Constant Cravings

A belated tribute to my mom

2011-05-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

in honor of mothers day, i am eating a piece of peanut butter pie for brunch. how does that honor my mother? because she loves making things out of chocolate and peanut butter. because this pie is awesome and so is she. and because when we were little sugar cereals and pop tarts were off limits but pie? pie for breakfast was totally fair game. if you want a kick-ass breakfast yourself. try this. . .

1. Buy a chocolate cookie pre-made pie shell (or make your own if you have the time). I prefer the Oreo brand crust.

2. Put a cup of peanut butter, 8 oz of cream cheese, 1 Tbl of softened butter, 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix that sucker til it's smooth.

3. Put a cup of whipping cream in a bowl and whip it good - til it's the texture of whipped cream. (i know there are a lot of stages - for this i like to whip it til its almost stiff).

4. Fold together the whipped cream and peanut butter mixture and put it in the pie shell.

5. Take it to a special dinner and let everyone tell you how amazing it is.

6. Eat it for breakfast the next day.

happy mothers day everyone.

i love my dog

2011-04-07T20:22:00.001-07:00

i just needed to update my readers on a couple things:

1. i love my dog. i decided this last thursday. i no longer want to send him back with my parents when they come visit in two weeks (see #3) or see if my neighbors want to keep him. i want to keep him and love him forever. i even like being a dog owner. it was very much worth the two weeks of 'adjusting' besides, look at this:

2. j and i have had a LOT of school work. and regular work. it turns out that no matter how many assignments i have to turn in, people still need their lattes.

3. my parents are coming in 2 weeks!!! stl - get ready for janice and jay. it will be awesome.

and that's it for now. we've been so swamped with school and work that we're living in squalor and eating pbjs and hot dogs for an absurd number of meals. so, yeah, this often neglected blog is the least of my worries. still, there is much to be thankful for. more on those things next time.

we call him chewie (or dog man behind his back)

2011-03-13T19:46:00.001-07:00

how could you resist this face? clearly, j and i couldn't. so we brought him home and are now officially dog owners. at least, that's what the paper work says. no, seriously - he's our dog as of about 36 hours ago. he's a one year old mutt that i found at a PetSmart adoption center. he came from a shelter a couple hours away. until tonight we had never heard him whine. we still haven't heard him bark. he has yet to use the bathroom indoors and isn't loving his food (even though its the same kind his foster mom gave him. i asked). he has been pretty laid back, but progressively coming out of his shell. he prefers people to toys and the sofa to the floor. we're trying to break him of the second one. he loves welcoming people to our home and spends most of his time sleeping on the rug. oh, and shedding? he doesn't. pretty great dog, huh? how am i liking being a dog owner?

i have mixed feelings.

having someone SO excited to see me when i get home has been fun. having a cute little animal laying on the carpet has been pretty cool. plus, he's about the EASIEST dog you could ask for. no complaining there. here's the thing (and i might be admitting a bit of psychosis): i don't like having someone else to care for 24/7. we all know that i can barely look out for myself. i had it down enough that the good Lord saw fit to give me a husband. that has been fantastic - but he won't pee on the carpet if i leave him alone too long. and now it feels like there is one more being in the world that i have to worry about. i don't know if i like it. i mean, i just want him to be really happy, ok? then again, it's only been a little more than a day - so i'll get back to you on this. maybe it just takes some getting used to. he is really really cute. need another example? here ya go.

good thing we didn't go straight to having kids, huh?

why i can't make a machine gun sound with my mouth

2011-03-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

"Researchers wired a playground for sound. They found that all the sounds coming from girls were recognizable words. Only 69 percent of the sounds made by boys were understandable words. The remaining were either one-syllable sounds like ub or mmm or sound effects like Varoooom! Yaaaaah! Zooooooooom!"

-Marlene LeFever in Learning Styles

it's like Christmas came early!!!

2010-12-20T18:12:00.000-08:00

i thought today would be like any other day on break. . . relaxing, minimally productive, and enjoyable. but today had some surprises in store. today was going to be spectacular and i didn't even know it.first, it started by staying in bed too long. have i mentioned that this is one of my favorite things to do? especially when there is no accompanying guilt and today there was none of that. then j and i got breakfast at the Kolache Factory. Have you ever had a kolache? the first time i tried one i was in birmingham, searching for goodies in our office kitchen. i found these rolls and bit into one only to find a delicious sausage and cheese filled center wrapped inperfect yeast dough. i ran down to my office to tell everyone about this amazing discovery; they already knew. i literally could not believe no one had ever told me about the kolache. so, here they have a whole bakery dedicated to them and that is where i got to enjoy breakfast with the cutest guy on the planet.

then, after some shopping and cleaning while j and his twin (yes, he has a twin, no he is not single) played video games in the basement - we decided to hit up pappy's bbq for a late lunch.

if my kolache experience was a fantastic first date, (or second?) my relationship with bbq is nothing less that a lifetime covenantal commitment based on love and mutual respect. good bbq is one of the things i miss most about the south. slow roasted pork on buttery buns and ribs that make you work for the tender smokey pieces of meat. oh my gosh, i could go back for more right now. pappy's has been featured on the food network and cooking channel, which is what convinced me to give it a chance. it's midwestern though, which kept my expectations low. after eating there all i have to say is this: GO. get all the meats, get all the sides and double up the sweet potato fries. when i was done, my plate looked like this:

sorry, is that gross? who cares?! i need to relive this moment. so we sat there talking about how good it was and how full it was and how the guy on man v. food ate there and then we all knew what had to be done: we had to hit up the crown candy kitchen.

crown candy was also featured on the food network and is known for it's milkshakes and malts and yes, candy. it closed at four, so we had 30 minutes to get there and sit down. we made it, and ordered these:

please note, each of these fills a standard milkshake glass a whopping 3 times. 3 TIMES!!!! no, i didn't finish my silver cup of chocolate banana goodness but the part that could fit in my stomach was incredible. when i was in jr. high and high school my dad and i set out to find the best milkshake in columbia. if crown candy had been in the running it would have owned everywhere else that we went.

then i fell into a food coma. and it was worth it. merry Christmas to me.

the follow up to the 70's-tastic gingham cookbook recipe

2010-12-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

surprise everybody! it looks like i care about blogging all of a sudden. it's probably the lack of final exams and really long papers to write.

so, i made the chicken divan, served it with some brown rice (what? we're healthy-ish) and it was pretty good. i didn't even gag when i squeezed out 1/2 cup of mayo and stirred it into the cream of chicken goo (see? that's why we're only healthy-ish). the divan was good, but not as good as the stuff my neighbor brought over when we moved in. so if you are desperately in need of a chicken divan recipe, i'll get hers.

in other news, i've moved on to massive chocolate chip cookies by martha stewart. they look like they're off of a commercial and my husband keeps asking if we have more. for the recipe, click here. oh, except i made a minor change. instead of even reading what kind of chocolate and how much i was supposed to use, i just dumped in a bunch of chocolate chips. there were so many that i couldn't stir them all in and i had to eat a bunch of plain chocolate chips after i made all of the cookies. oh - and one more change. i tried to cook them on wax paper because i was out of parchment paper AND foil. it went well until smoke started pouring out of the oven and our house began to smell like a melting wax castle. we had to open the doors to create a breeze to carry the smoke out. it worked, and the breeze was 11 degrees with a wind chill of -7.

and tonight? sugar cookies with that awesome royal icing. you know, the kind that looks all smooth and fan-say (that's the fancy way to say 'fancy'). they're in the fridge right now, waiting to be baked and iced.

and you know why i'm not a first-class food blogger? i don't have pictures of any of it. sorry!

i've been cooking a lot lately . . .

2010-12-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

and tonight, i'm cooking out of this book:

when it comes to family heirlooms, most girls get fancy jewelry, silver, antique dressers or fur coats.* me? i get Cotton Country Cooking and my great grandmother's well seasoned iron skillet. and i. love. that.

food is quite the tradition in our family, and having this well used, written-in copy of staples in southern cooking and entertaining. tonight's recipe? chicken divan. it involves mayo and cream of chicken soup. i can't go wrong, right? i'll let you know how it goes. until then - happy dinner time!

* also food related, my grandmother did give me a set of crystal salt and pepper cellars with sterling silver mini spoons. they're beautiful, and her message with them was more beautiful "I just wanted your new home to have something that has always been a part of our meals together in my home"

So so thankful

2010-12-13T07:44:00.001-08:00

i know, it's been a while since thanksgiving. but i have so much to be thankful for that i still had to do a post about it. (besides, beggars can't be choosers and if you actually look forward to new posts on this site, you qualify as a beggar) we were with Justin's family for the great feast, and it was, truly, a great feast. i held on tight to my purnell roots and took mostly pictures of food (seriously, its like a disorder in our family - at least my brother married a professional photographer who can do it well) and a few pictures of people with food in the background.

First there is the best chocolate bundt cake in the world. i would HIGHLY recommend it. super easy and pretty impressive. oh, and so good that i could probably eat it for every meal.

Marie, justin's grandmother, made almost everything. we ran around drinking wine, taking pictures and stealing bites. she's a great grandmother though because she didn't care that i ate almost a whole can of olives before we even sat down.

Me and my Dr. Quinn bangs. they look better now. oh - and becca (the other twin's wife) and dori (the mother-in-law, who i am so so thankful for).

and dori and all of her boys.

besides all this there was turkey and stuffing and SNOW!! best of all there were people who are thankful for each other. and besides the chocolate cake and olives, that's what thanksgiving is all about, right?

from where i was to where i am. . .

2010-11-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

step 1: move to st. Louis, mo.

step 2: become a full time grad student

step 3: get artsy barista job at locally owned coffee shop

step 4: get bangs.

(i apologize for the grainy picture and the expression on my face. i just left it because, well, that's the expression usually on my face these days)

and there you have it - from where I was when i last posted to where I am now.

this will be a fun game:

2010-10-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

can you guess what this picture is inspiring in me right now?

ps - this is the girl from 'a fine frenzy' in case you were wondering.

oh! oh! real quick . . .

