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tis the season!

Saturday, December 3, 2011
hello! so sorry for the absence- the greene household has been adjusting to a big change. i started a new job last month! i am loving it! i'm working at a pediatric dental office as a dental assistant. can you believe it? the overwhelming health care community in gainesville has finally sucked me in! zach and i had been praying about my job for several months because i was feeling called to something else. i applied to countless jobs in fields similar to engineering but nothing seemed to pan out. i talked about my job search with a friend who is in my small group, and one thing led to another... and here i am! i love working with children everyday, and i really enjoy the women i work with, too! being happy in the workplace is something i will never ever take for granted! can you believe that i'm even thinking about going to dental school one day?!?! that would make two doctors in the family!
oh- and here is the best thing... i get to wear maroon MSU scrubs every Thursday!!! Go Dawgs!! Represent!!
 zach and i went to starkville for thanksgiving! it was so nice to see my parents, ty, rachel, zach's parents, alex, robyn and baby korbyn! the hartsogs also spent the holiday with us!
we had the most delicious spread! yummmm
baby korbyn and mommy!
our 2nd thanksgiving! so thankful for my wonderful hubby!
the amazing women who made it all happen!

aunt stacey and korbyn! decked out in maroon for the egg bowl!
an egg bowl victory! 3-peat!

soaking wet... but loving the VICTORY!!!!
now it's christmas time again! i love this season! unfortunately, all of our decorations are in pensacola, and i didn't realize it in enough time to get them down to gainesville. grrrrrr but i couldn't go a whole month without having some christmas cheer in the home, so we bought a tree! a real one this year! and zach was so happy =) bought all new ornaments and lights for the tree, and i'm very pleased with our happy tree! norwood loves it, too! and of course we decorated norwood! check out her christmas collar with red jingle bell and her shirt! the shirt says "santa's little yelper"-- how cute??? she loves wearing it!
  
christmas family photo 2011


hope you are having a blessed advent and finding joy in this season of preparation and expectant waiting! Merry Christmas! 

FALL projects!

Saturday, October 22, 2011
so glad i caught the sewing bug again just in time for fall and Halloween! in all the years we have been together, zach and i have never been to a costume party. we'll be making our couples costume debut at the end of the month, and i've been brainstorming for weeks now!! we have a great idea, and the best is that we're dressing up Nora, too! Stay tuned for pics!
but until then, here are some other projects i've been working on (with tutorial inspiration links)enjoy!
burlap wreath
menu planner dry erase board
(got the free graphic here)

game day crochet cowl
(maybe making an appearance at the Egg Bowl next month?)

cute anthro knockoff bobby pins
(well, my hair was super long until i cut off 10" for locks of love. now it's short again! let the cylce begin again...)

Egg Bowl dress
mom got me this cute long-sleeved maroon shirt, but i already have a couple. so i chopped it off and made a dress! i had intended for the skirt to have pockets, but i ended up cutting those off when i made the skirt slimmer. i'm still working with proportions, but i'm honing my sewing techniques!

**i know i keep referencing the Egg Bowl a whole lot, but I'm missing MSU football terribly! aso every project i do turns out to be maroon because i have my bulldogs on the brain

Freezer Burritos

Tuesday, October 11, 2011
i cannot say enough good things about this idea! i have a husband who likes to snack, and we are often on the go. the solution? freezer burritos!! set aside a couple hours, and you can make several, quick, single-serving burritos.
First, gather your ingredients. I used flour tortillas, black beans, corn salsa, cheese, and "Chipotle" rice (LOVE Chipotle burritos and the rice they use. Have you ever eaten at Chipotle before? Worlds better than Moes! Trust me! And if you're already a chiplotle-rice-lover, check on the recipe linked... it's the recipe for Chipotle's rice.) I was excited to use the rest of my homemade salsa and beans that I had soaked and cooked. You can also splash on some sour cream or hot sauce. It's also a good idea to pre-tear your foil.
The first step is to take your tortillas out of their package, wrap them in a damp kitchen towel, and microwave for 1 minute. This makes them very pliable! I'm pretty sure the next step is a no-brainer, but you fill your burrito and roll!


They should keep in the freezer for 3 months. But let me put it this way, I made these last month, and they have been long gone...


When ready to eat: remove foil, wrap in damp paper towel, microwave on high 3 minutes, wait to cool, then eat!

So easy! So delicious!

