Weekly Update and a Brownie in a Mug

i am a little sad that this is turning into a weekly thing. i started out doing this every day.

kind of like when you say, yeah! i'm going to (diet/eat healthy/or other resolution) starting now!! and then before you realize it, in a few weeks you are back to the old habits. kind of like how i have been creeping facebook when i said i wasn't going to be on there anymore. bleh. at least i am making my attempt to eat healthy and sticking with it so far.

minus this mug brownie i just made. i don't even know if it came out good or not yet. i am eating my quinoa bites. (go me being healthy!) i totally made the pizza ones again, along with buffalo chicken ones which are my new favorite. i didn't use the goat cheese called in the recipe though. i don't know, it kind of weirds me out a little. i used the last of my mozzarella with the cheddar, and it worked out pretty well! did not make the dip either. when it comes to buffalo anything, i eat it just plain buffalo like 95% of the time. blue cheese or anything of the sort doesn't really do much for me.

so aside from making more tasty quinoa treats, i ran away for the weekend with heather up north where we did granny crafts all night long. oh, and we watched frozen. her mom had just bought it, and with a unanimous 5 to 1 decision (her sister and two nieces were also there), she watched it with us for the first time. i can't say enough how much i love this freaking movie. thanks, disney. you own my life forever, and i sing these songs all day long.

ah, the good old days. random sleepover shenanigans. aside from all of the tissue flowers we folded up for decorations, and aside from me singing along with the entire movie, breakfast decided to be a part of the sleepover too. he didn't have a name, but this banana was everyone's friend for the night. sadly, he met his demise the next morning after a good night's sleep.

long story short, don't be a banana.

ohh i am hilarious. sometimes. anyway, moving on. granny crafts and murder aside, i had a fun weekend. its nice to be able to get away from everything once in a while and just forget. speaking of forget, i did NOT forget about my brownie.

okay, well i did not have all of the blue around it, but i guess it doesn't matter what i want, according to my phone. anyway, i found this on "the internet" (we all know what i really mean by now, right?) just this morning. i added a little to the original recipe, but it came out pretty good, other than the fact that i microwaved it too long. i'm gonna try it again later. i added a little coconut, some white chips, peanut butter (that i just dropped on top right out of the microwave while it was hot, it melted all over really nice), and whipped cream. yup! delicious. a little crispy like a cookie, but still delicious. hence the trying it again later. i love brownies. i wish they were a motivational tool, though.

why is it the 27th already? where did march go? i have no idea. i should be moving next week. we still have so much to pack. a lot of things are last minute stuff, but seriously. i don't know what to do. i should probably take care of things here instead of being on the internet all day. i also need an oil change, my car has been real mad at me the last couple weeks (meaning the "maintenance" light is on). my asm is going on vacation next week so i have like 40 hours at work, plus the restaurant so i'll be working a full week (55 or so hours). i am okay with that, i need the money, it figures that everything has to happen all at once though.

i am a little sad about work, the restaurant anyway. one of my favorite waitresses left for a better job. i always thought of her as my delphias mom. i got green car from her husband, so i have (kind of) known them for a while. and now she's gone! but i understand anyway. i tried to leave because i need more money. it didn't work, but she will have better luck than i did. accounting is good, right? it kind of gives me a little hope though. as much as i want one steady decent job, maybe someday i will still get one of those, and everything will be good.

in the mean time, i am going to leave you with this grumpy green bird. this was nap time, although he was still giving me the stink eye a little bit. he was flying around creating chaos for the other birds, so i clipped his wings (which i have to do to the others before we move). he was so mad.

i'm pretty sure if a bird could give death glares, he was doing it all afternoon until he fell asleep with his hoop.

i love them all anyway. grumpy or not.

well, maybe next time i will come back with some cupcakes or something. i need to drown some feels with something delicious. (i know that's a bad thing to do, but i try to make things healthy!)

thanks for reading! ☺

Oatmeal Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies ♥

what a gloomy day it is today.

its so cloudy, snowing (what else is new), and windy! brrrr.

perfect day to sit around at home and make like 9 dozen cookies. wait, what? doesn't everyone do that? the world would be a happier place if everyone made cookies and shared.

