In a Rut

I've been kind of in a rut lately. Haven't done much posting because, well, I haven't really done anything! The state of our economy has been a little depressing as I hear about more and more people losing their jobs. We are very fortunate to be gainfully employed during these times. But I can't help but think about these people especially when they're continually coming into the clinic and saying that they don't have any insurance anymore and they lost their job and they've been sick for many many days but just couldn't hold off anymore. It just breaks my heart.

On a different note, I've at least gotten a little more productive around the house. I painted the second of three sections of cabinets in the kitchen. As soon as I'm finished with the kitchen I'll post before and after pictures. There's more we want to do in there including window treatments, crown moulding, fixture, painting the walls, moulding on top of the cabinets, new stove, and new flooring. Okay, it might take a little while.

As you can see in the photo above, my cat has a weight problem. I've tried to restrict her intake somewhat, but it's hard when you're trying to get the other cat in the family to GAIN weight.

My Top Ten

A while back, Maria posted on her blog her "Top Ten" favorite things around the house. I thought it was neat, so I'd participate too! (people and pets excluded). So, here goes:

We'll start with the dishwasher. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a fanatic about having a really good dishwasher. It was the first appliance replaced when we bought the house.
Next, are the front load washer and dryer. I will admit that I really didn't have any huge desire to switch to front load. But now? I seriously LOVE these things. They are so incredibly quiet and use tiny amounts of water. I really think they'll pay themselves back! The candlesticks are a sentimental gift....and one of my favorite gifts ever. My mom gave them to me on my 30th birthday passed down from my great-great-grandmother.

A new "love" in the department of candles. Gold Canyon candles are even better than Yankee candles. Light one candle and the smell infuses thoughout your entire house! (I know someone who sells them, so if you want to order let me know.)

My favorite piece of furniture happens to be a rather simple one: the bachelor's chests in our bedroom. We found a pair of them in an antique store in Maryland back last summer. They're much bigger than regular nightstands and can hold more stuff too!

My down comforter. Something so light and so warm.
My reusable grocery bag. It holds more than regular bags, is more comfortable to carry, and is good for the environment!

The French Press......It is the best invention ever. It makes the coffee stronger than a regular drip coffeemaker.

A gift from my parents, this soap, shampoo, conditioner dispenser is awesome! It makes things neater in the shower and seriously, I use less of each now!

Henckles paring knife. It's been my favorite knife since we got married. I hate to cut veggies with anything else.

Random Bullets

-I have already broken one of my resolutions to post at least twice weekly.
-My neighbors, Mitch and Katie, had a baby boy last night at 11:44 p.m. Congratulations to them. I plan to make them dinner so they won't have to worry with it on their first night back home.
-I got another crown yesterday at the dentist. I don't even want to know how much money has been sunk into my dental work. But it's definitely necessary.
-It's raining today and I need to go to the grocery store. I just hate getting out in the rain.
-I decided that I no longer liked the new silk drapes in our bedroom so I'm moving them upstairs to two of the bedrooms there. I bought new silk drapes, a more neutral color, and a new duvet, shams, bedskirt, and down comforter for our bed. The bedroom is coming together nicely. I just need a coverlet, headboard, mirror for the dresser, and chandelier and it will be done!
-We've decided to remodel our master bath. No idea when this will take place. We are truly taking everything very slowly!
-The hours of where I work have now changed to ten hour days plus an hour for lunch so that's a total of 11 hours per day. 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
-The cats are getting along very well. Sprinkles is doing well on his medication, thankfully. He is more energetic than he has been in a very long time.

Banana Nut Bread

This was an easy and very delicious recipe for banana nut bread that uses Splenda. Thought I would post it for anyone who wanted to give it a try.1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp light spread (like Promise Buttery Spread Light or Smart Balance Light)
2/3 cup Splenda
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 medium bananas
3 large egg whites
2 cups all purpose white flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup pecans (coarsely chopped)
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp light brown sugar

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes

Painting

We got a new painting to go above the fireplace in the living room. I really like it. It's an oil on canvas with a museum frame. I also bought some buffet lamps (as I am using the previous ones in my master bedroom because they look so great in there!). My picture of the buffet lamps didn't turn out well, so I'll shoot it again later.

Super Bowl

Of course, tonight we're watching Super Bowl 43 (no idea how to write that in Roman Numerals). We're pulling for the Cardinals. Why? Only because we like Kurt Warner. But mainly, I am just watching tv for the commercials like a lot of other people.

Well, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. We've just been working a whole lot lately. And I've felt like there really hasn't been anything worthy of posting that wouldn't bore you all to death.

Let's see, I found a new dentist. And he doesn't seem like a money sucking unethical person like the one I had in D.C. This dentist gave me a sheet up front of everything that needed to be done and the cost of it. Wow. That's being very up front. I never got that with the other dentist.

Oh, I also got to meet my neighbor whom I have been meaning to meet for sometime now. We went out for brunch on Friday and then some shopping. I really like her and we have a lot in common in the way we view things. She's a year younger than me, a stay at home mom with two kids, and an animal advocate too. Apparently we're both feeding the couple of stray cats from down the street that their owners don't want anymore so they just let them fend for themselves. Very sad.

Harris Teeter, our grocery store, was a mad house today. It was quite funny as we bought some shake n bake and paid for it, but after we put all of the groceries up we couldn't find it ANYWHERE. Well, finally after tearing the place apart, we found it. In the freezer. Ha! Ever done that?

It was amazingly warm outside today. mark and I took a walk without our jackets down the street and found a paint job we quite like. Our house is due to be painted this year sometime. I think we're gonna go with a taupe color that will really stand out with the white trim. I also want to paint the shutters and doors black. The house down the street looks great. I'll have to figure out how to go through the HOA for approval.

Well, it's almost halftime. The Cardinals are gonna have to turn it up a notch.