The Cone of Silence

Thursday, October 6, 2011
Last month, Nora had a few operations. We had her "fixed" and had her front claws removed (let me stop you right here if you think that is inhumane... Nora has a wonderful vet and does not miss them! Nor do we! Those things were sharp! She will always be an indoor cat and won't ever need to protect herself in the wild.) Well, anyhoo- the vet suggeted that she wear those cone to keep her from irritating her stitches on her belly and paws. I was out of town when Zach picked her up from her surgeries, so when I came home this greeted me at the door...

hahahaaaaa... adorable, right?
For some reason, she was super affectionate when she was wearing the cone. We didn't make her wear it all day, every day- she only wore it when she was left alone during the day. But we did observe her wearing the cone and found that she ran into walls. a lot.

The cone prevented her from grooming. See her pittiful attempt here. She would raise her paws to her face, but then end up just licking the inside of the cone.

Wwe affectionately named it the "cone of silence." Nora was so calm when it was on, so sometimes we still put it on her if she's getting a little crazy. Is that mean? I don't think so....

Last week it was time for Nora's belly stiches to come out. The vet asked us to bring her back, and he would remove the stitches. Zach took one look at them and said he could handle it. And he did. One careful snip, and the stitches were gone. I can only imagine Zach one day stitching up all of the neighborhood children.

Ratatouille

Tuesday, October 4, 2011
This dish is any veggie lover's dream... and it makes me yearn for my very own garden even more!




These ingredients are more of a suggestion than a hard and fast rule. Play around with proportions and ingredients, if you like.


2 large eggplants, peeled, cubed
6-8 zucchini, coined
3 bell peppers, chopped
5 garlic cloves, whole
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
3-4 sprigs of thyme
4 large tomatoes or 1 can whole tomatoes
1 TBS EVOO


In a large pot, sauté the onions in EVOO until brown. Then add peppers and allow to soften. Stir in whole garlic cloves, tomatoes, bay leaf. Turn down heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add zucchini, eggplant, thyme, S&P. Simmer another 20 minutes or until everything is cooked through. Fish out bay leaf and whole garlic cloves before serving.


At this point, either top each bowl with minced garlic and serve with bread or rice OR cool and put in freezer bags.




Please note that if you choose to freeze in individual portions (like I did), allow to cool on stove, then pour into labeled ziplock bags. I also allow the bags to cool on the counter before putting them in my freezer. It’s also a good idea to lay the bags flat on a baking sheet before you freeze and then take them off the baking sheet once frozen. This makes them into a nice flat frozen bag of goodness that stacks easily in the freezer. It will keep for up to 3 months.
**I actually made this recipe about a month ago and have already defrosted half of my supply! It still tastes great once thawed and reheated!

24th birthday!

Friday, September 16, 2011
hey! i had a birthday last week! the big 2-4! my sweet co-workers got me a cake with 6 candles. they asked what the multipier was (i know, we are nerds), and i told them 4. i think i made them all feel old. but i wasn't trying to rub it in. since zach had been working nights, i came home to spend the afternoon with him before he went into work that night. i thought we could do a laid back bday thing. i ended up cooking and cleaning, and it felt more like zach's bday than mine! we decided a re-do would be in order once things settled down.

like i said, i cooked. check out our yummy linner (lunch/dinner)- thai chicken and pineapple stirfry YUM!


and a breakfast banana split for dessert!


and nora and i did some yoga. she likes to do yoga in her sleep.

grindin'

Thursday, September 15, 2011
so. i should have done this post a couple weeks ago, but i've been busy. so here it is. i have to say first that i am traveling on business tonight, and i sit in my hotel room watching my bulldogs host the LSU tigers at Davis Wade Stadium. how awesome in the WHITE OUT???? it's beautiful. trust me. well, it's the start of the 2nd quarter, and i am so proud of how they are playing! i've said it before and i'll say it again- we play best when we are the underDAWGS (excuse the pun, but it is true). and i hope we really stick it to them tonight!

i'm a little nervous that my hotel-mates are going to complain about me. i can't help it- the cowbells sound awesome, and i refuse to turn it down! REFUSE.

ok- so let's go back to the first game of the season. MSU at Memphis! so glad to be at this first game of what is going to be an epic season. EPIC. (i'm kind of into repeating words and capitalizing them for emphasis because i am so pumped for my bulldogs! PUMPED!)


it's true- i get goosebumps when i see OUR STATE colors flying.