so these oatmeal cookies from jen's favorite cookies are pretty awesome. soft and chewy, with a hint of cinnamon. i made half of the batch plain, as called for, and half i added coconut and chocolate chips. both are pretty amazing. they came out a little flat compared to the pictures, but if i refrigerate the dough next time, i bet that will help. it totally did with the chocolate chip cookies i made!

these right here are the coconut chocolate chip oatmeal variation, they even came out puffier than the plain ones, but that's probably because there is more stuff in them. meh, that's just one more reason i will have to make them again, other than the fact that they are delicious!

more cookies for everyone!! ☺

it has been too quiet. i can only force so many hours out of my jobs. i need to work more! i have to say though, i probably won't randomly apply anywhere anytime soon due to the last fiasco with trying to switch jobs. the money was nice for a couple weeks, but oh well. maybe i can sell some of these cookies instead of eating them all.

i mean....what? who said anything about eating anything?....
#noshame #ate4sofar

i super love soft, smushy, barely done chocolate chip cookies. these are so perfect. i'll just have to see if they stand up to overnight now. i actually studied, and (of course) have a pin about the science of chocolate chip cookies all about how the subbing/adding/removing of different ingredients and their reactions. i didn't actually change anything for this recipe, other than refrigerating the dough and making sure the pans were completely cool before putting the dough on them. they came out really nice! surprisingly enough, i did not get this one from pinterest, but allrecipes, and here is the link.

oh, i can't eat any more of them. i just ate lunch and they are calling out to me, and my stomach is saying "please, no!...at least not now!" i will resist!! until after work tonight. a cookie before bed, am i right?

i am waiting on the last batch, and then off to the restaurant tonight. i work tomorrow night as well, and then i am going up north with heather on saturday night to sunday to help her out with a birthday party. might bring a few cookies as a snack. well, not might. will.

maybe tomorrow before work i will experiment with more quinoa stuff. i haven't decided if i want to do the buffalo chicken next or the cheddar broccoli, either way, it will depend on if i can remember to bring a little portion cup of cheese home from work tonight. wow. i am kind of realizing that i like to talk about food with myself. i know not many people are reading this, but eh, i'm still gonna post anyway. food and i can be friends forever! i don't need anything else!!! (wait, i'm joking...please come back!)

on another note other than food, have i ever mentioned how much of a pain my quaker is? he loves to terrorize my cockatiels and satch, and eat everyone else's food. i am surprised that he hasn't gained a stump rather than his nubby toes courtesy of satch. 

this face....it just spells trouble.

i am also surprised he doesn't say more than he does, the number of times i repeat everything to him, or in the vicinity (ex: "go back to your house!" "leave him alone!" "get back down there!" *insert other obscenities here* etc). he is too smart. he thinks he knows everything, and will copy or "anticipate" what i am going to say or do next. i will lean over to give kisses, and he will make kissing noises before i get there, or he will raspberry sometimes based on what my facial expressions are (yes, he can tell the difference). when i put satch to bed at night, he will snuggle with my hand and try to regurgitate food at me (sign of affection for birds), and i say, "no, you keep your puke." mr. nubs in the next cage over tells him to keep the puke because he knows i am going to say it. he picks up all these stupid things. i tell him he's dumb, but he really is smart. the biggest little smart ass ever.

ohh, dat face. ohhh, my son. and then we have cosmo, who lives in his newspapers. i don't know why. he doesn't shred them or anything, he just sleeps under them. every morning when i wake him up, (at least like 8 out of the last 10) he is underneath his papers, and his little head pops out. i say good morning, he comes out and says "i love you." ohh, he is a special one. they all are.

okay, that was crazy bird lady rant, which i'm sure noone cares about. well, the two or three people reading this might know me, so they might care, but probably not as much as they care about the cookies. cookies don't bite back. when they do, it will be a zombie cookie apocalypse. i'm not sure they would stand a chance though, considering how many people i know that like cookies. it would be a short apocalypse, and then there would be obesity....oh wait...i shouldn't say things like that.

i suppose i will have to get ready for my weekend tomorrow. some laundry should be in order, bird care, the assholes...you know. regular stuff.  well, thanks for reading as usual! come back soon! ♥

Despicable Cake....Keeping Busy!

who doesn't love the minions from despicable me?

another rhetorical question. if you don't, then GTFO.

i am pretty sure they are one of my favorite movie characters of all time. like, top 10. maybe even top 5. i haven't given the list much thought, since i am just making this up as i go along, but they're definitely up there in terms of favorite characters. also, considering i can never have just one favorite anything.

