minneapolis, you gorgeous thing, you.

isn't minneapolis a dream? 

i took this picture yesterday while at the Guthrie and although i've lived here all of my life, i couldn't help thinking how little i know of this city that i call home. i am determined to get out more. to be more adventurous (one of my many pre-new years resolutions) and to really explore this great mini-apple. we have such an amazing theatre, food, fun community in our little big city and i have got to just jump on it. 

taking stock.

Making: lists. lots of them.
Cooking: soup for my sick mister. it's actually rather good, so i'll have to chat about that on a later date.
Drinking: JR Watkins Vanilla Egg Nog. the.best.ever.
Reading: Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire. whenever i'm in between books, HP is my go to :)
Wanting: my mister to feel better. the flu really took the guy out this weekend.
Looking: forward to another 4 day weekend. 
Playing: games with the deer in our neighborhood. i will lure you to our backyard with old pumpkins so that i can stare at you from my couch as if i've never seen a deer before. 
Wasting: time. it's time to get back on the wagon, lady.
Sewing Crocheting: a deliciously cozy blanket.
Wishing: i had socks on. it's pretty damn cold in here.
Enjoying: all the time we get with our family.
Waiting: for the extra soup to cool so i can put it away.
Liking: december.
Wondering: when it'll snow.
Loving: the thought of getting into a warm bed. 
Hoping: i don't catch Kevan's ick.
Marveling: at how my cat is always hungry and never shies from letting me know.
Needing: some perseverance.
Smelling: lemon grass, curry, coconut milk, cilantro, cayenne, ginger. yum.
Wearing: no bra. some other stuff, but most importantly, no bra.
Following: my diet. kind of. more so than i have in a while.
Noticing: i need to be much better with staying in touch.
Knowing: just knowing. 
Thinking: about going to bed. at 9:30...
Feeling: like i'm on the verge of something. 
Bookmarking: christmas presents. to get and to give ;)
Opening: my mind to being more adventurous.
Giggling: at nothing.
Feeling: tired.

sadie sadie, married lady.

mrs. plaetzer, mrs. plaetzer! what a beautiful name!

I am so behind on this here blog.

not only has it been 4 months since I last posted...

in 3 days, it'll be 2 months since my main squeeze popped the question.

and oh so much more has happened, but back to the big stuff :)

yes, yes... he finally put a ring on it and I couldn't be happier.

he asked in total Kevan fashion and said the sweetest things my ears have ever heard.

it wasn't big, it wasn't opulent, it was him. 

and it was perfect.

a moment when time literally stood still and was just about us.

Kevan, my best friend, my love

you have made me so incredibly happy over the past 5 years 

and I just can't wait to be your Sadie.

liquid gooold.

am i the only person on the planet who has seen this commercial?:

i say 'liquid goooooooold' all the damn time and no one ever has any idea what i'm talking about.

rude.

anywho!

lets talk about some liquid gold that aint gunna clog yo damn arteries.

chicken stock.

bam.

so good.

we have roast chicken at least once a week in this house

and letting the bones go to waste is definitely not an option.

so stock i make. 

Chicken Stock:

1 organic, free range, no added anything chicken

(cooked and de-meated)

water to cover

**i had some carrots and onions that needed to be used, so i just tossed them in

-throw everything in the crockpot and turn that sucker on low.

-leave for at least 24 hours.

-strain out all bones and chunks

-let come to room temp

-stick the stock in the fridge (these pics are all pre-fridge)

-the fat will solidify on the top of the stock

-scrape off the fat and dispose

-at this point, i separate and freeze

voila!

perfect base for any soup, stew, sauce, etc.

i've actually got a chicken caracas in the fridge right now.

this time i'll take pics of the process :)

wile e. coyote.

THIS IS LIVING IN MY BACKYARD! 

coyotes are taking over in the woods behind our house and i'm not happy about it.

nevermind the fact that they are pushing out so much of the wildlife,

they're scary as all getup!

well... they actually look more like this than the above pic:

looks kinda friendly, eh?

yeah right. i've read that they stalk humans out on walks, eat livestock,

can jump fences, and will most definitely eat my dog.

plus, we hear this at around 3am far too often for me to think that they're cute and friendly:

oh, and i've had way too many dreams of mutant coyotes picking our locks at night and 

breaking into our house and grabbing kevan by the throat for the "kill bite".

(watching the ID channel at night and then having their howls wake you up at 3am aint a good combo).

how do we get rid of these scary beasts??

image image video image

October the 1st.

october has already been a very productive month for me and i hope it stays that way.

i've strained my chicken stock

frozen some meals that i made for the kevster and i

dusted a majority of the house

made iced coffee

read some of my book (marie antoinette: the journey. such an interesting life)

watched harry potter 7 (don't tell kevan)

did the dishes and put away the laundry

finally sat down to write this here blog post

and it's only 12:30.

holla!

now i just have to vacuum and start part 8 before leaving for work in a hour.

during these fabulously colorful 31 days i hope to:

organize mah home life.

get school set up for next semester.

finish some projects around here.

start decorating.

make a myriad of apple delicacies.

go to an oktoberfest celebration.

visit an apple orchard.

STAY FOCUSED.

any big plans in your present and future 31 days?

mr. sandman.

bring me a dream! make someone else do my sanding for me!

i honestly can say that sanding is my least favorite part of any house project.

i can't stand it. maybe it's because i'm a creature of immediate gratification and 

sanding just doesn't do it for me, or maybe it's all the dust getting into my whose its

and whatnots... it's both. yes. it's definitely both. 

anywho...

we have this bank of windows in the front of our house that is the same ugly wood

trim as the rest of our house. we've slowly (very slowly) been painting everything white, 

but it's taken a while (did i mention we've been doing this slowly?) to get to the dining room.

 so last week (or maybe the week before) i got it in me to start the process and today,

the window looks the exact same. in fact, i just looked over and noticed that the

sandpaper and sanding block are still sitting on the table just as they are in this picture... sad.

 now that i've aired my dirty procrastinators laundry, i'm determined

to use this post as a motivator for me to get 'er done. 

by this time next week, i will be posting pictures of the finished product!

and if i dont, i'll probably have some wicked excuse as to why it didn't 

happen, which will probably be just as cool.

well... i have to go take a nap start sanding!

wish me luck :(