tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23775783358101120912011-11-27T18:21:01.932-06:00Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-26631812784863670222011-01-15T08:00:00.006-06:002011-01-20T18:25:34.322-06:00

After my last post in April, things took an interesting turn and completely flipped my life upside down. 1. Giraffe and I broke up after 4.5 years of being together.2. I moved back home with my parents.3. I started school again to get my teaching license to teach elementary school.4. I took a job at Sonic to have a flexible schedule for school and roller derby.5. The people living in my previous

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-65342652832381282772010-04-07T13:08:00.005-05:002010-04-07T13:22:59.991-05:00

Well, The Bet ended on April 1 and while there was no unofficial weigh-in, I still feel like a winner (as cheesy as that sounds).Total: 14 poundsThat shirt and skort combo that I'm wearing used to be super tight on me. The last time I wore it was the summer I moved to Nashville and I remember the skort biting into my torso and I had to really suck it in for the shirt to not have any rolls. Now,

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-85968375073235370932010-03-08T07:20:00.006-06:002010-03-08T08:49:36.955-06:00

March 6, 2010 - Boys and Girls Club 8K8 am. 34 degrees. 5 miles.Insecticide, Goblynn, Matt-a-tat-tat, Kat A'Combs, and Crash Cymbal (me)I had two goals for the race: 1) run the whole time, no walking; and 2) finish in under an hour. Not only did I run the whole time including the hills, but I finished at around 55 minutes!After the race with the Knoxville Rubber Duck.In other good news, I stepped

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-6093140543033150142010-03-03T13:33:00.003-06:002010-03-03T13:47:08.390-06:00

The Bet has really opened some doors for me, and I don't only mean the weight loss. Eating out has been minimized since February 1, which means I've had to get creative cooking at home again. Thanks to Giraffe's help, I've been eating different meats and vegetables in an effort to get healthy. I've been eating a lot of tilapia, ground beef, steak, and chicken. Surprisingly though, it's not been

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-61544638276872297402010-03-01T12:14:00.004-06:002010-03-01T12:25:18.491-06:00

Well, the bet is still in place, at least in my mind since the Marine told me he wasn't taking it seriously. That's okay. I'm still going to call him Tubby if I win since no prize has been distinguished and probably won't be at this point. Bragging rights will have to suffice.After a month of revamping my diet and an exercise plan that features roller derby and running, I'm down 8 lbs! I had to

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-80816397986387501802010-02-08T15:01:00.009-06:002010-02-24T15:38:26.739-06:00

I wrote this at the beginning of February but due to illness and an unexpected shift in responsibilities within roller derby, this is just now being posted. Oops.Giraffe and I have been watching a lot of The Office lately and the first episode of Season 5 was a topic of conversation with a co-worker (Marine) and I. I mentioned that I thought their weight loss incentive program was a good idea

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-48021244804096382352009-09-22T15:22:00.002-05:002009-09-22T15:53:43.977-05:00

Last night I was put in charge of cooking these little round steaks for Dad and I. I really had no idea how to go about it, but I decided to go the easy and healthy route. I put some margarine on the steaks, smothered them with a very aromatic rub, and broiled them. They were awful.My sides were alright, so I ate a couple bites and had seconds on sides. Dad, who will eat anything, ate one

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-28570063894350406862009-09-03T09:47:00.002-05:002009-09-03T09:49:24.925-05:00

iWeb and I have gotten through the honeymoon phase and now want to stay in separate rooms.

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-25163383441947596352009-08-31T12:49:00.003-05:002009-08-31T13:10:49.845-05:00

As you may remember, I had some issues making gumbo from a recipe my mom gave me. I have since built my confidence back up and am not deterred when trying out a new recipe and it doesn't taste good or doesn't go as planned. I realize now that it's all okay and just part of the process. At the end of last week, my mom asks if I'd rather have jambalaya or gumbo on Sunday night. I figure this is

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-10016988691415273792009-08-26T14:17:00.003-05:002009-08-26T14:25:17.477-05:00

I follow Super Kawaii Mama on Twitter and yesterday she posted a link to a really nice seller on Etsy called glamtownvintage. SKM was admiring a vintage dress they were selling, which led me to browse their shop. I ended up with two super cute things and I can't decide which one I like more!Then today I was browsing Etsy again today and used the "pounce" function, which randomizes sellers for

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-72047740051455288212009-08-24T12:33:00.003-05:002009-08-24T12:38:24.897-05:00

My weekend: Thanks to all who donated their time and backs to the project!

