Monday Morning

These are probably 2 of the grossest photos I've ever taken, but whatever.

Yesterday we made fish tacos for dinner.
If you have ever been to a restaurant with me, you know how much I love fish tacos.
I order them every chance I get, trying to find the best in town.

Most of the time fish tacos don't come with cheese, but since I have a hardcore addiction to it, I always add it on.

Joe (along with about 80% of the population) always says YUCK to fish tacos.
I have to admit that the first time I had heard the term I was thoroughly disgusted as well.
My manager made them one day when I used to work at Chili's, even though they weren't on the menu. He told me that I had to try one. After I folded my face in a funny direction a few times, I finally ate one. And it was awesome. To be honest, it was the best fish tacos I've had to date.

So last night, after about 2 years of talking about how great these things were, I told Joe that we were having them for dinner. That was after he said "no way" to tuna pitas (one of my favorite quick-foods), so I really didn't think he was going to go for it since he always looks at me in dismay when I say "fish" and "taco" in the same sentence.

But he was on board and even wanted to help me make them.
The thing about Joe is that has one of the weakest taste bud systems I know of, so he only had fish and cheese in his tortilla...and to me that's not a fish taco, because it's the sauce that makes it what it is. But he liked it and I wont catch any slack at restaurants anymore now that he knows these things have a particular awesomeness to them.
This is the recipe I used. I didn't add mayo to the sauce in hopes that Joe would try it...but he didn't. I also went to the grocery store for a lime and forgot to buy a lime, so I had to improvise. I made quite a stretch and reached for pineapple rum. Initially I was just going to skip that part, but after I tasted the sauce I knew I wasn't going to get away with that. I used lettuce rather than cabbage because I couldn't find cabbage at the grocery store the other day. And I added pico, because it's one of the best foods ever.
(okay, so i like all kinds of food...)

Then I took the garbage out and noticed that the air was perfect for a walk.
So I ran upstairs and got my raincoat and took a walk.
And then I got home and finished this piece:
And took a photo of it when it was dark outside, which I never do, but since this piece isn't for sale it's okay.
I miss making things and I want to start again. I hope that can happen soon, but I'm doubtful. I haven't been able to cross much off my list.
I can say that I've been working on #4, #14 and #19, but that's as far as I've gotten and I wrote that list 3 months ago to the day.

Well tomorrow I will cross #12 off because I'm going on a canoe trip with these people, plus a few others.

Well it's time to go. I hope you had a good weekend! Do you like fish tacos? I've heard they are big in California and I think that the main reason they are popular here in Wisconsin is because fish tacos have fried fish, and if you've ever been here, you know how much we (stereotypically speaking) like our fish fry.

Sunday

So I guess this might explain (or at least justify, in some strange way) why I've had such a sweet tooth lately:
(image from pruh, which i found on sia's blog)

I don't even really feel stressed...I just don't feel all that comfortable lately. Which is probably why I keep reaching for comfort food all the time. And I had been on such a healthy eating kick! But it hit the fan this winter and I haven't been able to get a grip on it since. Luckily the outdoor farmer's markets start soon (on my side of town, i mean) so that will be a huge help. I can't wait for blueberries! Soon soon...

What are you up to this weekend? I have the day off and it's rainy, but I'm okay with that.

Dang it, I wish we had IKEA nearby! I need some frames and stuff like that.

Tuesday

This morning dove comes and visits every morning at 7:15.

And then another dove comes along and they hang out for awhile on my balcony.
It's really sweet.

Not as sweet as when I used to listen to the roosters when I lived in Salem, though.
I miss visiting the horses behind my apartment there. I would bring a blanket and my ipod and something to snack on and lay in the sun, watching the horses do their thing while the roosters danced around their hooves. I wish I would have taken video of that...the horses always made me smile. One of them did a series of steps from time to time and I loved it.

But that's about all I miss about Salem. It was a pretty depressing town, but I didn't know it at the time. But OH do I ever know it now. I always feel like there is a raincloud over my head when I stroll through that area.

I'm going home on Wednesday night. I can't wait. Salem is not home...Ingleside is.
I love going home, to the house I grew up in. I lived there my entire life, since I was about 1 or maybe 2. My parent's house always seemed perfect in my mind. It's a cute Capecod on a quiet dead end street, with a big yard that backs up to a swamp and woods. A creek flows through to the Chain O' Lakes about 200 steps away from their front door. There are train tracks across the street that lead to Union Station in downtown Chicago. I miss listening to the train. My bedroom faced the train tracks and every night the freight trains would roll by and my jewelry box drawer pulls would clatter. My bed would shake, in a calming way. Sometimes my change jar would vibrate right off my dresser top and that always scared the shit out of me, especially when it was 2 AM. My friends were always on edge at my parent's house because they thought the freight train was an earthquake or tornado. That always made me laugh.

So then last night I was thinking about my parent's house and where it is and I realized that if I hadn't grown up in that house, I would probably be really freaked out to be there alone. It's the perfect setting for a murder mystery novel.

