Monday's Memory -- The One Where I Spontaneously Redecorate

**this blog is about decorating. My friend Kristie has a great post about finding/developing your own signature style up at her blog. Click here to investigate!**

***disclaimer: this is also my style directly out of college. let's just say I had a LOT to learn in the decorating department and my style has definitely evolved. I promise.***

Moving right along.

Getting bored is not always a good thing in my world.

I moved into a great apartment after graduating college. It was ground floor, lakeview, and in a great little suburb of Nashville. I was excited that the pet deposit was low, there were washer/dryer hookups, and maybe most of all that we could paint...as long as we returned it to the dull and lifeless white when we left.

I hadn't been there more than a couple of weeks when I came home from work one night (I was working at Victoria's Secret as well as nannying part-time that summer) and looked around.

I was bored. Nothing on TV and nothing stimulating in my apartment.

I had a red, black and white theme going on in my kitchen. And it just so happened that the kitchen was tiny. And so, the decision was made.

Off I went, and bought 2 small buckets of paint.

One red.

One black.

I had a vision. And if I do say so myself, with the texturing of the wall above my cabinets it actually looked pretty cool...kind of an awning feel to a French or Italian bistro. Exactly what I was going for.

(crappy non-digital photos and crappy apartment fixture alert)



But there was one thing I forgot.

A year later, when I moved out...it took about 10 coats of paint to cover those pesky black and red stripes...

Full Weekend!

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We are visiting with Jack today!

Yep, we're headed out the door about right...now...to go to the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

I'll be back with pictures later, I'm sure!

We're also doing a poker night tonight, going to see the new baby snow leopards at the zoo tomorrow and having dinner at A's parents house on Monday. Whew!

Thursday's Ten

A lot of stuff has transpired over the last few days and hours...and so this post will be a bit about catching up on all of that...

Ten Things I Need to Tell You

1. I have a (temporary but well-paying, flexible, and somewhat steady for a few weeks at least) JOB. Totally fell into my lap on Monday, via my sweet friend and next-door neighbor, Mattie. I'll tell you all about it sometime very soon...like tonight or tomorrow I hope.
2. Bulldogs snore.
(I'm babysitting my friend's English bulldog this week and she's snoring away in her bed as I write this. Cracks.Me.Up.)
3. My man started a blog that's not about gaming! On wordpress. And then realized he wants to move to blogger. I'll post the link when he gets the blogger one up and running :)
4. I'm seriously considering making the Thursday's Ten a weekly linked "thing". (whatever you call those things). It wouldn't have to be the same theme that I use for my ten things, but I love it when you all put your own "ten" lists in my comments, so I thought this may be fun. What do you think?
If you would be interested, would you say so when you comment OR just email me? msmsctchr@gmail.com
5. I love pajamas
6. I just found out that a couple of checks I've been waiting for (that are slightly way behind schedule to be paid) will be sent to me very, very soon. Thank goodness! I'm sure the mortgage company will appreciate that!
7. I am saving money to switch from PC to Mac. How many of you have done that?
8. Coupon shopping, while a wonderful idea, can be a bit deceptive. I'm really trying hard to only buy things I would normally OR that would be a special treat. That's working much better than the first week I tried it. I walked in completely convinced that the 3 items I had a coupon for would give me a sense of accomplishment at the end...and at the end I had spent about triple the amount I would have had I not had the coupons in the first place.
9. Kroger has reusable grocery bags...Titans style. Lovin it.
10. Biscotti is a much more healthy dessert alternative than I realized. The Noni variety that I bought last night has just a bit over 100 calories and 4 grams of fat in one. MUCH better than my oreos, although I won't be giving them up anytime soon!

Whew! That's it for now...more later!

Recipe of the Week -- Tortellini Minestrone Soup

It's getting to be that time of year again...ok, it's not. It's Tennessee, and it's still hot, but there is the hint of fall in the air. And so I'm beginning to itch for my fall comfort food recipes! This is one that I adapted from Southern Living.

Tortellini Minestrone Soup



1 medium onion, chopped1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup white wine
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 pkg frozen green beans
1 pound Italian sausage (I use chicken sausage)
italian seasoning, basil, etc to taste
1 pkg cheese tortellini





brown sausage in a large stockpot.

add olive oil and saute onion in hot oil in a over medium heat 8 min or until onion is tender. add garlic and spices, cook 1 minute.

 add the wine and cook for about 5 minutes

 follow by chicken stock

 and tomatoes

 bring mixture to a boil

 then add the green beans and simmer for about 15 minutes

 finally, add the tortellini and cook for 10-12 minutes depending on package directions.

 top with parmesan cheese if you so desire. enjoy

this is great with tiramisu for dessert!

