Sweet Baby James, AKA, Bubba Bean, AKA Dunder, dun, dun, dun...

As I enjoy my last summer evening of relaxation, I just find myself feeling like I need to tell someone just how much I adore my kitten. He is the sweetest little guy I know. I will write more and post some pics soon, but here's to you, my sweet Bubba Bean. Thank you for keeping me company tonight, and for loving me so much that you follow me around the house while I do all of the little "Sunday Things". You can't even lie down without being near my heart. Getting up and leaving you tomorrow for school (yes, school, not fun babysitting) will be oh-so-hard, but it will be so nice to be welcomed home by you...

Rachelie & Rachelia

If only my name was Julie and I had a love for Julia Child! I had the pleasure of going to see Julie & Julia last night (instead of working on the many things I have to work on...do you see a pattern here, maybe called procrastination?). I had been wanting to see this movie for quite a while, even before I had the inkling to start a blog. Those of you who know me know that I love to cook, and to cook for friends and family. Those of you who know me really well also know that I love to watch the food network, and have a few favorites- Rachael Ray (although I have to turn down the volume at times), Bobby Flay (wish he was not married and that I could be his wife!), and Giada DeLaurentiis (my favorite!). I just realized as I am writing this that I could be a little like Julie in the movie and cook through Rachael Ray's cookbook (well, one of them at least) in a year and have the same name similarity going on, but if I were to cook through anyone's cookbook in a year, it would be Giada's for sure.

Some people I know do not like Giada too much, and that is fine, but I quite adore her. I think it has to do more with her ties to Italy (a place I am itching to visit), the calmness of her kitchen, and the flavors she uses in her food (especially lemon). I do own a cookbook of Giada's. I bought it on a whim last Christmas break when I was just wasting time at Barnes & Noble. I purchased it because it had a recipe that I had seen her make on one of her shows and thought it looked AMAZING. So I bought the cookbook with aspirations of making this recipe. The recipe is called "Eggplant Timbale". It is almost like a pot pie, but the outside is grilled eggplant (yum!) and this inside filling is pasta, sausage, beef, italian cheeses, tomato sauce, marsala wine and peas. Needless to say, when I saw her cooking it on TV, it sparked my interest because I had never eaten, let alone cooked, something like this EVER. So when I saw the cookbook, I decided I should try it out.

Well, in order to embark on this cooking adventure, I had to buy a grill pan and a springform pan, plus all of the ingredients, which all added up to be quite a bit of money (oops!). After I got everything home, I was feeling very intimidated, very afraid to try to cook something so unfamiliar to me, maybe having a tad bit of the same feeling that Julie had as she cooked the lobsters or "boned" a duck in the movie. Anyway, the cooking process took me forever, I made a HUGE mess in my kitchen, and when it was all said and done, the timbale turned out very similar to Giada's, however, I didn't like it. I should have realized that I don't even like sausage that much, and therefore probably wouldn't like the timbale, since it has a sausage flavor...

The point of my ramblings this morning, as I again am procrastinating (my goal was to be at school an hour and a half ago, and here I am, still in my PJ's, watching a Gilmore re-run I have seen at least 4 times, and writing this entry...) is that I adored Julie & Julia last night, and identified with Julie very much, especially with her desire to write a blog in the beginning of the movie, her love of cooking, and her Anthro style (by the way-saw LOTS of Anthro items in the movie). Blogging and cooking were a stress relief for her, and she had the desire to accomplish something when she was feeling a little lost. I don't think I would say I feel lost right now, but I do have the desire to start something, and actually finish it (outside of work), and I do also think that blogging will help me do that-somehow, getting my own thoughts out there is helping to keep me accountable.

Here are a few things on my list of things to accomplish:

1. Finish painting and decorating my new home

2. Follow the Maker's Diet (I started it, loved it, but have been bad about staying on top of it)

3. Along with the diet, a more disciplined workout plan

4. Knitting and making baby gifts for some friends who are expecting

5. In all of these things, and before all of these things, my number one goal to accomplish is to have Jesus become more in me while I become less, as I abide in Him, let Him take over me, for His purpose and glory (which is funny, I don't think this task will ever be "done", for there is always room to for this to happen...)

