27, what were you doing your 27th year? Anything you'd go back and re-do if you could? If you're not 27 yet, do you have any ideas of where you'll be for your 27th year? And hopes or dreams you'd like to be doing, making, or living? We have ideas for what we would like to do for the next year, but on a general level, I've learned that if I publish or tell someone about a goal, I usually don't follow through (please see this post about reading lists. This is Exhibit A). I will say that I will be caring more for my home this year--taking care of my husband, taking care of Diesel, taking care of the shape my house is in, taking care of my body and even better than this year (this is the first time since high school I've made myself work out consecutively for 9 months or longer). Not to say we're anticipating things that would require a usual sense of "taking care of things", like surgery recovery, preparing a will, getting rid of Dies, or moving. I mean that I want to simply take better care of the people and things that I have direct influence over. I would like to spend more time with friends and family, find more productive ways to use my free time and more creative ways to enjoy my job. I would like to say by September 2011 that 27 was pleasant, that I've matured in my attitude towards many people and things and in my faith by [small] leaps and bounds. Maybe I have too-high expectations but I can hope they work out, right?

Right now, Thursday, September 16th at 10:50 a.m., I have no plans for my birthday [that I'm aware of]. I'm sure Josh has something up his sleeve, and I could probably snoop for some details, but what's the fun in that? So, whatever happens will happen. Maybe pictures will be posted on Monday with details of the weekend. In the meantime, go out and have yourself an ice cream cone for me before the weather gets too cold to enjoy it. Or have a piece of banana bread or cake or pie. Sunday's also "Talk Like a Pirate Day", so give your mateys a good "Aarrrrrhhhhggg!" for me.

Day 4 Out of Town and Recovery

2010-09-08T11:36:00.003-05:00

Hi, friends. I'm delinquent, I know. I almost threatened to leave the following email for my boss last Friday:
"Dear Dr. D.,
I can't say how grateful I am that I have employment, and for such a generous, fun-loving guy as yourself. However, I have realized my past vacation time hasn't been spent vacationing and I find that I am in a really relaxing space, both literally and metaphorically. I'm writing to submit to you that effective Tuesday, Sept 7, I will retain my posture of vacation and tender to you my resignation.
Blessings to you,
LD

Just kidding. See you after Labor Day."
I know that wouldn't go well at all...when I told him I thought about emailing him this, he said he'd probably go into heart attack. So I declined. Besides, I couldn't do something like that unless I were giving him a pregnancy resignation. That would be a funny one.
Anyway, Day 4 was a sad one, but we had a great time. Josh surprised me with a birthday gift before we left for Pittsburgh under the guise of needing "airport shoes":

Meet my new Toms shoes, the ones I asked for here. He found a store that sold them, and since he'd worn through his (read: there was a hole in his sole [but not his soul...haha...I'm punny] and the fabric was coming off), he wanted a new pair for himself. Here's our married Toms:

Mine are a little big on my feet, but boy are they comfortable. I imagine Mom will call them "mummy shoes" when she sees them--they do look like some newfangled foot-binding device, but I don't even care. And the fabric print on the inside is safari animals--elephants, rhinos, tigers, lions...so cute. His are tan burlap with plaid fabric lining. Also manly-cute.

Don't they just look so comfy? Well they are. [Please also forgive the blindingly white, pasty legs you see. They haven't seen the sun for 3+ years.] I'm officially endorsing Toms Shoes, and my heart is warmed knowing that two others will also have soles for their feet with our purchase. These shoe pics were taken at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum, one of our day's destinations. Apparently Pittsburgh has a heavy influence on puppetry, a strange and unique art form. Also in Pittsburgh is the home of Mister Fred Rogers. Come with me back to our childhood:

