Something new.

Well, it's been so long since I posted, I really felt a need to post something new. Not totally sure what though!

We are in Courtenay this week, and I have to say - after the last manic couple of weeks being in Courtenay to work 9-5 for five days in a row with my husband here actually feels like a holiday! Working holiday, but holiday nonetheless. Unfortunately we slept in yesterday and had to rush around packing, so we missed Church before leaving. Sad. It was a beautiful ferry ride over. And we had a wonderful evening cooking good food together and talking with our friends we stay with here when we arrived last night.

I think, I really do like being on the mainland. I didn't realize how much I missed the mountains, and the sense that any weekend, if we wanted to (not that we have time to right now, but...if!) we could hop in the car and head up to Kamloops, or Kelowna, or Cultas or Golden ears for the weekend. I love that feeling. I think I felt a bit penned in on the island.

My secondary goal for this week, while here, is to get caught up on scoring video for my thesis. I'm dreadfully behind, and need to score this video before moving to the next phase with the next participant. More video will be coming in soon, too.

It is definately lent. Definately.

Soon it will be Pascha though.

A sneak peek

Now that we have signed the lease to rent our new place for May 1 (we're actually moving in April 22nd), I feel like I can post a couple of pictures. We are so unbelievably blessed to have found this place, and found it within our price range. The landlord has actually lowered the rent by 250.00 per month so we can afford it, because he really wants good tenants and feels we are a good match. I still cannot believe we'll get to live here. For the rent we'll be paying. Long term. We may not ever buy. lol! So here is a sneak peek of the house. It is 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, with a family room and living room (both with fireplaces), a loft, a walk in closet in the master. Overall it's over 2000 square feet. I know. It's like at least 2.5 times the size of anything we've ever lived in before. It will be very empty for the first few months! Please know that though it looks like we'd be paying thousands of dollars per month in rent, that is NOT the case, we are getting this place for only a couple of hundred dollars per month more than our last place (which was about 7-800 square foot apartment with none of the ammenities this place has!). Also note that we will not have the furniture that is currently in there! The first picture is the formal livingroom when looking down on it from the loft. That room will likely not have any furniture for a few months :)

Quite appropriately, we'll be waiting to move in through the rest of lent, and we'll move in part way through bright week. We have been jokingling saying we're fasting from having a house for lent. Ha!

We're baaaack :)

We are now officially back on the mainland. The moving weekend was crazy. Once again we over-estimated our own strength and endurance by a gargantuan amount. We thought we'd have no problem packing the apartment into a 1-ton truck by ourselves over Friday evening and Saturday. We very naively, or arrogantly (depending on how you look at it), though we'd be done and out the door by 1pm on Sat. Hah!!! We managed to catch the 9pm ferry! Then Sunday we unloaded everything (with lots of help on this end) into the two storage units and D.'s parents house. We are now semi-settled here, and I'm very thankful for our space here! We'll be staying here till near the end of April, when we (assuming nothing goes horribly wrong between now and March 10th when we sign the lease) will be moving into the most beautiful wonderful giant house! We really really lucked out with this place, and are getting it at a steel. Email me and I"ll give you the deets :). And of course, we'll have one heck of a house-warming party to break it in (though right now we only own enough furniture for about 1/2 of it...maybe!).

D.'s parents have given up their dining room so we can use it as an office. I can't tell you how comforting it was to set up my office area there today. It was like as soon as that was set up I though "Okay. Now I can cope." Work nut. Right here.

Anyways, the next two weeks are full to the brim with work, including a conference on Saturday (have to be at UBC at 7:15 am to do conference committee duties!! ICK!), and work the following Saturday. Despite the fact that it would be nice to have a real day off to recover from the moving craziness, I am thankful to have so much work booked right off the bat, as we really need the money to finish paying my tuition right now (SO overdue!!).

I am so looking forward to seeing everyone more often again!

I am thinking though that I need to find a way to keep a piece of the slow-moving-calm-peaceful-layedbackness of Victoria within me so I don't go manic. I'm realizing that despite the fact that the pace in Vic was challenging for me (too slow!), it may have been good for me :).

Okay

Here we go. Really, I'm getting off the couch and packing. Really. I woke up early today, did some packing, went to see my priest and then came home. I picked up a panini at one of my favorite Victoria cafe's (Pure Vanilla) and ate that for lunch (okay, okay, along with a "kitchen sink" cookie from the same cafe). Now I really really could just fal asleep. But I will get going on the packing before I head out to run some errands and pick up D. and the moving truck.