oh my goodness the weekend was busy! i feel like i haven't been this busy in a while, but it's alright. i wish i could stay busy, because then i wouldn't get tired. when i have the chance to rest, tiredness ensues, and when that happens, it takes forever for me to recover. i was actually able to sleep until like 10:23 this morning, but it doesn't feel like it. i just feel like i want to sleep more. i'm glad i worked for a little while today.

i really have to start cleaning and packing more. i only have like 2 weeks....and that's being generous. i keep getting distracted, although these cakes were for a good cause to be distracted. or something like that. you know what i mean, right?

i feel like everybody's birthday is in march. with whatever creeping occurs on facebook, its like every day has had like 5 birthdays or something. it's craaaaazy.

with all of this cake lately, somewhere along the line i started craving cookies now. probably because of pinterest. there have been lots of cupcakes and whatnot, but i saw a pin about the science of baking the perfect chocolate chip cookies. of course i was interested, it showed all these different variations of changing out ingredients and their reactions. ohhh now i really want some chocolate chip cookies. i've got a killer recipe from allrecipes (HA! not pinterest!) that involves vanilla pudding, they are super awesome. i also have a bacon chocolate chip cookie recipe somewhere that are equally phenomenal. then my boss was talking about oatmeal cookies, and i haven't had/made a good oatmeal cookie in a loooong time. i do enjoy them. all their cinnamony goodness....they give you the warm fuzzies. so one or the other, or probably both, will be coming out of the oven in the next week or so.

i love purple. i really like the way this cake came out. it was just a simple marble cake with buttercream, and lavender accents. the green gave it a nice touch, too.

i always think how fun it would be for someone to surprise me with some epic cake for my birthday, but i always end up going out (the last couple years to cheesecake factory because the day before is national cheesecake day! hell yeah! any slice half price! okay, ill stop there.), or i have made my own...or i just leave the state and go on vacation and not worry about anything. i have been bouncing this kingdom hearts cake idea around in my head for some time, and every year i never bother because something else comes up. of course, it is also a huge three tier cake, and i don't know enough people to come and share it with me, so i would be eating cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for like a week. that is kind of a lot of cake for one person to eat.

not to mention i am still making that healthy eating attempt. chocolate chip cookies are sure to ruin that, but i bet they are better than eating candy and manufactured stuff.

i made these little quinoa pizza bites earlier in the week, they were super awesome! that was my first quinoa experiment. via pinterest. derp. anyway, i found a few more things i will try soon, like buffalo chicken quinoa bites, and cheesy broccoli quinoa....who doesn't like cheese and broccoli? okay, i know one person, but it's only because they get violently ill when eating them together for some strange reason. i also have a few shrimp waiting for me in my fridge for tomorrow night. thinking about some alfredo. that sounds awesome. also a good reason to use up the ton of pasta and spaghetti that i have stored away. carrrrbs.

 so yeah. been working, need to pack, need some cookies and more quinoa. i am pretty sure it is my new addiction, depending on how many things i can do with it. well, it is time for me to go to bed, and then back to work tomorrow. hopefully i will have more posts for you later this week. thanks for reading!

Lots of Cakes and Snowy Days

don't walk away. come and visit my blog!

just gotta say, i feel like noone reads this stuff, and i'm pretty sure 95% of the page views are from me checking to see if everything is where i want it.

whatever. i'm gonna keep posting anyway. maybe someday someone will read about my baking and adventures.

speaking of adventures, how about that blizzard we got?!? i would almost say that i have never shoveled so much snow in my life, but that is a lie. i did shovel quite a bit today though. my back hurts. (#oldlady)

i got called out of work, and then called into other work, where i didn't even get a full shift because we closed early. ehh, at least some hours are better than no hours. i can't take not working at all. at least it feels like i'm not working at all. these full days off are pretty bad for me. i get lazy, i get over tired because my body is trying to catch up with any rest or sleep, i bake too many things, laziness....

hopefully things will get better. hopefully being the key word there.

look at all the snow! as much as i complain about it, when it is fresh like this, it is still pretty.

