Finally Friday

Today, I had to present my work to the department for our workshop series. With that done, I can post an update, a craft update.
My friend Liz is expecting twins (yes, that's the second friend expecting multiples), and for her baby shower, I made her a couple of diaper cakes. I used a different method than when I made Susie's cake, and the new ones look so much better.

I purchased the two boxes of 108 diapers at Babies R Us, and was rewarded with a $20 gift card, which I will use to make onesies cupcakes for Janya, Sachin's new born, New Orleans baby girl:

Another simple project: Paper 1 got published in its paper form, and I decided to frame it against a purple background (frames were 50% off at Hobby Lobby last week). I bought two, so when Tom's paper gets published, his will also be framed but against a green background. These could be hung up in a future home office.

Oh, also, Paper 2 was submitted before we went to the beach :) So things are going well here.
Happy Friday!

Beach Trip

Our friends, Robert and Svetlana, decided to get married at the beach, and we were thrilled to be invited. We left for Gulf Shores on Friday afternoon, and stayed at a hotel right across the street from the beach.Since we got in late and it was in the low 40s, there wasn't much to do Friday night, except for dinner and enjoy cable TV.
On Saturday, we looked for a breakfast place (eating places start opening at 11), and found a quaint organic cafe. We then headed to the beach, and we barely waited five minutes before we ran in the water. Oh what a mistake! After about 5 minutes in the ocean, I started feeling a burning sensation on my forearm, and brushed it off as maybe I had cuts that I wasn't aware of. Tom's feet started to get nibbled on by little fish, and then he felt something slimy by his hand. Looked down, and there it was. A jellyfish. We came out of the water, and looked at my forearm - yes, I had been stung, all over my forearm and around my elbow, and had boils/blisters. 15 minutes after going in the water, I was now wandering Walgreen's aisle. Apparently, they make a "Jellyfish Squish" - cute word of the weekend - which is just a 4% lidocaine solution. A combination of shower, Zyrtec, cortisone cream and some jellyfish squish, and I was feeling much better. Just in time to get ready and go to the wedding, which was beautiful. Simple elegance would be the way to describe it. We were at the beach for over 6 hours, and had a blast. I was very grateful for my hat - but sorry to have forgotten my jacket at the hotel. It got cold after sunset (which was gorgeous), and gladly borrowed Robert's sweatshirt.

We slept in on Sunday and had lunch at the Shrimp Basket.Yummy platter of clams, oysters, and crawfish! Their coleslaw even had shrimp in it. We went to the beach, and this time walked for a bit. Saw a few beached jellyfish, and someone talked to Tom and pointed out in the not-so-far distance a 7-8 foot shark. We decided that swimming might not be auspicious that day. Instead, we went to the Coleman Factory outlet. Two things: outlet and 30% sale on everything (except fuel). We stocked up on camping supplies (mosquito supplies, fire starters, foam sleeping pad etc...). Santa even found an early gift for Tom. After our shopping trip, we went to Papa Rocco's - a sport bar, where almost everyone was a Packer fan. We watched the Packers v Broncos, and Brewers v Diamondbacks. Their food was very yummy, and their drinks strong.
We checked out of the hotel on Monday morning, and went to the outlet mall in Foley. No shopping that day. We turned around, and searched for Tin Top restaurant - a recommendation from the landlords. Unfortunately, it's closed on Mondays. Instead, we went to Lambert's Throwed Rolls, and OMG, I love the concept and the food. Waiters come around with carts and give you rolls, fried potatoes, fried okra, cabbage, macaroni and tomatoes etc... on top of what you order. They will also throw you a roll if the waiter is across the room. The food was delicious! Our tummies full, we started on our 5 hour trip home.

It will be a while before we get rid of all the sand in bags, and in my camera, which I found out does not like sand.

Tasty Tuesday

After a wonderful weekend at the beach (post and pictures coming later), I was craving some homemade food. I gave Tom a bunch of suggestions, and he chose beef and bok choy. Starting with the recipe for Spicy Beef with Shrimp and Bok Choy, I changed a few things: replace shrimps with sliced carrots, added some chopped garlic and soy sauce, and skipped the red pepper. 

I went to the store after lab to pick up ingredients - maybe I was tired, in a hurry, or still in vacation mode, I made several mistakes: picked the wrong kind of English muffins, read the wrong weight on a package of brats (the store had a sale on a specific product, and realized the mistake as I was checking out), nearly forgot the beer, and picked up rice wine vinegar instead of rice wine. Since the recipe called for the 1/4 cup of rice wine, I diluted the rice wine vinegar with water (1:1). Overall, it still turned out very yummy! Out of 45 minutes of prepping and cooking, I have beef, carrots, and bok choy pasta for a couple of meals; beef, carrots, and bok choy served on lettuce for salads for a few more meals; and blank slate pasta for something else this week. Happiness!