2010-09-07T20:03:00.001-07:00

i would be ENTIRELY remiss if i didn't say a big ol'

happy birthday!!

to the amazing kelley kirker. here's how things would be going if we were celebrating together. . .

there are no words to sum up how i love that girl. so i'll just leave it at that.

the view from here

2010-09-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

i know i haven't written much - i've been busy. there has been city to expolore, people to meet, and lots of reading to be read. at last, though, right now, this evening - there is pie crust to be made, an andrew peterson cd to be absorbed, whiskey to be drank (or is it drunk?) and a post to be blogged. honestly - life feels almost as good as i know it is.

the past two weeks have been a blur. school is much more consuming than i expected for both justin and myself. we both spend a lot of time reading. any spare time i've had has been spent looking for a job and attempting to make this apartment my own.

for those of you who know me well, i seriously doubted this school thing at first. now, i can't imagine why. every day i get to go to class and talk about things that matter. my primary responsiblity right now is to come home and read works by these great men of God about the One who truly matters most. already i've had to read the likes of os guinness, sinclair ferguson and lesslie newbigin - i'm talking whole books, people. not to mention articles by guys you won't know but probably should. it's almost not like school (until i hit 11 pm and i've been reading since 3 with only minor breaks - then it's exactly like school). my favorite thing for now has been ferguson's book on the Holy Spirit. it's hundreds of pages on the person of the Holy Spirit and it's so intriguing and genuinely life changing. i challenge you to read about the person of the Holy Spirit and it not rock your world at least a little bit.

besides that there's the job search. after only one week i've gotten to the point of desperation. what does that mean? it means i've started thinking that manual labor jobs don't sound so bad after all. it means that youth ministry doesn't look that good on an application for a high-end cookware store. it means that i've gotten really good at writing down my last three employers and their contact info. it means that i have to rest in God's provision in a way that i only had to talk about before moving here. i'm really thankful for the whole thing.

for now, i'll leave you with this:

" The Spirit's role in Jesus' ministry is now evident, He serves as the heavenly cartographer and divine stratagist who maps out the battle terrain and directs the Warrior-King to the strategic point of conflict. he is Christ's adjutant-general in the holy war which is waged throughout the incarnation." - s.f., The Holy Spirit

just a few minor adjustments

2010-08-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

that's right, city of a thousand sights. you know what that means? it's magic code for sprawling metropolis with more interstates than my gps can handle. it means the sheer amount to explore is exhilarating and overwhelming. it also means that it can take up to 45 minutes to get somewhere in the same town. for me - it's an adjustment.

so that's where we are - here in st. louis. so far, i like it. it's not alabama, it's not south carolina, it's not home yet. but, i love our apartment (pics to come soon) and everyone has been almost over the top friendly - even the babies, and there are millions of those here in seminary housing. (by the way, i'm not drinking the water. literally, i'll only drink it if it's been through the brita filter. my scientific brain know it's biologically impossible for this kid thing to be 'in the water' and yet, there are SO many babies). i've already found a running route, two trader joe's and a dozen frozen custard places. there are also a few familiar faces here, even a couple who have known me since before i was a mrs. and that has made this whole thing much easier.

we're adjusting: adjusting to being away from the only home we've know as a married couple, adjusting to not having cable (i watched the wendy williams show today)or a spare bathroom, adjusting to washing all dishes by hand, adjusting to being full time students and not in full time youth ministry. it all just feels really different, a little foreign and like it will be normal soon enough.

fun things - like picture of my vintage oven - coming soon. until then, i'll just be here adjusting.

strong nor'easters

2010-08-05T14:22:00.001-07:00

today, i would like to move to maine. or maybe massachusetts. really anywhere that i could live in a cute little new england house with painted shingles. once there we (because you all would come with me) would eat lemon basil pasta with crab that we caught ourselves and sit on the porch drinking wine and wearing light jackets - because in the northeast there isn't a heat index of 105 degrees like there is here. wouldn't that be so lovely?

things found while packing, nights 1 and 2:

2010-08-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

yes, we're spending our evenings drinking beer and packing. i hate packing (thus, the beer) but i love finding things that i either a) lost or b) forgot that i lost. Here are my favorites from last night:

-boating license

-marriage license

-electronic bugs

-pictures of me as an awkward jr. higher

Tonight got even more fun:

- multiple wedding gifts still in boxes

-box of 'justin things' (yes, as if i were a cheesy teenager). it included concert tickets, valentines cards, 1st anniversary cards, a corsage, and some other sentimental little tidbits. i laughed at myself. but it's kind of sweet, right?

-mothers day present intended for 2007

-and this shirt from my trip to maine with my family

ahem, i have an announcement

2010-08-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

well, this will be old news to some of you - but in less than three weeks the husband and i will be leaving birmingham for the gateway to the west: st. louis. then we will be staying there. honestly, it's that second part - the part where we stay there - that is a little hard for me to take. don't get me wrong, i'm excited, we have big plans for the lou. i'm sure it will love us (justin has a past with the city, so we've got that going for us) and maybe, maybe, i will one day love it. but not like i love birmingham, not like i love the south with its sweltering heat, one snow per winter, and football obsessions. i can't talk about it right now. instead, i'll just leave you with this: the view from the nosebleeds of busch stadium. readers, meet my soon to be home.

someone help me

2010-07-27T09:25:00.001-07:00

i need new music in a major way. something upbeat, a little indie, and that invites me to sing along while sitting or driving alone. if it were a little southern it wouldn't hurt.

give me your suggestions, otherwise i'll continue listening to this little gem on repeat (which, sadly, has been my default). what is wrong with me?

a snapshot of my actual summer

2010-07-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

well, we got home this past friday from a senior high trip to south carolina, which left me with several bruises and pictures of me on facebook looking like this*:

i'm not sure which is more painful. in an hour we're hitting the road again, this time with a bus full of jr. high kids. where are we going? it's a mystery! no seriously, that's the premise of the trip. they have no idea where we're going. and, in the off chance that one of those 13 year olds takes a break from facebook to look elsewhere on the world wide web for yours truly, i can't tell you where i'm going. here's a huge hint though: tonight i get to hang out with the every extraordinary kelley. i'm about to wet my pants. here's to hoping that this trip leaves me with better souvenirs than my last one!

*most of you know me in real life, which means the utter awkwardness of this picture will not shock or surprise you at all. why did i put this here, on my blog? no idea. i guess i feel the need to prove to you all that i'm so secure that i can take it. either that, or it's just the sad truth that this is my life and i want to share it with you as honestly as possible.

summer list

2010-07-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

well, here i am again - weeks and weeks after my last post. it's almost as if life doesn't sit around and wait for me to blog before going on and on. then, like with an old friend, it gets awkward that we (me and my readers) haven't visited in a while. so when one of us does call it just seems like too big of a time commitment to answer the phone and catch up. but. that's why me and many of my friends have this deal: when i call, i don't HAVE to hear about the last 4 unknown months of your life, just the funny story that happened today will suffice. and it's ok if our first conversation in tens of weeks is only 15 minutes long. so here is my 15 minutes.

it is full force summer, and by orangette's inspiration, i would like to actually write down my summer list.

iced coffee from o'henrys.

days by the pool with chatty teenagers and the catagories game

doodles

peaches

the lake

youth trips

going to sleep to crickets and cicadas

heat lightening

grills

smell of sunscreen

sundresses

my grandmama's house

the beach

sweet tea

getting used to sweating

yes, these are the things that i expect from summer. so far, she's checked a lot off. there are probably more - so i'm giving myself permission to update the list as i see fit.

also - i'm considering making this my header: thoughts?

those eyes! those ears!

2010-06-15T09:39:00.001-07:00

This isn't the biggest or most fun thing to happen recently, it's just the cutest.

today i get to babysit this for a few hours:

quick re-cap

2010-06-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

back in my college days we would often do a re-cap at the end of a long but fun night of partying it up. it usually involved me and becca calling each other as we went to sleep in the wee hours of the morning and talking about the various events of the evening. this is going to be like a really quick version of that - except via blog, and you probably weren't there for the real thing:

- purnell vacay 2010! hilton head island, boogie boarding (surfing for sam), cookbook reading, seafood cooking, cabana lounging, free margarita drinking. i love my family.

- sam purnell staying with us for a couple days. we mostly watched x-files, courtesy of netflix.

- the summer has started. i've already been out of town for more than half of the days in june. thanks to a staff retreat and a mission trip. this is the insanity of our summer schedule, and every year it is a harsh reality. i find myself thinking "just keep swimming, just keep swimming" as we power through june and july with nary time for a breath.

-said staff retreat full of great food, fun with our colleagues that we love so much, and paul's poison ivy face. we frolicked in meadows and took hikes to ponds full of giant tadpoles. we cooked smores in the chimney remnant of the 'old homestead' and played nerts (until my constant losing led to waves of hilarious self-deprication. what? it's how i deal, and i'm funny while i deal with it).

-mission trip to Palmer Home in Hernando, Mississippi. We keep having too many kids sign up for retreats, so there were 60 of us in one house. mayhem. but really fun mayhem. i think the highlight of the trip for me was our nightly jaunts to velevet cream, a local drive up burger and ice cream place. OH and memphis - the famous rendevous restaurant wasn't ready for this girl who could (and did) shamelessly finish off a full rack of ribs. by myself. get off my back - i really like ribs.

- oh, and we're moving to st. louis in august. more on that later.

that's all the time i have. i'll be back later. thanks for reading!

old mcdonald had a farm . . .

2010-05-16T10:25:00.001-07:00

yesterday was a jam-packed day. we (the huensches, the steakleys, the littens) had 3 parties. 3! we kicked it off with a farm party and it's the only one I have pictures of. there was 4 wheel-ing, fishing, pig chasing, pig eating, baby goat and chicken holding, and lots of quality time with people we love in our church family. but since a picture is worth a thousand words. . .

me and one of the baby chickens. so. cute. i want chickens. and fresh eggs. and some chickens that stay babies forever.

kala and fish number 1 - i think she caught five in all, and only fished for 10 minutes.

sara and heidi with the baby goat. i'm pretty sure sara and i are both looking into getting one of these for our next pets. unless i find i sheep, i think i would like a sheep.

i don't know this guy - but he was the kid who caught the greased pig. that's said pig being put on his shoulders.

the best part though? seeing a huge part of our church family just enjoying being together. In the words of Mr. John Denver, "thank God I'm a country boy" (or girl).

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

just a quick little note to let the world wide web know that this woman:

is the greatest mom ever. she is much to be thanked (or perhaps blamed) for my intense love of food. she is a fantastic cook - whether it's the best shrimp and grits you've ever put in your mouth or a late night snack invented out of the odds and ends found in our kitchen and pantry. her talents do not end there, however. she can also plan an entire wedding from out of state, find you almost exactly what you want for half of what you were willing to spend or make 25 guests feel just as welcome as the 2 she thought were coming over. we did that to her. a lot. that's my mom. and i am so proud of her.

I also have to recognize this woman:

(isn't she so foxy? she would die if she knew i put this on the internet). this is jean brown, my grandmother, with my late grandfather. seriously - how gorgeous are they? going back to the food issue, i guess it all started with her. and i just got a little piece of early inheritance in the form of her cast iron skillet. it's now been used in 3 kitchens (it was her mom's) to add love and perfectly browned bottoms to countless pieces of cornbread and ham. i thank her for my rich southern heritage, my DAR membership and the occasional ability to get whatever i want from strangers. (" so, what are my chances. . . " i use that one a lot). one time grandmama needed a ride home from the atlanta airport because she lives on a farm about 45 minutes away. you know who drove her home? the pilot. only jean brown. my mom will try to make you think she didn't get these genes, but she did. as did i. they just seem to get a little diluted with each generation. anyway - i have so much to be thankful for in my grandmama. she's a go getter, and will do anything to see her kids, grandkids and great grandkids. she's lived through the depression, gone to college when it was not the easiest thing to do and taught JUNIOR HIGH for, like 30 something years. you can now find her scooting around her little south georgia town in her candy apple red caddy. can't nobody hold her down. she cracks me up.

but i'm not done! there is no way i could NOT mention my newest mom:

Dori!! she's my mother-in-law and i could not be luckier. she has made me feel so welcome in their family, and she never lets me go hungry (are you catching the theme here?). she has such a well defined sense of style and she is FUN. and the boys she brought up? let's just say she raised them right. she trained them to open doors, send flowers, shop for hours (which i should appreciate way more than i do - i'm not a shopper) and best of all - wash dishes. sigh. i really couldn't have it any better.

i love you all and truly hope you have had the wonderful mother's day that you deserve!!