Zach had to work. Caryl and Robyn stayed for Korbyn. So here is the gang- mom, alex, sonny, and tom. we had a blast. go dawgs!


appropriate 4th quarter celebratory funnel cake. yes, please. (btw- memphis stadium had awesome concessions!)


and we all remember how this game ended... 59-14. go dawgs!

check out my baby niece!! she is so precious!! got to spend the day after the game with korbyn, her parents, and her grandparents. what a great day!


the rest of the weekend was spent hanging with the memphis gals! oh, how i miss them! loved staying with mary and pretending we were back in college. i did not take any pics bc i'm sure you don't want to see wrapped in a snuggie eating sushi and watching prom. try hard not to be jealous.


short work week, then zach and i headed up to auburn to catch the 2nd msu football game with his parents!

chills. again.


zach got to be at a game! this is pre-sunburn. oh, it was bad.
had to show this throwback pic from 2007. zach and i came to the auburn-msu game when we were juniors... and this is after we had won in overtime! i look the same. zach does not. check out that hair!!!!

on a side note, i'm also really upset that i am not home watching the game with my hubby and my baby kitty. nora came home from her operations tonight. she's a little groggy from the drugs still, but my rug and couch are super happy her claws are gone now. and. she's a bit lighter from having her female organs removed. hey- we didn't even know she was a girl at first.


ok- halftime. we are looking good. REAL GOOD. i think we keep playing better and better each play. ok. i really hope i did not just jinx the game. bc now there is proof. crap. oh well. go dawgs!

losing steam...

Wednesday, August 31, 2011
well, as you can tell my crafty drive and kitchen experiments have slowed down.

mom was in town this past weekend, and we had the perfect girls' weekend! full of eating, talking, and shopping! i got to take her to my grocery stores around town, and then we went to Jacksonville to get some serious shopping in. i even got an early bday gift which is perfect for the first football game of the season tomorrow! it's the Dooney & Bourke Mini Flap Crossbody in Bordeaux. It's the PERFECT maroon color!

Zach started his pediatric rotation this week. he's enjoying it but his heart still belongs to surgery.

i traveled again for work the beginning of this week, but i'm more than happy to make the quick turnaround... i'm flying to memphis tomorrow!! yay!! i'll get to cheer the bulldogs on as we dominate memphis in the liberty bowl! i'll be sitting with my parents at the game! i'll get to spend friday with my in-laws and my baby niece! i'll be spending the weekend with the one and only, mary renfroe! pumped! (and that doesn't even begin to describe it!)

i'll be back next week with a newspaper basket i'm currently weaving and pics from the weekend!

sewing projects: maroon friday!

Friday, August 26, 2011
i'm so excited for football season, i decided to make a couple tops! this first one is basically like the classic "pillowcase dress" for little girls. i'm very new to sewing clothing and haven't quite mastered fitted styles. but i like a nice draped top! the tie is a satin fabric that had some nice maroon hues in it!

my inspiration for this game day top came from Anthropologie's Diverse Density Tank. the one i made is a little more fitted than this style, but i'm really happy with the way it turned out!

...and while i was taking pictures, we decided to have some fun with Nora, too! zach fashioned this toy for her... it's a duck... on a string... i wish it was a colonel reb... she is pretty ferocious! alright, that's all for today. GO STATE!!!!

jambalaya

Thursday, August 25, 2011
LOVE this recipe!! it is soooooooooooooo yummy!! ok- so i picked up some wonderfully fresh and local veggies and got to chopping!

::ingredients::

3c onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2c scallions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1c parsley, chopped
1 Tbs oregano (used an italian blend)
1 tsp thyme
3 bay leaves
2 pinches of cayenne pepper (use more if you like spicy)
1.25c white rice, uncooked
4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste (did not have, so i used tomato sauce and a little corn starch)
3.75c water
1/3c lentils, uncooked
1 tsp sale
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
20 olives, pitted (did not use these- i hate olives)
S&P

::directions::

heat some oil or chicken stock or butter in large stock pot. add onions, peppers, scallions and saute for 10 min. add garlic and spices and saute for additional 2 min. mix in rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, lentils and salt. increase heat and bring to a boil. stir until everything is mixed well, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 min. add corn and olives and cook another 5 minutes until lentils and rice are cooked. season with pepper and serve.

oh, boy was it delicious!
zach loves meat, so i added some sausage to his and ate mine vegetarian. i will definitely be making this again! it would be great to take to a tailgate later this fall! (can you tell that i've had collge football on the brain this week?)
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