Here we go!

Thankful

Last night we went for dinner at some dear friends' home. They are in some ways our local "family" here. They are just wonderful. We make a good group, as D. and A. (the husbands) play a strategy game while B. and I sit and talk for hours and hours while we drink wine.

Everytime we get together for an evening, I leave inspired, refreshed and so thankful after talking with B. for hours. This week it was so what I needed. It was the first time I've relaxed all week.

Of course, after getting home at close to 2am, and having only about 4 hours sleep, I am SOOOO tired now. But it was worth it.

Today I have a video conference this morning, then my last haircut with my hairdresser here! I really don't have time for this haircut, but I'm doing it anyways, because I really need a haircut, and I don't know what I"ll do once I move to the mainland, because I love this hairdresser so much!! I'm actually debating coming over here for haircuts!

And, what is with the snow??

To keep going...

I have scored video for about 8 hours already today and have another 2-3 hours to do still. Then work, then packing. My eyes may fall out of their sockets trying to do more tonight, so to keep on going here are my changes:

1) Candle, Vanilla scented.

2) Earl Grey tea

3) Open window for fresh air.

Now, those of you that know what a nerd I am and how much I actually love data may be shocked by my grumbling. I will be SO thrilled to tabulate, analyze and graphically display this data, but at the moment I am scoring second-by-second data on 11 different things, for three 30-minute data. So...it's wearing on me (mostly because I left it to the last minute and now have to do it all in one day. Surprise surprise.

Here I go :)

Just a bit...

Overwhelmed.

We move in a week. I was away for 5 days, came home to work one day, then went to Courtenay for 5 days more. I just got home last night, and have been sick for this whole week, and thought I thought I was getting better this cold/sinus/cough thing seems to have rallied forces and actually gotten worse again today.

I have a whole bunch of work to do. I also have probably close to 10 hours of video scoring that I need to get done by the end of tomorrow for my thesis, so I can hopefully finish running a participant this last week we're in Victoria.

We have to pack our house. We are moving on Saturday, 1 week from today. But we're not moving TOO a new home. We're going to be putting everything into a storage locker and staying with D.'s parents. We are very lucky we have them to stay with.

Nothing is really "in place." We still have so much packing to do (you'd be horrified if you saw how much). Luckily D. did a bunch while I was away. I have to get taxes ready (being self-employed this is a big job) to go to the accountant. I have to decide whether to keep my dental appt. on the mainland on Wed and go for just the day to get the work done before D's dental runs out. I have to make my office portable. I have to get a haircut with my hair stylist here before moving. And there, as always are fires to put out with clients....

And I'm just tired. And sick. And I just want to be sick and lay in bed all day and sleep and get better.

Okay, whining over, you can go now :).

Just Roast It.

Last night I made roast beef, roasted winter vegetables and green beens. As I mentioned yesterday, I rarely make roasts. Everytime I do I have to call my mom to find out how to cook it (There are so many cuts of meat, it's so confusing!!). When I was talking with her yesterday, after telling me to rub a mixture of olive oil, kosher salt, herbs and garlic over the roast she paused and said ".....but, I know you don't like to touch the meat. You can just spoon it onto the roast and spread it around." So funny!

So, the roast turned out well, though a bit overdone I think (I didn't have a meat thermometer so was being careful. I even made gravy, which also turned out pretty well, in the end enyways. That rub my mom told me to put on btw was super good :). Initially I added too much of a cornstarch-broth mixture, and it imediately transformed from broth to a gelatinous mass. I added more and more broth to thin it out, and in the end it was perfectly good gravy, though I had a lot of it.

These roasted vegetables were the best part though. I forget how lovely roasted winter vegetables are. I used potatoes, yams, parsnips, and carrots here, and mixed them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary and some italian herbs, and 2-3 cloves of garlic. They turned out so sweet and tastey- the sugars in the vegetables combined with the balsamic and caramalized. So good :).

Today

Started really badly - a rushed morning when I was not quite awake and couldn't find what I needed. I become a hysterical lunatic on such mornings. Really, if you think I'm nice, you haven't seen this me. Just ask my DH.

Improved- I went grocery shopping and to the gym after running some sessions for my thesis. I'll make a roast tonight and roasted balsamic winter vegetables. I almost never make roasts. But, every once and a while I buy one on a whim. Today is that day.

Stronger - I went to the gym, though I really didn't feel up for it. I feel better having gone though, and I have decided that I will use my new Alba coconut something yummy moisturizing stuff after my after-the-gym shower only (contingencies...). So, now I smell good, and am warm and clean and cosy. And tired.

