7 Quick Takes: The Adventures in Housesitting Episode

This week's Quick Takes are brought to you by Elizabeth Shue, of "Adventures in Babysitting" fame. And now apparently CSI. 

I've been housesitting for my future in-laws. While this may sound simple and unchallenging, I promise you I've had more than a few frustrations. 

--- 1 ---

My future in-laws just had their kitchen redone. It's gorgeous with cherry cabinets and marble (although J tells me they're not marble but actually coriander? I don't know. They look like marble and stay cool like marble...) countertops. Unfortunately, I can't find ANYTHING! I like to cook, but I'm not an adventurous cook, so I rely on recipes. Which require measuring implements like cups and spoons. Which I CAN'T FIND! J has since told me that they are packed away still from the renovation. Sad day.

Look's like I can't do much of this in the next couple weeks. 

--- 2 ---

Another kitchen related one (what can I say? I spend A LOT of time in the kitchen). J's family is all tall. J himself is just shy of 6 feet, his brother is a few inches taller, their Dad is around the same, and their Mom is around 5' 8". The only one even close to my height is his sister, and she's 5' 6" I think. Which still makes her over 4" taller than me. The kitchen layout and product placement reflects that height. Important things like the teapot and tea mugs are all on the second shelf. J came over yesterday and asked why I had left the teapot on the counter.

Incidentally, J himself has a weird way of putting things away in his kitchen. He put the tupperware containers on the very top shelf, and then the pie plate on the second shelf (which I can actually reach if I stretch). Gah!

--- 3 ---

I took the bus the wrong way. Although I will blame this one more on Google Maps (or my inability to read it on my iPod) than the house itself, it was still an adventure. See I was trying to get to school, and Google Maps told me to take the bus at 7:07. I just didn't realize that there was a stop across the street from the one I was standing at until the bus I was supposed to be on came. It was also -40 C with a windchill that day. I got on the opposite bus, talked to the bus driver, got on a different bus, and finally hooked up to a train station to take me to the University. But the good news is I was only 5 minutes late for class!

--- 4 ---

I got a parking ticket. Not in front of the house, because that would be weird, but at the train station which is next to a mall. Apparently the mall parking people really don't like park and riders. I had no other option though! I had to go to the University to work at the Information booth, and then get to my town 30 minutes away from the University to work my retail job! Sigh... I could have really used that $50.

--- 5 ---

I have a one hour course every Tuesday that runs later in the evening (annoying, I know, but required!). So I decided to just drive to the University from the house, and suck it up and pay the $4 for parking for an hour. So I left the house, and got on the freeway. Unfortunately, I got on the freeway on the left side, and needed to get off of it on the right side within 2 km. By the time I finally got over, I had JUST missed the exit. Sigh. At least I was only 5 minutes late! (wait, this seems to be a trend...)

--- 6 ---

One more kitchen one: I got really excited when I was looking around the kitchen (looking madly for measuring spoons) and found a stand mixer. There are so many things I would like to try and bake using a stand mixer. Except, I don't think my future mother in law uses it all that often. When I pulled it out, all the rubber coating of the cord started crumbling off. Needless to say, I didn't use it.

Aren't they beautiful?

--- 7 ---

On the flip side, I have been sleeping really well at their house, so at least I have plenty of rest for all these adventures I keep having!

Have a great Friday everyone!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: The Deep Freeze Episode

We have such weird weather here. For most of December we were hovering around 0 C (which is way warm for that time of year, as the average is -15 C). Now... well let me tell you what the temperature is now...

--- 1 ---

-40 C. With the windchill, it has been -40 C nearly everyday this week. For you Americans, I'll do the conversion for you. -40 C is -40 F. Although, it actually "warmed" up today. It's only -20 C (-4 C)! So the rest of this post will be devoted to what I've been doing to keep warm.

--- 2 ---

Tea. I love tea. I buy loose tea and infuse it in my fancy strainer container thing, and revel in the delicious warmth. My favourite variety right now is from David's Tea, and is called Checkmate. It tastes like chocolate, even though there is no chocolate in it! I actually have so much tea that I took all the over the counter medication out of the kitchen cupboard and put it in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom to have more room for tea.

--- 3 ---

I could write a mushy post about J here, but I won't embarrass him. I just say that hugs warm me from head to toe!

--- 4 ---

Layers. Lots and lots of layers. When I was waiting for the bus this morning, I was wearing a pair of leggings, a pair of jeans, a pair of wool socks with boots, a t-shirt, a cardigan, a hoodie with the hood up, a huge scarf wrapped several times around my head, my winter jacket, and my big furry mittens.

Somehow, I don't think I looked this good...

--- 5 ---

Eating soup. I love soup. I used to hate soup, but I really think I just disliked soup that came in a can. J and I just made this one. It was delicious. But don't forget the parmesan on top! That's the key to the flavours.

