The last month has been ridiculous. Absolutely crazy. Our townhouse is 2 months behind schedule (don't even get me started!) and we keep being told that we'll be able to move in "next week" -- except it's always the next week. So... we've been living in my parents' house and commuting to and from Springfield each day. The drive isn't bad... except when you do it daily. At 6:30 a.m. Have I ever mentioned that I'm not a morning person? Well, for the record, I'm not a morning person. I love, love, love the morning once I'm up... it's just getting there is a struggle.
Anywho, aside from commuting, I've started a new job. Woohoo! Mark #1 off the list; I have a new job and I absolutely love it! I'm working in Financial Services on campus. My co-workers are fabulous, being back on campus is great, and I'm learning a lot about not-for-profit accounting. Tomorrow is the first day of school; it's so weird that I'll be going to campus tomorrow on the first day of school as a staff member. I suppose there will be several things similar that I will encounter on my transition from student-leader to peer with many of the people I so admired during my days on campus. For starters, running into Dr. Doman as an employee still catches me off guard. My first morning when he welcomed me as a co-worker was a strange moment for me. One of my mentors through all of my years in college is now someone I run into daily at work. I have a feeling that regardless of where I am in my life, Dr. D is someone I'll always look up to. I'm thankful for having people like that in my life. In the unlikely situation that you come across this, Dr. D., thanks for all that you do. It truly makes a difference.
We tried a new wine tonight: Menage A Trois California Red. I don't normally pick new wines called "Red" (without a grape variety), but I recently read in Food and Wine how delicious some blended wines are, so I decided to give this a try- it's a blend of Cabernet Savignon (my favorite), Merlot (tied second favorite) and Zinfindel (also tied at number two). I would defintely recommend it, especially considering it was only $8 today (normally $12 at the grocery store I was at).
In terms of making progress on the rest of the list... well, I'm a bit behind. Three hours of my day goes to commuting at the moment! It's nice to have the time in the car with Ben, but to be honest, we're still waking up in the morning (5 am comes fast!) and we're decompressing after work to the point that we just kind of veg on the way home (in a safe driving way, promise!). Once we get home, it's dinner with my parents and then it's already 7:30. Since 5 a.m. is rapidly approaching, we have only a couple of hours before it's time to wake up and do it all over again. It's been nice to spend some time with the family and have Ben get to know them better, but one thing is for sure: I'm ready to have my life back!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Career, Chicken & Cupcakes
First and foremost - Happy 4th of July! A great big thank you to all of our service men and women that allow us to celebrate this occasion each year. In remembrance of Chirstopher Stark for your sacrifice this year - you have not been forgotten.
Here is an update on how my list is coming along thus far.
First, I had a second interview for a job as an accountant at Missouri State University last week. I think it went well, but I won’t know until later in the week if I got the job or not. I really think I would love being back on campus again!
I shared it in a post before, but I passed the second section of the CPA exam! I haven’t been studying as much this week though… Ben had sinus surgery (he’s doing great!) and I had the flu.
Since Ben had surgery Friday, we didn’t do anything very exciting for the 4th of July. However… we have been hosting a Mad Men marathon on our couch! We’re in the middle of the fourth season. If you’ve never seen it, I would highly recommend renting it!
I didn’t take 12 cupcakes to someone “just because,” but I did bake several types of cupcakes last week for my niece’s and cousin’s birthday party. I had a cupcake stand from Crate and Barrel and hadn’t used it yet, so this was the perfect time. I also knocked out a new recipe, as I made a modified version of Joy the Baker’s hot fudge sundae cupcakes. I used a box mix instead, and instead of making ganache I used chocolate frosting. I had ever intention of making ganache (I love making ganache!) until I realized I had 50+ cupcakes and two cakes to frost, and then I took the short way out. They were still absolutely adorable though! I also made strawberry cupcakes with a fresh strawberry filled with fresh whipped cream for a topping, as well as vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting and fresh coconut. Yum!
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As for the 16 new recipes, I think I’m 4 down so far.
I’ve been getting a little bit creative lately, mainly trying to find ways to use up things that I already have on hand. Since Ben and I are moving in a few weeks, I’m trying to use up things that I already have in my freezer/fridge/pantry so that we’re moving less food.