Now -I have earl grey tea, and a vanilla candle on my desk. And Kiehl's cranberry lip balm, which is currently sitting on my mouse pad. I'm listening to Ben Harper (courtesy Vic's blog).

The rest of the day- work lots, score video, get the roast in, then eat and cuddle with my husband. Oh, and sort laundry.

Dinner

Sigh. Now there are a lot of cookies in my kitchen. Waiting, lurking, staring at me :) I bake or cook when I'm stressed out, if I'm really feeling ooky, I bake sweet things like this. I need a book of "mini recipes" that make just enough to eat in the moment with no left-overs!

Fighting procrastination

Today I:
1) Made an appointment for a consultation with a new Dentist (cringe).
2) Called Canada Revenue to discuss my recent tax "reassessment."

I'm trying.

A good day.

It was a good day because...

I got caught up on some work.

My husband was feeling a bit better.

I signed up my second thesis participant.

I went to the gym!

I entered everything I ate on Sparkpeople.

I made this:

And this:

The first picture is yummy, sweet (but no sugar), easy to make Coconut Basmati rice. Mmmm... The second picture, I'll admit doesn't look like much, but I tell you it is awsume! It is African peanut stew. Both recipes are from Moosewood cooks at home. Soooo good!

T. is....wishing she had something to blog other than "I"m working a lot."

Sigh. I know. Facebook has overcome blogging so much that I'm posting a FB status on my blog. But hey, it got me started right?

I don't have much to say...no new recipes or anything exciting really.

Hmm...

Really..

Nothing. Everything that comes to mind is eather mundane or whining, and that's not what breathing room is for. Okay, get off your sorry whining butt T.! How about I post about things I'm thankful for in the midst of the craziness.

- My husband who keeps me sane (well, that may be debatable...perhaps "saner" is a better way to put it).

- Family and friends that take me in and give me second and third homes when I'm travelling for work.

- Really good coffee. Really. Very thankful.

- Honey and Lemon Hand cream from L'Occitane en Provence

- A new hair straightener that works so fast and well.

- I got better in under a week when sick last week. This is an all time record for me. Related to that, I guess I'm thankful I had little out-of-the-house work scheduled while sick, and for Oil of Oregano. The only two differences this time I was sick were that I actually rested the first three days I was sick, and that I took Oil of oregano several times.

Those are just the things on my mind right now :) There's lots more to be thankful for :)

Sarah's Sick Remedy

This is Sarah's sick remedy. She made it for me when I arrived at her house super sick on day, and it is bringing me great comfort this time I'm sick!!

Mix 1 Tablespoon grated ginger and 1/3-1/2 cup sugar with just enough water to cover it.
Bring to a boil and boil until it is syrupy.
Add 2-3 Tablespoons of lemon juice.

Now, dilute to taste with boiling water.

It's basically home made, much-better-for-you, doesn't make your teeth hurt neo citrany stuff.

Thanks Sarah, hope it's okay I posted it! I'm also all over the oil of oregano, echinaccia and juice this time around.

Just yummy.

This is Baked Brie someone (not me) made for new years eve. It was wonderful!

These roasted tomatoes were made by another friend for New Years eve as well. So tasty!

This was the turkey for Christmas dinner -smokin'!


Yummy salad we had for dinner one night in the middle of all the celebrating. Lightly blanched green beans and broccoli, lettuce, red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, mozarella cheese, artichokes and olives. It was very yummy and refreshing.

Spinach and tofu dumplings. I found the recipe here. They were simple but a bit time consuming to put together. Very yummy though.

Snow day

I am at my in-laws sitting in front of the fire blogging, and am SO happy to be exactly here. I am on the mainland for work...yesterday I took the 7am ferry over and worked all day, then stayed at M.'s last night. We had great sushi and tried to watch a movie but I kept falling asleep! I had a long sleep but woke up with a big headache and feeling a bit ooky and snuffly! It had snowed a lot overnight and was still coming down hard. Being that I am a) directionally challenged, b) a nervous Vancouver driver now (dang that Victoria driving experience!), and c) not a seasoned snow driver I decided it was best to call off the work I had scheduled for this afternoon in Vancouver. I managed to make it out to my in-laws though, so the trek to Van will be easier tomorrow. I used the 4-wheel drive on our pathfinder for the first time though, and it was GREAT! I also got to break in the new skookum (sp?) windshield wipers.

