Tag Archives: Ten On Tuesday

Ten on Tuesday: photo edition

17 May

Thank you to Chelsea for hosting, and Molly for the questions!  Go here to play along!
1. Your favorite piece of furniture in your home.

Buffet we got for $175 at Salvation Army

2. Your favorite thing on your wall.

My diploma from the University of Texas at Austin and a photo of my grandmother when she went to UT. And yes, that is a burnt orange wall.

3. Your bed as it looks right now.

Grover posing for you all.

4. Your pantry.

Wordpress won't let me turn pics today. Not that you'd want to really see this mess anyway.

5. Your favorite piece of jewelry.

My first engagement present - from Andrew's grandmother.

6. Your favorite book.

Jane Austen. Particularly Pride and Prejudice.

7. Your most comfortable shirt.

See question 8.
8. Your messiest room.

My most comfortable shirt is in there somewhere.

9. Your house shoes.

My grandma has house shoes. I have bare feet.

10. Yourself.

Ugh wearing glasses today.  There’s a recent one in my post about getting engaged:  Click here.

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Ten on Tuesday

19 Apr

Yay, today Chelsea’s Ten on Tuesday is a book edition! To answer the questions yourself, go to Chelsea’s blog.

1. When someone asks you for a book recommendation, what is your go-to book?

It depends on the person. I usually recommend authors for particular genres: Bill Bryson for non-fiction/travel/science history, Mary Balogh or Liz Carlyle for historical romance, Ngaio Marsh and Jacqueline Winspear for mystery, and I could go on and on…
2. Do you buy your books, or are you a library patron?

I like libraries, but rarely have time to go to one to find books. Plus, I like the instant gratification of the Kindle store.
3. E-readers, yay or nay?

A whole-hearted YAY. I think of my Kindle as a book that I can never finish reading. Heaven.
4. What was your favorite book as a child?

I loved, loved, loved Nancy Drew books. I still want to be Nancy Drew when I grow up.
5. If you could be any character in a book, who would you be?

Oh wait, I accidentally answered that in the last question! Besides Nancy Drew, I would love to be Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice.
6. What book would you love to see turned into a movie?

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb. It’s futuristic noir. It could be an amazing movie if they didn’t screw it up.
7. What is your all-time favorite book?

Pride and Prejudice, of course.

8. How many books do you read at once?

Usually not more than two, but I read quickly, so I often will finish a book in one sitting without opportunity to pick up a second one.
9. What is your favorite book genre?

Impossible to pick one. My top five are science history, historical romance, fantasy (like Harry Potter, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis), early 20th century murder mysteries, and travel narratives.
10. Which Harry Potter book is the best? Or haven’t you read them at all?

All of them, read right in a row as one gazillion page epic novel!

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Ten on Tuesday

31 Aug

So.  This is my first post since April.  Some things that have changed since I last posted: I now have a dog (one of my excuses reasons for not posting); I am now thirty years old; and I received a promotion at work.  I am also involved with some new non-profits, and life is busier than ever.

However, my sister-in-law Chelsea is married, nine months pregnant, works full time, and she has still managed to update her blog nearly every weekday.  So once again, I am looking up to her good example, and will try to update around here more often.

I’ll start off small with participation in Chelsea’s fun Ten on Tuesday blog feature.  Here are the questions and my personal answers!  If you would like to play along, click here for the questions.

1. Pretend it’s Monday morning–take us through a day in the life of you.

Wake up at 7 am and let the dog out.  Brush my teeth, hair, etc.   Walk around in a daze for awhile.  Dig frantically through piles of clean clothes for something to wear to work.  Put together the things I need to take to work, including breakfast, lunch, and quantities of diet coke.  Take the dog for a walk around the neighborhood while reading Twitter and Facebook on my phone.  Feed the dog right before walking out the door.  Leave and come back in at least twice for forgotten items like cell phones, car keys, and work badges.

2. What’s your favorite reality tv show?

I don’t really watch any right now.  I know, I know.  Sacrilege.  I record most shows I watch, including: True Blood, Masterpiece Mystery, Psych, Good Eats, and Scooby Doo Mystery Inc.  haha

3. What motto do you live by?

Treat others as I would like to be treated.

4. If you knew could you try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt?

Write books.

5. What was your first job?

Retail sales at Gap.

6. What is your current job?

I am in charge of Special Events for the Harris County Hospital District Foundation.  It is my favorite job in the world 🙂

7. What would you call yourself if you could choose your own name (and you cannot pick the one you already have)?

It’s hard to say, probably something more unusual, like January Jones.

