Time for a Change

For anyone who hasn't yet figured it out, I detest change. I'm very comfortable as a creature of habit. I mean, let's face it, I wear cardigans and pearls that were most popular in the 1950s. That's how far behind I am.

That said, I've been reevaluating my life, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to make some changes so I can finally find some balance. Oh, the things I think about now that I no longer have homework.

Some of the changes I'm implementing in my life are as follows:

• I'm writing my goals down - both long term and short term. And they're going to be hanging on my fabulous new bulletin board.
• I'm actually making the time to work out. Every day. And no, I don't actually enjoy working out. At all. It's totally a necessary evil.
• I'm going to try yoga. Again. God help me. This time around, my goal is to not view yoga as a competitive sport (I could TOTALLY do a better back bend than half my last class), and focus more on its calming aspects.
• On a similar note, I'm going to incorporate organic food and healthier eating into my diet. And yes, this is from the same girl who adores food and who used to say organic food was ridiculous.
• Of course this new healthier eating means I'm going to have to figure out new favorite dishes, and who knows what that will mean for my baking. Let's just say I'm going to experiment with healthier alternatives to lots of my ingredients.
• I'm going to scrapbook. Yes, I totally understand if you just cringed as much as I did. I so wish that I had the dedication to be a scrapbooker. In all honesty, I start a project, get distracted and never come back to it. Fail. I'm going to try and finish a whole book. Your prayers are much appreciated as I embark on this task.
• I'm going to start saying "no" to things I don't want to/don't have time to do. I know, this is so totally selfish, but I need to stop trying to help everyone all the time. I have my limits.
• I'm going to do my best to live up to this Huffington Post/Glamour magazine Sleep Challenge 2010 business. I'm not the kind of superhuman who can exist on 5 hours of sleep a night. I get cranky.

So, over the next months or even the next year, I'm working on self-improvement. I'm going to document some of my assuredly ridiculous adventures here. Feel free to join me on the ride.

How do you take care of yourself and maintain some semblance of balance? Do you give yourself personal days, like I sometimes do? Did you include an item on your New Years' resolutions list about taking care of yourself?

Free Time is a Strange Concept

I am free from college. Wow. It's scary and strange and completely unreal.

Except it actually is real. So what have I been up to in this strange new real world? I'm working, and working some more, and then doing some babysitting.

My life is different and not totally planned out at the moment, but I'm happy. I'm adjusting. I'm thinking of what exactly I want from the future.

In the meantime, I'm occupying my new free time with lots of friends and family time and lots of household projects.

My latest project? Writing a manual for our lovely new TV. A little known fact about me is that I am my family's technology expert. This is particularly funny given the fact that I'm not necessarily tech-savvy. I just tend to read the instruction manuals.

Because I got tired of being called downstairs every time there was a question about the TV, I made a beautiful, color-coded manual (index is pictured below):

And this is probably the first sign that my life has changed drastically since school ended. Yikes.

New Year's Resolutions for a Domestic (Un)Goddess

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had exactly the New Year's Eve they were hoping for. I spent the evening with my friend Michelle. We watched Julie and Julia. There were several drawbacks to the movie (Julie - Amy Adams' character - had a terrifying haircut) and I learned that Michelle did not know who Julia Child was (feel free to gasp in shock and make a horrified facial expression because you know that was my reaction). Despite those minor low points, I was mostly completely content to be welcoming 2010 in such a relaxed fashion.

What did you all do last night? Was anyone else feeling less than enthused at the thought of major New Year's celebrations?

I should make it clear that I detest New Year's resolutions. Although I am an incredibly responsible person, I never seem to live up to my own goals. 2009 was supposed to be the year that I put myself first, instead of taking care of/worrying about everyone else all the time. That lasted roughly... 2 hours into January 1st. Oops.

Nonetheless, I feel like it would be bad form to break tradition. So here are my 2010 goals to help me along the path to domestic goddess-hood.