1.) I made chicken cordon bleu for the first time, but I modified it based on our tastes. Neither Ben nor I are big fans of swiss cheese, so I substituted a blend of provolone and shredded parmesan. I had leftover ham from the deli that I needed to use, and fresh thyme from my herb garden. I also made a quick pan sauce with reduced white wine, chicken stock, butter and fresh herbs. But, I forgot to take a picture...
2.) Hot Fudge Chocolate Cupcakes, as referred to above. Delish! Homemade whipped cream is so easy to make, and really makes all of the difference. I imagine they would have been even better with ganache, but since I was serving them mainly to children, I don’t think it made much difference.
3.) Chicken Margherita – In this case, I had fresh tomatoes that were very ripe and needed to be used up. I chopped up fresh tomatoes, added a can of diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, olive oil, garlic, and some fresh basil from my garden. I reduced that into a sauce, and then sautéed a couple of chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in olive oil. I topped the chicken with sliced provolone and then the tomato mixture, and topped it with fresh basil. Yum! Again, I forgot to take a picture. I’ll get better at this… I think.
4.) The last new dish of the week is actually two dishes. I bought a three pound bag of apples for our family reunion last weekend, and we didn’t dig into any of them… so now I have three pounds of apples to use. Ben requested an “apple dessert” so I was going to make baked apples. I usually just core out the center of an apple with a melon baller, crush up a granola bar, put it in the center of the apple and add a little maple syrup/cinnamon and bake. It’s delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream. I planned on doing this until I realized since we’ve been cutting carbs, I didn’t have any granola on hand. I did, however, have oats, a combination of nuts and seeds, pure maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon. So… I made homemade granola. I’d never made it before and I didn’t have a recipe, but it turned out pretty well. I combined all of the aforementioned ingredients (I think I used walnuts, pecans, almonds, pepitas, and sunflower seeds because again, I was trying to use up things from my pantry, but your favorite combination of nuts and seeds would work fine here) and placed them on a baking sheet lined with foil for easy cleanup. I baked that for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees stirring every 10 minutes.
In the mean time, I cored and sliced 4 apples, and mixed them with a little sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and a tiny amount of lemon juice to prevent browning. I put all of these items in a pie plate and topped them with the homemade granola to make a hybrid between an apple crisp and my usual baked apple, and baked this for 45 minutes at 375. The only thing I would have done differently here would have been to bake the apples for half an hour and then add the granola during the last 10 minutes or so. I topped the mixture and then began to bake the apples. Since I’d already baked the granola, I had to cover it so the nuts wouldn’t burn, and in turn the granola didn’t stay quite as crisp as I would have liked. It was still wonderful, but that’s my suggestion if you try making this sometime. I did remember to get a picture, but not until after Ben had already dug in.
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I haven’t officially started the list for my nieces, but I’ve been thinking about it. Here’s my gorgeous niece Addy last weekend at our family reunion. Her baby sister is due December 7th. I LOVE being Auntie Lindsey. Just wish they lived closer!
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That's all for now! I'm finally feeling a little better, so I suppose it's time to hit the books again! Happy 4th of July!
Here is an update on how my list is coming along thus far.
First, I had a second interview for a job as an accountant at Missouri State University last week. I think it went well, but I won’t know until later in the week if I got the job or not. I really think I would love being back on campus again!
I shared it in a post before, but I passed the second section of the CPA exam! I haven’t been studying as much this week though… Ben had sinus surgery (he’s doing great!) and I had the flu.
Since Ben had surgery Friday, we didn’t do anything very exciting for the 4th of July. However… we have been hosting a Mad Men marathon on our couch! We’re in the middle of the fourth season. If you’ve never seen it, I would highly recommend renting it!
I didn’t take 12 cupcakes to someone “just because,” but I did bake several types of cupcakes last week for my niece’s and cousin’s birthday party. I had a cupcake stand from Crate and Barrel and hadn’t used it yet, so this was the perfect time. I also knocked out a new recipe, as I made a modified version of Joy the Baker’s hot fudge sundae cupcakes. I used a box mix instead, and instead of making ganache I used chocolate frosting. I had ever intention of making ganache (I love making ganache!) until I realized I had 50+ cupcakes and two cakes to frost, and then I took the short way out. They were still absolutely adorable though! I also made strawberry cupcakes with a fresh strawberry filled with fresh whipped cream for a topping, as well as vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting and fresh coconut. Yum!