not to mention, look at these pine trees. when they get the heavy snow on them like this, it makes me think of the grinch. not the real people version, the good one, from like the 80's or something, from dr. seuss. you know what i'm talking about right? ah, the good old days. (#iamold)

the sky was really weird when i was heading home, too. it was like the sun was trying to get out, but it failed at it's last attempt for the day, since after this picture, it got dark. i had ventured to wegmans to get more butter for some cakes. driving was awful everywhere. for some reason, it felt as though someone had plowed thousands of tiny speed bumps into the road. my poor car was vibrating everywhere we went. frustrating! just when i thought i could be rid of the terrible roadways for the night, i got home and found out i left my phone at the register at wegmans, so i had to drive all the way back. i am just glad nobody stole my phone. (#oldpeopleproblems)

i don't even know why i do these stupid hashtags, i don't have a twitter, maybe i just wanna be cool like everyone else, or maybe it's kind of funny and dumb so maybe i want to be dumb like everyone else?? i dunno. imma just keep talking about the weather and post some more pictures. don't worry, there's some cake at the end.

the snow in my driveway was touching the bottom of my car when i finally got home. that is considering i shoveled this morning to get out of my garage. if i hadn't, it would have been past the middle of my tire, over the bumper, and i probably would not have been in my driveway at this point. it's funny, because yesterday it was absolutely beautiful, 50 degrees, sunny, a light breeze....and within 24 hours, we have this. i keep telling you the weather here in upstate new york is bipolar, and i mean it. *insert mythbusters "confirmed" stamp of approval here*

i probably don't have to say it again, but i'm going to anyway. for people who expect the roads to suck, you should know how to drive in it by now. the number of idiots in accidents or almost accidents astounds me no matter how many times i leave the house on a day like today. i don't think there are enough "derps" in the english language to explain the people on the roads in bad weather. "oh, well my steering wheel is turned right, but my car is going left, and when i hit the brakes my car spins out of control into oncoming traffic. that's how it's supposed to work, right?" or how about the huge trucks and suv's that think they own the road? then a mile down the road they end up in a ditch because they obviously don't own anything? oh, that's the best.

 wanna know what's even better? cake.

look at how fun the marble is. i don't know why, i just really liked how the swirls turned out. the ones on the right are serving a different purpose, and are also not marbled (the marble on the little one kind of got sucked into the middle in the baking process, so looking at the top, you can't really tell anymore, hence why i say that).

got a little first birthday party on monday, so i got to work around works for the next few days to get ready for that. it shouldn't take long, but i feel like any time i have to work around double days (work 1 in the am, then work 2 in the pm) i get too tired and demotivated. i tell myself, i can work on that for an hour before bed, then end up passing out early instead, or cleaning something. i still have to get all this packing done in 2 weeks. anyway, hopefully these cakes will go over easy and they will get completed in time.

look at this crazy ass! she seriously does want to take my place as wife. (that is my side of the bed.)

speaking of bed, it is really late. i am going to wrap this up, wrap my cakes, and wrap myself in some blankets, cuz aside from the snow, it got daaaaamn cold again!

even though i poke around on facebook, i still don't use it as much as i check this. leave me some nice comments and motivation or something. i'll need it to force through moving again!

blah. bedtime. thanks for reading!

♥

White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cupcakes ♥

SUCCESS!! ♥♥♥

at least like 95% anyway. these are seriously good.

if i make them again, i would add a little more raspberry, and maybe not put the white chocolate coating on them. i was worried the raspberry would be overpowering, but it is very subtle, at least until you get to that little smudge that i hid in the middle under the frosting. best part ☻

 i tweaked that chocolate cupcake recipe a little for the second time (the first time i just omitted the chocolate, added a touch more flour, subbed the greek yogurt just for vanilla cupcakes), but this one was a little more complicated, since i'm pretty sure there is no such thing as white cocoa powder. also, the frosting is a combination of two recipes, since i had a little cream cheese frosting left from the cake from yesterday.

they came out quite sweet, mostly because of that white chocolate coating, but that won't stop me from eating 3 or 4 of them.

so here is my doctored recipe for these cupcakes. for making something up, this is one of the better experiments that have worked out! most of them come out just okay, like i wouldn't try it again. but these....they're like 95%, just like i said earlier. they also make me want cheesecake. isn't my oven mitt the greatest?! his name is fred.