1. Learn how to make fondant successfully. I find it strange that I bake cakes for lots of birthdays, but still have not attempted this feat. I have to admit I generally prefer whipped icings, but fondant undoubtedly adds a certain polished look to cakes that mine are sorely missing (and I really like polished looks - thus my wardrobe).
2. Make boeuf bourguignon. Successfully. From Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I find it appalling that I know how to make roughly zero French dishes. I love butter. French cooking and I should be made for each other.
3. Since my closet is now color coded (I maybe should have added that particular organizing day to my list of 2009 low points), I must go through and donate old items. While I obviously would love to do this good deed, I am a huge pack rat and am pathetic enough to find sentimental value in a single sweater.
4. Remove clutter throughout the house. Now that I am living with the parental units again, I feel it's time to go through our kitchen and ditch the stuff that's ancient or that we don't need. Otherwise, I end up cursing like a sailor every time I empty the dishwasher, which is often.
5. Purchase a pair of sensible black heels. Notice the emphasis on "sensible." I tend to be really good at buying beautiful shoes that provide me with dozens of blisters and likely a lifetime of severe back pain. Suggestions are welcome.
6. Learn how to make chicken marsala like my father does. There are few things on Earth as heavenly as Dad's chicken marsala.
7. Send out birthday cards for friends and family. On time.
8. Hang photos and a sensible bulletin board in my room. It's finally necessary to personalize it a bit. Also, I have these super cute pink and purple push-pins that I'm dying to use on a bulletin board.
9. Attempt to control the impulse to purchase every adorable skirt I find. This is perhaps the biggest challenge yet.
10. Be a better friend/family member/version of myself.

What are your resolutions?

So Long, 2009!

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." - Oprah

I'm oddly sentimental and nostalgic today, but maybe that's because 2009 was an epic year for me. It was filled with lots of change, lots of challenges and overall lots of happiness. I promised my roommates a list of my low points (one of my fave phrases from the end of 2009), and for your enjoyment, I'm adding some high points.

LOW POINTS

• Some particularly terrible chocolate chip cookies I made in June. Thankfully, this appeared to be a fluke batch because I think my life would be turned upside down if I couldn't make decent chocolate chip cookies.
• Wearing cardigans and pearls to bars. Yup. That's my idea of a big night out on the town (does anyone even say that anymore?) - a cardigan, pearls and one glass of wine.
• Dancing around my room to "Party in the USA" on repeat. Although this is arguably a comedic high point.
• Dressing as a 50s housewife for Halloween when the majority of college girls dress in little more than lingerie. Though, again, I think this could also be considered a high point.
• Although I think this is fantastic, many of my friends (specifically Miss Jeanna) maintain that asking for (and receiving! Yay!) a George Foreman grill, crock pot and toaster oven for my 21st birthday was not exactly cool.
• Swine flu. End. Of. Story.
• Moving out of my stunning apartment in StuVi2 and leaving behind the amazing Boston University.

HIGH POINTS

• Spending Halloween night at Jacki's baking adorable Halloween-themed cookies and watching Mamma Mia.
• Interning in the US Senate. Hands down one of the most surreal and fantastic experiences of my life.
• Watching the Yankees win the World Series again. It doesn't get old, and watching those games with my lovely roommate Cynthia was fabulous. And Faba, I'm sorry we made you stay in your room, but every time you walked in the living room the Yanks screwed up. It's not our fault you are bad luck.
• Living with Chels, Cyn and Faba. Our apartment rarely lacked laughter, and I loved our Scrabble games, baking, nacho-making, Apples to Apples rounds and 5-hour long conversations.
• The annual post-Thanksgiving brunch.
• Spending summer with my friends, especially my crazy work friends. It was the perfect last real summer vacation.
• Incredible family and friends who make me laugh every day, and who support me even though I'm a 21 year old graduating college who is not sure what to do with her life.

