When Boys Move in with Girls

I took this picture before we were married when Mike was just starting to move some of his things into the apartment. I thought it was an interesting contrast- my frilly girly decorative thing sharing a wall with his skateboard. An interesting and symbollic juxtaposition.

Oh! That's new.

Tomorrow marks our 3rd week of marriage. It feels like quite a bit longer than that, but in a good way. Or rather, in a "I'm adjusting to living together" kind of way. There are a few things I've learned about Mike in these last three weeks. Some are cute and quirky while others are down right frightening.
#1 Sleeping Habits
Mike thrashes in his sleep like a shark in a cage. Most people gently, slowly and comfortably roll over or change sides in their sleep. Mike, however, does a full body, horizontal, rotating, jump-thrust with arms and legs flailing about. His most impressive act during his sleep, however, I dont usually even notice until morning. Somehow, he manages to not only pull his pillow case half off, but also rotate it so that the seams are on the center of the pillow.


I have a heck of a time getting those pillow cases on and off when I do laundry. I tug and toss and jossle and wiggle..... Maybe I should solicit his help for this more often.

#2 Doing Dishes
We decided before we were even married that he would do the dishes when I made dinner. My mistake was not deciding when he would be doing those dishes. I came home from work today and found some undone dishes in the sink. Although they were dirty, I couldnt help but smile at how he "arranged" them.

Very nice. Thank You.

#3 Furniture Arrangement
He is currently using a coffee table as a night stand. Ladies- I've tried. I really have. But he makes a valid point in that we dont really have a better option at the moment. But it's a coffee table.... as a night stand! I mean just look at it. It's ridiculous.


Not to mention all 5,000 motorcycle magazine strewn about on it. Dont even get me started. Oh, the things I do for love.

But he does hang is towel up very nicely every morning whereas mine just hangs over the bedroom door. I am well aware that there will be infinitely more encounters such as these in the years to come. Cant wait :)

Deep Thoughts....

Note: I'm about 60% silly, 40% serious (give or take about 20% based on the weather, song playing, room temperature, the meal I previously ate, who I am with, comfort level of my shoes, the dream I had last night, etc.....) This entry is a little more serious than silly. Also, this has nothing to do with being a wife. It's just some thoughts I had. okay bye!


I love beautiful and lovely things. My affection for pretty things is problematic at times (shopping) but generally harmless because I'm not just referring to things I can buy. Whether its a tea towel, an eye shadow pallete, a sun lit tree or a baby- I could spend hours "just looking" (men refer to it all as shopping). I really enjoy and appreciate watching, observing and taking in beauty. Miss Sarah Thompson, a very beautiful friend of mine (she radiates you know), taught me a lot about beauty, where to find it and how to appreciate it. It used to annoy me in college when she'd scream/sing "This day is so beautifully glorioooooous!" But I get it now. Although, I might not express my sentiments the same way, Sarah helped me to see beautiful things all around me. Whether in nature, art or daily life.
There is a scene in the movie American Beauty where one of the characters is watching a plastic bag blow to and frow in the wind. He finds it beautiful and takes time to watch it dance in the breeze. The scene probably had some other important significance to the movie; but I like it for what it is. Beautiful. Taking time to pause, observe and experience the small beautiful wonders in life is important. I believe God speaks to us in these ways. At least for me, it's how he shows me he's there. Beauty is from God even if it's a painting by an atheist or a song by a heroine addict. Their talent come from God whether they choose to acknowedge it or not and I am free in Christ to appreciate it as such. (just my 2 cents for all those Christians out there who reject "secular" art)
One night last winter I came home late and it was snowing. I parked my car, got out and stood silently. I listened to the sound of snow softly falling all around me. It was a beautiful, worshipful moment. This morning when I got into my car to go to church I noticed how brightly lit the golden, autumn trees were. I stopped and took a picture with my cell phone. (although it did zero justice to the scenery).
I dont really have a point to all this other than Sunday, October 25 was an incredably beautiful day here in the Philadelphia area. It was fall in all it's glory and now I know God just at tiny bit more because of it.

