NOT DOMESTIC

So maybe this doesn't qualify as domestic, but considering the lack of domesticity in my life as of late...I am at a loss of what to write about. My free time has been consumed with running. I am training for a half marathon in December. It makes me laugh because I always have said I will NEVER run a half marathon. I have run that much mileage before...so I had no desire to repeat it. But like pretty much everything I have said I will never do...I find myself doing that very thing. Funny how life is. So I have decided to undertake this race for several reasons..one being this is a St. Jude half and my friend's son is currently undergoing treatment there and also for the fact that I need to be really healthy if I am going overseas...ya know, just in case I need to out-run scary foreign traffickers. Hah. Mom, please don't read that...

Anyways, I am the type of person that needs serious motivation to work out. I get so bored...especially running long distances. However, I have to say, my runs have been fairly entertaining so far...like seeing armadillos, snakes, almost getting hit by a car...those things have helped. But I still have so far to go. And unlike other friends who can just pick up and run 2 hours and 40 minutes...I cannot! But one thing I have going for me..I am very determined. If I set my mind to do something..I will do it. Some may call that stubbornness..I however like to classify it as determination. Sounds better. And I am determined to run this half marathon even if it kills me in the process...or at least my knee.

So will I ever bake again? Hopefully tonight. I know I need to take a night off of running, at least for my knee's sake, so after teaching my girls' tonight...I am hoping to squeeze in some baking and will try to force myself not hit the streets.

TOO BUSY

I never would have realized how much I enjoyed cooking if I had never started this quest to become the next Martha Stewart. And I never would have have realized how much I miss cooking if I wasn't so busy lately. My priority this week...cooking something or anything! But before I have you thinking I have changed so much and am this domestic diva through and through...I have a few confessions to make...

Confession #1:
I eat a hot pocket everyday for lunch.

Confession #2:
My umbrella is already broken from when I mended it.

Confession #3:
I definitely pounded a nail through the side of my new bookcase.

I still have SO far to go...

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Following directions is not always the way I like to approach a project. I am a rule breaker in the most innocent of ways...which I realized while working on my latest project. My room has been severely lacking for quite some time now. You would think as an interior designer that my room would be out of control amazing. Yep. So not the case. You see, my room is more my guinea pig. I try out the things I would not be willing to try if I knew I had to live with them forever, but considering I only have 3 more months in this little space, there is no holding me back.

So now I have probably led you to believe that I have constructed some sort of space ship or whatnot in my room..when in reality..it is just something I picked up from the local target. You will learn whenever I refer to my room being adventurous, I am almost always referring to the "passionfruit" paint on the walls. (And yes, I do buy paint based on the name.) So anyways, back to my latest domestic endeavor. No cooking or mending this time. It was about time for some home improvement. And every time I think of "home improvement", I always think of the tv show with its quirky characters like Al and my previous dream boyfriend...JTT (sigh). However, unlike those experienced craftsmen, this was my first attempt to build anything...at least anything that will be usable and functional.

So from start...(note: that is MY tool kit..every diva's gotta have one)


to finish...


I love my new bookcase and the fact that my room seems a little more like a room and not like I just moved in. Finally!

UNEXPECTED

Life is unexpected. Especially for me lately, that seems to be the most fitting word to describe life...and is mainly the reason I have not had my usual time to write blogs. However, I just had to include my discovery today. I saw this unexpected domestic feature on a trip to the storage unit for work. Now please note..this is a storage units' restroom facilities. It is like those picture games when you were little where you had to pick out what didn't fit....hmmm...can you guess what shouldn't fit in THIS restroom?

Yep..seriously what is a fancy piece of furniture doing in a place like this...definitely unexpected!

BREAKING NEWS

I am proud to announce that I actually mended something last night! I have been meaning to fix my umbrella for quite some time now, but was actually motivated to do something about it. Maybe it is all this rain we have been having. Regardless, this is huge for me...and I owe it all to my new, cute sewing supplies. Plus, it hardly takes any time at all...I mean we are talking five minutes. You know..mending is not so bad. (Wow. I can't believe those words just came out of my mouth!!)

7 A DAY

I would, without a doubt, meet the daily requirement of my fruits and veggies if they looked like this...

