Fun with "Le List"

Update on Eric: I spoke with him a little while ago. Day one has gone really well! He feels really good about the part of the bar exam that he took today. Oddly enough, two classmates of his were there taking the Colorado bar as well! Tomorrow is 2 sections with 100 multiple choice questions.

I'm a big fan of quizzes/lists. As cheesy as they are and as many different ones as there are, I like them. One of the many blogs that I followed posted this list this morning and I figured "why not?"

1. Mood: Content although slightly anxious.

2. Finish this sentence: Without makeup I would: Have less fun with my appearance. I wear it for the fun aspect of it, not because I'm trying to hide.

3. What are some staple pieces in your wardrobe? My brown flats that Sarah gave me (thank you again!) and the two pairs of jeans that I wear ALL THE TIME!

4. Three things that you would probably never guess about me:

1) I have a serious issue with wet paper.

2) I won't eat certain things because of their texture (i.e. jello)

3) I'm a hazard on the road sometimes; not because I drive recklessly or get distracted by my phone a lot, but because I have a tendency to dance too hard and lip-synch if a good song comes on (especially Mariah Carey songs...those are the most dangerous).

5. What would you like to get done today? I'd like to win at Nerts tonight at the Lee house. Or at least get more than 50 points!

6. What were your favorite TV shows as a kid? Hands down: Saved By The Bell. I am the trivia queen. Try me!

7. Can you skateboard? No. I remember trying once but failing miserably.

8. I really want... to be baking right now. Specifically: focaccia.

9. Do you like horror movies? I used to! I used to LOVE horror movies, especially old horror movies (Dolly Dearest anyone?). But I think I allowed my overactive imagination get the best of me over the years and I'm easily scared now. So, no. I might (and that's a big MIGHT) watch one every now and then but not often. Besides, many of the horror movies put out now seem overdone to me anyway. Who hasn't seen a slasher movie??

10. Weekly goals: get at least 4 workouts in by Saturday (which will be hard since I haven't gotten 1 in yet), finish Chapter 9 in accounting, get the bathroom deep cleaned, bake focaccia.

Whoot! Short and sweet!

Dum dum dum!

The Colorado Bar exam began this morning.

Time to rally together and send Eric positive thoughts!

In two days, it'll all be over and then the waiting begins.

Results don't come out until October, so we'll all have to wait patiently. :)

TOP 5 FOR 5

As mentioned in the previous post, here are the top 5 things to keep me busy while Eric is away taking the bar:

1. Lots of time to work on Accounting
   
2. Lots of time to clean.
3. Lots of time to get some crafting done (have I mentioned my "big project"? No?)
4. Lots of time to start the painting for Charlotte
   
5. Lots of time to do some job hunting.

Just to bring everyone up to speed, here are some details about the top 5.

Accounting: I started an independent study course on Accounting before the wedding; however, with all of the craziness that comes with wedding planning and getting married, it had to be put on the back burner for a while. I'm just really getting back to it at this point. I have 4.5 more lessons to complete (.5 because I'm almost finished with lesson 8) and two more tests. The plan is to take those two tests right before we move so that I have everything complete.

Clean: Sure this might seem self-explanatory but considering that we are moving, it's a little more in depth than the regular every day cleaning. I've done the front rooms of the condo. I already spent an hour and a half cleaning the oven and stove today. I'm beat.

Crafting: So here's my big project:
http://www.stitchnationyarn.com/Patterns/free-pattern-weekend-in-stockholm-throw.html
(for whatever reason, the picture won't upload straight to the blog)
Each square takes at least an hour to make. I'm pretty excited about it!

Painting: eh. That's self-explanatory.

Job Hunting: Again, self-explanatory.

I'm going to run off and enjoy the rest of my coffee and look up some things on the internet. Thanks for dropping in!

The end is near...

The bar exam in Colorado starts on Tuesday. That means that Eric will be flying out to Colorado today.

The bar exam is two days long, the first day being 7 hours and the second day is 6 hours long. Needless to say, it is not to be taken lightly.

However, I have a lot of faith in Eric and what he is capable of. I know that he'll pass the exam.

It's too bad that we'll have to wait til October to find out if he did in fact pass the exam.

So what does that mean for me for the next 5 days?

1. Lots of time to work on Accounting (by the way, I did get an A on the first exam. Yay me!)
2. Lots of time to clean (yeah right).
3. Lots of time to get some crafting done (have I mentioned my "big project"? No?)
4. Lots of time to start the painting for Charlotte (going to buy the paints needed this afternoon)
5. Lots of time to do some job hunting.

