my adventures in winging it and a very filling lentil soup

So, I had a bag of Lentils, and thought, hhmm... I should make soup. My hubs and I love lentil soup, and just about any middle-eastern food, and I was low on certain ingredients so soup was the simple solution. It was my first time making lentil soup so off to the web I go in search of a recipe. I could not find one that suited my own personal taste, or the lack of ingredients I had, I took bits and pieces from allrecipes.com, so I don't get originality credit. For my friends that have asked here is the breakdown:

1st in a large sauce pan or heavy bottomed pot (dutch oven, stock), brown and soften half an onion sliced, and 4 cloves of garlic in olive oil on med hi. Add 5-7 diced red potatoes halfway through the browning process (3 min when hot or so). Sprinkle librally with curry powder, smoked paprika, black pepper and a dash of sea salt. stir and add half a can of frozen oj, and half a can of water. Cover and let cook on med for 20-30 min, or still most of the moisture has cooked out.

Dump into big ol food processor and puree it til it is a nice thick paste. Pour paste back into cooking pot. Wisk in 1 can of coconut milk and 1 can of tomato sauce or stewed tomatos..your preference, and mix til thoroughly combined. Add lentils (1lb bag), and cover with addtional water (2-3 cups). Stir, and add same spices to taste, and cook on med to med lo for 45 min or until lentils are soft. I added a slice of bacon in these steps for extra flavor, but then it isn't vegetarian anymore. I also added a couple of bay leaves. enjoy.

This was an impromptu recipe so I hope all who try it are successful! It is quite yummy. Bon Apetit!

so sew

So, this christmas Josh and I are making our christmas gifts, and so I attended some relief society nights, and realized how much of a hopeless sewer(?) I am. I can't sew a straight line to save my life. Thank goodness my mother was there to bail me out and fix things for me. Im still trying to do most of the sewing on my own, but with mom looking over my shoulder, and I might have these done by christmas.. the other projects we're working on are a little bit easier, and more universal(is that cheating?).. hopefully everyone likes them. One thing I have realized in doing this is that I love Cash n Carry..(Ive been doing alot of breadmaking, and I use big bags of flour)... seriously, they have Everything!! We are going back sometime soon and getting the odd ingredients for Miso soup.. which I love.. I am going to have it on my stovetop always. It is an appetite suppressant too (something about the seaweed in the miso).. with tofu, and prawns--ok-- can't afford to always have prawns in it-- soo good and really filling. Im so excited about not having to go to a restaraunt for MISO!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to see the finished projects.. maybe I will post pix after christmas.. can't really do it before hand and spoil peoples surprises. I guess Miso soup is my present to myself :)

Little victories

Definitely mean alot. After my wii fit was collecting dust for a while I finally brought it down to do some things, and stepped on it, did a body test, and alas, I lost 10 lbs since Mid-July. While 10 lbs seems like nothing to some, to me, it is reassurance that what Im doing is working, steadily and slow. I could amp it up, and lose weight more quickly, but may fall into gaining it back faster, wheras this is more of a life style change. I am making it to the gym more regularly, but not overdoing it. I also had a job interview with the child welfare office, and one coming up on the nineth for chemeketa(albiet its a custodial position), but I should hear something in 2 weeks about the state job. keeping my toes and fingers crossed.. I miss being able to go to church.. and I want my weekends back. It also is looking grim for coming to kfalls for christmas unless I get a new job. New job new job new job no whammy!

Our newest member

So since Josh and I don't have any children (yet), our family is made up of our black lab Bowie, our black cat Neimi, and our latest member Sirius Black, Neimi's all black son. He has been such a fun kitten to watch. He also is quite mischievous. We have discovered that one of his favorite toys is a fresh roll of toilet paper. Oh its so much fun to shred when josh and I are sleeping. The other day I caught him carrying a brand big roll out of the bathroom. I really wish I had a camera because even though this habit is wastful and makes a mess, seeing him carrying a huge roll of tp was just too cute- of course I took it away from him the second after I saw it. He is best friends with Bowie, they snuggle and sleep together, and play. I think he thinks he is a dog..hence the name and nod to harry potter. That and he's all black(yes, there is a pattern to our choice of pets). Its nice having a cat who isn't afraid of strangers, and loves being held and purrs so loud when you put him near bowie or just pick him up. After he's out of his kitten playfulness he should be an amazing and wonderful cat. He also likes sleeping on the monitor, probably because it is warm and cats have a thing for that. I feel kinda like a dork for blogging about our cat, but I just wanted say welcome to our clan Sirius Black.