just call me snow white

2010-05-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

If someone asks me what i'm up to these days, i just say i'm hanging out and rescuing animals. sunday it was the ferret, wednesday it was a bird. no joke. two animal rescues in one week. here's what happened:

as i left the office wednesday i heard one of our high school kids yelling "no way. no way. huh uh." from his car. so i went over and he yelled (because he was pretty worked up). "there's a BIRD in my CAR. i left the sunroof open!" and sure enough, there was a pretty good sized bird in the back of his SUV. he is not a frequent animal rescuer, so he didn't know what to do. honestly, it took me almost a whole minute to realize that we could just open the back of his car. so he unlocked it, and of course, asked "mom" to do it. and i DID it. and the bird flipped out and but eventually realized that we had released it from captivity and flew away. we patted ourselves on the back, and as i walked away, i heard another "no way!!" i went back to the car and laughed so hard, because there on the arm rest was a big ol' pile of bird poop. guess that bird was pretty scared. and that high schooler has some cleaning to do.

a weekend full of adventures

2010-05-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

this weekend was fantastic. I got to start it riiiigghtt on thursday night at a birmingham barrons game. for those not familiar with "thirsty thursdays" i'll give a brief explanation. you pay $7 to get into a minor league baseball game and then only $1 for every adult beverage you get. mix in a few really fun friends (even a couple out-of-towners) and you've got yourself a rockin thursday night.

then friday i went to the lake with 20 junior high girls. if you know me well, you know that i love this. tubing, swimming, playing games and eating when we're not hungry at ALL - this is a jr high lake trip. i love it. i got super bronzed. oh wait, no, i slathered on the spf 50 and by 5 pm looked like i had just stayed inside.

then last night, oh last night. that was the unexpected adventure. i was home alone for the evening (thus experimenting with kale - that's for a later post), until about 9 pm when j practically bursts down the door in excitement, yelling "wife man - the ferret, i saw the ferret!!" he started digging through our trash for a flyer we had received friday about a lost ferret (yes, we both looked at the flyer, laughed, and flippently said 'that ferret is long gone'). i quickly grabbed an empty laundry basket and we ran down to the bottom floor where j had allegedly seen this missing ferret. yep, there it was - poking its little head out of a storage closet. we quickly devised a plan: i would stay with the ferret, keep it in the vicinity, while j ran to find another flyer. there i was alone with the ferret ( on the phone with sara - because i couldn't think of anyone more likely to keep a lost pet flyer) for at least 7 minutes. we bonded, he sniffed, i patted. and by the time j got back, having already called the ferret - losers, me and yoki were fast friends. the distraught couple showed up about 5 minutes later to find us playing with a ferret in a laundry basket and were so grateful that the guy offered us the shirt off of his back. we politely declined and said that the satisfaction of seeing yoki returned was the only necessary reward. just kidding. we didn't say that. somehow we didn't get a single picture, but this is pretty accurate:

if you ask me. . .

2010-04-21T06:57:00.001-07:00

these are the things that you should be looking into and at these days. you can thank me in the comments section.

Mumford and Sons. get their cd. i apologize in advance for the profanity, but despite the occasional cuss, the entire album is quite redemptive. and if you ask me, that matters.

The Price of Privilege by Madeline Levine. If you have kids, work with kids, hang out with teenagers, or grew up in an affluent or success driven family, you should read it. It's easy to get through, and very informative.

David Gray in concert. SO STINKIN GOOD. seriously, it was incredible. if you get the chance to go listen to him play - take it. you won't regret it. justin and i went to see him at the ryman (for justin's birthday) and it was the best birthday present i ever got him.

because i'm so scholarly

2010-04-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

oh gracious, there is just SO much. i shall have to take it one piece at a time. The first piece? Thanks to holly (of a little seed, a little water blog) I wasted precious time on the internet finding this fabulous item:

it's a stamp! and i can put it in all my books! it's a cute, sweet way to say "don't steal my stuff." (anyone pick up the spoony luv reference? anyone? anyone?). all of a sudden i'm convinced that everyone needs a book stamp (or embosser if you're really fancy like my husband) that perfectly reflects their personality. btw, my choice between this one and a tree was difficult, but the fonts in this one total prevailed. you can find tons of fun book stamps on etsy.

happy birthday?

2010-03-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

this is a book - like a coffee table book - that justin's dad sent him for his birthday. at least, i think that's why he sent it. it is exactly what it looks like. a book full of carrot-top kids. i will say that again: it is a book full of carrot-top kids. kids with red hair from every state. it is so weird, it is hilarious and particularly at home on this huge-A coffee table in this cozy little home of redheads.

i hope this isn't supposed to be a hint

ps - sorry it's sideways. i just tried, like, 4 ways to get it turned the right way, and even though it looks normal in EVERY OTHER application and location, every time it uploads it here, it's sideways. just turn your head to the side.

it's come to this.

2010-03-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

obviously i've gotten SUPER serious about working out. why else would i be drinking this? i'll tell you why. because i always crave chocolate milk after i work out, and the guy at the desk convinced me that this would be really good for my muscles. with any luck, i'll be buff like my dad in no time.

2010-03-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

last night we went to see Over the Rhine at Workplay and it was spectacular. it was so good that i kind of wanted to join the people behind us chanting "OTR forever!!!!" thanks to a really crowded workplay we shared a table with my new friend Sarah. in fact, it was a conversation i had with Sarah (between musical acts of course - we're not rude) that inspired my next list:

the person i wish i was. . .

- listens to NPR and understands, nay, enjoys it.

- is entirely comfortable going to a concert alone.

- enjoys records (like vinyl) more that recorded reality shows.

- reads, then uses what she has read to have intellectually stimulating conversation

- has her own pilates mat and attends regular classes

- cares less about her clothes and more about people

- siezes the day each morning with coffee, alone time and a run, bright and early, instead of clinging to her bed for as many minutes as possible.

- can articulate why certain moments are so funny

- is patient enough to find awesome crap in thrift stores.

let's be honest, that's a short list but its all i have time for. because the person i really am is late for tutoring.

the curse of the pale-skins

2010-03-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

This is the sun. Yesterday he decided to return to Birmingham. I was so happy to see him that i spent all day outside. Now, my legs feel like fire. I wish my melanin would get with the program.

2010-03-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

for the past 5 days, i've been sick. not quite go-to-the-dr-and-get-a-note kind of sick, more the just i-feel-bad-enough-to-be-whiney-and-annoying-in-public sick. i have a cough that seemed to really annoy the girl in front of me at sound of music. and my head consistently feels like its about to explode. so i've been taking drugs, whining to my husband and attempting to rest. when i do have an appetite i seem to be craving really fresh things, like this gem of a recipe from smitten kitchen. it is DE-LISH-US. Even Justin took a few bites then got himself a plate. it combines some of my old favorites: fresh green beans, arugula, corn - with my new favorite: pearled barley. SO GOOD i tell you. fresh, healthy and full of goodness. it was perfect for this sunny tease of a day.

sigh. even HE can't bat 1000

2010-03-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

last night my husband helped clean out a closing book store. this morning he was cleaning out boxes and boxes of cheesy Christian books that the owner donated to the church. then this conversation happened:

husband: hey, who is that south carolina author who wrote all those books?

me: pat conroy?

husband: yeah. would you have wanted some signed copies of those books?

me: YES!!

husband: sorry i didn't get those for you.

sigh. seriously? he's not from the s.c. he just doesn't know.

how come i never. . . .

2010-03-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

1. cook low fat appetizers for girl parties? i'm sure that somewhere out there is a GOOD appetizer that doesn't include a whole block of cream cheese or a cup of mayo.

2. use the tiny little video camera that i own to record how funny me and my friends are?

3. eat the greek yogurt i continue to buy because i think it's cool? maybe the better question is: why do i keep buying it?

4. take my two pint glasses of change to the bank to get that cizash. they are just taking up space.

5. write whole posts on how awesome my husband is? (um, because that would be cheesy and sappy, and i'm not that into it. still, he is that awesome.)

Well, that's it for now. Signing off:

Emily

China Baby

2010-02-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

To the glory of God, our church has developed a heart for orphans all around the world. yes, i know it's trendy, but its still good. as one who is generally resistant to bandwagons i have learned that some things can be trendy AND good at the same time (see mens v necks as women's shirts, slap bracelets, justin timberlake and serve-yourself-yogurt bars). so all that to say, we've had several international adoptions in our church within the past few years, and i LOVE it. why? because foreign babies are often cuter than american babies and i can be a little inappropriate and call this little one "the china baby."

oh yeah, and what brought all this up? our friend danny just sent me an email to ask if chinese babies were invited to our party.

is it too late to become rebellious?

2010-02-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

sometimes when i watch movies about people that rebel against powers that be in order to pursue the greater good it makes me want to be more rebellious. yesterday i did a little bit of sticking it to the man myself. i think harry potter would be proud. that's right - i
a. snuck into a sold out movie
b. carried in contraband candy and (are you ready for this) . . . a salad.

and yes, every time someone in an official red vest walked in i quickly stashed my salad and tried to look nonchalant. maybe being rebellious takes some practice.

Dear Girl Scouts,

2010-02-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

i keep hearing rumors that it's girls scout cookie time. please come to my door and save me the trouble of combing every wal-mart parking lot within 20 miles.

save us both the trouble.

my new mission

2010-01-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

so, those of you who are lucky enough to hang out with me and the husband man have noticed that im starting to get puppy fever. if you're not familiar with puppy fever it's a lot like baby fever - minus the baby, plus a puppy. i want a dog. and i want it bad. the husband man is ever practical and has pointed out that we live in a two bedroom apartment, work more than full time jobs and (the kicker) we're gone half the summer. not a great life for a dog. i don't care. it's like i'm blinded by a desire to have a furry little friend who adores me. i think i'm starting to wear justin down, because today sent me an email and told me we could get this dog:

See more funny videos and Funny Videos at Today's Big Thing.

i laughed til my eyes watered. . .

2010-01-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

This is just a friendly reminder that once you put something on the internet. . . it's out there. For people like me to find.

resourcefulness

2010-01-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Well, my office window doesn't have curtains or blinds, and about 3:20 the sun shines directly over the trees, through the glass and into my eyes. Luckily Sara, my office-mate, loaned me these. I feel like a rock star.

just a typical day at the office. . .

2010-01-11T13:39:00.001-08:00

It's the holiday season. . . and boop di doop, bibitty bop.

2009-12-14T09:24:00.001-08:00

we are so very classy.

the holidays so far: a summary

2009-12-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

This is the past week and a half in pics from my iphone:

i call this one: tree with tumor. This is our Christmas tree and I love it. I even love that it looks like a mini tree is growing our of the top. Thanks to some friends, it has gotten a little more "dressed" since this picture was taken.

this one is: burning the candle at both ends. i did a lot of figuratively burning the candle at both ends LAST week. this week i have enough time on my hands to literally burn a candle at both ends.

and this one is : addie grace got a hold of my phone. she's a natural, maybe even the next frida kahlo. minus the uni-brow.

way better than the pilgrims' . . .

2009-11-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

That's how i would describe our feast this past thursday. This is my mom:

And only she could fix thanksgiving dinner for 10, serve it all on her brand new back deck and do it all without a dishwasher, an ounce of stress or one word of complaint. She's pretty amazing.