I’ve been getting a little bit creative lately, mainly trying to find ways to use up things that I already have on hand. Since Ben and I are moving in a few weeks, I’m trying to use up things that I already have in my freezer/fridge/pantry so that we’re moving less food.
1.) I made chicken cordon bleu for the first time, but I modified it based on our tastes. Neither Ben nor I are big fans of swiss cheese, so I substituted a blend of provolone and shredded parmesan. I had leftover ham from the deli that I needed to use, and fresh thyme from my herb garden. I also made a quick pan sauce with reduced white wine, chicken stock, butter and fresh herbs. But, I forgot to take a picture...
2.) Hot Fudge Chocolate Cupcakes, as referred to above. Delish! Homemade whipped cream is so easy to make, and really makes all of the difference. I imagine they would have been even better with ganache, but since I was serving them mainly to children, I don’t think it made much difference.
3.) Chicken Margherita – In this case, I had fresh tomatoes that were very ripe and needed to be used up. I chopped up fresh tomatoes, added a can of diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, olive oil, garlic, and some fresh basil from my garden. I reduced that into a sauce, and then sautéed a couple of chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in olive oil. I topped the chicken with sliced provolone and then the tomato mixture, and topped it with fresh basil. Yum! Again, I forgot to take a picture. I’ll get better at this… I think.
4.) The last new dish of the week is actually two dishes. I bought a three pound bag of apples for our family reunion last weekend, and we didn’t dig into any of them… so now I have three pounds of apples to use. Ben requested an “apple dessert” so I was going to make baked apples. I usually just core out the center of an apple with a melon baller, crush up a granola bar, put it in the center of the apple and add a little maple syrup/cinnamon and bake. It’s delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream. I planned on doing this until I realized since we’ve been cutting carbs, I didn’t have any granola on hand. I did, however, have oats, a combination of nuts and seeds, pure maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon. So… I made homemade granola. I’d never made it before and I didn’t have a recipe, but it turned out pretty well. I combined all of the aforementioned ingredients (I think I used walnuts, pecans, almonds, pepitas, and sunflower seeds because again, I was trying to use up things from my pantry, but your favorite combination of nuts and seeds would work fine here) and placed them on a baking sheet lined with foil for easy cleanup. I baked that for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees stirring every 10 minutes.
In the mean time, I cored and sliced 4 apples, and mixed them with a little sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and a tiny amount of lemon juice to prevent browning. I put all of these items in a pie plate and topped them with the homemade granola to make a hybrid between an apple crisp and my usual baked apple, and baked this for 45 minutes at 375. The only thing I would have done differently here would have been to bake the apples for half an hour and then add the granola during the last 10 minutes or so. I topped the mixture and then began to bake the apples. Since I’d already baked the granola, I had to cover it so the nuts wouldn’t burn, and in turn the granola didn’t stay quite as crisp as I would have liked. It was still wonderful, but that’s my suggestion if you try making this sometime. I did remember to get a picture, but not until after Ben had already dug in.
I haven’t officially started the list for my nieces, but I’ve been thinking about it. Here’s my gorgeous niece Addy last weekend at our family reunion. Her baby sister is due December 7th. I LOVE being Auntie Lindsey. Just wish they lived closer!
That's all for now! I'm finally feeling a little better, so I suppose it's time to hit the books again! Happy 4th of July!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Lindsey Brownsberger, 1/2 CPA
Update on passing the three remaining sections of the CPA exam:
Only two more sections to go! Next test scheduled for August 20th!
Only two more sections to go! Next test scheduled for August 20th!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Your favorites
Now that I've completed the list, I need your help!
I've set the task of decorating 5 rooms in the new townhouse. Ben and I are moving in about a month. While we've lived here for a year, we never really decorated. I think we always knew this was temporary, and never wanted to spend much money decorating the place. Obviously, a townhouse that we're renting won't be a permanent residence, but I want it to feel a little more homey. So, I ask you... what are your favorite decorating sites/blogs/DIY ideas? Since it's not a permanent house, I don't want to spend a lot of money, but would like to make each room look a little homier. The (slight) catch is that I live with a boy, so the "common spaces" can't be overly feminine.
