Daylight Savings Time

I seriously can't figure out why I hate it so much. I was all excited about sleeping in this morning. I know, I know it shouldnt make a darn bit of difference what "time" I wake up, but I soo wanted to laze around and wake up, at well, at least 9 or 10.

I woke up at 7. Which was really 6. Bleh.

Totally second random thought- Santana- yes, he is great, but I am watching CBS this morning right now, and they are comparing his music to religion. Clearly, I am missing something. Don't get me wrong- I love the guys talent, but a religion? Nah, I clearly need to smoke something to make that happen in my mind.

I think I need to go take a nap.

home, gnomes and all is right in the world

Dear Reader,

My name is, well, you know what my name is, and I am happy to say that I AM HOME. Yes sireree Bobby, I am at the Casa de NQM and I am loving life. I am in my brand spanking new Gnome pj's that my mama sent me- Glam I am not-ever see a 28 year onld in pj's? It pretty much solidifies one of the many reasons why I am probably still single. I digress. I'm home. I am on my couch. I slept in my bed. It's just so good to be here.

Things I did realize last night- My house is huge by D.C. standards. After house hunting all week long, and coming back to my place, I realize that I can downsize into a smaller place. (Not saying that I want to, but I can.) I love my house. Ever just walk around your home and grin? I did that when I woke up this morning, because I finally realized what a great place I have. Another massive realization is that I can not keep travelling like this. Some people are road warriors, but I am NOT. I am a home body. I need to make sure that when I move, I won't be travelling like this, because, I do believe I will need sedatives. Another goal of mine, is to spend time with all of my friends before I move to D.C. I am going to make time with each and everyone, making sure I am spending time with my friends, and also, making time for myself.

Today, today- what to do? Part of me doesn't want to do a damn thing. Then there is this other HUGE part of me that wants to go out and run around Austin all day and just start soaking it in.


Have a great day,

i shall be having room service

I wish my house had a hotel staff. Now, I don't want to live full time in a hotel, well unless I could have a garden, and a kitchen. I do love the daily maid service. I love room service. I love having someone come bring me food while I am in my pj's and then come take away the tray. I love having them bring me water with extra ice. Its enjoyable.

In the past month, I have stayed at 8 hotels. Yep, 8. Some good, some not so good. Some bad, some not so bad. The one thing I love at all of the properties is the room service. Tonight, grilled salmon salad and a diet coke. Yesterday morning for breakfast, scrambled egg whites and a cup of tea. Last Sunday (well, two weeks ago), French Onion Soup and a kick ass chicken Waldorf salad. Variety in the kitchen without having to cook. Its such a good thing.

My thoughts about the seasons and other things

Fall, oh fall..it's not so beautiful anymore.
Autumn, as I know and love it, is over with.

It's now that yuck time betwitx Winter and Fall- craptastic time. Yep, that windy, cold icky time. Hopefully, we shall transition quickly.

Few quick little comments and I shall move on.

1. Blogs are for fun.
2. Blogs are not about anything more than just fun, personal stuff.
3. Blogs don't represent the company that pays the person that writes them. Not that the person would ever write about the company, but just in case, that needs to be said.
4. This blog, shall always be about my favorite things- food, gardening, shopping, volunteering, reading, and talking about my friends. Well, and random things I find online. And music. And my deep love of Starbucks. These are things that don't necessairly define me, but add to me. A blog is just a place where I put down some of these thoughts.
5. During the next few months, this will be a place where I journal a personal transition, and I am going to continue using it as such. Again, this is a personal journal. Nuff said. Think I made my point.

NQM, is back and getting ready for the big time- Thanksgiving, Christmas and a cross country move. Praise be to Nordstroms, hold on to your purses, this is going to be a busy 90 days!

dear lord help me..

I am in California.
San Diego to be exact. Now, San Diego, I don't really have a problem with. In fact, I am rather enjoying my time here. Let me tell you about my hour and a half in Los Angeles. I FREAKIN HATED. I MEAN HATED WITH AN UNHOLY PASSION. Its 8:45 or something, I dont know- hard telling when you lose a few hours flying west. I am walking off the plane, into LAX where I am suddenly surronded by more Louis Vouittan luggage and stupid stilletos (AT 8AM)- what are you trying to accomplish on a Sunday morning people), I digress. ITS 8:45 AM AT LAX and they are BLASTING GWEN STEFANI HOLLABACK GIRL. I HATE THAT SONG. I REALLY HATE THAT SONG.

then.. I go off in search of Starbucks- there are at least eleventy million people in line. No problem, I am going to another terminal, they should have a 'bucks there right? WRONG. But they do have GREEENDAY BLASTING THAT DAMN AMERICAN IDIOT SONG. I can see why people are bitter by living out here. Its evil.