(photo courtesy of my very talented sister-in-law, Katie Purnell)

sometimes i make things more difficult than they need to be

2009-11-10T09:21:00.001-08:00

if i had cleaned this up after 2 weeks verses 4, it would have been a lot easier. . .

a post about posting

2009-11-09T09:31:00.001-08:00

i cannot think of a single thing to blog today that would be funny without being t.m.i. especially for the world wide web.

so we have some traditions

2009-11-01T19:58:00.000-08:00

i've always loved holiday traditions. trick or treating at halloween, calling our meal a feast at thanksgiving (because it always is - duh), the advent calendar before Christmas, opening stockings first, getting mad at mom for taking too many pictures Christmas morning, yeah - all of those. well i think if three years in a row doesn't make something a tradition then i, uh, then it, um, well it just DOES. so here is this set of october traditions:

making caramel apples with this guy (whose comments on my "mom skills" will have to be an entirely new post)
Creating a ridiculously original and time consuming jack-o-lantern (this was all husband man)

blowing everyone away with our artistic (haha-get it) halloween costumes. props to kelley for the inspiration.

and impulse buying vintage cowboy boots. hey they were a deal. i think. hey becca, "they're my i don't need a job, i don't need my dad, cause i've got new boots, boots."

And there we have it. Hope everyone had a great October. Here's to November!!!

zombie girl

2009-10-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

last night i was a zombie for a murder mystery party. this is what team huensch can do with 20 minutes and 9 dollars worth of supplies.

love of my life.

2009-10-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

here are two reasons i love my husband:

this was the text conversation we had last night:

Oct 5, 2009 7:52 pm

me: at the y, coming home in 30 min!

him: The y?! It's Brett Favre night!

me: want me to just come home? Idon't feel so good anyway

him: it's up to you but i wouldn't mind

me: Ok. But you have to act like i'm not fat

him: it wouldn't be an act.

boys, take note. always give your wife/girlfriend/girl of interest an excuse to skip out on the gym and still make her feel pretty. also, put up with the crazy.

and reason number 2:

this morning he sent me this video

prepare for shallowness

2009-09-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

a rainy day off means crying over friday night lights and being able to tune in to a rachel zoe project marathon. sigh. i'll take it.

i think that being able to shop like liv tyler would be ideal. Rachel could pick out all these clothes in my perfect size and style and then i could just pick what i liked without having to do the math of how much each item is vs. how much is in my bank account. not only that, but a gay guy could gush over how fierce i looked in every piece. talk about a self esteem booster. maybe one day when i strike it rich. and famous. cause you know, that's what normally happens to pastors' wives.

nightmares

2009-09-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

before you let your eyes scan down the page, please know that i love each and every one of you. why do you need to keep that in mind? because what you're about to see may give you nightmares (like it gave me).

there are, of course, a million things to talk about when it comes to the VMA's last night. the only one i have time to address right now is the image that crept right into my zombie fighting dream last night. lady gaga in her acceptance speech outfit. what about it is so so creepy? it literally makes me feel uneasy to look at. here it is. . . .

yeah, i'm sorry.

unexpected glee

2009-09-10T08:39:00.001-07:00

So today i had this one hour break in meeting people to eat food, and at first i was really disappointed that i couldn't fill it with a couple of the things that, at the time, felt like the HAD To be done. then i remembered. i have glee on my dvr. and i have a couch. done. all of a sudden being time efficient seems much less important.

our future offspring

2009-09-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

With any luck, this is how our future offspring will turn out. Long live the Huenschhold.

rediscovering the classics

2009-08-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

well, i'm single for the weekend. the husband man is in st. louis drafting a fake football team and i am here - eating things without meat and watching old movies that happen to come on t.v. The first thing i did that is noteworthy is to make pioneer woman's lemon pasta. it is incredible. go make it right now, because the leftovers are even better.

the second thing i've done is watch a couple old movies. now, i'm not super into old movies, but these last two have been stellar. the first stars Dolly Parton (aka grandma dolly) and Burt Reynolds and it came out one month after i was born. If any of you are above the age of 21 you've got to check out "the best little whorehouse in texas" - its just so fun. yes, i realize that i have major moral issues with the premise but its burt and dolly in a musical! i stayed up til almost 2 am just to finish watching it. sigh. i wish she were really my grandma.

movie number two - bonnie and clyde. did you know that warren beatty used to be hot? yeah. its true, and faye dunaway in this movie could be my fashion inspiration. (and she kind of makes me want to wear fake eyelashes). i'm actually still watching it. i'll let you know how i feel about it when its over.

oh, and i saw julie and julia and in julia child's honor sara, jana and i are going to conquer julia's boef bourginion. it will take at least 4 hours and probably just as many bottles of wine. i'll let you know how that goes too.

ahhh, the single life.

if your life were a movie. . .

2009-08-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

who would play you? it's one of my favorite questions to ask at dinner, road trips, awkward silences and during forced conversation. i don't know why i'm so fascinated with it (because seriously, like my life is movie worthy) but i am. so a couple nights ago i was at a movie - (500) days of summer - with the husband man and it clicked. Zooey Deschanel (who i love) would play a great Kelley Kirker!

so with that revelation i just thought i would give you all a window into my twisted mind. and of course, give you the ok to dream up who would play you in a movie. Here's another good example. charlotte botsford. . . .

tina fey.

feel free to leave your thoughts on the comment page (or, i mean, who would play me. but whatever, things don't always have to be all about me.)

a little of this, a little of that

2009-08-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I've been away for so long. Those of you that know me well know how crazy our schedule gets in the summer and those of you who don't - wow, thanks for reading my blog. I'll try to give you a brief but witty update.

Summer was great, we managed to make it to the Dominican, Chattanooga, South Carolina, the Lake, the Gulf, and Pisgah, Alabama. I've stayed mostly in one piece and i'm pretty sure i still have a husband and he's one of the people that is always in my apartment - it's gotten a little crazy in there but in a way that i love.

I have no new recipes unless someone needs to know how to prepare kraft mac and cheese, make scrambled eggs or order at a restaurant.

I'm just now getting back into music that DIDN'T come from a disney channel or american idol star. So no good music recommendations.

I did get some reading done (Julie and Julia, the last Harry Potter book, and a lot of tweets - because those count).

And we still don't have a dog. That's about it. Hopefully things will pick up and as students are back in school i will have more time for blogging. Here's to the fall. . .

dog days of summer

2009-07-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

I finally feel like i have something noteworthy to write about. Before today, my only story possibilities have been centered around youth trips, failed culinary attempts and how flippin exhuasted i am. But today, today has not one but TWO real stories. both about dogs (which is a total coincidence).

First, lets talk about the new dent in my car. i know how much my readers like a visual, so

check this out:

Yep, the paint is gone and there is a real dent in the bottom. Now, the Protege is no stranger to dents - its the story behind this one that makes it fun. This humdinger was caused by a "skitish" boxer whose owner had thought it prudent to tie her fully grown 40 pound dog to a metal chair outside a coffee shop. I mean, I am known to make some bad judgement calls but this was ridiculous. Our youth staff was sitting outside and this lady left her dog near us while she ran in to get some water. No sooner had Lauren said "hey emily, there's a free dog" than the dog got spooked by a particularly loud car and bolted. Yes, bolted, dragging the chair behind her, right in between the Protege and Lauren's car. She ran into the street, into a parking lot - hitting cars and more cars in the process. We started to chase her but about that time a fireman emerged from nowhere (yes, a fireman - how good does this get?) and took over. The fireman and the owner of the dog finally caught her after she was slowed by her chair catching on a giant blue postal service mail drop. Chair - ruined, scratches in at least two cars, and a nasty gash in the dogs tongue. It was quite the scene.

Story number two. Chris got a dog!!!! And since I can't have one I shall have to live vicariously through him. We spent a good 2 hours at the humane society today picking this guy out: How cute is he?!

Ps - both pictures courtesy of my new iphone. yes, i love it.

summers booty

2009-06-27T10:56:00.001-07:00

i mean bounty (wink wink).

the past two days have been FULL of the fruits of summer. yesterday we went blackberry and blueberry picking with some sweet jr. high girls. two words: yummy and hot. seriously, i sweated buckets as we picked the sweetest, plumpest blueberries and blackberries. when was the last time you ate a juicy blackberry warmed by the sun, right off the vine? for me - yesterday. before that - probably a solid 10 years. it was such a garden of eden kind of experience, if that's not going too far.

then this morning me and the husband man headed over to the farmers market at Pepper place. It's like a farmers market for over the mountain people. local organic farmers and gourmet restaurants all in one place. its really fun. and we got some good looking squash and chilton county peaches. also, it was really hot. welcome to june in the south. i like it.

It would be a disservice to my 3 readers for me NOT to post this.

2009-06-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

So, last night was one of those "surprise, we're both home for dinner" nights. and due to the fact that my pantry is filled to the brim with odds and ends AND i've maxed out my made up grocery budget. If it were just me? Pasta and frozen pesto (my mom's homemade frozen pesto, straight from the s.c.) The only problem was, i'm married to a meat eater. What meat did i have in the house? a jar of dried beef and one frozen pork tenderloin. The true miracle part of this story is that i realized i needed to take the pork out of the freezer at 3:30 pm. And it was thawed by 7! Now, let me tell you what you need to do with a pork tenderloin. it turned out so well, and was so easy, and my husband man said it was wonderful (i thought it was too).

Typical Pork Tenderloin

1. preheat your oven to 400 and get out either 1 ovenproof skillet OR one skillet plus one roasting pan or baking sheet.

2.Take a pork tenderloin, try to cut off the silvery skin ( i never really succeed at this part, but i got off enough of it. Wash your hands, and combine the following in a little tiny bowl:

1 tsp of dried thyme

1 Tbsp of kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 clove of garlic, minced

3. Take that stuff in the little bowl and rub it all over the pork tenderloin. All the sides, you can even make a couple slits in it and stuff the garlic pieces down in there.

4. Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in your skillet and heat it up over medium high heat. Use your kitchen tongs (if you don't have tongs, go buy some). And brown the pork on every side: bottom, side, top, side. This should only take a couple minutes per side. Then, using potholders (because i didn't) move your ovenproof skillet into the preheated oven. If you're using a baking sheet or roasting pan - move the pork tenderloin to that and put it in the oven.

5. Bake at 400 for about 14 minutes - or until you can stick a thermometer in it and it says 155 degrees. Take it out and just let it sit there for 5 minutes. It'll keep cooking (seriously, its weird - the pink part will actually get not pink as it sits there).

6. Slice and serve!! Last night mine happened to be kept company by cous cous and a wedge salad. But do what you want.

You can also change up the seasoning - but i would suggest keeping salt in there no matter what. I'll let you know if i try any other variations that are particularly good.

Quick, easy, and satisfies the meat lover. Done.

and then THIS GUY appeared. . . .

2009-06-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

These alien bugs keep just appearing, out of nowhere, in my sink. They scare the crap out of me and when i smash them their little legs keep wiggling. It grosses me out. And i'm not easily grossed out. Plus, every time they appear Justin isn't even at home. So i call him. And let him know that the bug has appeared and that i trapped it and that i took a picture of it and that i will kill it with HIS flip flop. (and maybe one time i just left it there so he could see it)

Come sail away! come sail away!

2009-06-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been a giant musical ball of fun here in the magic city. It's city stages 09 - a three day festival in downtown bham that brings in dozens of talented acts and almost as many funnel cake stands.