8. What musical instruments can you play?

I can play 3 chords on the guitar, and sing enthusiastically (if not well).

9. Is it easier to forgive or forget?

It is easier to forgive – I don’t think we control whether or not we forget.

10. What is one food you’d never want to taste again?

Vienna sausages.  Yuck.

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Ten On Tuesday

13 Apr

Check out everyone’s answers at Chelsea’s blog, Roots and Rings!

1. What book, movie or song has made you want to travel to a particular place? (eg. I went to Prince Edward Island because I was such a Anne of Green Gables fan)

Every Jane Austen, murder mystery, or romance novel has made me want to travel to England. The book In A Sunburned Country made me want to return to Australia.

2. Aside from your significant other, who would you want to take with you on a dream trip?

Hmm, maybe my friend Nicole, because she is adventurous and probably wouldn’t mind my obsession with museums.

3. Where would said dream trip be to?

India, Viet Nam, Australia, and Thailand. Maybe Russia and China while I’m over there.

4. If you were hosting guests or providing tips, what three things would you show visitors to your hometown? (be it where you live now or where you grew up)

Rice University campus, Hermann Park, and queso. Houston isn’t all concrete, but some of our best destinations are food, haha!

5. If you had a long weekend ahead of you, where you head – beach, city or country/mountains?

Beach – it’s gorgeous right now!

6. Do you have a passport? If so, did you get it for a particular trip or just to have, in case?

Yes, I got my passport when I went to Australia and New Zealand in high school, and since then have used it for France, England, and Mexico.

7. Are there any travel souvenirs you collect? If not, is there something else you collect?

I used to collect spoons, haha. That might be fun to start doing again.

8. If you could name a paint colour, what colour would it be and what would you call it?

Hmm. After painting our bedroom, I have concluded that I am not creative enough to be a paint inventor. Our room color is “chopsticks” – isn’t that adorable?

9. If you were heading away for a weekend citybreak solo, where would you go? (forget about practicality here and flight times, assume you can get to any city in the world for the weekend)

I would go to San Diego to visit my friends Shorty and Jimmy!

10. Is there a song or a smell or something that you strongly associate with a particular holiday/place/time, such that it always takes you back?

Yes, tons of them. The one that comes to mind is that acrylic plastic smell from an umbrella I had when I was little. Also, the sweetpea smell of my Strawberry Shortcake shampoo is still a vivid memory.

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Ten on Tuesday

6 Apr

Guess who wrote this week’s set of questions?  ME!  You may have guessed once you saw the completely random nature of the questions, or the possibility that one or two of them is a repeat.  Oh well, I’m still happy that I get to be a part of my fertile sister-in-law’s fun feature, Ten on Tuesday!

1.  If you could travel back in time, would you?  What decade would you visit?

Yes, I definitely would, but not to stay.  Just a visit.  It’s hard to narrow it down to one era or place, so I’ll pick three: the early 1800s in England, the 1920s in France, and the 1940s in America.  All because they were fun and social!

2. What was your best Halloween costume?  (fun to make? most creative?)

Polygamist Wife costume, Halloween 2008

3. Do you like your name?  If you weren’t called by your name, what would you want to be called?

My name is fine, but it’s just SO common.  Everyone in the 80s was saddled with a trendy moniker like Jessica, Jennifer, or Courtney.  If I could rename myself as an adult without any of the hassles, it would probably be to something a little more related to my family history and less trendy.  But as far as the name itself goes, I like it.

4. In the past year, what is the BEST recipe you made.  Please share it!

The Pioneer Woman’s Fancy Macaroni and Cheese.  MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.  <- that’s a link to the full recipe on her blog with pictures and everything.

Ingredients
  • 4 cups Macaroni
  • 8 Tablespoons Butter (Salted Butter)
  • 2 whole Medium Onions, Cut In Half And Sliced Thin
  • 10 slices Regular Bacon
  • 1 Tablespoon Bacon Grease (reserved From Bacon Slices)
  • ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
  • 2 cups Whole Or 2% Milk
  • ½ cups Half-and-Half
  • 2 whole Egg Yolks, Beaten
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste
  • ½ cups Grated Gruyere Cheese
  • ½ cups Grated Fontina Cheese
  • ½ cups Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
  • 4 ounces, weight Chevre (soft Goat Cheese)
Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni for half the time of the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Fry bacon until slightly, but not overly, crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Reserve grease.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and then saute onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Set aside.

In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter (and add 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon grease for good measure!). Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour in milk and half & half, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low. Add salt & pepper to taste. (Do not undersalt!)