The jacket/cardigan change, the tennis shoe toss, the final emphasis on "neighbor" and "friend". Fantastic. The Museum had the set for Queen Sarah Saturday and King Friday XIII. AND THE PUPPETS! And Daniel Striped Tiger, and Lady Elaine Fairchilde (the creepy voiced one). So cool. Among many other puppets was urSol the Chanter, one of the Mystics from "The Dark Crystal" (this trailer's hilarious...and watch the movie if you haven't...Frank Oz and Jim Henson were geniuses. GENIUSES!). That's all the museum we had time for because we had to get some lunch and I had to try a Greyhound (and it was good.) and see "The American" before we left P'burgh. A brief review of the movie: I didn't like it, I saw it as pretty hopeless, and George Clooney did a great job in the role that he was given. I like that he's not just playing a cheeseface-hottie-who-can-get-any-girl-he-wants, but is moving to the lonely-guy-and-can-get-really-any-girl-but-just-wants-a-real-relationship-even-though-he-gets-royally-screwed-over-in-the-end. Not that getting screwed over is good or fun, but it's more realistic than the "Ocean's Million" roles he's played. Anyway. We flew home. It was sad. Diesel was alive when we got home and has been a cuddly baby ever since.

Labor Day was fun. We spent the morning in our jammies, then hung out with our holiday friends, the Joneses, and our friend Tyler, who happened to be in town from NE. It was good, clean fun. And I was tired and mentally unprepared to go back to work after a full week of not having done much at all. It's Wednesday now and I'm a little better--did the 5:45am workout thing. I even blew my hair out today. Exciting, huh?

Fall tv programming is another interest of mine that has come up a few times in the last 24 hours. Fringe, Glee, Dexter, and now The Walking Dead along with our regular Rubicon, all begin the week after my birthday (well, The Walking Dead starts on Halloween). I couldn't be happier. Now to find the time to watch tv...I signed up for the Zumba class at Old Town School of Music and had to miss the first class due to vacation, but after I signed up, I realized how incredibly crowded my Tuesday-Thursday evenings will be. Tuesday = church, Wednesday = girls group, Thursday = Zumba. I'm not giving up any of these, and the Zumba's only for 8 weeks (until I can take the Taiko class!!!!! on Saturdays), so I'm praying that the new schedule will be an burst of energy in my week instead of a drain. I have 'out of the box' venues to express myself, and one that includes both a very good friend and a chance to meet brand new people. Yes, this is exciting.

Ok, this is exorbitant. If you've hung out with me this long, thank you and I'm sorry. I'm a chatty Cathy today. Tell me your story. Tell me any story. Make one up, post it on your blog, and send me the link. Tell me yours in the comments section. I'm ready. I'm shutting up now. Happy Hump Day!

Updated Days 1 + 3--Out of Town

2010-09-05T09:47:00.002-05:00

Ugh. I'd written a post about our first day on vacay, but I guess I "vacated" a little too much and didn't save it. Alas, here is the redo as best I can (pics will come tomorrow).
This trip was a time for firsts: Josh's and my first vacation together without visiting family or it being a holiday, our first time seeing our friends Doug and Ash since they married in May, our first time really seeing Pittsburgh. And it was fantastic. Everyone who asked us where we were going on vacation responded to our Pittsburgh response like, "Oh yeah, real big tourist spot" or "Oh, I was expecting somewhere a little more 'vacationy'". We did what we went to do: relax, spend time with friends, and see a new place.
So, day 1 of Pittsburgh vacay:
*we had a semi-early flight, but one of my favorite parts of flying Southwest out of Midway is that the airport has a kids corner with a tv set to Cartoon Network. So we watched a little Quimby-style Tom & Jerry and whatever else came on. Until some cheeseface businessman came and switched it to a snowy white noise channel. Maybe he hates children or hates seeing people take pleasure in the little things. Needless to say, Josh and I have him the stinkeye for real over our McD's Southern Style Chicken Biscuits. Stinkeye.
*Before we left, I texted A to see if she knew of anywhere we might be able to swim while we were up and she texted back that she might know somewhere. D + A picked us up from the airport and took us to a wildflower reserve, where we hiked to a little creek, swam a while, and hiked back to the car. It was the picture of serenity, and just what I needed to conclude a summer that would've otherwise had no aquatics at all. Thanks Ash!
*After a swim in the creek, we decided we needed to find some BBQ. There's a hole-in-the-wall place near where they live, so we stopped in. Literally, the only things in the front of the store were a cooler that held only a pan of coleslaw and some bottles of soda, a few tables behind the counter, and a 10-year-old girl who looked like we were aliens or something she looked so scared. There was a door behind her that might've led to a kitchen, but we weren't sure, so we jetted out as quickly as possible. Instead, we ate at Bistro Soul, a comfort food joint on a main road. I usually don't go for a plate of just sides, but oh man, I had to: collard greens cooked with ham, fried mac-n-cheese, sweet potato casserole, and cornbread. OH YES it was good. Good enough to require an afternoon nap.
*After said afternoon nap, we went up to D's brother and his wife's house for burrito bar dinner. Good times had by all.