White Chocolate Rasperry Swirl Cupcakes

1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1 + 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil (or 2 tbsp greek yogurt)
1 1/2 oz white chocolate (3 squares of a Ghirardelli bar)
1 c water, minus 1-2 tbsp
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4-1/3 c raspberry jam, plus extra for top of cupcakes

set your oven to 375° F. combine all dry ingredients and whisk together. line a cupcake pan with liners. combine the water, vinegar and vanilla, set aside.

melt the white chocolate. i did this by hitting it in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds, added a tbsp of greek yogurt, hit it again for another 10-15, and added the other tbsp. if using oil, i might add it at the beginning, and heat it slowly, stirring until smooth.

once you have your melted chocolate, set that aside. add the water and whisk together. once combined, add the white chocolate and whisk once more. fill liners about 2/3-3/4 full. place a small spoonful (maybe a teaspoon, but it can be more or less depending on your preference) of raspberry jam in the center of each cupcake, and swirl around with a toothpick. bake about 16-19 minutes, or until cupcakes test done.

the frosting i used was from two different recipes, it was part my basic buttercream, and part of the cream cheese frosting from all cakes considered, so it has a slight cream cheesiness to it, almost making it like a really sweet cheesecake. i also made some white chocolate curls to put on the top! if you would like these frosting recipes, i will post them, but i am going to leave it at this for now! enjoy! ♥

aside from my cupcake adventure, i had to bring the asshole twins to the vet this morning. they are still hiding. my arms were bleeding, it was great. they only needed their yearly check up, so we were there for like 20 minutes. fastest vet visit ever.

they act so traumatized. this is sadly hilarious to me because they cause so much trouble. remember when i mentioned someone who eats spatulas and oven mitts? these are your culprits.

gizmo (front) and rufio (back). yes, they are totally named after characters from epic movies. they're still assholes though. they ate my pacman oven mitt :(

they're totally fatties, too. that is almost 25 pounds of cat i had to haul around today. okay, well they are not really fat, the vet said they were okay, but if they weigh any more then they wouldn't be considered healthy anymore. i have definitely seen fatter cats.

so these two buttholes were hiding from the time we got home until now. i am surprised they haven't come out for food yet. oh, someone sneezed in the kitchen. they're waiting. aside from being mauled today, i cleaned a whole bunch when i got home, at least the living room around all the birds. they are all molting, so there have been feathers everywhere. cleaned the bathrooms partially, the kitchen....then proceeded to make a mess again baking and making dinner (orange chicken and veggies over egg noodles). i have to work on packing some more. its already almost half way through march. i only have a couple weeks left.

gizmo...d*ck with a capital D

rufio...sink thief

look at these stupid faces! i leave you with them today to haunt you for the rest of eternity. thanks for reading!!☺

Red Velvet Birthday

it's march now, that means it's officially spring, right? oh, that's not until the 20th? it's still march though. close enough.

apparently this is making the weather more bipolar than ever, of course. it was in the 40's over the weekend, then it was negative. then it went back into the 40's again, and today it was in the 20's, and we are expecting another winter storm mid week. weather, stahp.

trying to think spring, so i have been thinking more about my tea party, and then i had a cake today that i made spring themed.

classic red velvet cake, in all of it's cocoa and cream cheese glory. ohhhh yeahhh!

i even subbed out the sour cream for greek yogurt, so it's even not terrible for you! double ohhh yeahhh!! ☺

see, i can totally try to be good if i want to.

look at how cute it turned out! i liked making the little ferns, and i think the purple and pink flowers are my favorites, partially because of the darker edges on them. i actually spent a few hours decorating this one. a lot of times i end up feeling rushed for whatever reason. i don't do it to myself at all, i mean working around work and stuff....not at all! :o

despite my not being girly at all, i like making flowers and stuff. i'm pretty sure i am one of the most gender confused people i know, just because i act more like a guy than most guys i know, even my husband. (sometimes especially him.)

it is my aunt's birthday this week, so my cousin planned a surprise birthday get together for her at cinderella's cafe down in sylvan beach. it was pretty good. i was able to satisfy my bacon cheeseburger craving that i've been having for like a month now, maybe longer.

just picture this: you get to work in the morning, and as soon as you get out of the car, you are greeted with the savory, smoky aroma of bacon cheeseburger from the local red robin in the same parking lot as where you work. every. day. aarrrgh!! smells so good you can basically taste it wafting through the air, even at 9am. i am always hungry, especially when i work in the morning (poptarts can only hold me off for so long), and at that point, i am ready for all of the foods. the end. sometimes i am just perpetually hungry, no matter what i eat. (one of those guy things...)