have you ever

Did you ever think you were fat in high school? Only to see yourself now and think, Why did I think I was fat? It happened to me. I even thought I was fat when I was in the Army and prolly in the best shape of my life. I sort of regret feeling that way, and when I think about it, it makes me angry- Yeah, I wasn't the skinniest girl in my class, but I could still shop in the juniors department, and dresses looked ok on me. I started working out again, and working on my cholesterol- and it is helping my work be a little less painful. There is a lot of bending, stooping and lifting in my job. I have been saving money on not eating out,and learning new delicious recipes and earning extra $$ working on my parents yard projects with Joshua. That was my arm and back workout yesterday. I ripped up tree roots, dug holes and planted bamboo starts. I have to workout to keep up my energy for my new schedule up.
I work now Fri, sat and sun, 4p-10p fri, 6a-10p sat & sun. Sat and sun are pretty rough, I don't get to go to my new awesome ward- if I new this building was so cute I would of had our wedding there instead of in monmouth. But working 2 16 hour shifts is very draining, and monday feels like a recovery day. During the week I cook, clean, paint (feels so good to be doing that again), and now force myself to go to the gym. Next term (winter) I might look at going back to school, and take some psych classes. This term doesn't seem feasable. I need my body to be more used to this shift. I also might seek a different shift/house when one is available so I can actually go to church. That would be nice

About time

I got the promotion I so diligently jumped through many hoops to get..I found out last friday, and now I am PCL's latest Service Coordinator,aka house manager. I will soon no longer be working graveyards, have a company phone(ooh lala), and will be a salaried member of the leadership team.. that means lots of meetings, overnight conferences, and of course, delightful responsibility. I don't know what house I will be in charge of yet, and probably won't know til after my honeymoon. I know I don't start til after the 1st of April. I will be on an 8-5 schedule, with of course oncall hours, so not too bland of a schedule.
march is a pretty good month.. Im getting married in 4 days (wow), I got the promotion, josh registers and starts school, the network technologies program, and my friend becca landed the job at walmart. yay! i also get to go to Rancho Oso for our honeymoon, its a dude ranch in SoCal, and we are staying in a covered wagon.. I hope its warm down there now. It is kinda cold up here now. I also get to see my sisters in 3 days. That makes me pretty happy

down to the wire

So, The wedding is almost here, and it still feels like there is so much to be done..

While I could have a nice wedding tomorrow if need be, I was just reminded today of things that still need to happen. Like getting josh's suit, license, wedding bands, and Thank you cards. We received our first present today, and it came to mind. I also need to get gifts for my maid of honor and bridesmaids (who are throwing me an awesome bridal shower, thank you soo much you guys!!!) I don't have my hair person confirmed, or even know if I am going to have her do my hair(i can do it myself if it comes to it). I have no shoes yet for the wedding, and I think I am going with a traditional shoe.. nothing funky like chucks or docs. Im not sure how we are going to do the music.. I know the church has a system.. and I have an mp3 player.. and Andi and her sisters have incredible music talent, and I really want there to be music.

More people are invited than I had originally planned on, I hope there's enough wedding cake :) And I know my mom has been sewing like a mad woman, altering andi's dress, and working on the little girls' dresses. She has also been running around borrowing lights and decorations from other people.. she's wonderful. I can't wait for the honeymoon, not cuz we're going anywhere, but i have approved PTO, and I am going to need it. I have worked almost everyday for the past 2 weeks, and will prolly have to work more (extra) before the wedding.

I would like to thank all others who are helping put this shindig together, including my sisters who are taking time to help with food and other things. I know they are going to be incredible! My inlaws who are sewing, putting things together, and hosting the rehearsal dinner. Those who are lending us lights and decorations, and other various items. I would also like to thank my bosses for giving me almost two weeks paid time off, even though we are understaffed.

Im getting married in like 15 days!!!! Im excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!