Feliz Fin de Semana

tackling laundry this weekend....
image from www.todryfor.com

The Pot Roast

As mentioned, I've been feeling compelled to make a pot roast. It's pretty much the mother of all suburban house wife meals. Why not start at the top? Our first week home from the honeymoon we've eaten at Mike's parents' house twice and had frozen pizza once...and its Thursday. Tonight we have pot roast!
Last night I "prepped". I scrubbed and diced a few potatoes, put them in a bowl and placed them in the fridge for the next day. I also set the meat out to thaw in the fridge, hoping it would be ready to cook this morning. At 6:00am this morning, Mike found the roast still frozen solid so he took it upon himself to set it out on the counter. Nice move Logan! He asked me why I didnt just set it out on the counter in the first place. I retorted with a very experienced and domestic response, "It's better for things to thaw in the fridge, because of germs and bacteria and stuff."
I came home today at lunch to put my thawed hunk of meat into the crock pot! Very exciting! I found the meat to still be just a little stiff. I put it in the microwave to defrost for 3 minutes. I have learned that 3 minutes of defrosting frozen meat is about as useful as three minutes of breathing on frozen meat. But I was pressed for time since I was on my lunch hour so I decided to just go with it as is. The directions on my packet of seasoning said to trim the fat. I didnt see any fat but when I turned it over.... a whole friggin slab of fat! Ugh, so now I had to trim this bad boy up. Unfortunately I didnt get the butcher block or knife set off my wedding registry. So my choices were butt loads of butter knives or a giant butcher knife that came with a cutting board or some pan I got. I went with the butcher knife....


And OF COURSE I cut myself...



And got blood on the potatoes...




but it ended up smelling and tasting delicious and therfore devoured by Mike and I and our neighbor, Pat :)



All in all, my first pot roast was a great success!

Grocery Shopping for Mother Hubbard's Cupboards

I wont write about the wedding. Don't worry.
I'll start with my first trip to the grocery store. I didn't go anywhere cool and hip like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I went to Wal-Mart. Sorry, it's the cheapest and most convenient. I'm sure I'll need organic vegan rice at some point.....
Anyway, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from work on Monday, the first Monday back from the honeymoon. I grabbed the shopping cart, put my purse where the kids sit and felt like a real adult. I mean a real, legitimate grown up for the first time. It was a very primal sense of pride; I was out to gather food for my family. I'll never forget that moment.
I'll also never forget thinking "now what the hell should I gather?" I had a cupboard full of dry goods that my good friend gave me when she moved. Lots of Lipton Soup mixes, Hamburger Helpers and rice. A few weeks ago I bought milk, eggs, a loaf of bread, peanut butter, grape jelly and oreos. I bought all that so my when my parents came for the wedding, they wouldnt just see the cases of Miller Lite and Heineken in my fridge and think I was living like some poor college student.
Lately I've felt compelled to make a pot roast for some reason. I wandered the "meat" section for a while and was really confused as to which hunk of red meat was a "roast". Do you put steak in a crock pot? Then I found a pot roast kit... a little hunk of meat with pre chopped potatoes, carrots and onions with a packet of seasoning. I was tempted but decided to carry on as planned and venture on my own. This is what I walked away with that day.
Two frozen pizzas (ha), ice cream, an assortment of frozen veggies, a ham roast, a rump roast, frozen chicken breasts, frozen shrimp, hot dogs (for mikey- later found out they're beef dogs and he prefers pork: note to self!), bacon, tasteycakes, instant oatmeal, sugar, popcorn, canned artichoke hearts (they just looked good), minced garlic, corn muffin mix, honey, honey nut cheerios, bisquick, syrup, vegetable oil, cinnamin rolls (in the tube), corn starch (isnt that something you're supposed to have?), package of salad mix, mushrooms, bananas, sack of potatoes, various pasta noodles (including lasagna- stay tuned for that adventure!), peanut butter m&m's (for mikey), pam spray, baking soda (again, necessary right? what for? no clue), extra virgin olive oil, ranch dressing, pasta sauces, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes.
Next was fitting all this into my cabinets that are full with insane amounts of glasses, china, mixing bowls, caserole dishes and tupperware. Still working on the best way to orgainze my kitchen. I have a very domestic friend I might call for help on this. She is the only person I know in the world who has a cute pantry. seriously. Shannon Schreiber- expect a call from me soon!
Also- if anyone knows what I can actually make with the stuff I bought- that'd be great! thanks!