March 1, 2010
February 21, 2010
I have big plans for this year. I want to garden, I want to turn our house into a home, and I want to expand my culinary horizons. Therefore, I have 100 dishes I would like to master. I say master because there are some on here that I have done before but there is room for improvement.
1. Beer Bread
2. Home Made Pasta Sauce
3. Home Made Salsa
4. Stuffed Pasta Shells
5. Crab Rangoon
6. Gyros
7. Live Lobster
8. Rack of Lamb
9. Home Made Stuffing
10. Pita Bread
11. Italian Bread
12. Home Made Stromboli
13. Wine
14. Beer
15. Sangria
16. Beer Battered Zucchini
17. Home Made Perogies
18. Home Made Ravioli
19. Guacamole
20. Fried Green Tomatoes
21. Chili
22. Cheese Fondue
23. Cornish Hen
24. Pasta Salad
25. Potato Salad
26. Beer Battered Fish
27. Mexican Tortilla Soup
28. Chicken Salad
29. Banana Bread
30. Chicken Enchiladas
31. Egg Salad
32. Gumbo
33. Clam Chowder
34. Buffalo Chicken Pizza
35. Fried Calamari
36. Tuna Noodle Casserole
37. Tater Tot Casserole
38. Onion rings
39. Vegetable Beef Soup
40. Potato Skins
41. Chicken Pot Pie
42. Bread Salad
43. Spinach Pie
44. Red Wine Vinaigrette
45. Home Made Mac and Cheese
46. Banana Cream Pie
47. Chicken Noodle Soup
48. Irish Stew
49. Pad Thai
50. General Tso Chicken
51. Apple Pie
52. Cheesecake
53. Eggs Benedict
54. Coffee Cake
55. Potato Pancakes
56. Chicken Stock
57. Sweet and Sour Chicken
58. Artos Greek Celebration Bread
59. Greek Pizza
60. Sorbet
61. Lentil Soup
62. Pepper Jelly
63. Pot Roast
64. Jello Pretzel Salad
65. Stuffed Grape Leaves
66. Hummus
67. Bagels
68. Peanut Brittle
69. Coconut Fried Shrimp
70. Lettuce Wraps
71. Jam
72. Bacon Vodka
73. Vanilla Extract
74. Irish coffee
75. Ceder Grilled Salmon
76. Quesadillas
77. Au Gratin Potatoes
78. Corn Casserole
79. Zucchini Cake
80. Stuffed Tomatoes
81. Sesame Noodles
82. French Onion Soup
83. Pico de Gallo
84. Cheddar Biscuits
85. Crash hot potatoes
86. The Perfect Burger
87. Baked Stuffed Clams
88. Pesto
89. Chicken Alfredo
90. Penne alla Vodka
91. Sesame Tofu Stir Fry
92. Crab Cakes
93. Fudge
94. Shrimp Scampi
95. Butternut Squash Risotto
96. Roast Duck
97. Perfect Ribs
98. Bruschetta
99. Chicken Cordon Bleu
100. Baked Beans
Whew! Like I said, there’s a few on here that I actually have made in the past, but I either want to improve on what I cooked before or I failed miserably the first time around (I’m looking at you, cheese fondue). Something else I’m looking forward to…using all my fresh garden veggies!
I think we are in for a delicious year!
February 17, 2010
Channeling My Inner Hippie, Part I
Posted by Ariel under Green Living | Tags: Eco Friendly, Green Living |Leave a Comment
This might make me sound like a crazy hippie, but I have decided to introduce more eco-friendly (greener living?) to my new house and husband.
Eeeek.
I’ve always been fairly environmentally-conscious, but mostly in the animal-impacting way. I refuse to buy anything that might have been tested on animals and I would love nothing more than to raid a puppy mill and string up the operators by their toes.
That said, that’s about as far as I have gone in being environmentally friendly, but I would like to change.
This really spurred from a documentary I couldn’t help but watch on one of our environmental channels. I really wish I could remember the name, but it was basically an inside look of how chickens are kept. Yeah, chickens. Random? Yes. Heartbreaking? Absolutely. I have no love for chickens, they freaked me out ever since I had my first up-close encounter at a friend’s farm when I was young, but the sight of the conditions that chickens are kept in (doesn’t matter if they’re raised for eggs or meat) was enough to make me sob. Seriously, I never thought I would find myself crying over chickens, but there you have it. Watching that led to my first truly conscious more environmentally (or at least more animal-friendly) change: I will only buy free range eggs and meat from now one. I’m not, nor will ever be anything resembling vegan. I firmly believe in the food chain and that we, for the most part, happen to be on top of it. That doesn’t mean that the food we consume should be that of tortured animals.
Call me a bleeding heart, but I’d rather have a bleeding one than none at all.