So there you have it. My top 5 things to do to keep myself busy while Eric is gone so that I don't climb the walls. I'll post more details about the top 5 in the next 24 hours.

Hunkering down for Bonnie commences tonight!

Mahi Mahi

Last night I cooked one of my favorite dishes: brown sugar soy glazed mahi mahi. It's a recipe from recipezaar.com and I adapted it a little bit for our tastes.

Ingredients:
2.5 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
salt
green onions
mushrooms
mahi mahi

Chop up the green onions. I used 3 but you can use as many as you'd like. Cut up the mushrooms. I used 6 Baby Bella mushrooms, which may sound like a lot to some but we really like mushrooms.

You'll also notice in the picture
<------------------------------ that there are some beans there as well. I threw them in the mix too. :) After chopping all of the veggies, mix the soy sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Pat the mahi mahi dry and sprinkle it with salt. I put some pepper on there too because I know Eric likes things to be seasoned. Heat up some oil in a pan on about medium high heat and when it's hot, add the mahi mahi into the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes then turn it. Cook for a minute. Add the soy sauce mixture to the pan and cook for two more minutes. Remove the mahi mahi from the pan and place in an oven safe dish. Keep the mahi mahi warm in the oven (it'll finish cooking from the residual heat).

Meanwhile, turn the heat down a little bit on the sauce. Throw in your green onions, mushrooms, and beans. Cover and let simmer. The sauce should thicken up a bit.

Once the sauce has thickened up a bit, remove the fish from the oven and pour the sauce and veggies over the fish.

And voila!

I served the fish and veggies over rice.

It's early

Would you like the good news or the bad news first?

...

Alright well I'm going to go with the bad news first.

Bad news: the chicken, mushroom, goat cheese ravioli last night was a total bust.

Good news: the chicken and andouille creole pasta on Monday was a success!

I was going to do a photo blog of last night's attempt of ravioli however, considering it was such a bust, I've changed my mind. I'm hoping tomorrow night's dinner goes better; I'm cooking mahi mahi (nom nom nom!).

In other news, I'm working on getting the ball rolling on the repairs necessary to sell the condo. I've started the clean up process which is incredibly time consuming. I am D-R-E-A-D-I-N-G packing the books up for the move. Eric and I agreed that we would just take the books that we have not read. And although that's probably a full bookcase, I still don't like the idea of being separated from my books.

Oh! I also learned about a bookstore in Baton Rouge that carries old and rare books! Probably way out of my price point but I think I might check it out and find a nook in there. :)

Time to go finish getting ready for work...

May the flowers grow up to meet your fingertips and may the wind whisper sweetly to you!

Goodbye, old friend

In an effort to minimize what we are taking with us on the move, the decision was made to sell my beautiful, upright piano. Honestly, I haven't played much in the last five years. Sad but true. But it was so nice to be able to sit down and stumble through my Chopin nocturnes when the mood struck or try to shake the rust off of my stride skills.

Alas, it had to be done.

So yesterday a potential buyer came by to look at it. I knew he had to have some background in playing because he was carrying a book of Liszt (be still my heart!). He oggled the piano for a few moments and sat down to carefully touch the keys and feel them out. I am very grateful that he is planning on using the piano and "give it some love".

However, after he left with the promise to pick up the piano Monday morning, I couldn't help but want to call him and cancel the whole thing. It was a struggle not to cry and I think mi marido was just as surprised as I was at my emotions attached to the piano. I don't think he's ever really heard me play although few can claim that they have at this point (stage fright). My piano will definitely be missed and I do not look forward to coming home from work tomorrow to find that empty space.

Goodbye, old friend. Goodbye.

Wilkommen!

Wilkommen! Bienvenu! Welcome!

Thanks for coming to check out my blog. This is my attempt to speed up the grapevine for friends and family on what's happening with mi marido (my husband) and I in the upcoming months. Moving across the country is a big change and I'm sure that there will be plenty of things to tell people about (i.e. our first winter in Colorado).

There are a couple of other reasons why I wanted to start a blog though:
1) I've been told that I have a strange knowledge of random websites on the internet that people love, so I figured an open space to share those would be good.
2) I love reading other people's blogs.
3) I love to write.
4) Having and keeping a blog up to date is on my bucket list*.

Feel free to comment. Feel free to email us. Feel free to stop by in the future to see what else is going on!

Much love,
Caroline

*There will be a page attached to this blog that shows my full bucket list. Coming soon!