Tortellini and Kielbasa Sausage Soup

Photo from alldayidreamaboutfood.com

--- 6 ---

Working. Somehow I ended up with two part-time jobs. That means that I have 4 University classes, 2 part-time jobs, I volunteer with the Lifeteen Core and the Youth choir at Church, and I'm planning a wedding on top of it all. I seem to thrive when I'm busy though, so it's probably a good thing. Until I break down around midterm time...

--- 7 ---

livealittlewilder.com

livealittlewilder.com

It's my birthday week! My birthday was Sunday, so Happy 22nd Birthday to me! I had a small get together, and had a great time hanging out with friends and talking wedding stuff. I also made these great cookie dough truffles, and pretzel bites that both went over well with the guests. 

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: The Puzzlement Episode

--- 1 ---

I'm not entirely sure where I lie on the whole headcovering issue. I don't think that I will be covering anytime soon, but I don't think I would be encountering the sort of hostility that other Catholic blogger's encounter. In fact, as the temperature has dropped down below 0 (Celsius), I've seen a staggering amount of girls using scarves as toques, face coverings and neck coverings all in one. Not to mention that there is a large International population at school, and many of those women cover and most people don't bat an eye. I wonder if the change is the fact that I'm in Canada and not the States? Or is it just the University social climate?

--- 2 ---

Speaking of temperature change, can anyone tell me what the Fahrenheit system is based on? I don't get it. Obviously, both Fahrenheit and Celsius are arbitrary numbering systems, but Celsius makes sense to me. Water freezes at 0 and boils at 100. Everything else just falls in between, which makes normal body temperature the awkward number 37. Although that's not as awkward as the 98.6 that Fahrenheit is.

--- 3 ---

Also, I realize I could just google the answer, but what fun would that be?

--- 4 ---

It's amazing how Google has take over the world. When I was young (wow, I feel old saying that), the internet was just starting out, and you had a variety of search engines like Mozilla and Spidercrawler.

--- 5 ---

I obviously have troubles walking because yesterday I split my third (THIRD!) pair of jeans, in less than a month, in the inner thigh. I think I have to learn to walk without my thighs touching... or I need to buy stronger jeans.

--- 6 ---

Our Lifeteen Winter Retreat starts today at 6! I'd be more excited if I didn't have a mountain of work to do before classes end next week. But really, it should be a very good weekend. Please keep the teens in your prayers while we talk to them about the need to make the decision, every single day, to follow Christ.

--- 7 ---

Something to get you in the Advent season! I got goosebumps when I listened to it.

Ave Maria, gratia plena Dominus tecum, Benedicta tu in mulieribus Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus Sancta Maria, Mater Dei Ora pro nobis peccatoribus Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae, Amen

Hail Mary, full of grace The LORD is with thee Blessed art thous amongst women And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus Holy Mary, Mother of God Pray for us sinners Now and at the hour of our death, Amen

By the way, I didn't know that Ave Maria was the Hail Mary until a few months ago... Happy Friday!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: The Procrastination Episode

Most of my school assignments involve using a computer. Being on a computer means it's really tempting to just click on that little internet button. Being on the internet (even if I try and tell myself it's JUST to check email), means procrastination. So here are some sites that I like to procrastinate with. Some are blogs, some are recipe sites, all are distracting.

--- 1 ---

Obviously my number one time wasters would be checking email, and checking facebook. Checking email is slightly less hazardous as when your inbox is empty, it's pretty hard to keep looking at email. Unless I go back and read some sweet email J sent or something. Not that I save those though... 

Facebook. Well. Does anybody need to be told of the wonderful powers of procrastination that Facebook holds? I could do my assignment... OR, I could creep pictures of my best friend from grade three. I think the answer is obvious, don't you?

--- 2 ---

Something I came across just on Wednesday is going to be my new best internet friend. It is called ziplist.com, and it is amazing. Basically the idea is you can look up recipes on it (they're partnered with many food blogs and recipe sites) and add them to your recipe box. You can also install the ziplist button on your browser and click it for ANY recipe on the web. It catalog the ingredients for you and save the location of the recipe. THEN, when you're picking meals for the week, you can just click on the recipe, and add it to your shopping list!!!! If that weren't enough, it's smart enough to know that if a recipe calls for something like flour, that you probably already have it, so it asks first if you need it. Amazing, right?

--- 3 ---

The very first blog I ever followed was Cam at A Woman's Place. She is a Catholic convert (like so many Catholic bloggers...) and she posts often about her children, her marriage and the difficulties of living Catholic faith in our world. She also operates three Etsy stores.

I'm at that creepy point where I feel like I know her, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't read this blog (actually, I'm not sure that anyone really reads this blog besides maybe Katie at NFP and Me and J...). But I really love reading about her life (and the creepiness continues... moving on!)