Day 3: nothing. We did nothing. All day. A and I watched a movie for one of her classes called "Ordinary People", not one I'd recommend to mainstream public, maybe only to people whose lifeblood is to study other people's problems. When she left for school, D, Josh and I watched Kick-Ass. Please please please don't waste your time with this. If you have something better to do, do that instead, and if you don't, there are certainly better things to watch than this. D + Josh had free tickets to a Steelers game, so after they left, I almost finished my latest read (I started reading a vampire series...totally out of character for me, but the first one was pretty good...it's called Blue Bloods...I'll come back to it after I read some other stuff.), then went out to a pub with my new friend (D's bro's wife) Rach then were joined by all the guys. HUGE fish sandwich, first time to *finish* a bottled product (woodchuck!). After that, we came home and did nothing but go to bed because we were tired. Of doing nothing :)

Pics from Day 1:

Josh and Doug on the way to the swimming hole. You can't see Doug except his foot between Josh's legs, but I promise he's there. It was so good for these two to get back together.

A picture of serenity. And "soul-eater" bugs and slippery rocks. It was worth it to get a pic from the middle of the creek.

The crew. Straight-arm dancing. By the creek. Sometimes we're just silly that way.

Have a great and peaceful Labor Day weekend!

Day 2--Out of Town

2010-09-01T16:03:00.004-05:00

Ah! Two posts in one day! So overwhelming! Ha...I hope not. I have more pics. These are from today. Hope you enjoy. And--shameless plug--visit PA on your next vacation!
Day 2:
*Breakfast w/ D + Josh at Dozen Bakery. Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing. Good Lord. Talk about church, coffee, great things about the 'hood (Lawrenceville, Strip District, Central Northside).
*The Strip District. If you've ever been on a Mission: Mexico trip with FBC Boaz, you'll remember how the market felt. That's exactly how I felt today, walking through outdoor set-up of the store inside, with gadgets, gizmos, clothes, spices, a fish market (!!!), a pasta/deli store, produce and lots of other things that we just couldn't get to. We decided to make Mahi Mahi with lentil salad for dinner, so it was a treat getting things together for this meal that I will cook for our hosts, plus a few goodies to take back to the Big Wind.
*After lunch, D took Josh and me around to some other neighborhoods (Highland Park, East Liberty, Bloomfield/Garfield, Friendship). This place puts out a good vibe for Josh and me--not too urban, but just enough of a city that he wouldn't feel like a fish out of water (I hope). Parts of it reminded me of my life in Alabama--Guntersville, Gadsden, and Birmingham. A happy medium situated in the mid-Atlanic.
*I made dinner for us tonight--mahi mahi fillets with lentil salad. We considered drifting over to a place that has good drinks and banjo night, but were too caught up in great conversation on the back porch on a gorgeous night to get up and go somewhere else. A great ending to a great day.

The pics:

Here's that blessed cinnamon roll I told you about. I wish I'd asked for it heated, but then I wouldn't've gotten a cool shot of it with the Dozen logo. If you're evern in Pittsburgh, please please please do yourself a favor and stop in, even if it's just for a whiff of their pastry goodness. It'll bring a tear to your eye.

Josh's zucchini/parmesan/something else quiche, D's coffee, and the lovely mums. Not only is September birthday season, but it's mum season. I never realized how exquisite my birth month is until I was old enough to enjoy the fall flowers. Mums, asters, dahlias, oh my!