Beat egg yolks and drizzle 1/4 cup hot mixture into the yolks, stirring constantly. Stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into sauce and cook for another minute.

Add cheeses and stir until melted. Add onions and bacon and stir. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Add cooked macaroni and stir to coat.

Pour into a baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until sizzling and hot. Serve with red meat or a green salad.

5. Look around – what is the nearest object or picture hanging on the wall?

The only thing on my walls is a mirror.  ONE mirror.  4 months after move-in.  Sad.

6. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?  Would you recommend it?

Avatar, and yes definitely.  We saw it in 3D, which was AMAZING.  Storyline’s kind of silly, but worth seeing.  That was months ago, so it’s about time we went to the movies!

7. Did you go to summer camp?  Will you/do you send your kids to camp?

I went to Vacation Bible School, which was about as close to summer camp I ever got.  I remember not wanting to leave home for more than one night or maybe weekend.  Based on Andrew’s amazing experiences, I’m pretty sure I will send my kids to camp.  Also, I’m planning to have children with Andrew, and he will definitely be sending his kids to the same camp he went t0, Lanakila.

8. What kind of ringtone do you have?

A beautiful Bon Iver song, Flume.  You can hear a bit of it on Amazon at the link.

9. Where is the farthest away from home you have ever been?

Australia and New Zealand.  Now, how to get back? 🙂

10. Has anyone ever written a song or a poem for or about you?

Yes.  A boy in college wrote a very sweet song for me.  And being the mature 19 year old I was, I promptly never went out with him again.  I’m guessing I was scared off.  I regret that!  If you are out there, Mike, I’m sorry!

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Ten On Tuesday

30 Mar

It’s time for ToT, my sister-in-law’s fun blog feature! I’m typing this on my phone, so please forgive any typos… Also, I’m typing this at 5:45am, because I can’t sleep. Don’t expect much, haha.

1. What television character do you identify with?

I’m not much of a tv watcher (my dvr records Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and Masterpiece… Nerd alert!). So I will have to stretch it and say Eliza Bennett fom Pride and Prejudice, the BBC version. That originated on tv, so it counts. If you haven’t watched it, you just come right over to my house and we can watch all 6 hours together. Everyone could relate to this story – amazing for something written 200 years ago!

2. Describe your morning routine.

Wake up later than I should. Check and reply to email etc. from my phone, maybe read a few websites. Get up, brush teeth, hair, take vitamin, and lately: dose of allergy medicine. Get dressed. Grab breakfast and lunch. I usually eat breakfast at my desk. Wow, that was boring. Almost put me back to sleep!

3. How do you do lunch? Bring from home or dine out? Same thing every day or mix it up?

I usually bring a weight watchers smart one. Many weeks I have at least one luncheon or event with lunch served. I also work with an awesome group of girls, and every so often we will go to lunch together.

4. What is one moment that, although seemingly trivial at the time, changed your life?

Well, when I signed up to do the Crawl For Cancer, it didn’t seem trivial; it was a ton of work! But I didn’t realize that planning that huge event would help me find my dream job in the career path I’ve always hoped to be on. Yay!

5. Name your top three beauty products.

– concealer – hmm am I supposed to know the brands? It’s a stick that you twist and it goes onto an applicator sponge. Perfect for covering up the puffy bags under my eyes from allergies.
– perfume – I don’t wear much make up, but I wear perfume every day. Quelles-ques Fluers, Marc Jacobs, and Armani.  Not all at the same time.
– moisturizer – my mother looks at least 10 years younger than her true age, and her secret is moisturizing every day. Every day. I’m trying to emulate her, and it’s hard. My lovely friend Karen is an aesthitician in L.A. and I buy the skin-care she sells . It’s wonderful!

6. What do you do when you’re alone in the car?

Listen to NPR or music. Not much, I guess. I talk to myself sometimes. That shouldn’t surprise anyone who is familiar with my chattiness!

7. What is the ideal city for you to live in? If you can, take this survey (< that’s a link) and tell us the results. Do you agree with them?

Well, my top three were Orlando, West Palm Beach, and Houston.  Florida has 12.2 unemployment right now, so I’m thinking I’m in the right place!  Other intriguing suggestions were Augusta, GA, Charleston, SC and Memphis, TN…  Guess the survey took my aversion to snow seriously.

8. Are you waiting for something?

My allergies to be over. Ugh.

9. What was the last shocking news you heard?

I was going to say Jessie James cheating, but really, not too much of a shock for celebrities to act like idiots.