--- 4 ---

Bad Catholic. Marc Barnes is freaking hilarious. He makes up words like conflibbergating, and badassery, and shows the amazing awesomeness of the Catholic faith. Plus, I always learn things in his posts (did you know that Catholics had a specific blessing for beer? I didn't!). Love it!

--- 5 ---

Food blogs in general. I always go on food blogs with the procrastination excuse that I'm "just looking quickly for a good recipe for... (insert not fancy occasion here)". Except then I always end up on the dessert blogs, which is usually not what I actually need a recipe for. Although, I am slightly annoyed with the fact that there have been Thanksgiving recipes on ALL the food blogs for a month. Because Thanksgiving was a month ago up here in the cold, and I don't have any turkey to try those delicious looking ways to use up my leftovers.

--- 6 ---

I stumbled on this next blog through, actually, I don't remember how I stumbled on to this blog. But it's one of my favourites. Her name is Rachel. She isn't Catholic (gasp!) but she is sooo funny. She has a knack for turning the time that her entire family came down with the stomach flu into pure entertainment. She's also convinced me that Mom jeans are the worst thing a woman can ever do to herself. Her blog is called Grasping for Objectivity... in my Subjective Life.

--- 7 ---

Finally, take number seven. I haven't spent as much time on this last one since I discovered that reading blogs was a much better way to get insights into other people's lives, but I still do frequent the Catholic Answers Forums (aka. CAF). Although some of it makes me cringe, with the way people snipe at each other, there are good conversations that happen, and it can be very informative. 

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: The Random Episode

--- 1 ---

My brother is normally a fairly reserved kind of guy. But when he's got Adele playing while he's in the shower he likes to belt it out. It makes me laugh. Especially when he gets to the high notes. 

--- 2 ---

I feel hope whenever I see someone pay special attention to showing reverence to the Eucharist.

--- 3 ---

I've been taking a Zumba class with a few of my friends. It's so much fun, but it is for sure a huge workout. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's basically a dance class. But instead of learning a routine you basically repeat the same steps over and over. And the steps usually include something like squats or lunges. I have a class tonight; I love that it's an all girls class too, so I don't have to be self-conscious of "shaking it" in front of men.

--- 4 ---

Marc Barnes over at BadCatholic, has been doing a bit of a series on pornography. Which is exactly the topic of our next Lifeteen issue night. I expect I might have a thing or two to say when we get closer to it. 

--- 5 ---

It was my Dad's 50th birthday on Monday. Happy Birthday Dad!

This actually describes my Dad fairly accurately

--- 6 ---

On a slightly more somber note, my Grandpa starts chemo for cancer on Halloween. Any prayers are appreciated!

--- 7 ---

It's Halloween on Monday! I'm going to a party on Saturday since J is out of town, but my friend and I are going together. I am hoping to look something like this: 

except you know, with more clothes. So really, I just want my hair to look like that. 

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: The Musical Episode

First off, I apologize for my extreme lack of posting. I'm in the middle of midterm season. And speaking of seasons....

Brr. It's starting to get chilly here. I actually had to scrape the windows of my (I mean my brother's) car this morning. I don't mind it right now, it makes the air feel all crisp and clean. But I don't like being cold. I really don't like being cold. And I live in a place where it will be -20 degrees (that's celsius for all you American readers!) for about 3-4 months straight with a couple weeks of -35 degrees thrown in for kicks.

Anyways, enough of my complaining. Here are seven songs that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I hear them. 

--- 1 ---

Roll Away Your Stone - Mumford and Sons
This is the first song of theirs that I really listened to. My favourite line:

It seems as if all my bridges have been burned,
You say that's exactly how this grace thing works.
It's not the long walk home that will change this heart,
But the welcome I receive with the restart.

I get chills just from reading the lyrics!

--- 2 ---

Darling It's You - Ray Mailman
Ok, I guarantee 99% of people reading this will not have heard of Ray. He's a local boy from my city; I met him at the Evangelical Church I went to before reverting back to the Catholic Church. I love this song, it is constantly a "Recently Played" song on my iPod. You can hear it at this website. His website is www.raymailman.com. The combination of guitar picking and his super fast lyrics with a sweet sentiment always gets me.

--- 3 ---

Tennessee Me - The Secret Sisters

Listen to this song. Sway back and forth to the gentle guitar pulse. Imagine you're at a country dance and it's a slow one so you can just hold your sweetie a little bit closer.

I'm a big fan of this kind of country music. My family is big on the guitar playing and we always are playing and harmonizing around the campfire. This one just brings back feelings of love and family.

Plus as one youtube commenter put it: "Their voices are like clear blue skies."

