Monday, March 22, 2010

Hello George Washington Goodbye Blackberry!

So numbered the stories because even I was a little lost on how they all relate. If I number them they can all seem like seperate ideas even though they are all jumbled in my head.

1. So as I have stated in a previous post I am all about finding deals on the internet but...I have also become a pretty good seller as well. Last week I sold 3 items, so far this week I am a little slow with 1 (but it is monday too, and I am selling Giles' stuff and he is giving me half the money, a pretty good deal!).


I deleted point 2 beacuse it really didn't relate and could be a whole post on it's own!


3. So my air conditioning breaks :( Can't a girl get a break? The only remotely good thing about this is that it is the ideal time of year for this as for the past week I haven't run the air at all. Ashley didn't notice that the air hadn't been on so I don't feel like any comfort is being sacrificed. I am going green, not using electricity, and not spending money on the air conditioner. Well that is until I can sell enough stuff to replace it :)

4. If you are still following read on...I know I like tangents, runons, and ( ) so thanks for making it thus far. So a LOOOONG story short my cell phone bill has gotten insane. But my bill was being automatically drafted so I didn't really know quite how bad it had gotten in recent months (a long story not worth telling). As I started watching all off my little george washingtons I realized that our expensive $140.00 plan is now almost $300 insane expensive. Yes $300 dollars, also half of my summer school tuition, or 1/10 of the cost of a new condensing unit for my air, if you are counting like I am. Come to find out that we are being charged for a line that has NEVER even been used, $50.00 to be exact. So not to get off on another tangent about cell phone companies, and how I feel like they are tricksters out for a commission. I will try to get to the point.

5. Why do I NEED a Blackberry?? I don't travel for work, I can check my e-mail from the home or office, I don't use the calendar...So what exactly is the extra $30/month data package really buying me?? Cool points I guess. As soon as you turn 10 in America you get a cell phone and by 15 you have already graduated to a blackberry or iphone. They give you a "free" blackberry, or they have even now been doing the buy one get 2. I now know why, they hook you for 2 for 2 years for an extra $60 a month! It is just ridiculous. So therefore I have decided I am down grading. I am sure I will loose alot of friends over this being as I think I will be the only person without a blackberry, smartphone, iphone. I can still open $1,000 emails on my phone a month (I honestly probably don't get many more than that, even including the daily ones from j.crew and pottery barn). I purchased a phone with a full key board so don't have to sacrifice there. I think I am going to survive! I think that actually not being able to instantaneously check my emails will be a really possitive thing. I don't have to worry about driving down the road checking to see if the item I am about to loose on ebay was something I really wanted. Yes we can all deny it but I think that everyone reading this has texted or read an email while driving. Maybe even with the 30 dollars I am saving a month ($360 a year) I won't have to charge on a credit card Christmas presents that I am still paying for!

6. So in conclusion to all of these side stories I am the winner! I am selling not only my curve but some other sprint phones that I have had left over from when we switched to Verizon. I may become a loser because I don't have a status symbol phone and hundreds of apps. But I am also the same girl who rocked a Nextel all through high school and didn't care (oh yes the yellow brick). So maybe your phone doesn't define who you are...we will see...

Monday, March 15, 2010

Craig's List and Cooking Light Online...

So I purchased a new desk this weekend. After searching Craig's list for several months I finally found the PERFECT one! I had sold a few things on the internet myself and as a reward decided to splurge and buy a desk. I am also wanting a place to study/ a central organized work space.
So Giles and I went to pick up the desk on Sunday, I am going to try to communicate how funny it was, but I know it probably wont be as funny...

Giles has borrowed his friend Kevin's truck for the weekend. He had to do manly things like go get rock, dirt and mulch from the dirt place. The cutest part about this was that he brought annie with him, he even turned on the passenger seat warmer to make her more comfortable! The truck is so manly and it makes me lust...I love when Giles drives it!

So we are on our way over to "look" at the desk (even though I knew I was buying it Giles was planning on haggling with her and wanted me to seem like I was unsure). So here is the conversation...

Giles: "so how will I know if you want to buy it?"
B: "I will say it is perfect if I want to buy it, it looks good if I don't, but I want you to say your opinion first"
Giles: "you are making this too complicated, I will say lets go look at the other desk (there wasn't one) if I think you should get it, that way she will come down on the price"
B: "There isn't another one, and how will I know if you don't like it?"
Giles: "I don't know but don't let this take a long time, we have things to do, and I know how you want to make this girl your friend."