Apparently knitting is not the only creative hobby that can find its place within the walls of Starbucks. Vegetable carving, as I learned this weekend, is also possible. A little messy and rather unusual..but possible. On my visit to Jackson, Tennessee, I met Carl, who proved to be one such individual, displaying this concept in action. It is crazy to think he has only been doing this for four years, but his talent in culinary artistry was inspiring. I was able to watch a rose come to life with just a few simple strokes and cuts. Not what I expected upon entering the store, but within seconds I was completely enthralled. I am so glad that my addiction to tea permitted me to come across this talent. I can't call him a diva because he is a man...but he would definitely be the equivalent...

MEASURE OF LOVE

I love knitting THIS much!!

BLESSINGS

Optimism. This can sometimes feel like an unnatural thing. Especially when you are on day 3 of a car with no a/c and then discover that your favorite, beloved coffee shop is closing its doors forever. This has been my life this week, but I am determined to remain optimistic. Those things will not bring me down! A diva must count her blessings!

So blessing #1-

Look at my progress just from today on my scarf! Thanks to a great suggestion...I used my "training needles" (check out the size of those babies) to quickly catch up to my fellow knitter. I just might finish it in time for cold weather hitting!

And blessing #2-

I am well on my way to discovering the first of hopefully a series of "perfect cookies". After dealing with screaming girls for an hour last night and a long day of work, I understood the relief one feels entering the kitchen and baking. Pretty therapeutic if you ask me.

I printed off 5 different recipes to compare ingredients and process. My careful study of the recipes of Martha Stewart, Betty Crocker, Tollhouse, Neiman Marcus, and Smitten Kitchen raised a key question...

The quantity of ingredients are shockingly similar. So what differentiates the recipes? A 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla?? Really?!

The importance of these differences I have yet to determine:

1. Dark brown sugar vs. light brown sugar

2. Wheat germ and flour vs. just flour

Those to me were the only substantial differences I found in all the recipes I looked at. So, if it isn't the ingredients, does the order of mixing together ingredients really create a difference? Or the temperature at which they are baked? I am baffled. These were not the results I anticipated.

However, all this "studying" would be inconclusive if I did not in fact make a batch to test. So my first test was the Smitten Kitchen recipe, which I made last night. I am eating one as I type...trying to decide my ultimate opinion. They are good enough, but it is early in the process to determine anything yet. Guess I should just eat some more...

LABORLESS WEEKEND

Here's a picture that displays the only type of domestication I had this last weekend. Mainly, because I, instead of accomplishing a long list of to dos, got to spend it with two of the coolest people ever....my grandparents. Not only that, but my grandma gave me some knitting tips which hopefully will help me complete a scarf by winter. Well maybe winter 2010 considering the rate at which I am going.


Nonetheless, that is me and my g'ma...knitting away. My yarn I bought was a little tricky to use, so my grandma gave me some new yarn which was much easier. However, since my first scarf was designated for Drew to wear while hunting, I am not so sure he will appreciate the black to pink color change...

CAN'T HELP IT

So all this interest in my new domestic hobbies has allowed me to discover my newest weakness. For those that know me, they know I am obsessed with throwing anything and everything away. However, that all changes the second you stick me in a bookstore. Within a few minutes, my puny, little arms are piled full of how-to books on everything from cooking to car repairs. It takes serious self-restraint to not purchase all of these...self-restraint and my bank account balance...without which, I am sure I would be the proud owner of thousands of books.

SOMETHING ABOUT FRIDAYS

So I think my mind is just other places on Fridays. But hopefully inspiration will strike me as I write.

So all this domestic blogging has made me think a lot about the role of women in general. We live in a society filled with a wide spectrum of views on this...from full force feminists to traditionalists to those who still view women as inferior. Finding balance can sometimes be a difficult thing to achieve. That is why I like Martha Stewart so much. She blends traditional with modern...all with a touch of humanity. She has those skills you would expect of a housewife, yet at the same time, runs her own empire, and also makes mistakes. Needless to say, it is an interesting combination...

But Martha Stewart is not reality to me. I have never met her, don't run into people like her in my day to day life, might as well be a figment of my imagination. What I tend to notice (well by oversimplifying) is the women around me fit into two main roles:
1. Those that are career driven and very successful in their ventures
2. And those that either teach, stay at home with children, or a combination of the two

The problem is, for me, I never really seemed to fit with either. And maybe it is obvious to an onlooker to somehow merge the two, but for the black and white, extreme type person I am...merging just doesn't come to mind. I want to be 100% in, and all about one or the other.