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-14071971914661716402009-08-21T08:01:00.006-05:002009-08-21T08:43:33.820-05:00

As promised, I'm going to get back to updating my blog since I have now moved away from my friends that I have enjoyed getting to know for the past two years. I have moved back to my hometown, which is still surreal after being here almost a month, but I still feel like a part of me is still in Nashville. Although part of me is still there because I still have to move the rest of my things this

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-74795677147276382712009-04-21T10:28:00.003-05:002009-04-21T10:40:46.109-05:00

Well, it's Day 5 of my experiment and so far haven't had a problem with not eating out.  Until yesterday.  Yesterday, I was downright twitchy needing a fix.  Yes, I know I'm sad.Mondays are mine and Giraffe's usual going out to eat night because it's one of the few he has off from school and work.  Plus I'd had a blah day and enjoy going out to be in a cheerful environment.  To me, endless

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-34769177689244895582009-04-17T10:47:00.004-05:002009-04-21T10:40:30.400-05:00

It's four months into the new year and so far I've been good about one of my resolutions.  I have managed to make something every month even though some of the things have been small.  It's still progress, right?  Anyway, my mom's work hosts a 5K run every year and in the past I have helped out with the festivities leading up to the run but never actually participated.  I never ever would have

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-9964808501265006152009-04-12T16:06:00.003-05:002009-04-12T16:07:56.877-05:00

Oh yeah.

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-80405606976716735622009-03-25T19:54:00.006-05:002009-03-25T20:14:31.047-05:00

The clutter had taken over the pantry and it was getting out of control.  It was time.Notice all the cereal on the top shelf.  And the chips up waaaay too high so that I could never reach them.  (To self: Must try this on things I overeat.)  The second shelf down was originally supposed to be the canned good shelf.  It's now home to instant mashed potatoes, jam, funny shaped Coke bottles...I

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-90556611930055669512009-02-04T15:55:00.005-06:002009-02-04T16:43:48.065-06:00

After the Honorable Mentions, I went through the rest of high school with the company of my close knit girl friend group. We had so much fun, but the time came where we graduated and went on to bigger and better things. I went away to school, but not too far away, and made some new friends that went on to be another close knit group through most of college.  Anyway, the summer after my freshman

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-15166434057643326092009-01-15T13:33:00.009-06:002009-01-15T14:46:19.500-06:00

Does anyone remember fashion plates?  They were these plastic plates that set in a holder with grooves over the outlines of the person and outfit.  Then you put a piece of paper over the holder and rub over it with a crayon.  The plates represented the three parts of the model: head, torso, and legs so you could interchange all the outfits and accessories. I had a set when I was in elementary

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-58408282297509944102009-01-13T10:05:00.003-06:002009-01-14T09:38:43.655-06:00

Everyone around me seems to talk about the whirlwind of getting things ready for Christmas and don't mention the aftermath of Christmas: the reorganizing.  I know my place was a total wreck when I got back from spending Christmas at home because I had left almost everything where I had left it prior to going home.  There were rolls of wrapping paper on the floor, craft items on various workspaces

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-61395610499024117342008-12-17T09:48:00.007-06:002008-12-17T10:23:37.281-06:00

I know I said I was going to post my booty from my grandparents' house, but it turns out, I cannot find it. I think I left the boxes at home and was going to bring them back next trip aka Thanksgiving. My car ended up being filled to the top after Thanksgiving weekend so I'll try to shove them in the car among the first thing upon arrival. That way, I can always say, "Sorry Mom! I can't fit all

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-36111593709985108352008-12-04T08:58:00.012-06:002009-02-04T16:46:09.224-06:00