So we pull up to the house, our pregame strategy was never really set or even clear at all. As we walk up Giles says I am kind of nervous I have never done Caig's list before! Once I got over the shock we enter. The person who sold me the desk had the CUTEST house. Giles and the girls boyfriend started talking about their countertops and how he had made them...I was the one ready to go! They were talking about the forms he used and all kinds of other stuff. FINALLY we get the desk and bring it home. It is perfect, modern, clean lines, and deal! Giles is all into craigs list/ ebay and wants me to sell all of this stuff of his!

Also Saturday night I made G spicy orage shrimp from cooking light, not too spicy and delicious! It will make a great summer meal, and best of all it was fast and easy to make! I put snow peas and mushrooms in mine and cut the green peppers, I think that my alteration was great...nothing like fresh veggies! There were some ingredients that were a little tricky to find but I was up for the challenge at Publix!



Neutral-tasting canola oil allows the flavors of orange juice, honey, ginger, and chiles to shine. It can also withstand the heat of stir-frying in this tasty take on sweet-and-sour shrimp. Serve over rice or udon noodles.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced

I added one ziplock (quart size mayb) of snow peas and half a carton of precut bella mushrooms...add them when in says to add the onions.

Preparation
Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat. Set aside.

Combine juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and chile paste, stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add juice mixture and onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
Calories:301 (30% from fat)
Fat:10g (sat 1.1g,mono 4.6g,poly 3.2g)
Protein:35.3g
Carbohydrate:16.8g
Fiber:0.5g
Cholesterol:259mg
Iron:4.4mg
Sodium:621mg
Calcium:103mg
Lia Huber, Cooking Light, AUGUST 2007

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Recent Happenings...

So I haven't had a post this week because I have been studying. I had a test today that I was lagely unprepared for, which could be in part because I should be studying instead of blogging!
I got a great chair from habitat that was 10 dollars. I will have to paint it but it looks exactly like a $189 dollar chair at pottery barn so yay for me.
Annie had to go to the vet on Monday and get an iv beacuse she had a stomach bug. Taking her to the vet has made me doubt motherhood. I was crying as they put the IV in her and pumped her full of fluids. They gave her some "bland" canned dog food to try to settle her stomach...she loved it though so go figure.
So this week I didn't have class Tuesday beacuse of "spring break" which is not really a break they give us 2 days one week and 2 days 2 weeks later, so it is more like a spring pause. Not a big deal to me since I have not had spring break for the past 5 years (but once I start school I have spring and Christmas break, I am not going to lie I am pretty excited about that!)
So about nursing school, I will try to promise that I will not talk about this every post! So today I raced home from my test (I knew they had sent letters out today from MUSC), analyzed the envelope IT WAS THIN. I opened it scanned...I am on the wait list. Out of over 400 people that applied they accepted 60 and then they put 30 on a waitlist. If spots open up then they contact the people on the wait list. I am so excited to still have the opportunity to go to MUSC! I may just have to wait a few more months to find out. I am still hopeful I will be able to start in the fall, and am also thinking that God is teaching me a lesson on HIS timing, or maybe that once I do get in I will be more thankful! As you all know I am not the most patient person. Well let me elaborate, I am very patient with many things, and I feel that I am pretty slow to anger, don't get road rage, and am always patient with children and the elderly. I am however a planner. I constantly make plans, calendars, goals and work to achieve them. Delays in my plans are very sad and confusing to me. God, is this not what you wanted for my life? Have I heard you wrong? I am hoping that I will just find out a month or so later (people have to reserve there spots with in 3 weeks and then they review there waiting list). In the mean time am hoping to have peace with where I am, faith in what the Lord has in store for me, and patience. If I don't get into MUSC for Fall 2010...well that is a whole new debate as to weather to start at Trident in the Fall 2010 of reapply to MUSC?

Thursday, March 4, 2010

This is what I dream about...

A few months ago a friend told me that my house was too bare. I think that this is kind of humorous considering later that week someone told me it was cluttered. They had told me that in marriage counseling she had discovered that she was a piler (piles a few messes during the week to do one big cleaning on the weekend). She said she didn't know what kind of organization I had? What is that supposed to mean? I have always felt like I was kind of a minimalist but apparently not.

Most of my furniture has been given to me, and I have bought a few functional pieces for cheap. I don't really think that any of it has a cohesive style or even a style that I feel like is really me. I found this site that I love while looking for unique gifts (see previous post), and I absolutely fell in love with these two kitchens! Maybe one day I will be able to have a clean, semi-modern, minimal kitchen of my own!