10. What are three things you wouldn’t do for a million dollars?

Cheat on my boyfriend, touch a live cockroach, or get naked in public.

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Ten On Tuesday

23 Mar

It’s time for my lovely and fruitful sister-in-law Chelsea’s blog feature: Ten On Tuesday.  If you want to play along, just repost the questions to your blog, or answer in the comments!

1. When you were a senior in high school, what career did you think you’d choose? Did you? Why or why not?

I thought I would be a lawyer, because I am best at reading and writing, and I wanted to be rich.  I am not a lawyer, because I didn’t really excel at being a student.  I think I would be a much better “adult” student, but now I know actual lawyers who warn against going into debt and actually becoming a lawyer.  Perhaps a conniving maneuver to limit the competition?  Hmm.

2. What one thing about the “real world” did you find most surprising once you were on your own?

I’m surprised that I don’t feel any different than I when I was younger, and yet am still expected to be a responsible adult, who could potentially be someone’s parent one day.  Yikes!

3. Name 3 things you think your closest friends DON’T like about you.

– I am a know-it-all

– I am bossy

– I am chronically forgetful, to the point of thoughtlessness

4. In order to sleep, do you need background noise or absolute quiet?

I prefer background noise, but don’t NEED it.  Luckily, a train lives behind my house, so I get all the background noise I could ask for!

5. Why do you choose to reside in your current city? Yes, you have a choice

I chose to come here to be close to (most) of my family, and to have better prospects for a job.  What do you know, that worked out, and I now have the best job ever.

6. Are you close to your parents?

Yes.  We are Facebook friends, even.

7. What is your favorite fiction book? Poem? Blog?

Pride And Prejudice (I was an English major. So?)  Barbara, by Jacques Prevert. Instapundit.

8. Do you enjoy cooking or is it a chore?

Love it.  Cleaning up is a chore.  (And maybe eating what I make, too…Andrew is kind, though.)

9. Be honest. What one thing would (the majority of) your blog readers be shocked to find out about you?

People read my blog?!

10. If you were given your own national holiday, what would you require people to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Day of You? Would there be a parade? Greeting cards?

Being the libertarian that I am, there would be no mandatory meals.  That said, truffled macaroni and cheese would be the traditional way to celebrate, like black-eyed peas at New Year’s.  Costumes and gift giving would be encouraged as well!

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Ten On Tuesday

17 Nov

I am typing this up on my phone, so it will be short, to the point, and chock-full of typos!

1. What are some of your family traditions?
We always used to cut down a Christmas tree on the Friday after Thanksgiving, then ate lunch with everyone. Some of my happiest memories about Christmas begin with a story about doing that!
I think we are ripe for some new traditions…

2. Do you know how to change a flat tire?
Do I know how a tire is changed? Yes. There is a jack involved. You remove 5 lug nuts, take off the flat, pray that the spare isn’t flat, and then screw the new tire on. Do I change tires? No.

3. Do you subscribe to any magazines? What are your favorites?
Just Real Simple, but Glamour shows up at the house for some reason. I donate it every month to the Magazine Monday Program at work, which provides reading material for patients waiting (for many, many hours sometimes!) at the clinics at Ben Taub and other facilities.

4. What are your top three favorite office supply items?
I think planners should count – that would definitely be both my most needed and my favorite to shop for! Since I’m in charge of the bulletin board at work, I also get to shop for scrapbooking supplies! I have the BEST JOB EVER.

5. Are you a good public speaker?
Well, I’m not scared to speak in public. It’s hit or miss: sometimes I think I’ve done pretty well, other times I know I didn’t. (I thought my speech at my brother’s wedding was pretty good until I started crying, a rehearsal dinner speech for my friend Jenny bombed.)

6. How do you feel about acronyms?
There are some great ones: WTF is a nice way to express dismay. I work for the Harris County Hospital District Foundation, so the acronym HCHDF is my friend.

7. What’s the most creative things you’ve ever done? (Bloggers, feel free to include pictures!)
That is hard, because I love getting creative and I have a poor memory. So the most creative thing I did this month: a storyboard recounting Mayor Bob Lanier’s influence on the creation of HCHD (see above). I’ll try to add a picture, if I can! It involved researching the county archives, old newspapers, and lots of paper cutting!

8. I’d rather jam a pen in my eye than…
– be required to do math problems
– shop all day in a mall at Christmas
– fold and put away laundry
– share the same room with a cockroach, live or dead

9. What company has the best advertising?
the fun theory from vw

The piano stairs! I posted on this previously, but it’s so so good!

10. When is your birthday?
August 27th, I am the typical Virgo!

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