Yeah, I still haven't updated about the big move-out at my grandparents to show off what kind of things we took back because I haven't uploaded the pictures off my camera yet. I am the absolute worst about that. I have pictures on there that my half-sister Deedar is going to want from my trip there before Thanksgiving when I met her husband's family. People depending on me and I'm dropping the

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-11593677454635811482008-11-17T13:30:00.007-06:002008-11-17T13:52:07.479-06:00

*peeks around the corner* Is it safe to come out? Does anyone hate me for the huge gap in postings? Did anybody even notice? Regardless, here are some updates:Yeah, uh, life sorta got in the way and I got a little frazzled. Okay, really frazzled because I felt like I had no time to do anything I wanted to and lots of other little things building up. Everything's cool now. Even though I'm about to

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-40556837119438902082008-08-21T16:30:00.003-05:002008-08-21T16:37:58.393-05:00

I kept hearing this song that sounded like something straight out of the 60s a while back and on an episode of Grey's Anatomy. I absolutely loved the song wondering who this was, what the name of the song was, etc. but then was quickly forgotten as I got absorbed in the Meredith/Derek drama or the Callie/Haun innuendo or whatever was going on at the time. Thanks to my new handy dandy iPhone, a

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-59882386466458956372008-08-08T09:16:00.004-05:002008-08-08T09:29:46.804-05:00

A few weekends ago, I had started my curtains thanks to my mom coming to town for the weekend. When she left, all I had to do was sew up one seam, make the tabs, and sew the tabs to the curtain. I let that sit for about three weeks because I got too busy.But I finally got my act together, and with the help of Giraffe, I got all the tabs turned right side out and sewn to the completed curtain.

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-40934758062430709802008-07-24T11:24:00.005-05:002008-07-24T11:54:14.255-05:00

I sound like a terrible person right off the bat by prefacing my story with labeling it "honorable mentions." But that's what they were. There were two guys in high school that I didn't exactly date, but I learned something from the "relationship" all the same.1. Honorable Mention #1 aka HM1I met this guy in my C++ programming class. Yes, I am a geek to the core. The class was taught my the

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-61459251508756508632008-07-23T09:43:00.004-05:002008-07-23T10:23:01.557-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, I had started a few sewing projects last week, and I finally made some progress. My mom came in over the weekend and helped with Project #1: Curtains. She had made curtains a really easy way, so I had to rely on her to convey the pattern in her head. You can imagine there were times where I had a blank stare. Okay, that was most of the weekend. But, I did manage to

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-2346178620356415612008-07-21T10:15:00.003-05:002008-07-21T10:25:50.553-05:00

Over my birthday weekend, Mom gave me a sewing machine she had acquired that was different than the little Singer I normally use. This new one could zigzag! I have a lot of projects I need to finish, so I needed to test out the machine to make sure I didn't ruin the future projects.I dug out my trash bag of clothes going to Goodwill and found 2 shirts. One was a Pirates of the Caribbean shirt

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-11232509095697323542008-07-16T09:20:00.004-05:002008-07-16T10:17:12.904-05:00

Every year for my birthday, I spend it with my mom and dad at home. Mom asks what I'd like for my birthday meal, then all day at random times I ask what was happening X amount of years ago, and then I get the story of how I was brought into this world. It involves Dad going over 100 mph, Mom going down a drug-induced "rainbow-colored slide," and Dad being half-naked in the waiting room. The

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-57266272979157101472008-06-18T11:00:00.004-05:002008-06-18T11:07:46.225-05:00

So I get back on the phone with Deedar because I had it in my head to make country fried steak with white gravy last night. However, I ended up staying late at work, had a small lunch, and was famished by the time I got back, so that idea flew out the window. I thought I'd save it for another day. But I was going to go ahead and practice with the gravy since my previous gravy didn't turn out so

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-24903331257926846952008-06-17T12:54:00.008-05:002008-07-09T12:23:57.583-05:00