I'm very thankful to be not working today. Only just now is my headache starting to clear...I've had lots of water and tea and vitamin C and echinaccia etc...I really don't want to get sick!

I'm seriously annoyed that Facebook is down though!! I realize now how addicted I am!!!

So here's to a snow day :) And only 2 more days of work left till I have some time off!

On the move....

We're moving back to the mainland. March 1.

Just so you know :)

I'm travelling a lot to have enough work...and that's not working for us. And our family is on the mainland (and many many friends). So, we've made the decision to move back - I will have lots of work there (so much I"ll probably regret this decision later!!) and we'll be close to our family and friends.

Brrrrr!

Seriously - it is SO windy, and SO cold!!! Okay...for Victoria. I know, we're wimps on the west coast. But, I swear this is at least as windy and cold as it was in MA in the winter..if not more so!! Our office is really cold. So I have yoga pants and a sweatshirt on, one blanket over my legs, antoher over my shoulders, fleece slipper-socks on, and a cup of steaming tea. And I'm still cold!! I do kind of like it though b/c it feels Christmasy. And makes me want to bake.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Okay, well at our house, not so much "look" a lot like Christmas. We haven't gotten to putting up decorations yet, and probably won't since I leave for the mainland Friday or Saturday, and Daryl will be heading over on Tuesday and we won't be back till the new year. I've been feeling a little sad about no-decorations and the fact that we haven't done much Christmas preparation due to busy schedules, but today sort of remedied that.

But, it is feeling a little more like Christmas though because:

a) Today was a snow day. Church was cancelled, and there is lots of snow out.
b) It's really really cold!
c) I baked today. Not entirely successfully though. I made these really yummy spicy chocolate shortbread-type cookies. Most of them burned however. Sigh. I also have shortbread dough in the fridge ready to make.
d) We went to a Christmas dinner at D.'s Nana and Papa's place. It was super yummy and very festive.
e) We wrapped all the presents we've bought.

So, now I have 5 days to get everything ready for before I go leave for work. I have quite a bit of out-of-the-house work this week, so it will be a busy week trying to get everything done. On my to-do list this week is:
- Finish my last case study.
- Finish my last set of case notes and internship hours verification.
(Note: Once these tasks are complete, I will officially be done ALL my coursework AND my internship!).
- Pick up some groceries so I can eat lots of veggies this week!!
- Make a hair appointment and go to it :)
- Make (if possible so last minute) an appointment to get new orthotics made and go to it :).
- Finish buying presents
- Wrap the remaining presents (they all have to go with me when I leave).
- Bake the shortbread.
- Make peppermint bark for small presents.
- Deep clean the house (all the deep bathroom cleaning, floor cleaning, etc) as we have guests staying with us after we get back (which we are SO excited about).
- Prepare all the things I need for work this coming weekend.
- Write cards and mail (I'm still debating whether I'll get to this or not).
- Do the paperwork and admin generated by my out-of-the-house work this week.
- Get to the gym. I only went once last week and am feeling a bit sluggish. And soon will be away for over a week and won't know how much I"ll get to work out.

I'm thankful I made a big pot of veggie chili last night and I have butternut squash soup in the fridge, so I'll have those for quick-ish meals this week. I'll just pick up some salad stuff for lunches and should be all set.

Okay, now I'm a bit stressed out by that list. I think I can get at least 5 or 6 things done tomorrow when I get home from work.

But soon it will be Christmas Holidays! This will be the first time in at least a few years that we've been off work, together for this long. It will be more than 10 days I think!!! I'll probably do some work while off and may have a meeting or two while on the mainland but it's mostly a real break!!

Detox never tasted SO good!

I just made these two recipes. They were in the most recent issue of Food and Wine. This was the first time I'd bought this magazine, and it's a great magazine.

Here is the Kale and Avacado Salad recipe. This is super filling. I think I could half the amount of avacado and still feel satisfied :). This was my brunch today. So yummy.

Here is the Lemony Quinoa Salad recipe. This is SO yummy and refreshing. Quinoa is the super grain. The serving size is a bit small on this one. So, it may be best either doubled, or plan to have it with a green salad or something. I doubled the recipe and will eat it as a snack later on.

What I love about both of these recipes is that they are fresh with no processed foods, and they are both vegan/fast friendly so are perfect for this time of year. I'm about to go enter them into sparkpeople to see what the nutritional information for vitamins and minerals is for them...I'm sure it will be great.

Can you tell I have two case studies to finish and a pile of work to do? Why else would I blog twice in one day :)