so anyway, this red velvet cake. i didn't even get it from pinterest this time! i actually have this really awesome book called all cakes considered by melissa gray, a lady that works for npr. i even love reading it for her witty comments, rather than all of the recipes. i have tried two cakes from there so far. the other one was called "the naughty senator," which was a chocolate peppermint rum cake. why is it called the naughty senator? she goes on to say that she wanted something rich (the chocolate and rum) and that old people always smell like peppermint. something off the lines of that.

anyway, i have another full day off this week, possibly two, depending on if we get this bad weather we are supposed to. i hope we don't. i could really use the money. with days off i get really bored and lately, i bake and cook when i get bored. i clean occasionally, too. in terms of that, i came up with this awesome idea on like thursday or friday morning when i wasn't doing anything again....

i was (of course) perusing pinterest, and the cupcake daily blog had just uploaded a bunch of new cupcakes. i have definitely been on a cupcake kick lately too, since they are so easy to make. i ran out of cupcake liners and just got more, but anyway...i was trying to think of what i could do next, because i wanted to make something little to bring to work with me to celebrate the fact that i am staying at the restaurant. there are so many cupcakes...but i noticed a category that did not seem to have one: white chocolate raspberry swirl.

hair cut, and looked fun today!

there are a few recipes out there on pinterest, but nothing that really caught my eye. they are all either white chocolate with a raspberry on top, or all raspberry with white chocolate frosting...these could all be delicious. my theory: i make a killer white chocolate raspberry cheesecake (which i feel like i need to do sometime in the near future, but more on that later), so why not make a white chocolate raspberry cupcake with cream cheese icing? almost the same effect. so that is my experiment for tomorrow, and that also reminds me that i may need another brick of cream cheese...

i'll figure that out when i get there.

on a random side note, finally got a hair cut after like 6 months. it was a horrible mess, and now it's not. so glad to not have to shake it out of my face every two seconds. i actually got kind of girly today, if you can't see it well. i don't generally wear makeup, but again, with all this free time i have not making money at work...i got bored after i finished my cake this afternoon. this, however, will still not change the fact that i make a better dude. i bet i can still tell you more about cars and change my oil faster than most of the boys i work with. most of them. namely at gamestop. i still love them anyway though. and yes, i totally take pride in being as manly as i can be. ♥

facebook...blarg. i've been on there more than i want to be lately. mostly because a few people sent me messages, and i started scrolling through the news feed like i used to. then i caught myself, and signed off. on multiple occasions. it hasn't been as bad since i deleted a bunch of things, so it's not the same three pictures scrolling through. i mostly just creep at everyone to see what they're up to. there are a lot of babies though....too many....and i will punch the next person who asks me when it's my turn. it will never be my turn. there is no room for that in my life and i will never be ready, so please don't make me uncomfortable for asking. just so we are all on the same page there...(i mean, if that's what you want, i am happy for you. just don't push this on me.)

grahhh! see? this is why i stopped in the first place. grumpyyyy. bleh. let's take another look at that cake, shall we?

yay! ☺♥

flowers make me happy. bright colors make me happy. this cake has both. i also cannot wait to try making these white chocolate raspberry cupcakes tomorrow. super pumped, and i have been thinking about them all weekend! i hope they turn out as well as i hope. i also finally got some quinoa from wegmans, they have the bulk bins so you can get just a little instead of a whole box/bag...i want to make these little pizza bites that my friend found on pinterest, too! healthy!

well, i will leave it there for now. i have to get ready for bed, and take the assholes to the vet tomorrow morning. it is going to be awesome. they torture keiko, so now it is their turn to be tortured! in a good way....thanks for reading! ♥♥♥

edit: how do you guys know when i update this? i have no subscribers, yet every time i post i get anywhere from 5-10 views?? someone enlighten me please!

When Life Gets You Down, You Know What You Gotta Do?

just keep swimming....

just keep swimming....

just keep swimming, swimming, swimming,

what do we do?

we swim...swim....