Rambling of Faith

Mother Teresa: one of my faith heroes and childhood icons.

Now recognized as a saint, I believe.

When asked once what she thought the first thing she would say to God when she got to Heaven she replied "I think it will be 'You have a lot of explaining to do'"

This quote makes me feel SO much better.

Because there are those times when that's exactly how I feel. That there's just so much I don't understand.

It reminds me that Mother Teresa, while a giant in her faith, struggled just like I do.

I don't know why my friend was just diagnosed with cancer.
I don't know why my friend's father's spinal cord looks like swiss cheese due to a mass eating away part of his vertebrae.
I don't know why so many people are unemployed.
I don't know why...

But I do know WHO.

And that...that makes all the difference.

Monday's Memory

Italy, 2002

My first experience with San Pelligrino water
It was love at first sight.
And being the musicians we are, we also played a few tunes. In harmony.
(I'm on the left)

Weekend Blog Stuff

I really like this week's wordle :0)
Go here to link up and participate!



Massage, Mass, Football and Laser Show
or
It's Gonna Be a Perfect Saturday!

I had a heavenly massage this morning (including my therapist praying over me about the job stuff), we're headed to Mass this afternoon...there's a Titans game...and then we're going to the Planetarium to watch the Pink Floyd/The Wall laser show. We saw the Beatles show about a month ago and it was a blast, so we're looking forward to this one!

Out of the Mouths

I have been babysitting quite a bit over the last few days.
And it's been welcome, fun, and challenging (depending on the day/time and family!)
Monday and Tuesday I spent the day with a sweet 2 year old little boy, E.

E has the most adorable head of curly brown hair and the biggest blue eyes ever. He's quite the charmer, and he is SO hard to resist when he's asking for something. I'm pretty good at saying "no" and meaning it, but he seriously is *almost* adorable enough for me to give in to.

But he's being well-parented, and is not overly spoiled, knows good manners, and listens to instructions. Pretty impressive, actually.

We were on the way up the stairs on Tuesday for his nap and he wanted to take a toy with him. We reached the base of the stairs and he handed me the toy so that he would have hands free to climb. As I took it he said "Thank you!"

I replied "You're welcome." and as I ruffled his hair added "and you're adorable!"

He didn't even glance back at me as he answered that with a simple "Yes."

I relayed that story to my friend Laura who laughed with me and pointed out "He doesn't even realize that's a compliment yet. To him, it's a fact. You're 2. And you're adorable. Fact. And it's ok to agree with it."

And as we ended our conversation and I hung up the phone I began to wonder.

When do we lose that?

E doesn't yet know that you can't accept a compliment.
He accepts it as fact because no one has told him he can't.
At what point are we told (outright or subtly) that we can't do that anymore?

At some point we are.
And a compliment ceases to be a fact, and instead becomes an exercise in how we can refute it.

For some, it's replaced with false humility.
For others...me included...it's replaced with all the reasons why that's just not true.

How many times have people complimented my fashion sense and I dodged them by saying some disparaging remark about how the item fits, or myself?
How many people have I devalued by dismissing their genuine compliment?
How often do I brush off a remark about my personality with "it's what I do" or "it was nothing"? It was clearly something enough for that person to mention it...so why do I brush it aside?

A lot of this stems from my personal issues and the fact that I may always have the ever-present voice inside me telling me that I'm just not good enough.

But when I choose to accept that voice for the lie it is, and start listening to the Truth, I need to become more like E.

When someone compliments me, I need to take it as fact.
No ulterior motives
No drama involved
No lies to get on my good side
They said it. It was nice. It must be a fact.

It's not going to be easy. But the biggest negative voice I have to contend with is my own. Everyone else seems to gel with me just fine :0)

What about you?

Claiming This One

It's been a year.
And there is a job that I would LOVE
So instead of just throwing caution to the wind and applying, possibly getting an interview, and waiting for the phone call/letter of rejection
(lather, rinse, repeat of the last 12 months)
I am CLAIMING this job.

And while I'm pretty sure that's not a "this particular place of employment" thing to do...
I'm trusting that this is what I've been waiting for.

It's an admissions/recruiting position (which, hello, I've done before--at Trevecca, as a student, but still) and it would give me the chance to be in the academic world as well as the professional, to travel, and to represent a university that I have found myself liking more and more over the past few months :0)

And so...this is my petition to ask you all to join me in claiming this job, to pray with me that I will represent myself as well as my Father while I go through the process of applying and interviewing.

And WHEN I am given this job we are going to PARTY.

Yes? Yes.

Thanks, dear friends.