Just dreaming

Unexpectedly, I have to start thinking about goals for next year. This one will be a biggie: save money (goal 4 from previous post) but for a trip for a new state (goal 5).
Clues:
1. not one of the lower 48 states
2. it can get really cold
3. Tina Fey (in her portrayal of a certain female politician) said that one could see Russia from one's backyard

I would love to stop in another state on the way there.
Clues:
1. it is the only state named after a US president
2. Microsoft headquarters
3. Some of my favorite wines come from that state.

Just dreaming too about Green Bay and Lambeau Field.
Anyways, this is far far away from now, but it's nice to dream?! :)

Tasty Tuesdays

After a long day of a long science week, I came home Saturday, still caffeinated and with a mind running full speed. The paper was written, the new figures saved, and the machines (yes, Old Boy is fixed!) were running. I made a list of all the things that I needed to accomplish at home, and the list was long. How to best tackle a long list? Multitask! That included getting the slow cooker to work. I found this recipe for honey garlic chicken on A Year of Slow Cooking. I broke out the 5 lbs honey bottle (bought for the original purpose of making mead earlier this year) since the sauce called for 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup honey, and 3 cloves of garlic. I modified the recipe: used chicken breasts instead of thighs, and didn't use all of the sauce. The chicken cooked quicker than 5 hours (I think it was done in about 3 hours) on low. After about 2.5 hours, I added some frozen Asian veggies to the slow cooker. Oh my! This one was a winner! I'm glad I combined the unused sauce with two other chicken breasts and put the whole thing in the freezer. On a busy weekend, I know that I can thaw the whole thing and put it in the slow cooker, and 3 hours later, BAM! Dinner's ready! And I tackled a lot of chores while the slow cooker was making me supper. On a side note, football is also a great time to fold laundry!

On Sunday, I decided to make Mauritian food - unfussy goodness. It's called Kitcheree and is made from lentils and rice. It starts with oil, onions, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, parsley and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes (I used canned) and cook for another 5 minutes, then add sliced carrots, and lentils (we call them red lentils). Then water, lots of water. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, and then added uncooked rice and let simmer for another 45 minutes until rice is cooked (checking and adding water if needed). We often add cauliflower along with carrots and serve it with a lettuce and cucumber salad plus a simple vinaigrette. In this picture, I have a tuna "rougaille". The term "rougaille" is basically a dish that's mainly made up of tomatoes. Other ingredients are herbs, onions, garlic, sometimes ginger, salt, pepper, and sugar. Rougaille is one of my favorite foods from home. Vegetarian options include rougaille with peas or soya. Non veg options are tuna, chicken, or sausage (basically any meats, including hot dogs and Spam). While this was simmering, more things got done around the house, including recycling, gardening, and more laundry. After a quick stop by lab to get another set on, trips to Payless Shoes (unfruitful search for beach sandals ) and the recycling center, it was time to watch the Packers.

Earlier today, Tom had his committee meeting (it went really well). He had asked me to make him cookies and we chose oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Joy of Cooking. I was a bit worried because I didn't have the 3.5 cups of oatmeal but had just enough for half the recipe (who needs 48 cookies anyways? lol). It was lighter on the choc chips too. I managed to sneak in a cuteness factor in the cooking process. I had leftover butterscotch chips from Scotcheroos and used them to make initials cookies :)
This was an upgrade from the store-bought brownie mix for his lab meeting on Friday. So, if you find a good deal on cake & brownie mixes, snag a couple - they will come to your rescue!
I've also discovered a new stress symptom - insomnia, even on days when I don't drink my morning cup of coffee. Since I'm a morning person, this is definitely an issue. On my last trip to Publix, I picked up some Honey Vanilla Chamomile Tea. We were introduced to this tea when we were in Boulder CO last year, and toured the Celestial Tea factory where they made everyone wear these weird hair nets:

Anyways, the new night ritual is to shut down the laptop and not think of work, dim the lights, turn down the TV volume, and sip on the herbal tea goodness. It has helped, and I'm sleeping much better. Sometimes, simple things work :)Time to shut down the laptop and start winding down.

Recap

The majority of this week was marked with being sick and thus a blur. I had a fever on Monday night and Tuesday, which makes me believe that I had the flu rather than a cold. I'm feeling much better now, which means a working weekend.

Excited about the cooler weather: Pumpkin inspired food and drinks? Yes please!

This is one of my favorite beers, courtesy of Will. We can't find this beer in Birmingham. Maybe that means that we will take a trip to Kentucky at some point?