--- 4 ---

Something Stupid - Frank and Nancy Sinatra
I literally spent hours trying to learn how to sing this song by ear. The contrast between her alto voice and his clear tenor is just amazing. The parts where she is singing lower than him give me chills. Plus Frank Sinatra is one of the great crooners of the past century.

--- 5 ---

Defying Gravity - Cast of Wicked
I love musical theatre. I would love it if we could actually express our feelings through singing. This version is the Original Broadway Version of Wicked and has Idina Menzal and Kristen Chenoweth playing Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. I love the parts where they go into harmony, wishing the best for each other. Also, when Idina puts on her power voice I am always astounded.

--- 6 ---

Beautiful, Beautiful - Francesca Battistelli

This song haunted me for weeks after I first heard it. Especially because I didn't know the artist yet and couldn't find it. She is one of the best parts of Christian radio today. Her voice is real and doesn't have any of the auto-tune... stuff.... that other Christian artists use in order to reach the masses

--- 7 ---

Then - Brad Paisley

Sigh. I love most of his songs, but this one always gets me thinking about a certain someone...

I promise that I will get better at posting more regularly! But I need to go to class now, so for more Quick Takes, visit Jen and friends at Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: Smile-making

Hi all, hope your Friday is going well and your weekend goes even better.

I've witnessed some pretty heavy things in the past week (look for a post soon about it!) so I thought I would do my quick takes on things that make you smile. Hopefully it makes you smile too! Without further ado, in no particular order:

--- 1 ---

The sun peeking through the clouds. When I was little I thought that it was the angels beaming through them. Which may have more truth to it than I realize.

--- 2 ---

Pride and Prejudice. I've seen this particular movie version (the Keira Knightly one) probably 25 times. I do not kid. There was a time in my second year of University when my best friend and I were living together at the sorority house and we would watch it at least once a week. The end where he says that "you have bewitched me body and soul" and then the very end when he calls her Mrs. Darcy because she's deliriously happy just make me melt a bit inside.

Also, I have read the book, a couple times. But I like my movie Mr. Darcy better. :)

--- 3 ---

Watching toddlers and pre-schoolers toddle their way up to the front of the Church when it's time for offering. My parish has a clear container up at the front and I love watching them go up and put their money in (or sometimes take money out, which their parents quickly correct). Babies in general make me smile, and I get annoyed with people who say they don't belong in Church. There's a good post about this over at BadCatholic .

--- 4 ---

Singing, playing piano, and doing all things musical. Which is a good thing since I'm going to be a music teacher.

--- 5 ---

Tea. I started buying loose tea, and pretty soon had to switch all of our medicines (advil, tylenol, etc.) into an empty medicine cabinet so that I would have enough room in the kitchen cabinet for all my varieties of tea. It's just so comforting.

--- 6 ---

Blog posts by Cam at A Woman's Place. She was the first person I followed, and I just love how she mixes her daily life with thought provoking posts.

--- 7 ---

J. Whether it's cooking with him, talking to him on the phone, or arguing with him, that man always knows how to make me smile. Which is really annoying when I'm trying to argue. 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes, Volume 1!

This is my very first quick takes, and I've noticed many other people doing them, so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. The theme this week is going to be just random observations.

Also, while I'm at it, I'm going to mention that you all should go check out Cam at A Woman's Place. She makes rosaries and chaplets at home and is having a giveaway for a custom rosary.

Now on to the takes!

--- 1 ---

I don't understand the point in barefoot shoes. I get that they're supposed to be better for your feet, but honestly, it's cold where I live and I just don't understand sacrificing warm feet for better aligned ones. Can I get any enlightenment?

--- 2 ---

I work in an information booth on my campus with a Ticketmaster, and I have come to the conclusion that only Asian people like Avril Lavigne any more. At least the only people I've sold tickets to/had pickup tickets were Asian...

--- 3 ---

I feel like a goof when I practice my conducting patterns for my music classes at my information booth job.

--- 4 ---

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving! I am thankful for the fact that even though my parents are going away this weekend that I still get turkey at J's parents house. My brother is another story though, however, if he is just planning on sitting in our house I will forcibly drag him to come have turkey.

--- 5 ---

I am 33 years old. In base 6. Can anyone tell me how old I am in base 10? (aka, what we actually base our number system on) I'll give you a hint, it's lower than 33. This is what I learned in my Math Education curriculum course yesterday. Other highlights from that class include playing with blocks.

--- 6 ---

Part of my information booth job is doing Lost and Found stuff. It gives me great joy when I can give someone back their purse or wallet that has their whole life in it. Conversely, it makes me sad when people come looking for things I don't have. Or when I see something turned in matching their description after they've already left.

--- 7 ---

What it says on the whiteboard at work: 

this day in history: The International Warlock Convention of 1289 issued a decree banning the consumption of dragon meat, to further preservation efforts of the species worldwide. 

Anyone catch the reference?

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!