There are more goals, I am sure, and as I think of them, I will share them with you. And, as I accomplish some of my goals, step by step, I will share those things with you too. Can I do it? I hope so! For now, back to real life, off to school...where I know little things are accomplished every minute of every day, but I may not see the final product from my new kindergartners until June 1, 2010, when this year's class will graduate...

Oh, Anthropologie...

I am getting ready to head to Anthropologie today, not to shop, but to work. It is my last day to work there for the summer, and I find myself feeling a little sad, despite the fact that every other Sunday that I had to work there this summer I found myself wishing I didn't have to...Anyway, last week as I was working, I was reminded of the reasons why I chose to take on the task of having a "fun" part-time job there.

I had a short 4 hour shift last weekend, the shortest I have ever had since working there, 11-3. This meant that I didn't have to clean and do other "checklist" chores that are usually done there earlier on Sunday mornings. So I was happy when I walked in, knowing I was getting to do more of the creative things I love to do when I am there. After I got to help rearrange some things in the home department (my favorite by the way) we (the staff that were working that morning) got to take on a project. We were given a partner, and were told to put together an outfit, with all of the side props we would like to use, that describes one of the anthro themes for the fall. You see, each Anthropologie store is given a vision by the higher ups, the vision is usually a girl, a fictional character. Each store (well more specifically, each visual design team at each store) is given a description of the fictional character, and then the individual design teams create, decorate and design the store (each individual store-this is why they are all different) to express the character.

The character I (along with a fun partner) got to outfit is Abigail Truman. Oh, how I wish I was Abigail Truman!! Let me tell you about her story- Abigail Truman is on an adventure. She is traveling with her male companion for the first time-she has never just traveled with a male companion before. (I assume she is traveling all year, meaning, no job for this girl, and I also pretend she and her companion are married in my little mind...) She and her buddy are traveling all across the USA first (Felicity fans-remind you of a certain Ben and Felicity road trip?), then they are traveling across Europe, and finally, they will head to Asia to complete their adventure (let's just pretend this adventure will last a year). Abigail has brought with her a few staple girly, yet easy traveling tops, a chunky, yet stylish travel purse, boyfriend jeans, some boots, a hat, a sweater for colder evenings, and don't forget the basic accessories (this is anthropolgie afterall...). When she comes across something she needs to wear, but does not have with her, she just borrows something that her husband has with him. (But somehow in those anthro catalogs, they still look a little girly...hmmm....) This is the style that Abigail Truman shows us in the Anthropologie stores this fall-and you will be able to notice these things when you shop in a store, usually these styles will be near the front of the store.

Back to my desire to be Abigail Truman-This lucky gal not only does not have to worry about work, a house, bills, and other day to day drama that so often makes my heart hurt. She gets to TRAVEL ALL YEAR-something I sadly did not get to do this summer at all (buying a house really leaves a single teacher with NO money-boo). Despite all of these bonuses, my favorite part of Abigail of all is that she is getting to share all of her delightful travels with her male companion for the first time, something I didn't really realize I was so longing to do until I was putting her outfit together. I will not say anything else about that desire other than this-I hope and pray to spend my next summer just like Abigail is spending her year. Maybe you can pray for that, too.

Here I go, off to work, but today, it does not feel like work. On my last day of working at Anthropologie (at least for the season) I am excited, because I get to go live in a whimsical dream world, which was the reason I ever wanted to work at that beautiful, creative, delightfully smelling (but way too expensive) store in the first place. Maybe, just today, I will get to feel a little like Abigail...

Hello Blog World!

I was up way too early for a Saturday morning, and instead of getting to work on the many, many home chores I have on my "to-do" list, I started reading some of the blogs my talented, dear friends have been writing. After reading, I started to wonder where they were getting all of these darling backgrounds and ideas from, so my fingers just began clicking here and there...and then I had to do it-I HAD to have one of these darling spaces for all of my ideas and adventures as well. So here it goes, my first blog entry-I hope to be able to entertain you with some witty, Gilmore- like stories, if you are ever up too early on a lazy, Saturday morning...