An odd trio at the Wholey Fish Market: lobster, crab, and jumbo shrimps. Looks like a productive conversation. I would post a pic of the gigantic lobster a tthe back of the room, but the pic came out a little dark. It seriously looked like a lobster gangbanger...it. was. huge.

2lb bag of mussels for $5.98?! Chicago, why, WHY do you have to be so far inland? The best comparable deal to this is from flippin' Whole Foods, and that's still a chain store. Imagine the possibilities...white wine and garlic, curry coconut, ah. So much. Someday perhaps.

Doug and Josh at the fish shop. The usual faces. Ash has been in class so far, but I hope I can snag a pic of her, too.
I don't know what tomorrow's or Friday's plans hold, but Josh and I are having a great time. Missing our kitty, but having a great time. I think we'll take Monday off as a vacation from our vacation :) What are your Labor Day plans? How's your week been? Do you need a vacation from my vacation? I give you full permission to do so. It's Labor Day!

Happy week! I'll try to blog tomorrow, but we'll see. If not, I'll see y'all on Tuesday!

Not much to do but prepare to vacate the premises

2010-08-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

Hi, friends. I hope you've been well. I'm sorry I haven't written much lately. I feel like there's not much going on at all, then I look at my desk and realize I've been lying to myself and that there's so much going on. School started this week, which is amazing, considering August 1 one of our dorms experienced an electrical fire. Everyone got moved back in, including the old folks, and the students are back in business. I was starting to get used to summer at school. It's much quieter--no students to take up my space and quiet...haha. But it's my job; it's what I do for the time being. Actually, I've been at this job for about 2 years now and I'm finding that I'm very passionate about good education, so I'm sure I could do this job somewhere else were we to move in the future.

I've had my feelers out for some great videos, which is about all I have to offer you now. I'm so flipping tired--I've been training my body to get up at 5:30am so I can start opening the gym next week, and this new schedule's kicking me in my pants. All this to say, the vids!:
Cute. Just cute.

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

We recently learned of a tv show that started in the UK and came here and was only on network tv for a short while, but it. is. hilarious. Someone went around the country and did interviews with ordinary people, and the Creature Comforts people put the voices to claymation and made a show of it. Here's a set on "Self-image" (you can watch these on Netflix Instant Watch and I highly advise that you do):

The UK version: on cats vs dogs :)

I do hope you enjoy these and I hope you have a great weekend!

2010-08-19T12:07:00.000-05:00

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

StoryCorps, the same people who brought us "12-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome Interviews His Mom", now bring us "Danny and Annie". This breaks my heart especially now because a couple in our home church/small group/thingie is going through this with his mom. She was suddenly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer--fast-spreading--and within the last year (?) has been through the wringer with her health. This week she has come down with double pneumonia and is quickly reaching her final moments, if she hasn't gone to be with the Lord today. Our friends, N & J, will probably move their wedding up that was to be next weekend to this week so that she can be here for it. For you who pray, please pray for Tom and Cathy as she prepares to pass from our world into a better one.
I loved how Danny and Annie spoke with one another, how he wrote her love letters, she took care of him when he was weak, he called her back after proposing to be sure she hadn't changed her mind. I. Love. This. I hope that when Josh and I approach our 25th anniversary, we'll be in as good a condition with one another as these two were. Annie, if you're out there, you and your Danny are inspiring--thank you for sharing your story with us.

In other news, it's been pretty busy at work, at home, etc. Students are coming back to school (disrupting my summertime peace! haha), Josh is finally getting enrolled in improv class, I'll be registering for the Taiko percussion class soon, we're going to Pittsburgh, annual report is coming due, my parents should be coming up soon (hint hint ;) ), *birthday season* and all it's freebie goodness, trying to plan the bestest birthday party for Josh yet, trying to keep my sanity...ah, it's good to be back to life. Sadly, I haven't made much time for writing, cooking, or much else besides rubbing Diesel's belly, but when I come in the door and he immediately rolls over on his back and stretches out his belly, I can't resist. Plus, he says "Moooom" and I know it's for me because he doesn't stretch for Josh. I did make a pretty sweet BBQ chicken pizza the other day--just the pizza crust in the packet ("Just add water!"), baked BBQ chicken breast, thinly sliced onion, fresh mozzarella, and more BBQ sauce. Oh, and I did a great tuna steak and couscous last night--just salted tuna "grilled" in the cast-iron grill pan and topped with a little sour cream/dill weed sauce and couscous made with a tablespoon of minced garlic. That's about all. Enough about me, though.