Reading science papers and the Sunday paper

Creating presentations and scienc-y stuff

Crafting barrels (or planning to): To do - Seal the barrels inside and out. Drill holes on the bottom of barrels. Paint something decorative on the outside. I'm thinking one in Packers colors (alternating slats of green and gold) and the other in LSU colors (purple with gold dots). Put some clean glass bottles on the bottom (better drainage and use less soil). One planter might hold herbs, the other tulip bulbs. I need to get a mesh to prevent the squirrels from messing with my plants.

Also check out this blog for a creative way to use planters. Maybe some day when I have all the tools I need:
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/06/recycled-wine-barrel-planter/




 

Disliking being sick

Wondering whether I should plant tulip bulbs this fall

Craving seafood

Worried about my talk next month 
Hoping to have enough jalapenos from the garden to make hot sauce: three green peppers in the making; our primary jalapeno plant has about 20 flowers on it; our secondary pepper plant is doing much better in its new location. Still no flowers on it though. But everyone got a healthy dose of plant food last week.

Loving football season! Geaux Tigers! Go Pack Go!

On a side note, we were supposed to be at the Packers game today (Packers v Panthers). We both got busy and couldn't go. Here's to hoping for an epic Matthews v Newton battle. Right now, a lot of not-so-girly words have been yelled. Hopefully the Packers will bounce back.







Watching reruns of House and Bones

Listening to classic rock radio stations (I also like the new Lady Antebellum)

Cooking soup (or planning to)

Looking forward to our upcoming beach trip!

Spring 2009, Orange Beach, AL

Weekend recap

The weekend started great - I got to run a few errands before traffic got crazy, then set up an experiment to run overnight. Dinner, laundry, cleaning up.

Errands:
CVS: I had $1 in ECB to use before 9/12. They had a good sale on a moisturizer that Tom uses, plus I had a coupon. I had two coupons to stack for this shaving cream that I've been dying to try (after coupons it was free! my first free item!). I also got a free Mars candy bar. I saved about 52% at CVS (earlier today, I found the $1 ECB that I was supposed to use - oops). Looked at the CVS ad for this week and found something that I will go pick up tomorrow after work.
Christmas Tree Shops: When I want something, I will usually not buy it, and think about it for a while, and if I still want it, I will go back and get it. In this case, barrel planters. I got two. These will be for a craft project sometimes later. When making soup last weekend, Tom said that we needed a quart-size measuring cup. I found those there for super cheap. 2 quart Pyrex measuring thingy was $5.49. I also got a smaller one. A freezer mug in pink was 64c! And aquaglobes were 79c each (earlier we got slightly bigger ones at 3 for $10). So yeah, I was pretty proud of that trip.
Lowes: my plan was to find some potted plants and herbs for the barrel planters, but didn't find anything that I liked. Good part = no money spent :)

Dinner was a blue cheese and buffalo chicken pizza (homemade crust was amazing).

After Lee, we turned the AC off. I entertained the idea of switching it back on when the thermostat said 82 yesterday, but resisted. I attributed the fact that I was hot to regular weather. I had a headache last night, and tonight the sniffles and sore throat are showing up. And I kept falling asleep in the living room. So tonight, chicken noodle soup and lemon + honey tea (the Xmas kettle is getting a lot of use). Hopefully I didn't catch GERMS from running around town, and that it will be all ok tomorrow morning. The washing machine is putting me back to sleep as I type.

Have a great week, and stay away from GERMS!

Finally Friday

... can't wait to see what the weekend has in store.
Having soup all week makes me crave it more - some ideas:

Good ol' potato soup (with cheddar?)

Potato and spinach soup
Potato and cauliflower soup

Lobster and shrimp bisque (some people substitute crawfish for lobster, my kind of peeps)

Lentils with carrots

Pumpkin soup

Gumbo

Yellow Pea soup
Creamy corn soup

 Can you tell that I love that Fall is coming?!!!

Totally Thursday

Oh Lee, you made me very happy and sad.
The Lee that made me happy was the LSU quarterback, who on Saturday really stepped up and with an strong defense, LSU won their season opener against the Oregon Ducks. New AP poll: LSU is #2.

The Lee that kinda made me sad was the storm. On Monday, we had a lot of rain and wind. No damage to report at our house. There were a few downed trees in the neighborhood and our bell pepper plant took a beating. However, I loved Lee because of all the rain. I woke up early, and had a living room window opened listening to the rain while drinking coffee. It was wonderful. It was less wonderful when we lost power for a few minutes, and our internet for about a day or so. Some people were worse off, so we can't complain too much. Another reason to love Lee: we were in the 50s. Yesterday our weather guy said that it was warmer in Fairbanks Alaska than in Birmingham! I even wore a light sweater to go to work. Love the cooler weather. It was a much welcome break from the 100 deg. Also, since I don't like being out and about when it rains, I got a bunch of writing done at home, and currently waiting for Dr. P to give me comments on the second draft of paper 2.