So I’ve already made the chicken change, so now what? Time to change all the rest of the meats I buy. I used to be happy purchasing all my meat at Walmart, never thinking about all the crap companies add. Well, lo and behold, the house we purchased it literally up the road from a local-run meat market! I stopped in on Monday and loved it! It’s a cute little old-fashioned country store with local produce and a huge meat selection. Meat problem solved! The meat was better quality for about the same price. It also is nice to know that it supports local business and farmers. I will only be buying local from now on.
What other changes are brewing? I finally have room for a garden! I love veggies, and if given the proper opportunity I could probably live happily off of tomatoes. Nom.
I plan on starting a garden this year with things that Justin and i eat regularly. That includes lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (all kinds), eggplant, squash, and perhaps corn. I also plan on buying a few grape vines online and seeing how I do with starting my own little mini-vineyard 
We have an actual root-cellar in our basement and it would be a shame to leave it wine-less.
I also plan on having my garden remain completely organic. I’ve been reading up on companion planting which seems like it is all kinds of brilliant. Basically companion planting is planting a type of plant that bugs hate near the plants bugs love. If i get into a pinch and companion planting doesn’t work, my grandma used to spray her plants with a type of hot pepper water. That always worked for her tomatoes.
To follow up with my garden plans, I’m also attempting to…compost. This may or may not turn out to be a complete failure, but I love the idea behind it. Garbage into plant food? Sure, why not? I have a little canister sitting under the kitchen sink that I’m slowly filling with goodies like pear peels and coffee grounds. I’ll eventually get a garbage can and start a real production if it seems to work.
That concludes this Inner Hippie installment, please check back for Part II: Operation Bleach-Free.
February 11, 2010
Home is where your story begins….
February 11, 2010
Snowed In
Posted by Ariel under house, Uncategorized | Tags: decorating and renovating, house, to do |1 Comment
Okay, western PA has seen enough of the fluffy white stuff. It can stop now.
No really.
We have about 2.5 feet of snow.
For the record, moving in 2.5 feet of snow is not the most brilliant plan I have ever come up with, but we did it with a surprising amount of success! We are about 95% moved into the new house. We still have one couch left at the apartment, a computer desk, and some other random things that didn’t fit into any categorized boxes. Right now we’re basically cleaning the house and the apartment and we can officially say goodbye to the place that had been our home for the last two years. It’s oddly bittersweet.
Owning a house is all kinds of amazing. Right now it is a project in itself to just put things away and explore some more, all while trying to find everything a “place”. I’m so glad we got ourselves a three bedroom house, and I’m shocked at how we already have a fully furnished place. I’m not sure how everything fit in our apartment, but it looks much better in the house!
Being the listy sort of person I am, I already have a list for just about every room in the house and what all needs done. When Justin and I were looking for a house we knew we wanted something we could turn into our own. We certainly got that with this house! We did get two really important features though, hardwood floors throughout and three bedrooms. The whole house has hardwood, save for the master bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. I love these floors. I think we’re going to put hardwood in the kitchen and master as well, but we are still deciding.
Just to give you an idea as to what we’re going to be in for for the next few years, here’s my To-Do List for the bathroom:
The floor in the bathroom is kind of up in the air right now. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it. I think it’s probably because it’s overshadowed by the orange monstrosity that it the current paint job. If we hate the floor later then it will be replaced, but it is not a priority at the moment.
I actually think I might start another blog specifically for documenting out decorating and renovating projects, which will include absolutely every room in the entire house, starting with the bathroom. The living room is next, but a nice coat of paint will transform that room completely. The living room is like swiss cheese though, the previous owners went to town pounding holes in the walls. Oh well, at least now it’s our swiss cheese 
February 4, 2010
We CLOSED!
I know, it has been awhile, huh? Every time I went to post an entry, all I wanted to do was talk about the house, but actually writing about it was putting even more stress on a very high-strung situation.
Long story short, as of 3 PM February 3rd, 2010 Justin and I are proud homeowners It’s kind of crazy, people buy houses every day, but it’s a whole other ballgame when it is you buying a home. I can’t believe how many dreams have suddenly come true in the past year. I married Justin and we bought a house together all in a seven-month span. It’s actually kind of funny, our original closing date was set up for exactly six months after our wedding date, but sadly it got pushed back six days.
We started to move in yesterday after we closed. Justin swapped out all the locks on the house and Brittany helps us unload some things. I hope to actually sleep over there tonight, even if it’s just us, some wine, and an air mattress
I was really scared before about talking about the house at all. It has been such a long time coming that I think I almost talked myself into believing that there was no way we were going to end up getting it in the end. We literally had such a roller coaster of a ride to get those keys in our hands, but I think it makes us appreciate it even more in the end.