I love the room off to the side of the kitchen (you can kind of see it in the background...see the fireplace?)and the lights too.



This one is a little warmer in my opinion...I love everything about this the clock and fridge especially! But have to admit even though I don't like stuff on the counter I do love kitchen gadgets and feel like I may need a little bit bigger kitchen.

Shower Anxiety

As I am sure all of us ladies have experienced one year or another, it is wedding season. Now that we are getting older it is also baby shower season. It is time to see friends and share in each others lives. I love these get togethers!

Howevere there is the preperation that comes with these events that is beginning to cause me anxiety! Today I spent an hour in Coastal Cupboard looking for something thoughtful, one of a kind, and not crazy expensive. Well really if I am honest I was going to copy something that I saw as a gift at another shower and was going to copy the idea, but of course they were SOLD OUT!

So here is my dilema...I am not that cool. People bring gifts to showers that people ooh and ahhh over, thoughtful, personalized, handmade gifts...and I bring a salad spinner. OK, I am exagerating a little with the salad spinner but its not that far of a stretch. I not only envy the cool new kitchen and home accessories that the person recieves but also how cool the other people at the shower are for finding the unique treasures. How do these women work and/or have children and find these treasures? I know you are going to say the internet BUT...I have been on etsy for several hours since the shower I went to on Sunday, preparing for one this weekend and also looking for something super cute for an inevitable baby shower I will have later this spring, and nothing!

So to all of you that have these secret sources for wedding/ baby shower gifts please share, because I am about to order 6 salad spinners from amazon.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

So happy but...

So today I found out that I got into Trident for Nursing. I had alrady been accepted into the Fall 2011 class but that seemed like forever away when the program is two years long! I am so fortunate to have gotten bumped up on the waiting list for this program. All the people I have known that have gone there are great nurses as well as friends. The program is great clinicaly and well respected in the community.

Today the volunteers toured the new East Cooper Hospital and I could see myself working there as a nurse and being so happy. The womens services/ nursey as well as the surgical area are so impressive. I began to get even more excited about starting the program in the Fall, that much closer to helping people!

I have it in my mind though that I should get my degree from MUSC, that in the longterm it would be the better choice. I won't go into all of the reasons I think that it is the better for me, mainly because most of you don't really care to know the differences in the two programs. On this exciting day when I found out that I could start the program at Trident early (which is my second choice but still great!) I also found out that they are only accepting 10% of the applicants at MUSC. While I am so excited and eager I am also continuing to wait for my first choice which won't be for three more weeks...

So happy but...
On another note I began e-mailing and texting people with the exciting news. Got messages on facebook and supportive wonderful messages from friends. An old friend wrote "your smile and laughter is going to be all a patient needs to feel better" which made me feel great. I also feel a little sad though, because someone that I used to consider one of my best friends didn't share this day with me. We have grown apart as we both have grown up and had our lives go in different directions. Neither one bad or good just different, but in those differences seperation. I have always tried to maintain good friendships with people, though I think that we all could do a better job at that. This friendship became so much work, hurt feelings, and misunderstandings. I realized that neither one of us were being encouraged or loved in the current state of our friendship and we continue to divide. The point is that on this day, a day that I have been looking forward to, I couldn't share it with this person. There is just too much between us now.

I AM SO HAPPY THOUGH TO BE STARTING SCHOOL IN THE FALL, even with the mixed emotions I am so blessed to have the ability and support to go to school, to become a nurse, to help people!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

So apparently I am not the only one...

So as you all know I am obsessed with the Honda Odyssey (I dream of a white touring edition with tan leather and backup sensors). I recieved an email of the 2011 photos from the auto show that I was going to share, but when I was trying to find these photos to post I found something better. Spy photos since before the van was released. The fact that they have to secretly test at night with a canvas over the sides makes these vans even cooler to me.

So I tried to post these photos after saving etc. BUT this site is so secret that I can only post the link and you can see the awesomeness yourself.

http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2009/08/spy-photos-2011-honda-odyssey-caught-night-testing-in-death-valley.html

If you want to see the AWESOME NEW white one here is the link for that...

http://automobiles.honda.com/future-cars/

Don't worry I am not going to be buying one of these in the fall! I have to finish nursing school (after I get accepted of course), and I wouldn't buy one new either, because Dave Ramsey says not to. Also I am still holding out hope for the hybrid...I am sure by the time I finally have children honda will have come out with one!