Are you ready for school to start? Educator-friends? Moms with kids going back to school? What would you do with your summer if you had 2 more weeks left? [You'd come visit your friend Linds? Oh how sweet! Yes, I'd love to have you for a few days! Just call ahead of time! :) ] What were some highlights from your summer?

Attention Chicagoland Shoppers!

2010-08-13T12:44:00.000-05:00

Hey Chicago friends, check out this article on changes that are being made at our local Jewel-Osco stores: http://www.jillcataldo.com/node/11990. I've never heard of Jill Cataldo, but apparently she's a pretty big cheese in the couponer's world, and I read the article from a link on PennyBugMom's blog. IF you're a couponer, interested in couponing, or shop at Jewel, have a look.
We're trying to find a place to shop that won't rip our paychecks from our poor little hands, but that won't sell us meat that's the wrong color or has a rainbowy, gasoline sheen upon appearance. Dominick's is around, but without a car, it's a precarious situation on CTA, having to carry $50+ worth of groceries on the train and/or bus. Aldi is also up the road a piece, but don't carry some of the things we really like. And Whole Foods is...well, Whole Foods. Soooooooo, friends, if you have any suggestions, please please please send them my way.
I'm piecing out for a hopefully great weekend. Hanging out with my beau tomorrow, laundering gigantic piles of clothes on Sunday/cleaning house/playing with my kitten. Hope your weekend is delightful!

Light at the End of a Loooooong Tunnel

2010-08-10T11:12:00.001-05:00

It's been one of those summers. Nothing too remarkable or memorable, my skin is probably as pasty white as ever as most of my diversions have been indoors (with exception to the farmer's market/donut tour with Diana; my cabin feverish, 4-hour errand runs; the trip to the Botanic Gardens with my Wednesday girls; and a few really good nights out with Josh and friends to dinner). My desk is full of papers, ones that are waiting to be sent somewhere else, waiting on a decision from the big cheeses, waiting for a signature from a faculty member who has yet to come back from summer break. There are some highlights, though, that I will speak of, since school starts in a week and a half and my brain is only about 1/3 of the way ready for it. This is therapy for me--you are my therapy--to remember good parts of things, so here goes.

Highlights:

Josh was able to get an unusual amount of weekend time off. He controls scheduling for his shop and there was enough staff to cover. Some days we didn't leave the chateau. Some days I dragged him around town to run errands (to the deepest joy of his heart, I'm sure). Some days we had real plans, like celebrating belated Mother's Day with Josh's mom, grandma, and brother. It's always a pleasure to introduce people to Moe's and this time it was my loving husband!
Summer cooking: rhubarb pie, stromboli, more fish than I ever imagined I would cook, fried green tomatoes, boiled corn
4th of July with these guys, the Joneses; Memorial Day with Diana and Danny
We finally booked flights for our trip to Pittsburgh, which will be at the end of this month. We'll go see our friends who were married in May; I'll be sure to come back with pictures this time.
Josh's album was released through CDBaby to iTunes, Bandcamp, Amazon, noisetrade, etc.
Outings with my girl, Kelly--exploring our 'hood.
Summer Reading: Alanna books, finished The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Fahrenheit 451, The Road, I Am Not Sidney Poitier
Spring cleaning and other household projects like my bean jars
Consistent workouts
Bartering for a sidejob: the gym across the street from our chateau of which Josh is a member sent an email offering free membership for people who work out early who might be interested in opening the gym before the full-time people come in. I emailed with interest and yesterday accepted the job. I'll show up at the gym before 5:45am two days a week and can work out while I'm there 'til 7am. Then I can come home and shower in my own tub and make it to work on time instead of leaving the house early to work out/shower before work. Huzzah!
Receiving a scholarship for the Taiko (Japanese Percussion) class at Old Town School of Music. I was a little concerned about the price of the class + price of the practice [15-gallon] drum [which no one seems to have ever heard of], but with the scholarship, the price of the class + the price of the practice equipment is less than the original price of the class without the practice equipment. I was beaming last night about this. Now we just have to get Josh into the iO improv class with his buddy Kevin and all will be right with the world.
Anticipating a visit from my parents, my only Alabama family we will probably will see this year. To my sisters, brother, and other relatives who think we should come down more often: This is a guilt trip. You should come visit me since a) I've been here 5 years and you haven't been up yet. b) It's expensive for us to come down every year, especially at the holidays. Even when we don't have kids (and imagine our expense when we have to come down with kids!). Let's compromise. c) You better come to Chicago while you still have a free tour guide and a free place to stay in the area 'cause we're skipping out of here soon. Mom and Dad, we love you and can't wait to see your sweet faces.
Preparing for birthday season, which is on its way. Josh's and my birthdays are eleven days apart, his mom's birthday's the day before mine, my mom's birthday is four days after mine, and about 8 misc. people have birthdays on Sept. 30. Makes for a busy month. And lots and lots of birthday freebies. (Thanks, Kindra, for this post!) I'm asking for Toms, the Taiko class, and a pleasant Sunday. I never really liked Sunday birthdays because Sundays were always so busy, but I guess it's better than having a birthday on a Monday, the day of the week in which I entered the world. Huzzah.
I painted poppies on Sunday. Here's what they started out looking like:

