Weekend Wrap Up

Angel and I received a very generous act of kindness in the mail- a Starbucks gift card and the message that the card can only be used for us to get coffee together.  We also have free movie passes that I won in school about a year ago that we’ve been meaning to use, but actually lost for a while during our move.  I found them the other day and when we got the Starbucks card, I told Angel that we should go to a movie and get coffee (which we used to do a lot before we were married).  We ended up not going to a movie because we couldn’t agree between Project X and The Vow, but that’s beside the point.

So on Saturday morning we took the dog to Starbucks to enjoy the beautiful weather (sunny, 80, not a cloud in the sky).  We realized about half way there that we forgot the card, had a good laugh about who’s fault it was, and continued on our way.  This random act of kindness and wish that we got coffee together will happen at least twice (or likely more because we are seriously very forgetful people).  I truly appreciate the generosity and reminder to pause day to day life and enjoy being together.

On Saturday, my sister in law and her family suffered a devastating loss.  Having just gone through (possibly) the worst month of my life, the pain of loss is still too fresh in my mind.  So on Sunday I paid our random act of kindness forward, and surprised her with an arrangement of yellow roses.

This weekend made me reflect again upon our recent miscarriage and served as a reminder to me that bad things sometimes happen to good people.  We can deal with them by crawling into our beds, watching sad movies on repeat, and looking for blame, or we can deal with them head on, allow ourselves to be occasionally sad, and then choose to be happy.  I’ve known relationships to suffer when faced with such taxing situations.  I have actively chosen for this to do exactly the opposite.  I’m closer with Angel, closer with my friends, and investing myself into things that make me happy.

 

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

 

P.S. The quote isn’t ironic.  This was my active thought process when I named my blog in January.

Case of the Mondays

I have a case of the Mondays.  The fact that I’ve been good about cooking, cleaning, and being domestic no longer has any sense of accomplishment when I wake up on Mondays.  Ugh!

On a bright side, my new Windows 7 computer apparently changes the background of my computer every 15 minutes and cycles through my photos.  It’s a small thing, but I’ll take whatever I can to make Monday’s better.  Here’s the photo that I turned my computer on to this morning:

Mayan Ruins in Tulum, Mexico

More later when I get past my Monday morning funk (a.k.a. drink my coffee- to hell with my attempt to cut caffeine).

Like Doggie, Like Owner

I tease my dog for being “puke-y” but wow have I been feeling that way since last night.  There’s nothing like coming home from a work out trying not to throw up in your newly cleaned car.  This morning wasn’t much better, and now I’m trying not to puke all over my desk at work.  The dog appears to be fine, but Holy Cow, what’s wrong with mine now?

Apparently someone in our house must be sick at all times.  Ugh!

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

Here’s what I made for dinner last night (HIGHLY recommended):

Prep: 25 minutes
Marinate: 30 minutes
Cook: 6 minutes
Makes 4 servings

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooking oil
10 green onions, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 cup fresh mushrooms
12 garlic cloves, minced
1 can water chestnuts
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup cashews
Rice

1. Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.  Marinate chicken in water, soy sauce, and vinegar for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.  Drain chicken, reserving marinade.  Stir cornstarch into marinade, set aside.
2. Pour oil into a wok.  Heat over medium-high heat.  Add green onion, mushrooms, and garlic to wok.  Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender.  Remove vegetables from wok.
3. Add chicken to wok.  Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until no longer pink.  Push chicken from center of wok.  Stir marinade mixture and pour into center of wok.  Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.  Push chicken to center of wok.  Return vegetables to wok.  Add water chestnuts, crushed red pepper, and cashews.  Cok and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through.  Serve with rice.

Domestic Goddess, Party of One

Here’s my Sunday breakdown: woke up at 11 (uh… Flashback to high school anybody?), took a shower, left my hair wet, didn’t put on makeup, ran to Michaels to get a cricut mat, drove home with the top down on my convertible, spent all afternoon crafting, and then made a BADASS stirfry (ingredients from couponing, folks!). Domestic Goddess, party of one! Recipe coming tomorrow- which I also have off from work

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