Morning Sweetness

This morning, I woke up feeling incredibly ill. My hair was frizzy and needed to be washed (and so did the rest of me). My lips were kind of dry. And who knows what my face and under-eyes looked like since I hadn't used moisturizer before bed, or drunk enough water yesterday.

And my husband, lying across from me, looked at me and said "You look so beautiful," which is something he doesn't normally just wake up and say.

You're probably thinking "D'awww!"
But personally, my first thought was "I really need to set up an eye doctor appointment for this guy." ;)

Have a great weekend!

Crossed Over to the Boring Side

This was almost my most recent facebook status update. Then I realized it's not good to brag about being super boring. I guess the kinds of things you get excited about change along with each chapter of your life*.



Got an awesome Target coupon book in the mail!

......Oh, no--I have true joy from coupons. I think all hope is lost for me.


Seriously, though--free carton of eggs! SCORE!



*I can only imagine what it will be when I'm an old person, God willing. "Free squirrel food! Hurrah!" 


Photo source: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/IMG/938/234938/facebook-unlike-thumbs-down-symbol-580x358.jpg?1348846668

Getting Creative!

I just opened a shop on Etsy for the first time. I only have one item listed so far, but I'm hoping to have more up soon. :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GoldenMystique

On That Note, Have a Great Weekend!

I wonder what my husband's reaction would be if I started eating like this. We make a joke that if he slurps or anything at the table, it's fine as long as he has his pinky up. So, as long as I keep my pinky up through this sequence, in theory...
Yes, I really am worse than a child. (Who do you think owns the Scooby Doo sheets and the Princess Tiana comforter in our home?)

(Okay, so it's so stupid. But you just have to laugh at the sheer stupidity; how could I not share it?)

Have a great weekend!

Handy Tip #3

For the record: You should read the instructions on food labels before you just, say, pop the food into the microwave and go for it. (Such as what I did with a bag of kettle corn popcorn.)
 Burnt popcorn does not smell good.

...Most people probably already know this, but I share as I learn.

Photo sources: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9g76hE6dG1qafsu2o1_500.png
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/227/2/6/hamster_burnt_the_popcorn_by_daccat-d46pzmk.jpg

Quick and Easy Meatless Chili Fries

You'll need:

• Half a bag of frozen french fries (style of your choice)
• Half a 12oz bag of soy burger crumbles (I used the Publix brand, Green Wise, because they are dairy-free)
• 1 can of red kidney beans
• About 1/3 cup of salsa (I used Publix brand restaurant style)
• Some Ortega taco seasoning (used the rest of what I had--maybe 2 tbs?) 

Put the fries on a cookie sheet and bake as directed.

As they are baking, put the soy into a pot on low-medium to thaw. (What I use kind of freezes in a chunk, so I periodically have to flip it over to keep it from burning and to get it to thaw evenly.)

Rinse the beans; put them in the pot with the soy burger crumbles.

Add the salsa. Continue to cook.

As the soy meat thaws and separates, make sure to stir all the ingredients together.

Once the chili is hot, add the taco seasoning and mix it in.
If your fries aren't finished, you can keep the pot on low, or just turn it off if your fries aren't going to take much longer.

Once the fries are finished and slightly cooled (so they don't burn the heck out of you!), put however much you want on a plate or in a bowl. Top with the chili.
(Personally, I like to add ketchup and mustard to my personal portion!)

Technically, this dish can be vegan (if you use dairy-free soy meat).
But you can also trying adding shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese (I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds pretty yummy!) and make it vegetarian. :)

Voila!

Now

Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day.
Dalai Lama 

At first glance, this seems kind of cold. What, are people replaceable just like that? you might ask. But on further inspection, I realized that I think I understand what he's trying to say.

It's hardly a secret that I've felt abandoned by many, if not most, of the people I've cared about in the past. People who seemed to be your best friends one minute, who were closer than family (or were family), who the next minute seemed to have forgotten you existed. Maybe you made a life change that they thought was too stupid or weird, and weren't wiling to support; maybe they just didn't have  use for you any more, because you'd already given all you could give. 

Things like this made it depressing to form new relationships, in a way. What's the point? This person will just pass on like all the rest. This method of thinking can keep you from getting close to others, and from making real connections.

But, at a certain point, I decided to stop focusing so much on the future. 
In reality, yes--most friendships don't last forever (if for no other reason than that people fall out of touch just from the business of life in general). But so what? That's not now. 
Now is a time that I have the opportunity to experience, learn, connect, make memories. I can enjoy every moment with another person that I am given to share with him or her. Each moment can be meaningful and enjoyed. 

And then, when people move on in our lives and new ones come, we have the same opportunity all over again. 
Does that mean the past relationship was a bitter failure? Not at all. It's something to look back on fondly, to remember all the good times you had and all that you learned. 

It's not about replacing people; it's about enjoying each and every moment of life as it comes. It's about appreciating everything in life. The new people don't replace the old ones; they fill a different space in the rich tapestry of your life. 

Old Married Woman

A few nights ago, I was sitting next to my husband while he rested on our bed, and we were talking.

Our bedroom has the unique ability to allow us to hear pretty much anything going on outside in the parking lot below. Our conversation was interrupted suddenly by the sound of a group of people (probably somewhere around our ages) outside, laughing and being noisy and making a ruckus. It was past 1am, and I had one of the firsts of my life:
I looked solemnly at my husband and said in my stern, old-married-woman tone of disapproval, "Delinquents!"

Yes, I somehow managed to be one of those cranky old married people. I think that's a pretty impressive achievement for me. Guess I'm just getting a head start on this cranky old person thing. Wonder when I'll get to yell "Get off my lawn, you hooligans!"

I'm determined to make the most of life, both in the present and the future. In other words, I'll be that crazy old lady in the sequined purple jumpsuit, riding the bus with two conversing paper bag puppets. Booyah.

Nintendo 64 Controllers

On facebook, I got into a conversation with my younger brothers and their friend in which I raised the question: Why did Nintendo 64 controllers have three handles? 
The third prong just seems superfluous, antiquated, and downright silly, right?

After some further discussion in which a few theories were proposed, I had an epiphany.

Adina OH--I got it. Light bulb moment. 
One handle was so you could scratch your face w/o taking your hands off the controller in the middle of an intense Mario Kart race.

MYSTERY SOLVED!

Photo source: http://www.konsolenkost.de/images/produkte/i58/5812080-9024681-4b.jpg

Quick Taco Pasta

Okay, today I was making a big dinner, but the spousal unit got hungry for something in the mean time.
I whipped up this pasta dish in like 20 minutes, and my husband really liked it (I didn't think it was half bad either).

You'll need:

• Rotini 
• Soy burger crumbles (half a bag)
• Salsa
• Ortega taco seasoning

Put on a pot of water to boil.

While you wait for it to boil, put half of the frozen soy crumbles into another pot, cover it, and turn it to the high end of low to thaw.

Once the soy meat is thawed, turn the burner down to the lowest temp and add some salsa. (Probably about half a cup of salsa.) Mix it together.

Add a liberal amount of Ortega taco seasoning and mix again.

Once the water boils, add the rotini. I think I added almost half the box.

Once the noodles are cooked and drained, put them back in the pot and pour the "meat sauce" over the top. Mix it a little to coat all the noodles.

Voila! Good to feed a hungry man quickly. ;)

Swag

Married or not, I reserve the right to throw a skirt on over my pajama pants at 4pm in order to walk to the main office to pay our rent.