But, I got to San Diego, and its gorgeous. My room at the Marriot on the Harbor has a balcony. I can hear the clang clang clang of the trolly (I rather feel like Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis), I can see the lights of Nordstroms from my room (a rather religious experience), and I can see water. Somehow, that makes it all better. It really does.

California is probably not for me. If I can make it out of here before an earthquake strikes, I will be blissed out.

remember what I was saying about times..

they are a changing...

well, I got thrown for another big loop today. Got a call from my company today. Was told that I am, well, needed at the main office. As in permenantly. Starting January 2nd, 2006. Which means, I am leaving Austin. My home for the past 5 years. I really don't know how I feel about this. Even as I type this, it doesnt seem quite real. I know some people that have picked up and moved 3-4 times in the course of two years. I prefer roots. I enjoy roots. I enjoy building my place in the community, with my friends, and in my career. But, sometimes things need to be repotted.

So there you have it. Things are changing.

I need to go think about this.

trick or treat?

As Halloween quickly approaches, I am amazed at how its being pushed aside by Christmas. I ran to a store last night and was amazed by the competing holiday decorations.

I wish we wouldn't rush things so much. We need to savor the days, as I am getting older, am realizing that my days are whizzing by in an insane blur that frightens me. I find myself getting up earlier in the day, just to have a few more precious minutes.

This morning, I walked around my house, looked at my Autumn decorations, tweaked the occasional pumpkin or three and enjoyed it being October. As much as I love Christmas, I am just not ready for that time of the year yet.

I just wish things would just slow down a bit.

projects or priorities

When tasked with a project, you create a timeline, a plan of action and then get moving. You look toward the end of the project, and then you move towards completion. How hard is this.

I am watching Martha Stewart Apprentice tonight, and am BLOWN away by the total incompetence by some of the people applying for this job. They have the worst atitudes. I wonder, are they applying for the job because the want to work for MSLO, or do they want to be on TV? Seriously. People do not want to take responsibilities for there errors. They are arguing with the woman that they want to work for I JUST DONT GET IT. They are on a JOB INTERVIEW. Am I missing part of the equation? What is wrong with these people. They have an opportunity of a lifetime and they act like children.

Just my thoughts for the evening.

set in my ways

As I am getting older, I realize that I am establishing a few patterns here and there. I watch West Wing every week, I paint my toe nails on Sunday nights, I water my plants every other night. I open my mail on Wednesday's and Saturday mornings. I have no idea how on earth that pattern started, but it is what it is.
Every morning, I hit the 'Bucks before 8am, and am at my office at 8:05. Every morning. Every morning, I get up at 5:26 am. 4 minutes before my alarm goes off.
On Sundays I watch football with the guys, on Saturdays I get mani's with the girls.
Once a year, for the past 4 years, I volunteer for Coats for Kids. The first Thursday of each month, I have a board meeting for CASA. The second Tuesday, I have another volunteer meeting.
My life is very routine. Very organized. This has really only come to be in the past year and a half. In fact, I don't know really when it happened.

As I said. I am set in my ways. Its really, really frightening.

hi ho hi ho off to the...

crack dealer i go.

well, rather I went. This morning, I made my inauguaral trip to my brand spankin new NEIGHBOORHOOD DRIVE THRU STARBUCKS. I didn't drive through- I wanted to stop in, and introduce myself to my new best friends, or rather my dealers. All seemed so nice and sweet, especially Chuck, a rather sweet 65 year old gentleman who crafted me a rather tasty non fat vanilla latte this morning.

This weekend was divine. I spent the entire weekend doing what I wanted. How selfish, I know. I spent most of the time working in my garden, repotting my plants and working in my patio beds. I have an entire potting station off my patio now that is great to work in. I need to figure out a way to make this a permanant solution that I can utilize all year long. I also started planting some bulbs that I will be forcing this winter.

