Life Fabulously

Exhaustion and Reading

Today has been nuts... and by nuts, I mean that I'm left looking like this:

Except I'm a lot less cute and a little more "please-get-out-of-my-way-before-I-scream."

The sad part of all of this is that I went to sleep last night at 9:30 and woke up at 7:00. That should have been more than enough sleep to make it through the day, right? Especially when you consider the fact that it's not even dinnertime yet! (I think that maybe my mother is right. I should go to the doctor and get checked to make sure that I don't have anemia, but I digress.)

The good thing about exhaustion is that it gives me a convenient excuse (read: makes me sit still enough) to spend time reading. I actually got so far ahead on my school reading (Interdisciplinary Research, A Biography of the English Language, and The Bedford Anthology of American Literature Vol. 1 - just in case you were wondering) that I was able to read a book for FUN! This one:

(Source)

I was a little bit put off by the title at first, but then curiosity won out and I ended up reading the description and "purchasing" it. I say "purchasing" it because it just so happens to be free for Kindle right now if you click here. I don't know how long that will last, so grab it up!

Anyway, with all of that being said, I've got to run and order a pizza now. While I'm gone, does anybody else have any great Kindle book recommendations?

Saturday Morning Iced Mochas

It's no little secret that I'm a coffee addict... but the problem is that I don't like plain old hot coffee. I like fancy, doctored-up masterpieces of coffee deliciousness. In an effort to curb some of my spending (hello, college budget wedding) I attempted to make an iced mocha at home this morning and I think it turned out pretty well! :o)

Looks pretty... and tastes yummy!

Here's a quick step-by-step for those of you who are interested (and for me, because I'm likely to forget if I don't write it down!):

Ingredients:
   - 1 cup of strong, hot coffee
   - 1 1/2 tablespoons of Coffee-Mate Original Powdered Creamer
   - 1 packet of Splenda
   - 1/2 cup of reduced fat milk
   - 2 tablespoons of Hershey's syrup
   - A couple handfuls of ice
   - Optional: Whipped cream and additional syrup for drizzling

Directions:
   1. Pour cup of coffee, and stir in creamer and Splenda.
   2. Add chocolate syrup and milk and stir until well mixed.
   3. Drizzle inside of glass with chocolate syrup (if desired), fill with ice.
   4. Pour in coffee, top with whipped cream and more chocolate.
   5. ENJOY!

Domestic Diva-fication: Baked Chicken

(Personal Picture - Sorry for the camera phone induced blurriness!)

Recently I've discovered the cleaning the kitchen as a new hobby. I know I'm crazy, but there is something about taking a kitchen from messy to sparkly that is gratifying and rewarding. (Plus, it gives me massive bragging rights, and I get to gasp in mock horror whenever somebody "messes... up... my... kitchen!")

This week, I decided that if I'm going to clean it, I'm going to cook in it, too. This is a big deal for me, as previously my cooking abilities involved heating things up, and sticking cookies and brownies in the oven.

I scoured a couple of recipe books, magazines, and the Food Network website for some quick and easy recipes, and ended up coming up with a recipe for the "Easiest-Ever Baked Chicken" from PreventionGuide's Quick & Healthy Meals. Let me tell you, "Easiest-Ever" is right. Even poor, old, kitchen-challenged me managed to pull it off. It smelled good, it looked good, and it tasted good. (Though I will come clean and tell you that it was pretty bland. I'm going to tweak the recipe, add some seasoning, and try again!)

In case you're interested in trying it, here's the recipe (taken from this source):

Ingredients:

8 Chicken Drumsticks (about 2 lbs total)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (optional)
1 tbsp olive or canola oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Put drumsticks close together on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, paprika, and red pepper (if using). Drizzle with oil. Toss drumsticks to distribute oil and seasonings evenly.
Arrange drumsticks 1" apart. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.

Voila. Easy peasy, yes? Stay tuned for my further experiments, which will include Couscous Salad and Southwestern Rice Casserole!

You Learn Something New Each Day

Did you know...

... that before Dr. Suess ...

... was famous for writing The Cat in the Hat ...

... he was a political cartoonist?

Neither did I!

(All images from this source.)

Rejoining the Blogosphere

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Seeing as though the last post on this blog was August 9, 2009, it's about time I rejoin the blogosphere, right?

I've decided to document my senior year of college in blog form. I mean, I could keep it in a journal but (believe it or not) I'm actually worse at remembering to write in a journal than I am at remembering to write on a blog. Whether or not you decide to come along for the ride is up to you!

You should know, however, that my previous attempts at blogging have been (what my friends would call) an epic fail. If you've ever tried to follow this blog before, you'll know that there were previously other posts here. I deleted them. They were haunting me, and I was ashamed to admit I wrote them... not because they were bad material, but because they were horrifically written, and I'm a perfectionist. If you want to see them, ask. They are hidden in the deep, dark corners of my archives.

This time, however, I'm bound not to let that happen. For better, or for worse, I'm keeping this blog up and posting random tidbits of (sometimes) worthless information.

Ready or not, blogosphere, here I come!

The First Post is Always the Most Awkward

The First is Always the Most Awkward... isn't that true of a lot of things? I mean, think about it. A baby's first steps. Your first kiss. The first time you take the driver's test and fail horrifically because a moving truck nearly backs into... Nevermind.

My point is that awkward firsts are a part of life - something we have to deal with on a daily basis (sometimes multiple times daily, if you're like me) that are vital to our being. If we didn't have any awkward firsts, we would live a rather boring existence.

So, for once, I'm embracing the awkward as I embark on this adventure in blogging. Maybe I'll remember to update, maybe I won't (I'm not going to lie, I'm really horrible with blogs). Perhaps my blog will be ridiculously boring (I'm not sure yet). And maybe, just maybe, every entry will turn out as awkward as the first (don't say I didn't warn you)...

But I do hope you join me for the ride - let's embrace the awkward, and live life fabulously.