Here's what they ended up looking like, side by side:

I used bright red, bronze, gold, black, and sage green acrylic paints. This was my first attempt at uninstructed art, but I'm ok with the results of these little poppies. Made for a relaxing Sunday while I listened to Pride and Prejudice in the background.

So this is the end of 2010 Summer Highlights, for now. How'd your summer turn out? How you expected? How you dreamed?

Stuff on My Walls

2010-08-03T11:24:00.001-05:00

It happened. After nearly two years of living in our current apartment, Josh and I finally put things on the walls of our living room. Finally. When we would go to friends' homes, we would walk away thinking, "They have a really nice place, but the main difference between their home and ours is that they have pictures and curtains and stuff up." Now we don't have to think that anymore :)

(Please forgive the blurry pictures. We had just come home from eating BBQ and I was feeling a little blurry-n-full myself and couldn't tell the photos were, too.)
Exhibit A and B:

A: My friend Courtney made this for me from a template found here. She knows I'm a sucker for a lovely map and she made this and mailed it from Birmingham. Isn't it awesome? The tags are attached to straight pins and say "Want to Visit" or "Been here", and there are two extras that say "Home Sweet Home" and "Dream Trip". It's cool to see where Josh and I have been collectively and separately (and we're not finished adding pins!) and it makes me excited to dream of where all we'll go in the years to come.
B: The little black frame is a picture I took while I was studying abroad in Costa Rica during Jan term of 2004. It's a black and white picture of the Café Trés Generaciones Coffee Farm in Alajuela, Costa Rica. My husband is what you might call a "warm beverage connoisseur" so it was only appropriate to have this picture up somewhere in the house. Maybe when we get a bigger place with more wall space we'll put this gem beside our giant coffee bags that we mounted on some canvases (you probably saw it in the background of some other pictures on the ol' bloggy).

Exhibit C: the 1946 city map of Chicago! The railways aren't marked, I don't think, but there are highlights like Navy Pier, Grant Park, museums, notable schools, other good Chicago stuff. As much as I whine about being in this grey city (and it is today--look at our weather) this really is a jewel in the middle of our country.

Anyway, this map camps out above our DVDs and kiddie boooks like this:

And last but not least, my only successful piece of self-made art to date. I was content to leave it on the bookcase with the DVDs and card games, but Josh, in his great wisdom, thought hanging it would be a good idea, so we did. The "United" thing is a video game loading on the tv and the double-paneled door is a narrow hallway between the living room and the dining room; Diesel's poopbox stays in that hallway (we don't talk about it, it just is.) We've made our home as little more homey, homie! Now come visit (just call first!) and see the whole set-up.