Next on the list... wineries! My goal is to visit 4 new wineries by November. Who doesn't love an afternoon tasting different kinds of wines?! Missouri has 91 different wineries. Which ones have you been to, and what were your thoughts? Which would you recommend? Recommend staying away from?
Keeping with the vino theme, another one of my tasks is to try 8 new bottles of wine. So, what are your favorite bottles of wine? I usually go for reds, or sweet whites on hot summer nights, but I'm willing to try anything. Also, any especially favorite budget bottles? My favorite budget bottle is Barefoot's (Red) Zinfindel, which usually runs $6 a bottle or less. Yum!
Finally, I've set a goal to try 16 new recipes. This really shouldn't be hard for me at all, as I'm always in the kitchen, but I'm interested in your favorite recipes. Do you have a favorite recipe you're willing to share? A favorite recipe blog or other source of new ideas? Ben and I try to stay moderately low carb for the most part (there are definitely exceptions, but I don't regularly cook pasta/rice/potatoes). Do you have any low carb recipes? I'm up for any recipes you've got, as I can probably tweak them to be pretty low in carb and/or we occasionally eat carbs just because they're delicious. :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
25 Things to do Before Turning 25
First Post: June 21, 2011
Last Updated: June 22, 2011
I’ve had a lot of time to myself the past month and a half, and I’ve had a lot of time to think about the things I love in my life, and the things I’d like to change/accomplish/improve. I turn 25 in 4 ½ months, and I was inspired by another blog post I read a couple of months back from Joy the Baker to make a list of things that I wanted to do before turning 25. Some of them are just for fun, and some of them represent things I’d like to improve upon. I’ve started the list, but need your help finishing it!
Get 1 new job that I love and be happy going to work each day.
Take 2 trips to the lake this summer.
Pass the remaining 3 parts of the CPA exam.
Visit 4 new wineries.
Decorate 5 rooms in the new townhouse.
Host a dinner party for 6 people.
Read all 7 Harry Potter Books (no, I haven't read them yet. Yes, I'm about 10 years behind).
Try 8 new bottles of wine.
Reconnect with 9 old friends.
Watch 10 seasons of shows I want to see (Watch 4 Madmen seasons to be ready for the new season and watch all 6 Sopranos seasons).
Print 11 pictures from my travels in black and white, frame them, and use them as wall art in our new place.
Take 12 cupcakes to someone. Just because.
Tell 13 people why I think they're special.
Send 14 handwritten cards or letters to friends and family.
Make a list of 15 things I love about Ben/our relationship and give it to him on our five-year anniversary this summer.
Try 16 new recipes.
Make 17 blog posts.
Start a list to give to my nieces when they turn 18 of things I wish I knew at that age. Add to this each year as I get older and wiser.
Meet 19 new people.
Have the discipline to do 20 minute cardio sets on the treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike for a total of an hour cardio session. (This is an adaptation of old number 13 [be able to run for 13 minutes] - I started running yesterday and my tendinitis started bothering me again... which was precisely why I didn't run before). I think I probably have the physical endurance to do that much cardio right now, I just don't have the mental will power to stay there that long.
Go out for a night on the town like I'm 21 again.
Be able to do 22 hardcore chest-to-the-ground push-ups. To be honest, I don't have the slightest idea of how many I can do at this very moment.
Get rid of 23 things that I don't want/need anymore.
Go 24 hours without saying anything negative to anyone. Including myself.
Volunteer 25 hours of my time.
I still need help filling in the blanks. What ideas do you have for me? Once I (we) complete the list, I’ll be posting on here as I accomplish certain items!
Updated: Thanks for your help completing the list! Now, time to get to work!
Last Updated: June 22, 2011
I’ve had a lot of time to myself the past month and a half, and I’ve had a lot of time to think about the things I love in my life, and the things I’d like to change/accomplish/improve. I turn 25 in 4 ½ months, and I was inspired by another blog post I read a couple of months back from Joy the Baker to make a list of things that I wanted to do before turning 25. Some of them are just for fun, and some of them represent things I’d like to improve upon. I’ve started the list, but need your help finishing it!
Get 1 new job that I love and be happy going to work each day.