I visited my sister, Deedar, over the past weekend and reconnected with family I haven't seen in several years, which was nice. This family included my youngest brother Rock, my dad's sister, my niece (older sister's kid), and her two kids which are my great niece and nephew. That's fun to point out since I'm only in my 20s. That's what happens when your oldest sister is approximately 23 years

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-43759919588583022902008-05-05T15:12:00.003-05:002008-05-05T16:04:59.258-05:00

I had always wanted one of those thin stereos that attach to the bottom of one of your kitchen cabinets so I could sashay in the kitchen to my favorite tunes when cooking. Then I got one of those stereos that you set your iPod in and quickly disowned the cabinet stereo idea. With the iPod blaster, you can play specific playlists, even one you have set up just for cooking quiche or pies. Or in

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-90208322411355208062008-04-22T09:01:00.003-05:002008-06-18T11:08:39.640-05:00

Does anyone remember the pants that ripped? Well, they ripped again. I have no idea how it happened this time. I just happened to notice it on a trip to the bathroom when I had been at work for hours. I didn't remember hearing a rip noise. And of course, the shirt I was wearing wasn't long enough to cover the hole. Nope, it was dead center. So I have two choices: 1.) Wear my coat for the rest of

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-79091186465615405712008-04-10T08:58:00.003-05:002008-04-10T10:14:45.067-05:00

I decided after yesterday's rant, I would give the chicken another try. Start off slow by cooking the chicken in something per Victoria's suggestion to ease myself back into the poultry world. So I went to Campbell's website and poked around because I had heard they had easy, quick recipes involving, big surprise, their soups. I stumbled upon this one and thought it'd be the perfect stepping

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-40056118996733566382008-04-09T09:56:00.003-05:002008-04-09T10:07:44.962-05:00

I've come to realize something the more I've experimenting with cooking more: I can't stand the taste of chicken.In restaurants, it'll be marinated with some goodness and/or deep fried and/or smothered with some cheese, onions, or sauce. There's just something that I can't do to the chicken to make it taste good. And forget reheating it. That makes the natural chicken taste extremely potent. I

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-90354512687131321242008-04-01T09:27:00.012-05:002008-04-01T10:28:40.433-05:00

Over Easter weekend, my mom and I had to begin the painful process of moving our things out of her parents' house. My grandmother died in 1997 and my grandfather put up a good fight until last February when he couldn't bear to be without his beloved any longer. My grandmother's memory was everywhere in that house, so I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't lurking around watching us grow as well as

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-5706116268540225122008-03-27T10:18:00.004-05:002008-03-27T14:37:05.176-05:00

First, thank you, Foodie, for making my day. Second, this may help with the following image complete with Pop-Up Video!, which totally needs to make a comeback. I'm just saying. For those few of you who didn't like Pop-Up Video, there's another version of better quality that features the Rick Roll, which is a little to close to my little dance I do when I'm sitting and want to get my groove on.I

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-61976361282662629142008-03-25T13:36:00.005-05:002008-04-01T10:34:26.285-05:00

This is going to sound crazy for those who read this and work with me, but I love the organization at work. Not the part where the people before me organized and labeled wrong, but what I do like is that everything (seemingly) has its own place. Or at least ample space for things to have their own places. At home, I don't have that luxury. The selling point for my current apartment was the fact

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-89527507244187829652008-03-18T12:09:00.004-05:002008-03-18T12:16:04.558-05:00

I discovered the Hillbilly Housewife blog before I started my own, which would have been about 3 months ago. I was (and still am) in need of trying to figure out how to live on a tighter budget as well as bite the bullet and cook for myself more than I was eating out. This site was perfect! It gave me a plethora of ideas as well as delightful insight to keeping your family fed.You can learn such

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-47123044570023341812008-03-17T08:38:00.004-05:002008-03-17T09:13:10.445-05:00

It's that time of year when the weather starts changing, flowers start poking their heads out of the dirt to reveal beautiful colors, and people get sick. I am one of those people today. Giraffe got the flu a while back when it was going around, and I had something not as bad before that. I think that "not as bad something" is back with a vengeance.Normally people have that one home remedy that