My dear friend lucy bought us weekend passes for my birthday. It was a sweet gift - even a little nostalgic since last years city stages was such a memorable weekend for us. This years though? It blew 08 out of the water. Friday night we joined the aging baby boomers for .38 special, Styx and REO Speedwagon. I believe my quote in the Birmingham news is "Those guys might be old but they still rock." Ya'll. They do. They were really good. And Styx is still wearing the same stuff they were wearing when they started making in big. I know what you're thinking - how could a night like this get any better? I'll tell you how: the Indigo Girls.

For those who don't know, i am a pretty big indigo girls fan. They're just so talented and in concert they make it seem so effortless. Plus, they just have a way with words and harmonies and fitting all of it together. So we sang along to Galileo, Closer to Fine and (my personal favorite) Hammer and a Nail. We danced with grey-haired ladies and androgynous hippies. It was a blast.

Plus, we made friends with the corn-dog and funnel cake man. Now that's a good weekend.

the DR, briefly

2009-06-09T06:22:00.001-07:00

because i know all of you were on pins and needles, anxiously awaiting my return from the 3rd world to the blogosphere (isn't that what they call it?) i'm writing this very short post just to let you know that yes, i made it back safely. i'm also still a little exhausted (because going on a week-long mission trip then jumping straight into vbs will do that to you) so this one will be short and sweet.

our trip. was. incredible. i have never been anywhere where there is so much need, and so much gratefulness. these people need food and clothing, but they desperately need Jesus. i think that is the greatest thing that i took away. Christ IS life and He alone is able to give the security and hope that all of us long for - it's just easier to see that He is what really matters when there is truly not a whole lot else there.

thank you so much for your prayers (and some of you, your financial support). Justin and I couldn't have done it without both. please know that you will be hearing more about this country and what the Lord is doing there. and if you get REALLY into it, i'm putting the blog on my daily obsessions. this is perhaps one of my healthier ones.

this is one of my favorite parts of my job: watching these students as they share Christ and His love with others (and end up a little changed themselves in the process).

the worst ideas

2009-05-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

ok, fine. i'll admit it. the picture a day thing was a bad idea. or at least an unrealistic one. its been busy. in this week alone we've had g and mrs. g, an overnight staff retreat, and we're leaving on a mission trip to the DR. (that's Dominican Republic - not a doctor). sooooo - there goes the image of the day.

and yes, seriously, we're going to the DR. you can get daily updates at www.dominicanmissiontrip.blogspot.com. So that could end up being like a daily picture, right? We'll take any prayers to want to pray on our behalf. We're REALLY excited, but, as always, its a little stressful too. Adios!!!

oh, the other worst idea was taking benadryl to go to sleep last night. a little groggy this morning.

a good excuse for cobbler

2009-05-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

so todays pic is the FABULOUS blackberry cobbler that we made last night. yes, we. me and my sister-in-law. i mean, blackberries are in season and pretty cheap. why would you not make cobbler? plus, there was some vanilla frozen yogurt in my freezer just begging for a companion (which i tried to give her last night in the form of a peanut butter/chocolate chip concoction - but that was a huge fail.) i used the recipe that you can find here and it was totally simple and absolutely tasty. let me warn you, it has to cook for an hour. so if you are like me and tend to be a little on the impatient side be prepared to exercise some self control. (or to distract yourself with some hardcore huensch family mario kart) once out of the oven its all brown and golden and perfect. sigh. and it looks so cute in my new little latte bowls.

on another note: i want an internet nickname for myself. any suggestions?

It's true, there is nothing like 'em.

2009-05-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Despite calling Alabama home for almost 5 years(!!!!!) i have never been to the legendary Dreamland BBQ. Well, i had never been to dreamland. Yesterday we changed that. At the beginning of this year, i made husband man listen to me as i listed all of the things i wanted to do in 2009. The original dreamland in Tuscaloosa was one of them. All it took was G and Mrs. G coming down for a little memorial day visit for husband man to make it happen. Let me tell you. Worth. The. Wait. All they serve is ribs and white bread and bbq sauce (and maybe some slaw?) and that is perfectly ok. We devoured 2 slabs of ribs and then moseyed on back to the giant brick fire pit where they cook them. There were, like, 20 slabs of ribs just hanging out, waiting to be ordered. I now understand why dreamland is on everyone (and yes, i mean everyone - even the new york times) places you MUST eat. What they say is true, "there ain's nothin' like 'em nowhere."

*in the picture, i don't know that lady. she was awkwardly standing there and since it was raining i didn't feel like waiting for her to move. but that's g and mrs. g standing beneath the sign. for those of you not familiar, g is husband man's twin brother and mrs. g is, well, his wife. we like them a LOT and are thrilled that they're down here for a visit.

"did that gorilla just throw up and eat it?!"

2009-05-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

As promise, image of the day. This is yesterday's image - four high school girls walking like giraffes through the zoo. We decided that since we were in the "savannah" and there was all this great african music playing, we should probably walk like giraffes. The girls were better at it than me - probably because most of them had the legs of giraffes.

your first "image of the day" post. aka: 9 years in the making

2009-05-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

So i did it! i managed to get a picture from yesterday JUST to put it on the blog. and here it is. . .

Now the explanation: this is me in my gamecocks t-shirt. it is undeniably my favorite t-shirt and THAT my friends, is what has been 9 years in the making. i bought this shirt when i bought my textbooks at south carolina my FRESHMAN YEAR. and that was 9 years ago. since then it has been worn to about 70% of the south carolina games i have attended (football, basketball, baseball, and maybe a soccer game?) and its not just a game shirt, its an everyday shirt. this t-shirt is the ONE out of my whole basket of t-shirts that fits perfectly - not too snug, not too baggy, perfect length, perfect sleeves. and honestly, all my love and wear and care are starting to show. its got the slightly freyed collar and a few mysterious stains. but its just so soft, and has the gamecocks on it. it shall never be replaced. on to other questions. . .

you may ask "emily, why were you wearing this particular t-shirt last night?" and i will tell you. the husband man bought us tickets to the SEC tournament! and last night carolina played the tide. and you know what? we won. and all 20 carolina fans in the hoover met rejoiced. well, as much as you can rejoice at 2 in the morning when the game was wrapped up in the 11th inning by a 4 run streak by the gamecocks. i'm so tired right now.

so to sum it up, here's my 5 things from last night:

5. glad to see the shirt still has it

4. even at the ripe old ages of 23 and 26, sara and i will still gross people out with tmi about rotting toenails.

3. we got to see a bama coach get ejected from the game. all of you who left in the 9th missed quite a show

2. in birmingham, bama fans far outweigh the carolina fans (yes, so obvious, but seriously it was baaaad)

1. i really DO have a thoughtful husband.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COCKS!

guests are the bests

2009-05-19T08:57:00.001-07:00

oh my word, it is so pretty outside. 65 degrees, sunny and breezy. it almost makes a whole weekend full of rain and cold worth it. the weekend wasn't all bad though. in fact, it wasn't even a little bad. you know why. . . . because jay and janice and jean brown were here!!

and the bad news is that i just tried to look at my photos of us, and they're all fuzzy. boo. so just take my word for it - we're a beautiful family who isn't afraid to have spend the night parties that include all 5 of us in a tiny two bedroom apartment. huge kudos to my parents who slept on air mattresses.

we had an awesome weekend. they came, we ate, we visited, we slept a little, ate, visited, ate, visited, ate, visited. and somewhere in there we drove around the city to show my grandmother jean the fabulous sights and sounds (and tastes) of birmingham, al. she loved it. we loved how much she loved it.

they also came bearing gifts. yes, mom did her typical thing and brought me little things for my home AND two BOXES full of little letters, keepsakes, pictures, etc that have been just taking up space in my old room. let me tell you, sitting with your husband and parents and grandmother and going through all the things you thought were important enough to keep when you were in 9th grade is a weird experience. how about the notes from boys at camp? or the notes from friends about the boys at camp? plus countless yearbook pictures, prom memorabilia and some congratulatory letters from the sc house of representatives? (seriously, there were two - one on being a beauty pageant runner up and the other on winning the state SAT championship. i'm a huge nerd). it was really amazing how much stuff i threw out.

if i were smart enough to keep my camera battery charged i would have pictures of my boxes of junk - all artsy like. but i'm not. but my goal for the next 10 days is to take at least one picture each day. yeah, i like that. one pic a day for the next 10 days. done. i said it. look forward to that.

as promised: backpacking pictures

2009-05-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

these are courtesy of sara, staff photographer.

Here's our backpacking crew: John, Robert, Sara, Justin and yours truly. see how fresh and clean we are? see our smiling faces and our feet full of energy and youthful vigor?

A couple miles into the hike. Gorgous, huh? And the mountains aren't bad either (yeah, get it? like i'm saying justin's gorgeous? funny? no? ok)

And now a waterfall shot of all the boys. this is day two, and we were all doing a LOT better than on day one.

And Sara and I in our classic Sara and Emily pose. we try to take these everywhere we go!

and now this guy is governor?

2009-05-10T10:53:00.001-07:00

i'll make this short, but i felt like i needed to blog about this. i'm watching Eraser, the Arnold Swarzenager (i'm giving up on spelling that) movie from 1996. i mean, he's such a hero. in the past 10 minutes alone he's jumped out of a plane, caught a parachute mid-air, put it on, avoided getting hit by the same plane by shooting out the windshield and just now he saved himself and vivica by letting loose some alligators on the bad guys. oh, and arnold isn't the only awesome thing about the movie. they've got photon laser guns that shoot through houses and allow the shooter to watch the milk you're drinking go down your esophagus. this is just ridiculous. and the best way to spend this stormy sunday.

also - did anyone see justin timberlake on snl last night? i have such a huge crush on him. don't worry, justin's fine with it.

into the wild (or, "how the youth staff tried to get justin to love the outdoors")

2009-05-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

this past thursday i had a chance to do something that i haven't done in quite a while: load up a pack with 30 pounds of stuff and march into the wilderness with my fellow youth staffers. i'll be honest, 3 weeks ago when someone threw out the idea of a youth staff backpacking trip, i put the odds of it actually happening at about 5 to 1 (does that mean i didn't think it would happen? i don't really understand odds). but it did!

our original plan was 3 days on the cumberland trail and around prentice cooper state forest. day one changed the plan a little bit. why? well, after getting started later than we wanted, finding out what we thought was 5 miles would really be 7, and then adding on 3 miles by taking some unintended detours, we were starting to hurt pretty bad. oh, and did i mention that for the last 4 miles we were racing against SUNSET?! i realized my shoes were a little small, that my knee did not appreciate a lot of down and uphill, and that my lower back does, in fact, realize that i am approaching the ripe old age of 27. sweet mercy, i haven't been in that much pain for a while. my greatest comfort was (and is) that most of my team felt the same way. we ended up making it to the campsite just in time. we had enough light to gather some wood, filter water and set up tents but that was IT. but who cares when you have a roaring fire? or cup o'noodles? or you're in the prettiest campsite ever right next to a rushing river? someone else on the team said "i have never wanted to quit something so bad in my entire life, but i knew that i couldn't do it. there was no option besides getting to the campsite". in my opinion, that is the best and worst thing about backpacking. you sometimes have to push yourself because there is simply no other option.