The recap of the long weekend: went to work on Saturday and set up my machine for a 50 hour run. Then went to the grocery store to stock up on storm essentials: wine and beer. While at Publix, Tom asked me if I knew how to make an oxtail soup. My answer: "no, but I bet we can find a good recipe. Grab some carrots, and celery". When we got home, Tom called Grandpa Gass, who of course had a great family recipe. And the Larson-Gass connection led to a fabulous soup (took two days to make), that is our lunch and mostly dinner this week. I made beer batter bread to accompany the soup, so this week is dedicated to the Larson-Gass-Skemp family. Hot soup and cold weather = winning. Also, Johnsonville Brats were on sale at Publix, so we stocked up - we're ready for football.

One of the things that often happens at the house, is that at times our food wants are out of sync. While I've been dreaming about crab cakes for brunch, Tom wanted french toast. So I made both. We also discovered that (mayo + siracha) sauce goes really well with crab cake sandwiches.Pictures coming.

I found a new store to love in Birmingham - Christmas Tree Shops at the Galleria by World Market. It's a cheaper version of Bed Bath and Beyond (wikipedia says that it is owned by BB&B). It has everything you need for the house and I was just amazed at the gardening selection. Fall decor, you are getting a re-do this year.

Excited about: Packers vs Saints tonight. My two favorite teams go head to head. Brats cooked in beer, drink beer, watch football, and write about science = life is good.

Hope you're having a fantastic week, and Go Pack Go, and Geaux Saints!

Thirsty Thursday

Does it mean that I am an alcoholic if I walked in the Institute this morning, wanting a nice cold beer? I think this was just a result of it being super hot, and the two block walk from the parking lot to lab had me sweating already. No worries then, not an alchy. But stressed, yes!

There have been a lot of stressors lately – well 3 – and they have taken their toll (I’m working on a post that will be entitled, Anatomy of my stress).

First off, was my journal club presentation this Wednesday. I had to present a complicated paper from Dr. Vern Schramm. I met Dr. Schramm at the Newport conference this summer, and think that he is a fantastic scientist. I was determined to learn more about his work, and put in 20+ hours into this hour long presentation. While it went well, that’s 20+ hours that should have gone in Paper 2.

Graduation – my second stressor. My graduate committee’s requirements for graduation were to have Paper 1 published (checked), Paper 2 submitted (was supposed to have been submitted Aug 31, hasn’t happened yet), and Paper 3 in the works. Last week, my mentor gave me back the first draft of Paper 2 with some corrections/suggestions. Plus, we agreed that three more experiments needed to be done. So paper 2 is still in the works. Paper 3 – I have two HPLCs (piece of equipment that helps me evaluate my enzyme) named Old Boy and Precious. I had nothing to do with the naming of the 20 year old machines. Well two Sundays ago, Old Boy just got really tired of continuously running, and stopped. Still waiting for the HPLC doctor to do a house visit. This means that Paper 3, is about 2% complete.  Today, I confirmed with my mentor. I am defending at the beginning of December. To graduate this Fall, I need to defend my thesis by November 4. Thus, I will not be graduating this semester, but rather in the spring. I made peace with that decision. I recall telling mom about the papers situation – Paper 1 is the cake as it comes out of the oven. Paper 2 is the frosting, and Paper 3 is the nice decoration on top. It makes sense that a cake that has all the works will sell at a greater price than one with just frosting. Plus if I don’t put the decorations on top, no one else will, and I want to have a finished product. So in theory, Paper 3 will look really good on my CV – it will just depend on what hiring departments will think about me taking longer to graduate.

Job – my third stressor. I’ve had some fruitful conversations. I have a few offers, but I am not ready to accept them. Staying in my current lab is not an option since we don’t have funding. Staying at UAB is not advised, but it has its appeal since Tom isn’t done yet. I’ve been looking at listings, and find myself uninspired. Maybe it’s burnout or stress. I’m gonna keep looking and applying. And let the dice fall where they may?

All this to say that this weekend, I will be working. Precious will be running, which will give me time to finish Paper 2. Tom also has a tough few weeks ahead with a committee meeting at the end of the month, so he will be working too. For the past two years, we have taken trips on Labor Day. But not this year. We may treat ourselves with a nice dinner (steaks, crabcakes, grilled veggies, and wine). We may go to the farmers’ market. We may do a nice relaxing brunch on Sunday (salmon bagels, shrimp and grits, mimosas). Maybe have a cake, with frosting and all the nice decorations :) Other than that, it will just be a regular weekend.

I hope that you don’t have to work. Watch some college football. If you do have to work, take some time to relax, if only for a few hours. Happy Labor Day, y’all!