I visited with quite a few friends this weekend- had people over to my house off and on for wine and conversation, and then met up with a group yesterday for football later in the day.

I started a knitting project, but I think I am going to rip it out. The yarn is called "Poodle", a great black that indeed looks like a black poodle, but its not coming out really well on the 10.5's- I generally am a really loose knitter, and for once I think I am knitting too tight. I guess I am going to re-guage on 11's and see what happens. For those of you that don't knit, I am pretty sure this past paragraph might have well been written in swahelli, but it torks me off, as I have about 7 inches of this scarf pattern done with the bobbles and I just hate it.

So, this concludes my Monday morning musings before I hurl myself in the world of *ahem* business. (was that general enough for you)

I found two new recipes that I am going to post, as well as a few new items that I am in love with.

Check back later.

-k

success

this morning has been a gardening sucess. i have repotted 18 plants in total, and have laid fresh mulch down on one of my back beds.

i have a great chili simmering on the stove- you can actually keep this going all day, despite the fact that the recipe says its a 20 minute project.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

---

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the garlic, onion, and carrots in the pot until tender. Mix in the green bell pepper and red bell pepper. Season with chili powder. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until peppers are tender.
2. Mix the mushrooms into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes with liquid, black beans with liquid, kidney beans with liquid, pinto beans with liquid, and corn. Season with cumin, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally....

I am knitting a new scarf- its black and looks like a poodle with big bobbles on it. Will post pictures later.

Have a great day

snap crackle pop

No, I am not talking about Rice Krispies. Getting old sucks. I am going to my doctor next week because I have something weird happening with my hands- they aren't working as well as they used to. Stiff and painful in the AM, numb at various parts of the day, and often times wake up in the middle of the night with strange numbness in my hands. My handwriting even looks different. My friends and I chalk it up to getting older.

Secondly, when I get up in the morning, my body pops, my ankle cracks, my knee pops, and daresay anything snaps on me.

Another joy of this age thing- the grey hair. Being blessed with super duper quick growing hair is great, but not when you are losing the battle against massive amounts of grey hairs. It's just pathetic.

Finally, my skin. Oh, my poor skin. It just doesnt have that same "snap" that it always had before. Its a little less "snap" and a little more "sag"

What a great way to wake up on a Saturday morning.

Praise be to Nordstroms

*bear with me my spacebar is broken

itsfinallyfall.

its gorgeous in Austin today. 52 was the high. i got to wear a cashmere sweater and a wrap. real clothes. clothes that covered my body. it was magnificant. i feel energized. i feel happy. i am not hot.

will post more when i get a new keyboard.

fat bastard

chardonnay that is.

thats what was poured at Casa de Kate this evening. There is a chill in the air, friends were over, and we drank wine, ate goodies and gossiped.


A good night all in all

in the dark

drove home from work last night, in the dark.
drove to work this morning, in the dark.


this dark stuff is getting OLD

covet

www.crateandbarrel.com

I just love this picture!

Amos Lee

Check him out on Amazon

Amos Lee

Fall Gardening...

I am loving this time of year- its a great time and really dig into my flower beds, which have been abused by the Texas heat. I found the following list on the Better Homes and Garden www.bhg.com website with some helpful hints for making your gardens winter ready


Early Fall
Clear away debris from the base of rosebushes. Fallen leaves can hold diseases that might overwinter.
Water, water, water. Give all of your plants a good drink, especially your trees. Their roots need plenty of moisture to make it through the upcoming months.
Amend your soil. Get the ground ready for next year's beds and your fall bulbs by tilling the soil and adding fertilizer.
Shop for bulbs. Order from catalogs or visit garden stores early for best selection.
Plant shrubs and evergreens. Early fall planting gives new plants enough time to get their roots established before winter.
Plant fall annuals. As your summer blooms fade, add color to your garden with fall annuals such as mums, pansies, and ornamental kale.

A perfect fall beverage- Hot Cider!!!!

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups apple cider
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice berries
1 orange peel, cut into strips
1 lemon peel, cut into strips
DIRECTIONS:
Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan.
Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.
Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.
Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.

Mom, are you sitting down?

I am actually ENJOYING cleaning my house today. I am washing all my curtains and doing the windows, inside and out. There is something amazingly satisfying about seeing really crisp clean windows and clean curtains.

I think my body has been invaded by aliens.