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-7818798919909716992008-03-13T08:56:00.007-05:002008-03-13T09:39:51.177-05:00

Last night, Giraffe and I met Victoria and Bo to eat a local favorite, the Loveless Cafe. It's the "meat-and-three" to end all meat-and-threes. With its rustic charm and Southern appeal, it's one of the city's hot spots and causes a 2+ hour wait on Sunday afternoons. Here's a snippet of their history from their website:Originally known as the Harpeth Valley Tea Room, The Loveless Motel and Cafe

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-82720977330496320622008-03-11T13:49:00.005-05:002008-03-11T14:24:39.538-05:00

This past weekend, I got the urge to make some bread for the office since I usually try to make something new to bring in every couple weeks or so. The recipes I had in my newly assembled cookbook (pictures to come) weren't speaking to me. Instead, I decided to make yeast rolls to go along with the already planned recreation of one of my favorite meals at Texas Roadhouse, Roadkill. Roadkill is

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-39930957232018961052008-03-10T11:32:00.005-05:002008-03-10T12:13:22.893-05:00

I guess it's about time to share another sordid tale of love from years past. Ha. This is still high school we're talking about, so at least there's some drama.After my first relationship gone sour, I was enjoying the single life. However, after a while, I began longing for someone since my one and only relationship thus far had fizzled, so I was still trying to figure out how relationships

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-39682705767140475112008-03-03T10:12:00.006-06:002008-03-03T10:56:13.475-06:00

I was given a recipe from a friend weeks ago and every time I vowed I was going to do it, something happened that prevented me from doing so. Some friends from home have been getting together to cook/learn to cook and the vegetarian of the group brought this nice entree. Not only is it vegetarian, it's pretty healthy, too. It contains a lot of cottage cheese, which I am not a fan of, but you

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-44274433940948169152008-02-29T09:53:00.008-06:002008-02-29T10:29:42.868-06:00

Last weekend I went back to where it all started. Well, sort of. I was born in Louisiana and moved when I was five. Anyway, I went home for the weekend for a much needed visit and relaxing weekend with my parents. Dad was out of town, so I didn't get to see him this trip. Since I knew I was going home, I decided to take my torn pants to fix with her gorgeous sewing machine and other fun tools.

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-44557381467239193372008-02-27T09:29:00.004-06:002008-02-28T08:58:51.864-06:00

Sorry for the delay in a post. I realized I hit my maximum bandwidth on Flickr, which has completely crippled me when I try to post at work. I need to just bite the bullet and upgrade to a pro account because I'll only get frustrated in the end by having to ration pictures each month. That's no way to be when you have a marvelous camera just itching to be used!Upon moving to the "big city," I had

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-49454990046017466122008-02-22T11:02:00.004-06:002008-02-22T11:23:59.325-06:00

When I first moved, I was needing things to keep me occupied until I got a job. That took 3 months and one extraordinarily bad job at Godiva (manager issues. SERIOUS manager issues.) before I landed my current job. Well, sorta, but that's another story, too. Anyway, I found a fun craft book called Generation T on sale at Borders and decided this would be the perfect way to fill my time.I flipped

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-3890815485019538572008-02-19T09:18:00.004-06:002008-02-19T09:46:00.166-06:00

Those words can put the fear into just about anything. Once in a while, you luck out and have a mother-in-law that doesn't fit the stereotype. She's like your second mom, which is what it's supposed to be like, in theory. I am, thankfully, one of those lucky people.Now, I'm not married. Let me clear that up and allow my family to catch their breaths.I've been with my sweetie for 2 1/2 years. Our

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-82573398701075553622008-02-15T08:46:00.003-06:002008-02-15T09:11:58.609-06:00

Okay. This is it. The big time. I was cooking a gourmet meal for my sweetie on Valentine's Day. Never mind the gumbo disaster or the burned patty melts, this was a new meal, a new dawn. Deep breaths...and here we go.I started off with the pasta portion of the meal which included roasting grape tomatoes and garlic then mashing it in a bowl with a little of the starchy water from the pasta pot.