Yet every time I stay there, I feel so at ease. If somebody knocks on the door, I'm quick to run and see who it is and don't even think of anything bad. But where I live now, I pretty much go through freakout mode when somebody knocks. Not as bad as when I was in Salem, thankfully. I guess it's because I live in an apartment and can't see who it is unless I go all the way to the door, at which point I'd be pretty vulnerable. Maybe I just worry too much. Or maybe it's because nobody knows where I live so why would anybody be knocking?

I can't wait till we have a house to call home...hopefully that will happen sometime between August and October. Fingers crossed. Then I will be able to put my overflowing inspiration folder to good use since I will be able to change things and make things my own. I can't wait for that.
+++++++++

A couple weeks ago my mom was in town and we went thrifting.
I came across this awesome vintage enamel Copco teapot for $3.

One of my best finds yet.

So far I've used this pot to boil water 2 times every morning since I got the thing.
I'm up to like 4-5 cups of coffee or tea a day...which I can't say I'm entirely proud of.
I usually start the day off at 6:40 with 2 cups of coffee, and then I decide between coffee and tea to join my thermos for the work day.
Today I think I'm going to do coffee...it's rainy and dreary out and I need something rich and vibrant to keep me shuffling along till 8:00 tonight, which is when I get off.

I should get on that...

If you are bored, scroll down to my previous post and try that assessment thing. It's really interesting.

Carl Jung Typology Test

One of the things that I have always been into is self-awareness. There are so many people who meander through life and don't bat much of an eye at who they are or what makes them that way. And that's fine, because I'm assuming it's easy and effortless, which is what many of people seem to prefer.

(this post needed a photo so it wouldn't be too boring. that's me on a super-sleepy tuesday morning. i curl my eyelashes because i like gadgets and an eyelash curler is quite a gadgety looking tool.)

But for those who enjoy looking deeper into things, there is the interesting Jung Typologoy test. I initially took the assessment about 2 or 3 years ago, and thought it was pretty neat at the time.

But lately I've been struggling with accepting my chaotic and unbalanced ways. For instance, I tend to tornado my way through the house while leaving stuff everywhere as I jump from this to that. I wish I had more order in my life- it would make things so much easier and I wouldn't be running down to my car only to turn around and run all the way back up the stairs because I forgot this or that. Which pretty much happens every morning. And then again every night when I go to bed and get comfy only to get up again because there was just one other thing I have to do. I know it makes Joe absolutely nuts that I function in such a rambling way. And I take forever to make decisions and would really rather avoid doing so. But what ends up confusing me is that I care about others and how they are doing...and wouldn't you think a person like that could get their own life together and have a bit of order?

It all makes my head spin, but luckily there is reason to the madness, according to Jung/Myers-Briggs.

I'm an INFP type.



The 'P' is where my disorganization comes from, apparently...

And then there is Joe. Thankfully he is the "TJ" because I don't know what I would do if neither of us had any structure.

Here is the breakdown of the letters and what they stand for:


It's all highly interesting to me. Have you ever taken the test? What type are you?

I also thought it was neat to read that INFPs pretty much need to have a FUN job in order to be happy in life. That makes a lot of sense to me. I'd say I have a pretty fun job right now. I know, I STILL haven't told you about the job I got all the way back in January. I will, one day. For now I can say that I work at a place called Rutabaga. Neat, huh?

Off I go to do the house work I was supposed to be working on for the past 2 hours. Joe should be home from work in 10 minutes...we'll see how far I can get.

New Corner

Hi there!

I haven't been around much, but today I have a WEEKDAY off, so here I am!
I am so happy to have a weekday off because I can actually get some stuff done, which I can never seem to do on a weekend.
There are only 12 minutes until the next thing on my to-do list has to happen, so I'm going to blog super quick and be on my way.

On my weekdays off, which have been few and far between over the last 3 months, I sit down and make a list of what needs to happen that day and write out all the times that I will be doing those things. That way everything gets done and I don't get side tracked. Pathetic, I know, but it's the only system that works for me.

So it looks like I'm making my monthly dinner menu after this which is slotted to take 45 minutes. It's the only way I've found so far that 1) keeps us from eating out 2) stops food waste 3) keeps me sane throughout the day since I don't have to worry about what to make when I get home and 4) makes healthy eating much much easier. Maybe I'll document my menu calendar next time I blog.

After that I'm off to go jogging and then to the much dreaded Dept of Revenue.
Then grocery shopping, housework and 9 other things.
But everything will be done by 4:15, thanks to my handy to-do list time line.
+++++++

I had Saturday off and Joe was out of town so I rearranged a bit.
Lately I haven't been able to satisfy my need for new stuff since we're saving for a house, so I have been doing other little things to make my living space seem new (by rearranging).
Info on sources, etc. over here.

Well it looks like I only have 1 minute left so time to wrap up. More later!
I hope you all had a nice holiday.