Somehow, I want to be a "Martha Stewart", a blend of both worlds. I laugh because a short time ago, it used to be a joke that I wanted to become the next Martha Stewart. Yet now, there is actually a sort of seriousness in the suggestion. Not that my plan is to create my own empire, but that what I once saw as polar opposite desires can actually be combined together in a tangible way. This realization fits perfectly with the new direction that I am headed towards. Not at all what I saw myself doing 3 months ago, but something that will satisfy both my business and motherly desires. I am excited as it seems that in more ways than one, the things that I never saw fitting together are combining together perfectly. It is definitely something I could never orchestrate...

WORSE THAN CHOPSTICKS

So in all honesty, it ends up being more frequent than I would like that I discover new things that I am absolutely horrible at. My latest...knitting. I started learning this week after a quick trip to the dollar store. Random...but did you know that you can actually buy knitting needles, yarn, and a how-to book..all at the dollar store?? That is a grand total of $3 for a new hobby. Pretty inexpensive if you ask me. And completely worth it, unless, of course...you are me. I don't know that I will actually be able to produce an item worth keeping. My friend and I decided to learn together one night after work this week. She, of course, quickly taught herself how to knit, while I on the other hand, awkwardly handled the needles in an effort to keep up. She has had to demonstrate countless times. Each time I admire the ease at which she maneuvers her knitting needles. And each time she hands it back for me to try...I cannot seem to get it. This is where my comparison to chopsticks comes in. I am about as skilled eating with chopsticks as I am with knitting. My needles flail and never go in the direction that I want. It ends up with a messed up ball of yarn instead of neat rows of stitches. But the advantages of knitting, if I can ever master the talent...

1. My coordination in general would be improved
2. They say "idle hands are the devil's workshop"...I think I would like to avoid that!

3. And finally...it is a hobby you can do anywhere...even Starbucks

(Pictured below is my skilled instructor)

(And me..it requires ALL my concentration)

I want to give a shout out to our new friend at the dollar store too! I am always excited for new readers!

Oh and check out my talented coworker...she definitely qualifies as a domestic diva!

8:15

A seemingly late time for dinner...but my record thus far. I was beyond excited when it was done and on the table and I realized my record timing.

So recap of my dinner last night:

1. Pork Tenderloin - I much appreciated the fact that it was already deboned. Quite a relief after the last two dinners I have made. Half my time seemed to be spent conquering the slippery skin as I hacked away. Last night..a breeze.

2. My pancetta...or really bacon that I used. I heard, through my studies, that you can blanch the bacon (boil, simmer, then cold water) to remove the smoky flavor which is the main difference between the bacon we know and love and the Italian kind. So I did that...which didn't mess up the overall results of my meal, but I am still unsure if it really made a difference.

3. Actual barding of the loin. This was an interesting process as I forgot to buy kitchen twine while I was at the grocery store. Therefore, I made use of those silcone ties I mentioned before to fasten the bacon to the pork, but it was much trickier than just simply lifting the twine around it. This seriously tested my coordination...and twine is definitely still on my list to purchase soon!

4. Then it was off into the oven and on to the vegetables. I have decided my Christmas present I want most of all (in case any one is interested) ..KNIVES!! Apparently you only really need 3 but after watching a video of someone chopping herbs, I was sold on the importance of a sharp and good knife. In my opinion, this is the most important item in your kitchen. For you artists out there...it's the difference between a good brush and a cheap one. It completely changes your "work of art" and the ease at which you execute it.

5. Eggplant - First time for buying one of these..and cutting it. It has a very distinct flavor..and the jury is still out on whether I really like it or not. But this was one of the veggies in my roasted vegetable tian. This was relatively easy to make. Only downside..kind of a lengthy cooking time. This is what I have realized about roasting anything...be prepared to wait. However, the results, worth the wait!

6. So finally, my tenderloin was ready to come out. And the big fear with cooking this meat is that it can be extremely dry. I followed my cookbook's recommendation for temp. (138 degrees), but I think that that is a little too low for my taste. It wasn't quite cooked well enough, so after a few more minutes in the over. Wahlah...

And FINALLY it is complete! Granted..you may want to remove the ties and bacon and sprig of rosemary...but you get the picture.