So what are you doing for New Year's Eve? What are some of your high and low points from 2009?

Whatever you're up to, Happy New Year's Eve everyone! Have a wonderful night, whether you're going out bar hopping or sitting in your sweats watching movies like me. Be safe, be happy and be ready for the promise of a fantastic 2010.

This is How I Study...

...and then, as my study group and roommates learned, I force other people to eat what I bake. Enough said. How's everyone doing with the studying (or holiday prep for those of you in the real world)? I hope you all are far more productive...

It's Christmastime!

At Boston University we're in the middle of final projects, papers, presentations and exams. In other words, most of us are just a tad bit sleep deprived.

On Tuesday night when I was supposed to be diligently studying for a Wednesday night final, the roomies and I decided to put up our Christmas tree. It's worth mentioning that our fab Christmas tree is actually my old school American Girl Christmas tree that Santa brought me when I was about 8 (As a miniature domestic diva, I was obviously a devotee of the American Girl brand). We keep it classy.

The thing is, our Christmas tree is super adorable. And we love Christmas. A lot. So naturally we were enthusiastic about our apartment's new decoration. Our excitement led to a photo shoot. Ok, so maybe I insisted that we take nauseatingly cute apartment pictures because that's what any domestic goddess would want!

This image is titled "Old Fashioned Connecticut Christmas Family Photo." No, we're not in Connecticut. And no, it's not actually old fashioned. And no, we're not actually a family. Though we are adorable, and we do tend to get along ridiculously well.

Also, please note that I am in fact wearing a cardigan and pearls. I started out our photo shoot in a sweatshirt and jeans, and quickly realized I should be wearing a cardi instead. I changed. The roommates were so not surprised.

Next is "Awkward Attempt at Looking Like We Like Each Other." It was at the beginning of our photo shoot. We hadn't quite mastered looking goofy and attractive at the same time, thus the strange bending and hand placements.

This is called "We Love Each Other... and Chelsea and Cynthia Like Holding Hands."

And finally, my favorite "We Should Send This Out in a Christmas Card."

Our apartment is awesome. I will miss these fools who put up with my 50s housewife tendencies. I'm officially admitting I'm jealous of whoever is living with Chels, Cyn and Faba next semester.

How are you getting in the holiday spirit? Anyone else struggling to be excited for the holidays while battling exams or projects?

The Ultimate Comfort Food

In case you couldn't tell already, I'm pretty obsessed with my friends. I am so blessed.

Tonight my friend Jacki invited me over for dinner. She made the most fantastic macaroni and cheese I think I've ever had. I was super lazy and only supplied brownies (which I baked from a box mix - fail.).

Since I'm in the middle of finals, Jacki generously offered to guest blog about her absolutely fabulous recipe!

***

During finals, it can sometimes be a struggle to find the energy to cook dinner for yourself. Even though I cursed the dining hall last year, during this time of the semester, it really was my best friend. But, since I have an apartment this semester, I must resort to take-out or cooking for myself.

Tonight, I decided to cook an old comfort food: macaroni and cheese. This recipe is actually quite easy (thank you, Rachael Ray) but I doctor it up and make it my own by using two types of cheese, turkey kielbasa and bread crumbs (to make a crispy top when I bake it in the oven).

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 turn of the pan in a slow stream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups 2 percent milk
• 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
• 3 cups shredded cheddar-jack cheese (I usually buy the pre-shredded kind to save time)
• 1 pound pasta. I usually use elbows or the curly ones shown in the picture below.

Directions

Heat a medium, deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into the oil, add flour and combine. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheese a handful at a time.

Meanwhile, brown turkey kielbasa in a skillet. Since kielbasa is already cooked, all you need to do is heat it through.

Add cooked pasta and kielbasa to sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a baking dish and top with bread crumbs and extra cheese (if you want). Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees.

Here's the finished product. (Note: this is after most of it was consumed!)

Enjoy!