The house right now is nothing much to look at. Justin and I both love projects, and this is going to prove to be the biggest project of our lives. We’re basically redoing the entire place and making it completely our own (red and black kitchen for me!) Sometimes watching those HGTV shows where people buy houses already completely done seems so…impersonal to me. That’s not to say that I would turn down a $50,000 kitchen if it were handed to me, but I’m so excited to take on this crazy adventure with my husband.
Right now I’m frantically googling absolutely everything DIY related when it comes to houses. The room I want to attack first is the kitchen/dining room, simply because we don’t have to re-drywall that room (the rest of the house is covered in painted paneling, ick.) I’m debating creating a new blog dedicated to having all my home-based decorating and renovating in one place, as well as cross posting here. There’s so much to do, it will keep us entertained for years.
I’ll post some pictures when I finally get around to taking some. It will be awesome to see some before/after shots when the renovations get rolling!
January 14, 2010
Buying a house, while exciting, is probably the most irritating experience I have ever had. The worst part about it is that apparently I’m the only one who feels that way.
This house has never been a guarantee. We put an offer on the house 24 hours after it was listed. Seller accepted, we were contingent. Then we started worrying about the roof. Would it pass inspection? Would it need replaced asap? Wait, wait, wait.
We got it inspected. Roof did not pass, but it has at least a year on it. We’re relieved, we don’t have to walk away…yet. Wait, wait, wait.
We battle trying to figure out if we can get the seller to pay for the roof, after all, no one wants to eat the cost of putting a new roof on the house before it is theirs. Seller can’t replace it now, but we can get a credit at closing. My husband is handy, he would be able to replace the roof without an issue. Now we need to get the appraisal, and the house needs to appraise to an amount that the bank will give us the mortgage. Wait, wait, wait.
We got the appraisal, and it was right where it should be. It actually appraised $2,100 more than what we’re buying it for, but now there’s some issue that that extra $2100 might not cover some taxes? I don’t understand it, and I’m really reaching the end of my patience for the whole thing. It seems like it is one jerk around after another and I don’t understand why.
I’m just frustrated. I’m frustrated that I’m frustrated when apparently Justin is being cool as a cucumber about it. I’m frustrated that I’m frustrated with him because I think he should be antsy right along with me. I don’t believe he’s taking this all as well as he says he is, but that could simply be due to the fact that this entire ordeal is driving me up a freaking wall.
We are supposed to close two weeks from today. If something falls through this far into the process then I’m walking away from home ownership for a long time. It’s going to take a lot of relaxing before I’m ready to go through this all over again.
Still looking for a green light here so I can finally start getting excited about the biggest purchase of my life. Wait, wait, wait.
January 8, 2010
Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. – E. L. Doctorow
Posted by Ariel under house | Tags: decorating, house, makeup |Leave a Comment
Another decade! Can you believe it?
We were fortunate to ring in the new year with some of our closest friends and had a blast. If the beginning of 2010 has any indication for how the rest of the year is going to go then I am ready for an amazing year.
We got our home appraisal on Wednesday, hopefully we’ll know by this coming Wednesday if all systems are go or not. Apparently the appraiser was only there for half an hour, so I’m hoping this is a good thing. You see, it has been very cold around these parts and we’re buried under about a foot of snow. I’m hoping the snow covered any imperfections the appraiser might have noticed on the outside and it was just too darn cold to stick around inside the house for very long to get a good look (no one has been living there in a few months, and the entire place is winterized against our lovely PA winter weather). This should be the final hurdle before we can close, still on schedule, on the 28th of this month! Did I mention before that’s just in time for my birthday? I turn 23 on the 30th. What a fantastic birthday present, should it happen. I get a house!
I’ve started my decorating dreams, and just to keep things organized made a little website to keep things neat and in the same place. Click here to check some pictures out
2010 led me to a new discovery as well: mineral makeup. The bare essentials seemed a little over priced to me, but I wanted to try mineral makeup (no chemicals!) so off to Etsy I went. I was not disappointed. I found the shop for Urban Apothecary and ordered foundation, blush, and eye shadow. I’m in love! I’ve never been this excited about makeup before (that might be a lie) but this makeup is amazing. I’m hopeful it will help my recent break out problem. I’ve been blessed with clear skin for most of my life, but apparently 22 is the new 13 for me.
Hoping soon I’ll have some happy house news to share, I have my fingers crossed they won’t leave me in suspense too much longer!
December 28, 2009
I thought it might be fun to fill out this survey at the end of every year. You can see 2008′s version >a href=http://mylimbo.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/222/ target=”new”>here
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
I got married and drank tequilla in Mexico
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did not make any in 2009, but I have a few in mind for 2010
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No one close to me.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully!
5. What countries did you visit?
Mexico, on an amazing honeymoon!