...or in my case eat breakfast for dinner. when i say eat breakfast for dinner, its more of a mash-up of breakfast and dessert for dinner. why?

nutella.

glorious, glorious nutella. i had no idea what i was missing out on until last summer when i finally bought a jar and made "s'mores" with my friend. graham crackers, fluff and nutella...super delicious.

then i started baking with it....i made these absolutely delightful molten nutella cakes, which i thought i had taken a picture of? i don't own ramekins so i made them in coffee mugs. super easy, super awesome. then there were those red velvet nutella cinnamon rolls on valentines day....who doesn't like cinnamon rolls, even if they weren't really cinnamon-y....

breakfast just got better. how? liberally apply nutella to pancakes and bacon.

for serious.

.....alright well i had a picture, but my phone must have enjoyed that image just as much as i enjoyed devouring it because IT ATE THE PICTURE. oh, how super.

thanks, phone! :(

maybe i should just think about the nutella some more..... i haven't really made anything else with it so maybe i won't.

still feeling sick-ish. last night i got this horrible itching sensation in my throat, like when you know it's coming, and it forces it's way out, making you hack up a lung, get all teary eyed, and so on until everything hurts? it hasn't really gone away. every few hours or so it comes back, rendering me completely useless, especially at work. i had to step away from a few customers because it was impossible for me to control. frustration! i hope this goes away soon. it hurts a lot, aside from being annoying. 

i am a little sad, too. my room mate just moved out yesterday. everything feels so empty here now. i mean, my birds are here, the assholes are rolling around waiting for food, and normally noone would be here this time of night anyway, but it is just slightly off. we will just have to plan a date to the cheesecake factory soon, once everything settles down (moving, etc).

hmm. i need to include some kind of picture to share. haven't had a post yet without one. sharing pictures of things make me feel better and give me happy things to think about. i don't usually care much to share feelings and thoughts otherwise, even if people beg me to, so don't expect anything, i do this on my own terms. sometimes you read things, or hear things that can stir up some conflicts whether you want them to or not. had some somewhat mixed feelings a little earlier, started to feel like no matter what i do, or how nice i am, people always take what they want while i suffer in silence. i can't say anything to anyone, i never want to be the bad guy. i keep everything inside, and never let it out if i can help it. most likely, this will be the death of me, but meh. nobody will ever have to deal with my problems. all i ask for is kindness, food, and hugs. that is my tiny vent for the day. the good news is, i drowned it out with nutella and bacon. ☺

did i ever mention my cats are assholes?

well, two of them are, anyway. thieves, annoyances, silicone-oven-mitt/spatula/plastic-bag/rubber-band eaters....but let's not get into that right now. how about fridge kitty?

at the vet on monday (#catloaf)

stealing my side of the bed (#newwife)

 well, she started out as fridge kitty, anyway.

i needed a real name for her vet visit, so she is officially keiko, from my room mate's fiancee. i am almost thinking i should bring her to the vet every few months or so just to make her happy.

 aside from her loving the trip to the vet, everyone there loved her, and her story. she is about 7 years old, we got her from a lady my husband met while he worked at dunkin donuts. yes, good ol' dunkin. it gets better. she is a drive thru kitty. you read that right. what does that mean, if there are still some confused? she was litterally passed through the drive thru window at dunkin donuts in her little carrier. i'm sure the lady got a coffee or latte or something, it was almost like an exchange. she lived under the bed for a few weeks, until we finally chased her into the kitchen, where she became known as fridge kitty, since she would not leave it's side. mostly because of the other two assholes harassing her, but i don't blame her. now that we are in this bigger place (for a little longer anyway), she has become more outgoing, even though she still doesn't like them at all. the trip to the vet must have jogged something in her, because she has been more people friendly lately too (hence the picture where she stole my bed. i had to wedge myself into the blankets and slept on the edge for an hour because she didn't move).  she also is always staring at me from across the room when i wake up. usually in cat-loaf mode, staring intently with those bright, green eyes....waiting....

i am getting tired. it is tough to sleep when you have a cold, or whatever this is that is plaguing me. i have to put the birds to bed, take care of the cats, and then maybe take care of myself. oh, that chicken noodle soup that i made? turned out awesome. soup makes me happy when it's cold out like this. i have no pictures of anything to share with you all. i am slacking. i have some time before work tomorrow, maybe i will share some more food then. oh! i forgot, i did make something else with nutella! brownies!! om nom nom. delicioso! i used the last of this cream cheese icing i had leftover from those cinnamon rolls....not sure if it was a good idea or not, it tastes awesome still, but i can't remember if i used regular sugar or powdered sugar and it started to crystalize from being refrigerated. i don't know. they're for my own personal consumption, so whatever. the nutella makes up for it. #happiness