after the standard night of very little sleep - followed in the morning by a thunderstorm moving through, we re-evaluated our plan. aching bodies and a 70% chance of more storms the next night made us decide to cut the trip to one night. our second day was spent hiking 6 miles out through some of the most beautiful forest ever. stunning overlooks, waterfalls, and what seemed like half the trail turned into creeks (it was wet, people) made me almost wish we could do it again the next day then my feet reminded me that they hate me. i will now give you my top 5 highlights:

5. our campsite by the river

4. the sound of thunderstorms rolling in in the morning

3. actually making it to our campsite

2. front row seat to sara's great fall (after which she got up and acted like nothing happened, leaving behind two nalgenes IN a creek. i was already laughing so hard i couldn't tell her to come back. i mean, she acted like it JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN. that made it so much funnier)

1. my husband saying he would do it again (now, you need to know, i love backpacking. justin - not so much. he's tough, he's in shape, but he loves his indoor sports and not going 2 days without a shower. this was a very big deal.)

and hopefully there will be pictures to come. and hopefully, in those pictures, i will look awesome.

an injury haiku (warning, contains a bit of gore)

2009-04-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

a blow to the head

now he looks like rocky b.

he is my husband

* ok, he looks more like rocky TODAY because its all swollen and black and blue. but seriously, its quite a gash. he hit it playing basketball, left blood all over the court. then went to our friends' house and got stitched up while laying on the kitchen counter. how gross is that?

my new career and my not so new hobby

2009-04-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

tonight i blog from my kitchen table - or my dining room table - whichever way you want to look at it, and i have SO MANY things to tell you about. where to begin? on my fashionista friday? or my sunday night boredom creations? or the most recent savory recipe that i sort of got from an old southern living? well, for lack of a better plan, we'll just go in that order. no pics tonight, just a lot of links, and maybe a couple recipes. so here we go.

fasionista friday, or, "the day of little dreams" was something that my sweet friend amelia came up with. she needed some high fashion pics for her portfolio (she's a truly gifted photographer and artist), her friend fran needed some test subjects for some out there high fashion hair, and ruthie and i didn't have to work on friday. what came of this? check it out here, at her blog. it was one of the most fun days i've had in quite a while. i mean, who doesn't want to be a model for a day? and yes, i mean, a day. i don't know if i could actually be in a career that involves sitting in hair and make up for two hours, dressing up as a hot mess, and holding almost awkward poses in the blazing heat on a daily basis. but for a day? i was americas next top model. keep in mind, anything that looks great in those pictures is the product of 4 artistic geniuses. (fran on hair, jen on make up, kelly on wardrobe and amelia behind the camera). i think miss j would be proud.

tonight i got bored and started browsing food blogs. have i told you about my new food blog obsession? they're like cookbooks but better. i think they're better because its all these recipes that someone else has already tried and they can tell you how they turn out! plus, if you stalk them long enough, like i do, you start feeling like they're your friends. anyway, the product of all this boredom and food blog reading is these yummy little cookies from orangette. if you want a delicious cookie recipe that is so easy you don't even need a mixer, this is what you're looking for. a huge shout out and thank you to sara who provided the yogurt. i'm telling you, it is awfully handy having the littens in the same apartment complex. now they're done and sitting all chocolatey and gooey on my counter and the only thing left to decide is - do i want my dessert with red wine or milk?

and last night's culinary creations. saturday night ended up being the ONLY night this past week that both justin and i have been home for dinner. so, i felt like it called for some cooking. i made becca's party chicken - it was delish. you should all get that recipe from her. and to go along with it i made this corn and zucchini skillet from a southern living way back in 2001. the main reason that this was convenient was that zucchini and corn were absurdly cheap at the grocery store, and i'm a sucker for sale produce. when i found this recipe i was sold. i changed it beyond recognition, so now i will give you the huenschhold corn and zucchini skillet (mine, btw, was way better for you and i am sure much tastier):

Huenschhold Corn and Zucchini

2 small zucchini

2 ears of corn

1 Tbsp butter (or, cut out the butter and use all olive oil if you wanna be real healthy)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

about a teaspoon of lemon pepper

salt to taste

Crumbled feta (i used about 1/4 cup)

fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Cut zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then thinly slice them crosswise. cut kernals off corn and into a bowl.

Melt butter with oil in a skillet (i used a 10 inch omlet pan) over medium high heat. Add zucchini and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes.

Add corn, lemon pepper and salt and continue to saute until zucchini is soft. Top with feta and keep heating until cheese melts. Serve with fresh basil on top. SOOOOO GOOOOD.

the original recipe also called for pimentos and mozzerella instead of feta. i don't know, ours was REALLY good. you could probably use just about any kind of cheese you wanted, and it would be great.

and that's all i've got for right now. i'm off to eat some cookies.

I love the earth

2009-04-22T12:28:00.001-07:00

But, for the record, not as much as i love human life. but no time for that discussion - happy earth day everyone! i'm "celebrating" by working from my porch. saving gas? saving, um, i don't know. our office has no internet so we're here. 3 out of five of us.

also, there are so many bees out here! they're boring into the wood above our windows. big ol bumble bees. and i'm not very worried because we just rent this apartment and we've told maintenance about this and they don't seem to be very worried.

plus, out here i can look at my herb garden, which is growing like crazy. that picture is me and some home grown oregano, which i have a lot of. any ideas for fun things to do with oregano?

this is why some have called me "granola crunchy"

2009-04-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

I have always sort of loved the term "granola" when it is used in reference to people who love the outdoors and all things "natural." in fact, i once heard someone off handedly say "oh, you're from chapin? that makes sense. people from chapin are granola." maybe i like using this as a descriptive term because i love the actual granola cereal SO much. i buy it regularly and it constantly sits in my pantry, snuggled tightly between the cocoa puffs and lucky charms. well, now that i'm obsessed with this blog called "orangette" and SHE makes her own granola, i decided to try it out. i know this may make me at total hippie wanna be, or one of those girls who is too cheap to buy stuff store bought (chicken stock is my next undertaking) but after making this bag of beautiful goodness, i might never go back.

so true to recent form, i will include the recipe for all of you. mine is adapted from orangette's which is adapted from nigella lawson. the greatest thing about granola is that you can totally work it how you wanna work it. like dried fruit? add a ton! hate sesame seeds (like me)? leave them out! wanna add coconut or chocolate chips? i bet it would be great! just remember to add wet ingredients with wet, and dry with dry. ok. here we go!

Granola Crunchy Granola

Dry ingredients:

5 cups rolled oats
2 to 3 cups raw almonds or pecan halves, or a mixture
1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt

Wet ingredients:
¾ cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup brown rice syrup*
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, such as canola or safflower

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and put racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Get out two rimmed full sheet baking sheets.

In a HUGE bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. You can also add sesame seeds (3/4 cup) but i didn't. And if you accidently got roasted and salted sunflower seeds that is ok too. i did that and it turned out fine. In a smaller seperate bowl mix together all the wet ingredients. If you can find the individual cups of apple sauce they work really well and they keep longer than buying one giant thing. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients in the HUGE bowl.

Spread the mixture on the two baking sheets and put 'em in the oven. Bake them for about 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Set a timer for every ten minutes to stir them. Stir them one more time when you take them out. It'll be soft but don't worry, it'll get crisp as it cools.

After it cools you can add dried fruit if you want. I added cherries and raisins and it's perfect. I also sent my dad a batch with no fruit and it was tasty as well. And that's it! store in a freezer bag in the fridge and it will keep a long time. enjoy morning after morning (or night after night) with yogurt or milk. and think of me as you're feasting on hippie food.

*brown rice syrup almost caused me to give up this endeavor. then i accidently found it at a health/organic food store. it's sold in a jar in a section with syrups and sweeteners. it's a gluten free sugar substitute and they would probably carry it at your local whole foods or organic market. and yes, its actually made of brown rice. i don't understand it. it's weird, but makes a mean granola.

"mama, add a little water to that soup" - Newsies

2009-04-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. Not only do we get to celebrate Jesus Christ defeating death and the glorious relationship we can have with our father because of this, but we also get to sit around for a long Sunday dinner with sweet friends. Then, if you're me, and you're really lucky, these folks drop in and you get to sit around for another long meal with more sweet friends:

(this might be the most awkward picture we took. so i decided to post it)

chris, holly and meagan stopped by on the way back from birmingham and i twisted their arms into staying for dinner. miraculously, i had everything i needed to make sara butler's famous fiesta soup, seen here:

and i feel like i need to say here that this soup tastes much better than it looks.

This soup is actually completely fantastic. Everybody loved it and i somehow managed to freeze a good bit of it. By holly and meagan's suggestion, i will post the recipe so that you too can entertain with grace and ease, and really good mexican soup.

Sara Butler's Fiesta Soup (feeds 5 with enough to freeze for another meal)

8 cups chicken broth

4 chicken bullion cubes

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can diced green chiles

1 can diced tomatoes

1 box mexican or spanish rice-a-roni (both rice and spice packet)

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice (i used fresh lime juice - thanks for taking the time holly)

2 cloves garlic (sliced or chopped or pressed)

1 medium onion chopped

1 tablespoon cumin ( i accidently bought three things of it, so if you need some . . . )

1 2/2 - 2 cups chopped or pulled cooked chicken ( i used the second half of a rotisserie chicken)

Sara's Directions:

Add all ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer with lid on for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with grated cheddar, monterey jack, tortilla chips, sour cream, hot sauce, etc.

My Directions (b/c i had to text Sara to clarify a few things, and then i changed a few things):

Get out a huge soup pot, melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. saute onion for a couple minutes, throw in garlic, saute til onions a little soft. Dump everything else in, turn on med. high and stir a lot cause the rice will stick. once it boils, turn the heat down to low and put the lid on. stir it every 5 to 10 min or so so the rice doesn't burn to the bottom. After about 35 minutes its done!

something that brings me so much joy.

2009-04-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

something has entered my life, and i have unintentionally been keeping it from you, my faithful blog readers. this creature makes me smile, chuckle, even full out laugh every time i gaze upon it. please know, right now, this guy is one of the biggest joys in my life. one glance from those googly eyes brightens my whole day. i present to you, the nanerpus.

good finds:

2009-04-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

good find number one:

when i was in high school i was really good friends with this girl named nikki. her dad was from india and her grandmother and aunts and uncles didn't even speak english very well. it was so different than any of my other friends' families. one of the many things i loved about being friends with nikki was going to her grandmother's house and eating indian food. my favorite part of indian food was what i called "indian tea." this is the recipe as i remember it:

- 3 or 4 standard black tea bags

-a handful of random spices taken from unmarked containers

-milk (no idea how much)

- sugar (enough to make the tea bad for me)

Nikki would boil water, throw in the tea bags, throw in handfuls of unknown spices, strain the whole thing through a strainer. pour in milk til its light brown and sugar to make it super sweet and voila! indian tea. i've been searching for something close for years.

today i made a major discovery. it's called naji's pita gourmet and it is in the sketchville neighborhood of birmingham. none the less, it's fantastic. i'm talking everything a mediterranean food lover could ask for. fresh feta, house made pita's, bins of premium olives and loads of spices. they even have flavored tobacco and hookas. here's the catch: the tea smelled like indian tea. yes, i think i might be getting close to something. i'll let you know how the hunt continues. . . .

good find number two:

new bearings for my car. i'm not sure what that means, but it stopped that awful noise my car made every time i drove it AND i got to pay lots of money for them. they have to be good right?

good find number three:

my back sweatpants. they had been M.I.A (and i don't mean the rapper) for far too long.

and that's it. more posts coming this week.

just a few things i need to get out there. . .