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A home of our own, patience, and presence with the people in my life.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Our wedding day, hands down. Also our week in Mexico with all the swim up bars, sand, and sun we could handle!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I wrangled me a husband, haha. But in all seriousness, I guess it’s an achievement in itself to plan and execute a wedding without going insane. Justin and I also agreed on our first house, so that’s a nice joint-achievement.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I don’t think I failed big-time at anything major. Probably exercising regularly.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Wedding bands =)
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Justin’s
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
ah, I plead the 5th here.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Wedding and honeymoon! It is expensive to make an honest man out of someone!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I think honeymooning in Mexico trumped the wedding part, is that bad? Also, starting to search for a house.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
My Best Friend – Tim McGraw
You’re more than a lover
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
Oh we just get closer
I fall in love all over
Everytime I look at you
And I don’t know where I’d be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You’re my best friend
Self explanatory
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? fatter =(
c) richer or poorer? richer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercise
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
sleep in late
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With both families, amazing!
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Every day =)
22. What was your favorite TV program?
True Blood and Greys. I also have fallen in love with HGTV
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don’t hate anyone.
24. What was the best book you read?
Still the Twilight series, I have to admit. ha
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I have really been branching out, there’s a few!
26. What did you want and get?
The Wedding of my dreams to the man of my dreams
27. What did you want and not get?
A house, come on 2010!
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
New Moon!
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I went out to to see a show (I love you, you’re perfect, now change) in Pittsburgh with Justin, Bree, and Vince. I was 22.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
hmm, getting my degree. May 2010!
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Getting more lazy as I get older. I want to work on this in 2010.
32. What kept you sane?
Justin, booze, writing, reading. In just about that order too.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
err. Well, I have a pretty standard crush on a vampire named Edward Cullen, does that count? Not much changed here since last year!
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Healthcare reform has everyone’s attention now. I truly hope everyone can get covered now.
35. Who did you miss?
So many friends. We all live pretty spread out. And my family is too far for comfort.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
I actually did not meet too many new people this year.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Stop. Breathe. Relax.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“Regardless of warnings the future doesn’t scare me at all, nothing’s like before.”
December 27, 2009
Reliving in Our Eloquence, Another Auld Lang Syne
Posted by Ariel under Uncategorized | Tags: Christmas, family, holidays |Leave a Comment
If you’re in the mood for a bit of a tear-jerker, listen to Same Auld Lang Syne, by Dan Fogelburg. This time of year it always gets to me, it’s a beautiful song.
Merry belated Christmas =)
The holiday season treated us well this year. For the first time in three years I got to spend Christmas even with family I don’t get to see that often, so that was pretty fantastic.
On the 16th Justin took me to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra, which was beyond phenomenal! There is honestly no way to describe this show unless you have seen it. It’s a rock concert, complete with electric guitars, drums, and even an electric violin. The show’s first part is Christmas-related, all classic Christmas and holiday songs set to a hard rocking beat. There’s lasers and lights and pyrotechnics that will blow your mind. Even Justin admitted that he wasn’t sure he would like it (the word orchestra had him running in the other direction) but after the show we’re already planning going back every year. It is worth the price and the fight through evil Pittsburgh (or any city) traffic to see this show. It is an excellent way to kick off the holiday season!
On Wednesday before Christmas we went to have dinner with Justin’s family. I still don’t know everyone terribly well, but we’re getting there. After dinner we headed to Justin’s parents house to open up gifts with them as well as John and Lori. Aren’t they cute? Poor John and Lori, I’m pretty sure Justin’s mom got the baby bug from all his cousin’s babies, and she knows she would be barking up the wrong tree with me just yet, so now we’re just waiting on them! It would be pretty wonderful to have a little niece of nephew, but I won’t push it…much
Christmas eve was a lot of fun, My parents, brother, Justin and I went to church. Christmas Eve is my favorite church service out of the year, and I’m so glad I was able to make it this year and bring my shiny new husband haha. 
After church we went to my aunt and uncle’s, caught up with them for the first time in forever. My brother and I are the youngest of my cousins, so growing up we were never really all that close. Now I notice it is a lot easier to talk to them simply because we have more in common now. I guess the older you get the smaller the age gap appears. It was also nice to finally fully introduce Justin to this part of the family besides the hi, hello, congrats at the wedding.
After the party we went back to my parents house where we were spending the night. Justin and I stayed up with my mom and had a couple more drinks and had a good time, and then went to bed to wait for Santa, haha.
All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better first Christmas with my new husband Hopefully our second Christmas together will have us in our first house, the place may be torn apart at that point with all the remodeling we have planned, but it would certainly be amazing! I was grateful to not have to do a ton of driving this year in trying to squeeze in all our family time in one day. We got to spend time with each family each day and then had Christmas day fully to ourselves.
All in all, I could ask for a better family, new and old I’m a lucky girl!