speaking of happiness, look at how snuggly he is?! i love my son. i feel so bad for him because he is molting, so he is covered in quills. i try to pet him and he gets upset because they're so sensitive. that, and i have zapped him on accident a lot lately. static is not fun. i try to remember to ground myself on his house or stand before i touch him, he expects it to happen so he will close his eyes and back off slightly to prepare for a shock when i come over. of course, this picture he was just taking a nap. he usually will be on a perch, or he kind of leans against the wall in his corner, but he fell asleep sitting up, so i had to sneak over to take this without disturbing him. he totally ate bacon with me earlier (minus the nutella...not that it's much better for him, but it's something) and was as happy as could be. he spins when he is happy or excited. ♥♥♥

alright. well, they are all falling asleep, and so am i. my work is never done. maybe i will have some new stuff to share tomorrow. thanks for reading!

☺

You Win Some, You Lose Some

well, that didn't go as i had planned. would never have known if i didn't try, though.

on the plus side, i am staying at the restaurant where they are happy to have me, AND work with my schedule.

what can you do though. i am glad things are back to normal, albeit i am still short on hours. maybe things will change on that end though.

in other news, come on, weather. stop being such a negative nancy. seriously. its expected to be -5 tonight.

i think this weather calls for some soup.

i made this cheddar broccoli soup a few weeks ago, and it was spectacular. click here for the recipe, i found it via pinterest. (yes, i realize i am slightly addicted to pinterest, but there is a lot of good stuff there! i almost use it more than google.)

i want to make it again, but i don't have the money for all of that. it was super delicious, no canned things (other than the vegetable broth, but that was in a carton...), it made up pretty quickly. i feel like any other cheddar broccoli soup pales in comparison to this.

enough about that though, i am about to attempt some chicken noodle soup in my crock pot, i got the recipe from here. also courtesy of pinterest.

it looks easy enough. chicken noodle soup is kind of a classic for cold weather and colds. sounds like just the cure i need! (yes, was feeling somewhat sick again last night, too cold, nose burning, you know how colds are. they SUCK.) so yes, i will be preparing some soup tonight, or something like that. i have to use up as much food as possible in the next few weeks, as i am moving across the parking lot. i have a ton of egg noodles. i found an egg noodle based lasagna i want to try, too.

yes, april 1st i will hopefully be moving into another apartment. it's a bit smaller than the one i'm in now, only one bedroom, the garage will be detached again. it is all good though. just need to get everything in order.

onward! to crazy bird lady time again!

look at my darling poopsicle.

♪♫his name is cosmo,
he's not a show girl,
he is green with a yellow nape,
he loves to scream and dance all day♫♪

...and that's my made up song for the day. that's about all i know of the top of my head, but cosmo.....he is a special one.

he is best friends with a half of a coconut that he will occasionally throw up on (it's a sign of love. a runny, gooey, sign of love. i get it all the time >_>), he does dance, and sometimes he vibrates. he can also be extremely obnoxious, but that is why he is a poopsicle.


cosmo likes to hide, too, aside from wearing his coconut like a  hat. he has a couple of small cardboard boxes that he plays in and chews, and he loves blankets. this picture here? this was a couple hours ago, when he happened to peek out. he was just rolling and dangling from his cage, and sometimes rubbing his face on the bars for almost an hour. he likes to rub his face on stuff. i use the term "i wanna rub my face on/in it" when i like stuff, but he actually does it. not sure if he does like it, it feels good, or he just likes the sound, but whatever makes him happy. he also has his own personal facebook.

hmm, now what? went over the job, soup is in the crock pot (i left the computer in the middle of typing to do this and a few other things), cosmo....i am waiting on hearing back from my vet. brought one of my cats in because she is peeing on everything. not a good thing when you are renting. hoping it is something that can be fixed, it is a little frustrating. i should continue to pack. i want to try for a box or so a day, but i have hours left for that. i think i may copy all my kids and take a nap. sickness calls for it. the soup has probably another 3 hours or so, and i have until 5:30 to hear from the vet. hoping before then, though, it would be nice for something to be in my favor so i don't have to spend an arm and a leg for keeping her overnight.

anyway, i guess i will leave it at that for now. i will post pictures and results of the soup at some point. thanks for reading! ☺