Take 2 trips to the lake this summer.
Pass the remaining 3 parts of the CPA exam.
Visit 4 new wineries.
Decorate 5 rooms in the new townhouse.
Host a dinner party for 6 people.
Read all 7 Harry Potter Books (no, I haven't read them yet. Yes, I'm about 10 years behind).
Try 8 new bottles of wine.
Reconnect with 9 old friends.
Watch 10 seasons of shows I want to see (Watch 4 Madmen seasons to be ready for the new season and watch all 6 Sopranos seasons).
Print 11 pictures from my travels in black and white, frame them, and use them as wall art in our new place.
Take 12 cupcakes to someone. Just because.
Tell 13 people why I think they're special.
Send 14 handwritten cards or letters to friends and family.
Make a list of 15 things I love about Ben/our relationship and give it to him on our five-year anniversary this summer.
Try 16 new recipes.
Make 17 blog posts.
Start a list to give to my nieces when they turn 18 of things I wish I knew at that age. Add to this each year as I get older and wiser.
Meet 19 new people.
Have the discipline to do 20 minute cardio sets on the treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike for a total of an hour cardio session. (This is an adaptation of old number 13 [be able to run for 13 minutes] - I started running yesterday and my tendinitis started bothering me again... which was precisely why I didn't run before). I think I probably have the physical endurance to do that much cardio right now, I just don't have the mental will power to stay there that long.
Go out for a night on the town like I'm 21 again.
Be able to do 22 hardcore chest-to-the-ground push-ups. To be honest, I don't have the slightest idea of how many I can do at this very moment.
Get rid of 23 things that I don't want/need anymore.
Go 24 hours without saying anything negative to anyone. Including myself.
Volunteer 25 hours of my time.
I still need help filling in the blanks. What ideas do you have for me? Once I (we) complete the list, I’ll be posting on here as I accomplish certain items!
Updated: Thanks for your help completing the list! Now, time to get to work!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
A New Beginning
I've dabbled with this blogging thing on and off for years, but I've never actually kept up with it. Partially because I never dedicated the time, and partially because I never really felt like I had anything important to say. But now, it seems everyone is growing up, moving on, and doing their own thing (as am I, and as we should be), but it's harder to keep in touch with everyone. So, I'm starting over, and I'm going to try to start blogging again periodically to keep those of you updated that would like to be. What this will eventually turn into is unknown. Keep checking back for updates!
A quick update, and then I'm back to CPA studying (the evil task that takes up most of my free time at the moment)
Obviously, from the above post, I'm studying for the CPA exam at the moment. One down, three to go! Tests are scheduled as follows:
Regulation (Tax): May 26th
Financial: August 20th
Auditing: October 22nd
Ben and I are moving again this summer. I'd post pictures, but the inside isn't finished being built yet. :) We're moving into a two story townhouse-duplex back on the south side of town. I can't tell you how excited I am to be back on the south side again!
I'm trying to plan a trip to Michigan sometime late summer to see my adorable niece, and wonderful brother and sister-in-law. No definite plans at this time. It's absolutely amazing how quickly children change! Addy is 11 months now, and it's crazy how much she changes every time I see a new picture or video of her. It's also pretty amazing how much I can love that little girl that I've only met a few times. :)
Those are the major happenings in my life at the moment, but I'll get into more detailed posts in the future...
A quick update, and then I'm back to CPA studying (the evil task that takes up most of my free time at the moment)
Obviously, from the above post, I'm studying for the CPA exam at the moment. One down, three to go! Tests are scheduled as follows:
Regulation (Tax): May 26th
Financial: August 20th
Auditing: October 22nd
Ben and I are moving again this summer. I'd post pictures, but the inside isn't finished being built yet. :) We're moving into a two story townhouse-duplex back on the south side of town. I can't tell you how excited I am to be back on the south side again!
I'm trying to plan a trip to Michigan sometime late summer to see my adorable niece, and wonderful brother and sister-in-law. No definite plans at this time. It's absolutely amazing how quickly children change! Addy is 11 months now, and it's crazy how much she changes every time I see a new picture or video of her. It's also pretty amazing how much I can love that little girl that I've only met a few times. :)
Those are the major happenings in my life at the moment, but I'll get into more detailed posts in the future...
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