2009-03-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

right now i just can't focus on only one thing (when it comes to blogging and in life in general). here's some of the items in my mental shopping cart right now:

- i just checked my brackets and i am DEAD LAST in both leagues. one of the leagues has 20 people which means i am worse at picking winners than 19 of my closest birmingham friends. awesome.

-i think i am a "foodie" or maybe would like to BE a "foodie." i'm not quite sure of the requirements. part of that is a fantastic new cookbook courtesy of amazon used books, and a newly discovered (by me anyway) food blog called orangette. sigh. i just don't think my blog will EVER be as interesting as hers.

-my inner hippie is starting to resurface. mj and i went bouldering and its like it all came rushing back. i want to grow things on my apartment porch and join a farmers co-op. my porch, however, gets only 5-7 hours of sunlight a day and the farmers want a lot of my money for their locally organic grown produce. we'll see how this plays out.

-i would like for this week to be more productive and feel less scattered than last week (which was supposed to be super laid back but ended up being quite unsettling).

-sara and paul are married!!!! i am so very excited about them. and a little nervous because they named me the godmother of their dog, sandy. what if she dies while i'm taking care of her? oh, i should explain, the littens now reside here at our apartment complex. this should have been first but due to being a larger, heavier item, it had to be placed at the bottom of the mental shopping cart. so as not to crush the bread.

-i'm beginning to think in twitters. it scares me.

more to come. perhaps expanding on these issues, perhaps with a whole new load of issues. i guess we shall see.

give us this day our daily bread

2009-03-16T15:48:00.001-07:00

have any of you ever made bread? well i did yesterday and let me tell you this - it takes a really long time. and it sort of takes a lot of work. yesterday was a good day for it though. rainy, cold, justin recovering from a stomach bug and loads of america's next top model on tv. plus, i just bought a new loaf pan so of course i had to put it to use. i've decided i love the idea of making bread far more than i actually like making it. you have to do everything just right. get the water just the right temperature - too cold and it doesn't activate the yeast, too hot and it kills it. you have to add just the right amount of flour (which was about a cup more than the recipe called for) and you have to mix and knead and wait and then knead and wait some more. it is one looooong process. that was fine yesterday. i could sit on the porch in between and read and drink coffee or watch antm, because it was sunday without small groups so i had plenty of time. all i'm saying is, i could never do it on a normal day AND no wonder bakers have to get up before the cracking of dawn.

well my bread turned out beautifully and actually tastes ok. the problem is, we don't really eat a lot of bread. so i'm going to have to find something to do with this loaf of perfection. it did make me think about that part of the Lord's prayer "give us this day our daily bread" and how i just say it and think "yes, Lord, provide for my needs" because clearly providing bread is as simple as going to the store and buying some bread. but now that i've actually made bread and it's such a freaking process i think it changes my perspective a little bit. providing bread sans grocery store - a major undertaking. it just puts a little more weight into that line of the prayer we say once a week.

me against the music

2009-03-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

this past thursday night will do down in history (ok, personal history) as the night that britney spears and the pussycat dolls (whom i will now refer to only as PCD) put me, amelia, charlotte and mary elizabeth against the music. and i think we won. not only did we get to go to a pop-tastic concert but we had a professional photographer document our adventure. here's a few shots by amelia strauss.

Me in the car, in my fedora - a wise purchase if i do say so myself.
me and strauss. strauss vamping it up, me attempting to vamp.

charlotte. i feel like this picture so acurately describes her personality.

brit's grand entrance. she came down from the ceiling in a cage. it was amazing.

Crazy, i just can't sleep. I'm so excited, i 'm in too deep . . .

2009-03-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

ok. here it is. big news. tonight i'm going to see the pop princess, the queen of scandal, the duchess of disturbing yet newsworthy breakdowns. ms. britney spears.

i am. soo. excited. i haven't been a particularly avid brit follower but i DO recognize that a chance like this comes along once in a lifetime. so me and three friends are driving to atlanta in approx 2 hours for this event. yesterday we spent a solid hour at claire's (yes, the last time i bought a pair of earrings there it was during brit's first platinum debut) collecting earrings, brightly colored hair extensions, lace gloves and head bands. why? because if you're going to see britney you have to be prepared. i also bought a fedora. don't worry.

2 things that make this even MORE fun:

1. one of my 2 guilty pleasure bands is opening

2. my favorite photographer is documenting our adventure.

the exciting part for you? knowing that within a couple days i will post the story of our epic adventure.

the exciting part for me? knowing that i'm about to see a real live performace of toxic while rockign out with a fedora on my head.

dirty pop

2009-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

I may or may not have downloaded a CD called Mr. Timberlake. I love it.

Justin Timberlake is my new Maroon 5.

for all of you single men. . .

2009-02-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

i'm going to be honest, i don't know a lot of single guys who read my blog. but, because one lucky man might stumble across it one day, looking for a piece of relationship advice, i will write this post.

the way to a woman's heart (at least this woman) is through the kitchen. cooking? no. baking? no. washing the dishes. i used to always say that i dreamed of a man who would stand at the sink and wash dishes when i was done cooking. i totally thought it was a fantasy - right up there with someone who was devestatingly handsome and remarkably humble - but its not. i found him and i married him. and tonight, he and two of his friends cleaned up the destruction i left in my wake.

thank you boys. thank you. i do not take this for granted.

also:

today we went on a search for a missing kid, and my office chair broke. now what will i sit in?

how about cookin' somethin up with meeeeeee

2009-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

my recent culinary mistakes:

1. apparently, if you put some chili powder and salt in a dry skillet and if the burner beneath that skillet is on medium high, the chili powder will become a silent stalker that fills the air and makes your throat feel like fire. it was awful because you couldn't even see or smell the chili powder. we just all started coughing. then i looked down and saw the chili powder turning black in the pan. don't ever do that.

2. i've been wanting to make red velvet cupcakes since before valentines day. i finally got around to it. who knew that one container of red food coloring would one be half as much as i needed? i know present to you: magenta velvet cupcakes. i also had over half the recipe of icing left over. i don't understand.

that's all i've got for today.

i heart the slow cooker

2009-02-21T14:30:00.000-08:00

why is that my blog post title? because right now my house smells like asian short ribs and i didn't have to do a thing except dump some stuff in a crock pot. and i know that tonight when i return home from running a concession stand at the South Central Classic Show choir Competition, dinner will be ready. yummmm.

i hope i don't fill up on popcorn.

sleepy morning post

2009-02-20T07:27:00.000-08:00

once again, i didn't post yesterday and so now i feel the need to do this first thing in the morning. i have not had coffee (but i'm in the process) and i have not yet gotten all the sleep junk out of my eyes (thought you might need to know that). and, i've already forgotten what i was going to talk about. oh yeah. yesterday. and my apparent new gym routine.

yesterday was also a busy day. non stop from 9 am til 7 pm. that's not really that bad AND all of the things i was doing were really enjoyable. i just didn't have any time to get to a computer. then when i got home justin and i had hot dog night, which we had been planning for a while. just so you know, hot dog night involves high quality been hot dogs, publix deli buns, and loads of chili and cheddar cheese. soooo good. but back to what i was going to say. . .

the past few times i've been to the gym i always end up there at the same time, between 5 and 6. and here is what i think is the weird part. Rachel Ray is always on, its always the only tv with the volume on, and i always try to get the eliptical right in front of it. and, here's the really weird part: i love it. for some reason, at the end of the day, there is nothing quite as relaxing to me right now as burning calories and watching Rachel make food. i wonder how long i'll keep this up.

super samwiches

2009-02-18T10:47:00.000-08:00

i don't know how many of you know this, but i really really like hot dogs. it took me a long time to admit it, but i'm there. i know it's not a very lady like food, nor are they super nutritious but i love them. one time kelley and i thought it was a great idea to stop at a gas station for a corn dog (which is in the same catagory as hot dog) at 10 am. it was a great idea. neither of us regretted it.

any time i move to a new city i make it my own personal business to find out where has the "best" of certain foods. i know that a lot of cities have magazines that do that, but i don't trust the media. plus, the testing phase of research is really fun. it only took me two months to find the best burger and hot dog in birmingham (i reallly like cheeseburgers too). they're both at a

place called Sam's Super Samwiches in the middle of downtown homewood, alabama. from the outside all you can see is this little red awning with the name of the establishment. inside its about the size of an ally and the grill takes up 3/4 of the space. i don't know what they do to make their burgers and hot dogs so good, but they're incredible. my usual order is a slaw dog (chili, onions, slaw, mustard) and a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles and special sauce. the sauce makes it. or maybe the grease makes it. either way. soo good.

the other thing that makes sam's super samwiches is sam himself. Here he is

he's so nice. and so good at making burgers. oh, and the breakfast sandwiches?! incredible. sometimes i crave them for days. bacon, egg and cheese on a buttered, toasted bun. and not just bacon, loads of thick sliced cooked on a grill bacon. it is like heaven in your mouth. if you ever come visit me, i will probably take you there. if we ever leave the magic city, i will miss sam's the most.

oh, and the eye catching photos at the top of the post are sara and i enjoying our lunch from sams.

February 17th

2009-02-18T05:40:00.000-08:00

To all of my faithful readers, i would like to ask you to give this poor, tired blogger some mercy. i did not post yesterday, so i'm writing yesterday's post today and i will write today's post tonight. yesterday was just so busy. i was going going going from 7 am til 11 pm and there was simply no time. that's not a complaint on the business of life, because it was in fact a wonderful day. just an explanation, which i feel like i owe you.

are any of you avid weather watchers? i am. i try to watch the news every morning just for the weather updates. now, the news is more of a morning ritual - something that brings comfort to the pain of waking up from peaceful slumber. when paired with hot coffee and staying under the covers for 5 extra minutes with said coffee and news, it's a perfect way to ease into the day. anyway, i started watching the news in the morning in place of music videos because i realized that i LOVED being prepared for the day - even if only in the way i dressed. for example - there are few things that will annoy me more than sloshing around all day in the rain with water soaked up my jeans to my calf. it makes everything colder. well, if i know its going to rain, i can wear a skirt and boots, or skinny jeans that don't drag. it just makes me feel so smart. well yesterday i was reminded of something i've heard a million times: you can't always predict the weather. according to the news, it was going to be 68 degrees and sunny. according to the news, it would be a beautiful day before the storms came. according to the news, it was the perfect day to be outside. false. it was not the perfect day to do anything besides sit inside with the heat on. it was cold to the bone and the sky kept spitting out ice/rain. it was the worst day for planning lunch outside and hiking with a bunch of high school girls. but that's exactly what i did.

and then we abandoned that plan. because there is nothing fun about walking around in the woods in freezing cold rain. thank goodness for my apartment and baby mama (woo WOO). thank goodness for a fridge full of cookie dough, and thank goodness for our heater that sounds like a constipated wild pig (go on, imagine that sound in your head. that's the sound our heater makes right now). it. was. glorious.

and that is why i don't complain about the business. because even though sometimes my days wear me out, they are fun. and i love what i do, and i feel so privileged to get to do it. here's to youth ministry . . .

twitter, toast and twilight

2009-02-16T20:28:00.000-08:00

I have officially been "you won't-ed" to post every day for two weeks. i did ask for it, but it turns out that it might be kind of difficult. my life is really not that interesting and you are all about to find out exactly how uninteresting it is. here's what's been going on.