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-83427268351322176212008-02-14T08:58:00.003-06:002008-02-14T09:22:32.954-06:00

Tonight's the big night. I plan on cooking a gourmet-esque meal for my Giraffe and I'm praying it turns out alright. Lately I've been getting pretty cocky about my cooking abilities because I haven't screwed up in a long time. I've done chicken parmesan with pizazz, sides with flair, and nothing has managed to burn too bad. So last night, the Fates decided to let me have it and knock me down a

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-70083513068570200292008-02-13T09:05:00.004-06:002008-02-13T09:21:44.088-06:00

In order to make up for the long-winded post last time, I decided to post a bunch of pictures I took with my new camera! I got a Nikon d40x last week and have been snapping pictures like mad. The cats are sick of the camera by now, but I can't help it! They're all so photogenic.Sylvester looking like a backwards "Q." Ramona, anyone?Butters trying to be emo."Mom. Seriously. Stop taking pictures of

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-16049415554737501262008-02-11T14:28:00.000-06:002008-02-12T13:24:23.033-06:00

Valentine's Day has completely snuck up on me. I didn't realize it was this week until Giraffe's stepbrother asked us what we were planning on doing on the special day. We looked at one another with blank stares until I turned back to Stepbrother and said, "I have no idea." However, since then, I have developed a plan. I am going to cook him a special Valentine meal. As you all know from my

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-43896496524311839222008-02-08T12:18:00.000-06:002008-02-10T14:14:59.727-06:00

After pouring my heart over the fumbled gumbo recipe, I decided it was time to do what I know I can do well: bake. Plus I also needed to bake some cookies as a thank you to my mechanic for taking care of me and my car the week before. If snickerdoodles can't say thank you well enough, I don't know what can.My Giraffe believes in this phenomenon called "cookie therapy." He says that no matter how

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-23380771528154967712008-02-05T12:48:00.000-06:002008-02-07T09:37:41.856-06:00

I used to be good at a lot of things. Then I met my Giraffe and I began to doubt my abilities. All the things I was able to take pride in: science, being the best at Street Fighter II for SNES...and the one that upset me the most, cooking. I had been trying my best to overcome this and just bull my way through it, including the first time I cooked for him which turned out very badly but that's

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-63340928071215042622008-02-04T13:05:00.001-06:002008-02-28T13:56:35.431-06:00

Ever since I added the two leaves in the kitchen table, the original tablecloth was taunting me because it was just too short for the new and improved bigger table. So I decided it was time to make another one. I got some lovely red gingham which just screams country and called up my Coats and Clark-Caliber Mom to figure out the best way to tackle this project. After spending half an hour on the

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-61545435977762709852008-02-01T12:39:00.000-06:002008-02-01T13:27:34.157-06:00

I've determined that there is a sixth sense to cooking, which not everyone possesses. "I see dead produce"...yeah. That was bad. Moving on.As you're throwing all your ingredients into the pot/dish/bucket/whatever, sometimes there is a certain time at which you add further ingredients. There's also a window of time that involves gastronomical creativity. Let's say you're making spaghetti sauce.

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-6322456817708019652008-01-29T09:22:00.000-06:002008-02-04T13:50:26.553-06:00

My cats love me.For Christmas I wanted to make a lot of the presents I was giving out because I was working through a temp agency and wasn't sure if I was going to have a paycheck around the holiday season. I was the receptionist so I answered the five or so phone calls of the 8 hour day and tried to find things to keep me busy. My first sanity-saving idea was to read, but that turned out to be

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377578335810112091.post-62635147666266006972008-01-28T14:33:00.000-06:002008-01-29T10:23:01.135-06:00

I've been inspired to start my own set of ramblings in order to document my path to becoming the ideal 50s housewife minus the Stepford-ness but still maintaining that other part of me, which is a tree-climbing, jar-opening, arm-punching tomboy.My name is Bess(ie) and I hope you join me.I'm 24, born and bred in the South, just gotten my first real job being a legal assistant at a firm downtown,

Bess(ie)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07265662576665850145noreply@blogger.com0