Late last night i joined twitter. Now, i'm not real sure what to do with it, since i haven't yet figured out how to update it from my phone or why "following" someone does not count as stalking. Amelia convinced me to join and i'm still a little baffled about it - since i don't even do status updates on facebook and that's about all twitter IS. i mean, i would tell you how to check out twitter and look at what i'm doing. but i don't really know where to tell you to go. all i know right now, is that it has to do with the internet and i have not yet found a suitable profile picture.

This morning i had the best french toast i've ever had. it was at a barbecue place in homewood called Demetri's. i walked in to meet two of my girls. they were sitting on the same side of a table, and they happily (yet firmly) informed me that i had two options (despite the menu that said i had many others). my options were the french toast or the hot cakes. i am SO glad that i went with the french toast. it was amazing. i don't know what they did to it, but it was so good. also, they served really good coffee, which is surprising for a barbecue place but important to me.

Do you have a dollar movie in your town? Because if you do you should go there all the time. today i saw twilight for the second time for only $1. that means i didn't feel guilty about spending $10 on popcorn and drinks. and i'll say this, its just a good movie. i might have even liked it better the second time. plus, i'm pretty sure the scenery will convince me to move to Washington State and Robert Pattinson will convince me that vampires are awesome.

That's it. all i've got for today. maybe tomorrow's post will come with pictures . . .

remember the "you won't" challenges?

2009-02-15T20:32:00.001-08:00

i'm thinking about forcing myself to post every day for two weeks. you know, to get in the habit. probably is someone thought i wouldn't do it, i would do it. . .

valentine tradition

2009-02-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

Well, you might notice that the title of this post is "valentine tradition," singular, not "valentine traditions" plural. That is because i've never really been huge on this particular holiday. I've been a little on the fence about it. My biggest dilemma has always been between "this is a useless, commercially created holiday meant to make me spend too much money on cards, and why can't we celebrate love the other 364 days a year? " cynicism and "what a wonderful opportunity to make people feel loved and appreciated?" The former, if i'm honest, was usually a cover for not wanting to feel like the only person without a bouquet of overpriced flowers, and the latter came from more of a love for baking unnecessarily challenging treats. Oh, and my intentions were always much greater than anything i actually gave to anyone on this hallmark of holidays. Anyway, back to the tradition. Here it is. . . (pardon the technical difficulties, i couldn't figure out how to take this picture so you could actually read the heart. It says "sweet fart")

A lot of years ago my brother and i were at a forced family supper in the purnell house and mom had decorated using all these giant sweetheart candies with sweet little messages on them. To this day i can't remember who started it, but sam and i started turning messages of love, affection and flirtatiousness into messages of pain, disgust and general dislike for the recipient. Every year i look for these hearts, and 2 out of 5 years i get an envelope of them in the mail. I accidentally left a few out this year, including this example where i turned "sweet heart" into "sweet fart". some of my favorites included

-"marry me" into "you'll never marry"

-"be mine" into "be dead"

-"your face" into "your face looks like vomit"

- "sweetie pie" into "doo doo pie"

It's my way of letting him know that i love him. Oh, and for those of you not aware, he did marry. December 15th. i'm really behind on my posting.

oh so many things, i'm going to have to number them.

2009-01-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

1. WILL AND HANNAH! Yesterday we witnessed and celebrated the marriage of our good friends will and hannah. This was one of those things that we were all talking about before they actually started dating and that made it SO much fun to be a part of their wedding yesterday. they are one couple that justin and i have had the privilege of getting to know individually over the past 3 years and now as a couple over the past 11 months. it has been SO fun. their wedding was beautiful, as was hannah. seriously, she was such a classic (and classy) bride. plus my husband was wearing tails and a white bow tie. hott. i'll have to get my hands on a picture or two . . .

2. the retreat is over! and i would do it all over again. from what we've heard the students loved it and somehow learned something about "authentic Christianity" which was our speakers theme for the weekend. it was also my last winter retreat with my small group (sniff sniff) who are graduating this may. that part was very bittersweet. i am so proud of them and who they have become over the past 3 years but it is so hard to think about them leaving for college.

3. the sickness. justin's had some sort of serious cold complete with fever and chills and i've just had enough of it to get annoyed. he's a good patient. i'm just done with all the sickness.

4. now that the retreat is over we have to figure out what to do with our lives. feel free to submit suggestions in the comment box.

just so you know. . .

2009-01-16T12:50:00.001-08:00

well, in 3 hours i get on a bus with 50 teenagers and take the long and winding road to Pisgah, alabama!!! it's our annual winter retreat and i am SO excited. We've got over 100 students and 30 leaders spending MLK weekend at the beautiful Camp Toknowhim (yes, that's the real name). this is my 6th winter retreat at toknowhim and my, like 13th winter retreat. i'm pretty much a pro. i know all the secrets to make life with so many teenagers in the middle of the woods a little more comfortable. like, take your own real coffee mug so you don't have to use styrofoam, don't let anyone touch your sleeping bad, take your headlamp and have a good bedtime playlist on your ipod. still - i always get a little bit nervous/excited even though i really have done this for so long. maybe its because every trip is different or because i just want to make sure that everyone is comfortable or that everything goes well so that i look good.

i thought that in honor of my activites this weekend i would make a list of my top 10 favorite winter/fall retreat moments:

10. the great spheggetti fight of '08. i will never be asked to help clean the kitchen after dinner again.

9. peanut butter jelly time skit of '07.

8. my secret romance on the retreat of '07.

7. southwood's battle of the dough in '06

6. rubber stamp carving with robin. i think in '05

5. the complete honesty and encouragement of students in '05

4. the great conquering of the forest in '05

3. the victory lap after emily and sara's sports spectacular in '07.

2. the west virginia ski debaucle of '04. all of it.

1. kelley's leap of death in '03. the 'its better in the bahamas' shirt is what really pushed this to number 1.

and there it is. see how much fun it is to be a youth leader? hopefully after monday i'll have a few more to add. until then, all your prayers are appreciated. peace!

if i were a hollywood person

2009-01-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

i forgot to mention one other thing that i'm reading right now. its a book that was recommended to me by a coworker and i found in the children's section. it's called 'the graveyard book' by neil gaiman and it is illustrated. but it's also over a hundred pages long and so i count it as a real novel. it's REALLY good and i would highly recommend it. also, as i've read i've been thinking about the movie that they could make from it. not purposefully, it just kind of came up in my head as i was listening to a passenger song called 'four horses' and it just fit the book so perfectly. you know, the general feeling of the song fit the general feeling of the book. so if i made movies, i would put the two together. so if you do decide to read the book you should probably also download the passenger cd and listen to it while you read - or at least listen to the four horses song. more to come on the graveyard book as i continue reading.

so this is the new year . . .

2009-01-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

i'm not really one for new years resolutions, but, in the words of traci taylor "i am into looking at the big picture in the year ahead." and somehow, that makes me feel a lot less cliche. i think that i just like feeling like its a clean slate. you know what i'm putting on this clean slate? books. and new music and really good old music. and being more passionate about people and ministry. and keeping you all updated on things that i'm into that you might get into as well. here's what i've got so far:

- "listening" by anne long. its a really good book (so far) about listening to ourselves, the Lord, and others. i've actually owned it for over a year but my husband gave a GREAT talk this past wednesday night that reminded me that i'm called to have relationships that go below the surface. i think that learning how to listen (which i am definitely not good at) is a pretty good start. i'll keep you updated

-season 1 of the O.C. yes, i like to be about 8-10 years behind on popular t.v. shows. i'm finishing the first episdoe right now and i have to admit that i'm intrigued. also - marisa and summer weren't always as deathly ill looking as they ended up being.

-passenger's cd "wicked man's rest". i haven't listened to too much, but what i have heard i really like. i think they might be british.

more to come . . .

a christmas post

2008-12-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

my favorite christmas present: a new sister-in-law

how many presents i've just straight up thrown away: 1, that i can remember

well, merry Christmas everyone!! this holiday season was a little different than previous ones. first of all, sam wasn't there b/c he got married (whoop whoop! that gets its own post later on). second of all, Justin was there because we got married (whoop whoop!). third of all, the magic was gone. yeah, i said it. i love Christmas, i always have. i believed in Santa for so long that i'm surprised my parents didn't have a sit down talk with me. i love Christmas music. i love the chill in the air and the lights on all the houses. i love Christmas mugs and hot chocolate and 'mama's hot tea' as caroline hess calls it. i love Christmas movies and tv specials. i love waking up early on Christmas morning and seeing my stocking bulging out with socks and candy and useless fun things. i was 24 and still wearing Christmas pajamas to bed on the 24th. i usually love the Christmas season parties and crazy shopping and lines to sit on santa's lap. i just think that Christmas has the potential to be the most magical, romantic and wonderful time of the year. this Christmas though, frankly, kind of sucked.

it was just busy. we had something to go to every single night. there was no romantic Christmas movie watching or drinking cocoa by the fire. there were no late night drives to see lights. in fact, there was barely time for anything. and then we went home and sam got married and went on a honeymoon and wasn't there when we woke up Christmas morning. i don't know, its like the last of the magic was gone. a couple days before santa's big day, however, i realized that yes, it wasn't like before and no, it didn't meet my expectations but the bottom line is that Christmas is really about the reality that our almighty, soveriegn God became a little baby that pooped his pants and THAT is really not very romantic at all. it actually would really suck and THAT means that He must love us a lot. and that part of Christmas (which, lets face it, should have always been the biggest part anyway) isn't one that is all about feelings as much as its about a rather harsh reality. but a great reality. so for the last 4 days before Christmas we salvaged in. salvaged the Christmas season by trying to sleep more, read about advent, go on trips to Charleston and just hang out and talk about things. here's a few pics:

Me and Justin by the Christmas village at Charleston place:

My mom and dad on the pier. it was really cold.

at the fountain before Justin tried to throw me in. . .

and back home building gingerbread houses out of chocolate.

amf

2008-12-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

a short post:

last week i went to a Christmas party where a dog attempted to hump a two year old. it was awful. and we couldn't stop laughing.

this just in . . .

2008-11-27T20:34:00.000-08:00

my ipod is back in birmingham!!! i've been without it for 3 months (mostly due to my own laziness) after i left it at the lake (totally due to my own forgetfulness). but now its back! and able and willing to provide the perfect backdrop to all my important life moments. also, my halo speaker is getting really lonely.

thanksgiving feast

2008-11-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

so this is my first thanksgiving as a married girl, and my first thanksgiving away from home. today i forgot that for a little bit. i was letting my mind wander and got to remembering those cool construction paper indian feather headbands and i REALLY got an urge to make one and wear it. you know, to remember those people who helped us white people eat on the first thanksgiving. plus, pretending to be an indian lets me escape from my exceptionally fair skin. anyway, i thought that it would be fun to make everyone in my family one, and then we could all wear them around the thanksgiving table. (i mean, we've done formal wear, we've done pajamas, this is the obvious next choice). then i remembered that i won't be home for thanksgiving. sad. and i also realized that i'm not quite that comfortable with my in laws. i might pack my craft kit just in case. . .